On July 18, the Japan Meteorological Agency announced the end of this year’s rainy season in the Tokyo metropolitan area. In other words, mid-summer 2025 has arrived. With daytime highs often exceeding 35°C, I’ve been longing to escape the urban heat island and enjoy some trainspotting on a cool plateau. But since I’m busy this summer, I settled for the next best thing—an underground station. It’s naturally cooler than above ground thanks to the lack of direct sunlight, and many underground stations in the metro area are air-conditioned. So, I had no choice but to go.
My destination was Mitsuzawa-Shimochō Station on the Blue Line of the Yokohama Municipal Subway. Why there? Because trainspotters like me love photographing entire trains, bogies included. To do that in an underground setting, you need the right conditions. First, a station with two separate platforms serving two tracks is ideal, since you can capture the whole train from across the way. (“Every exit is an entry to somewhere else,” as the saying goes.) Second, the station must be free of pillars between the tracks—otherwise, your view gets blocked. Mitsuzawa-Shimochō checks all the boxes.
Take a look at the top photo: The EMU 4000 series at Mitsuzawa-Shimochō Station. What’s new about this train? I noticed a large, rounded sticker on the front promoting GREEN×EXPO 2027, a major event Yokohama is preparing to host. It’s a small touch, but it definitely helps build excitement for the Expo (see the photo below).
