It’s already late August, but the lingering summer heat is still intense. The daytime high in Tokyo has been over 35 degrees Celsius almost every day. To avoid the harsh sunlight, I enjoyed a night-time walk in the metropolitan area.
My destination this time was Harumi Port Park. It was part of the Athletes’ Village during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. The park features fountains, a café, a playground, and a seaside terrace overlooking the Rainbow Bridge and central Tokyo’s waterfront. I also saw the illuminated “TOKYO” wordmark monument glowing in white light (see photo below). The sea breeze at night was pleasant and refreshing.
The nearest station to this scenic port park is Kachidoki on the Toei Ooedo Line. This subway line is known as a “linear motor subway.” Linear motor technology is used in its propulsion system. Unlike a conventional rotary motor, a linear motor has no shaft and generates motion in a straight line. This innovation allowed for a smaller tunnel cross-section.
The line first opened in 1991 with a short 3.8-kilometer section between Hikarigaoka and Nerima. It was extended to Tochomae (Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building) in 2000. Today, the line consists of a circular section (Tochomae – Ryogoku – Tochomae, 28.6 km) and a branch line (Hikarigaoka – Tochomae, 12.1 km), making a total length of 40.7 km. Two types of trains currently operate on the line: the EMU 12-000 series (see top photo) and the newer 12-600 series.
