Shooting the Cruise Train, "Shiki-shima": Part 2

JR East's cruise train, the E001 series "Shiki-shima", approaches Odawara station

Continuing with what I covered last time, I'm going to show you “Shiki-shima”, the JR East E001 series, today.

After shooting Shiki-shima at the Kozu station yard, I went back to Odawara station, and awaited the arrival of this cruise train again. At ten forty, Shiki-shima came back from Kozu to take up the passengers again. Let me explain about the composition of this train. Shiki-shima consists of 10 cars. The first and last cars are observation cars. The other eight cars are six sleeping cars (Car 2, 3, 4, 7, 8 and 9), a lounge car (Car 5) and a dining car (Car 6). Car 7 is the highest-grade sleeping car consisting of Shiki-shima Suite and Deluxe Suite. These rooms have cypress baths. Everything is top-notch, isn’t it?

After picking up passengers, Shiki-shima left Odawara station at ten fifty. It was seen off by two local “samurais” in armors and kabutos (decorative samurai helmets). It was a thoughtful way of treating the passengers. The passengers continued the journey. According to JR East’s website, the passengers and crew had a farewell party, after arriving at Ueno terminal in Tokyo on that day. The crew did more than what the passengers had expected.

By the way, you may ask me, "Don’t you go on board the luxury cruise train to travel?” Good question! I'd like to go on board Shiki-shima at some point… but, I'm always busy. It’s very popular, so, I can’t make a reservation. It’s very expensive and... (so many excuses!)

Local "samurais" (right) send off Shiki-shima cruise train from Odawara station

Official product descriptions about the E001 series, Shiki-shima, by J-TREC (in Japanese):

https://www.j-trec.co.jp/company/070/06/jtr06_088-093.pdf

Shooting the Cruise Train, "Shiki-shima"

JR East's cruise train, the E001 series "Shiki-shima", stands at Kozu station yard

Do you remember when I introduced you to JR West’s sleeper train, “Sunrise Express” last year? That was the only “regular” sleeper train left in Japan. Is there anything else? There are what we call “cruise trains”. I’m going to show you one of such luxury sleeper trains today.

“Shiki-shima (the four seasons island)” is JR East’s cruise train. The formal name is the E001 series. Only one set was jointly built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and J-TREC, and debuted in 2017. The E001 series is composed of 10 cars. An "EDC" electric/diesel hybrid propulsion system is adopted. On the electrified tracks, it’s operated as an EMU (electric multiple unit). Meanwhile, on the non-electrified tracks, it activates two diesel generators in the first and last cars, and powers the train's traction motors.

JR East doesn’t release the detailed timetable of Shiki-shima, because it’s operated as special group trip trains. It’s not so easy to shoot this train as rail-fans expect. I recently got an information about the timetable of Shiki-shima on several websites, and visited Odawara station on the Tokaido main line, but I couldn’t find it. Why? According to a station attendant, Shiki-shima is temporally accommodated in the Kozu station yard, which is located about 6 kilometers east of Odawara station. Oh, my goodness!

After rushing to the scene at Kozu station, I barely shot Shiki-shima, standing on the detention track. Please look at the photos. Shiki-shima was shining brightly. I did it!... but I was completely exhausted. To be continued…

Shiki-shima approaches Kozu station yard

Official information about "Shiki-shima" by JR East:

https://www.jreast.co.jp/shiki-shima/en/

2025 Sakura Season on the Yokosuka Line

Set F29 of the EMU E235-1000 series (11-cars) travels on the Yokosuka line

On March 24th, 2025, the Meteorological Agency of Japan declared that this year's sakura (cherry) blossoms had started blooming in the metropolitan area. Spring has sprung! As I posted year after year, Japanese people harbor romantic emotions towards sakura blossoms. We are also reminded of the emptiness of life, seeing the beautiful blossoms dropping only a week after they fully blossom. Sakura viewing in this short period is a part of Japanese culture. This year, I took the JR East Yokosuka line to see sakura blossoms in Kanagawa Prefecture.

My destination was Zushi City, about 50 kilometers southwest of the center of Tokyo. When I reached Sakurayama (Cherry Mountain) Park, lots of visitors were there. They were families with children, couples and close-knit groups, and being fun in their own ways under the full-blown sakura trees. What most left an impression was a couple having “maedori (a bridal photoshoot ahead of their wedding day)”. Congratulations on your wedding!

On the way home, I took a moment to enjoy train shooting at Higashi-Zushi station. I was so happy that I could shoot an eleven-car train of the EMU E235-1000 series reflecting the sunlight, but… at the same time, I remembered that his (her) elder brother (sister), namely E217 series, was retired from the Yokosuka line on March 14th. I didn’t have a chance to say good-bye to the E217 series before the retirement. The E217 series… I’m truly sorry… but thank you so much for your hard working on the Yokosuka, Sobu-Rapid and Tokaido lines.

Full-blown sakura trees in Sakura-yama Park near HIgashi-Zushi station

Visit to Kumamoto: Friendly Bird and Tramcar

Trainset 0803 of the electric car Kumamoto City Tram 0800 series

Sorry for jumping from one topic to another, but I’m going to follow up and post about my recent visit to Kumamoto today.

When I visited Mt. Kinbo in Kumamto City with my family, we came across a group of local hikers. The leader of the group kindly showed us how to contact with wild birds there. Please look at the photo below. If a visitor put a nut on his/her palm and hold it out, a Yamagara (Varied tit) lands on his/her hand, and eats it. That’s so cute! I have never seen such a friendly wild bird.

I can't finish here as this is a railway blog. Please look at the top photo. It’s trainset 0803 of Kumamoto City Tram’s electric car 0800 series. The 0800 series was commissioned in 2009. It's a so-called LRT (light rail transit). 3 sets in total were built by Niigata Transys. The 0800 series is a two-car train with two bogies. It means that the 0800 series doesn't have an articulated bogie. The overall length is about 18 meters. An IGBT-VVVF inverter (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor - variable frequency drive) electric control system with two 100kW induction motors is adopted. The 3rd set, namely trainset 0803, is the latest set of the 0800 series. It has the wooden interior, and makes passengers peaceful. The nickname of trainset 0803 is “COCORO (mind)”. COCORO is beloved by passengers because it connects with their minds.

I enjoyed a friendly bird and tramcar in Kumamoto City.

A friendly wild Yamagara (Varied tit) can be seen at the summit of Mt. Kinbo

The 2nd Generation Kenty Skyliner

Trainset AE4 of the EMU Keisei AE series, the 2nd generation Kenty Skyliner

Do you remember when I introduced you to Kenty Skyliner last year? It was a special poster train on the Keisei line. A year has passed since then and Keisei Electric Railway recently launched the 2nd generation Kenty Skyliner. I’m going to show you this new poster train today.

Let me quickly review “Kenty” to start. Nakajima Kento, alias Kenty, is a popular Japanese singer and actor. Keisei has been using Kenty for their advertising campaigns since 2019. For example, Kenty acted as "the Prince of Keisei", and promoted the Narita Airport access train “Skyliner” on the TV commercials. Keisei, then, started to operate a special poster train, "Kenty Skyliner", in 2021. Large posters of Kenty, who is dressed as the Prince of Keisei, were displayed on the side bodies. It meant that Kenty, the prince of Keisei, escorted passengers, who were in the likeness of princesses.

Fast-forward to November, 2024, the 2nd generation Kenty Skyliner debuted. This train displays large posters of Kenty on the side bodies just like the 1st generation Kenty Skyliner, but Kenty doesn’t play the prince of Keisei anymore. He looks more matured and natural.

Incidentally, the 2nd generation Kenty Skyliner is trainset AE4 of the EMU Keisei AE series. The AE series is an 8-car train with crow-shaped black faces. Its maximum speed is 160 kilometers per hour, which is the fastest in Japan except the Shinkansen vehicles. The AE series won the 2011 Blue Ribbon Prize by Japan Railfan Club as the best train that debuted in 2010.

Large posters of Kenty are displayed on the side bodies of Kenty Slyliner

Official information about the 2nd generation Kenty Skyliner by Keisei (in Japanese): https://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetudou/skyliner/jp/kentyskyliner/

Official promotion movie of Keisei Skyliner (in Japanese):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1orJiQNRrw

Advent of Spring on the Odakyu-Enoshima Line

EMU Odakyu 60000 series (4-car-trainset) approaches Katase-Enoshima terminal

The sun is getting stronger in the metropolitan area. The maximum daytime temperature is nearly 20 degrees Celsius. Winter has gone and spring is here. I couldn’t sit still at home, so, I got on a train to find the advent of spring. My destination was Katase-Enoshima on the Odakyu-Enoshima line.

Let me review the Odakyu-Enoshima line to start. It’s a branch line of the Odakyu-Odawara line. It connects Sagami-Ono, a transfer station from the Odakyu-Odawara line, and Katase-Enoshima, a gateway station to Enoshima Island. It was opened in 1929 as a commuter route in the western part of Kanagawa Prefecture. The route length is 27.6 kilometers.

After arriving at Katase-Enoshima terminal, I visited Katase Beach facing the Pacific Ocean (see the photo below). There were many young people and families on the beach. They were being fun in their own ways. On the other hand, the sea surface was filled with surfers. How’s waves? 

Before going home, I enjoyed taking train photos near Katase-Enoshima terminal. Please look at the top photo. It’s the EMU 60000 series, Romancecar “MSE (Multi Super Express)”. One trainset of MSE is basically composed of 10 cars, but it can be broken up into 6 and 4 car sections to enhance operational flexibility. I have already posted many MSE photos in this blog, but this is the carefully selected one to show you a 4-car-MSE trainset led by a stream-lined front car. As a trainspotter, I sticked to show you the train, which you haven’t seen yet.

Katase Beach near Katase-Enoshima terminal

Official information about the EMU Odakyu 60000 series, Romancecar MSE, by Odakyu (in Japanese):

https://www.odakyu.jp/romancecar/features/line_up/60000/

Official information about Romancecars by Odakyu:

https://www.odakyu.jp/english/romancecar/lineup/

Revival "Shopping Train" on the Sotetsu Line

Trainset 11002 of the EMU Sotetsu 11000 series, "Okaimono Densha"

I realized I haven’t posted any topics about Sagami Railway (Sotetsu) recently. I can't think of anything right now, so, I searched my hard disk for unreleased photos, and came across some. I’m going to show you a Sotetsu train from two years ago today.

Let's review Sotetsu a little bit before that. It’s a Yokohama-based major private railway company, and has a 44.4-kilometer-long railway network in Kanagawa Prefecture. The track is double. The electric system is 1,500V DC. The gauge size is 1,067 millimeters. Sotetsu trains have directly operated onto the JR East lines since 2019 and the Tokyu lines since 2023.

Let's get down to the main topic. Sotetsu operated a revival-colored special poster train, named “Okaimono Densha (shopping train)”, in 2023. Okaimono Densha was originally operated in the 1960s for the shoppers to Yokohama.  It was the express train displaying special plates on the front of the EMU 5000 series. 63 years later, Okaimono Densha was back to the Sotetsu line using trainset 11002 of the EMU 11000 series. What for? The main purpose is to attract shoppers to “Joinus-Yokohama”, a large shopping mall owned by Sotetsu. You can see a nostalgic-designed train front from 60 years ago. A pigeon and a shopping basket are depicted as well. They are revival of the Okaimono Densha in the 1960s. Incidentally, the 11000 series is Sotetsu’s standard commuter train debuted in 2008. To reduce the manufacturing costs, it has common specifications with JR East's EMU E233 series.

A pigeon and a shopping basket are depicted on the front of "Okaimono Densha"

Official information about "Okaimono Densha" by Sotetsu (in Japanese):

https://cdn.sotetsu.co.jp/media/2023/pressrelease/pdf/r23-141-ak3.pdf

Visit to Kumamoto: Tram and Unkai

Unit 1097 of the electric car Kumamoto City Tram 1090 series

Kumamoto is the main city of Kumamoto Prefecture, about 900 kilometers west of Tokyo. It has been developed as the capital of Higo Province since the 8th century. The population now stands at 740,000, the third largest on Kyushu Island.

It's true that Kumamoto is a big city, but there’s more. For example, Mt. Kinbo is a beautiful spot in the western part of the city. We can see Mt. Unzen and Shimabara Peninsula from the summit. What was even more special was a large unkai (a sea of clouds), which covered Kumamoto City and Shimabara Bay (see the photo below). I was very lucky.

I can't afford to stop writing yet, as this is a rail-fan's blog. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the Kumamoto City Tram. The tramline in the city was opened in 1924, and has been operated by the Transportation Bureau of Kumamoto City. The current total operating length is 12.1 kilometers. The electrical system is 600V DC. The gauge size is 1,435 millimeters. The electric car 1090 series (see photo above) is the main fleet on the line. It was commissioned in 1955, and a total of 7 units were built by Toyo Koki. The technical specifications are rather old, but all units are still in active service. One of the design features of this electric car is its tail lamps. It’s so-called “Basu-kyo tails (standard tail lamps for busses)”. Parts commonality between trams and busses led to a cost reduction.

Unkai (a sea of clouds) view from Mt. Kinbo in Kumamoto City

Kumamoto City Tram boarding guide:

https://www.kotsu-kumamoto.jp/common/UploadFileDsp.aspx?c_id=9&id=2&set_doc=1

Official information about Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau (in Japanese):

https://www.kotsu-kumamoto.jp/

The 55th Anniversary of Tora-san, Part 2

"The 55th anniversary of Tora-san" train, Keisei 3030, travels on the Keikyu line

You may remember when I introduced you to the 55th anniversary train of Tora-san before. It was trainset 3668 of the EMU Keisei 3600 series displaying the celebratory plate. Today, I’m going to show you two more anniversary trains.

Please look at the top photo. You can see a round-shaped plate on the front of trainset 3030 of the EMU Keisei 3000 series. This train also celebrates "the 55th anniversary of Tora-san". The 3000 series was commissioned in 2003 to replace the old trains on the Keisei line. It's a standard commuter train with stainless-steel bodies. A total of 48 sets, 326 cars, were built by Nippon Sharyo, etc. The maximum operating speed is 120 kilometers per hour, because it’s directly operated onto the Hokuso line, which is a part of fast access route to New Tokyo International Airport (Narita).

On the other hand, Hokuso Railway also operates the 55th anniversary train of Tora-san (see the photo below). It’s trainset 7502 of the EMU 7500 series. Hokuso trains are directly operated onto the Keisei, Toei-Asakusa and Keikyu lines. The EMU 7500 series is a main force of the Hokuso Railway. It was commissioned in 2006 to replace the old model, the 7000 series. A total of 3 sets, 24 cars, were built by Nippon Sharyo and Tokyu Sharyo. It's a sister train of the Keisei 3000 series. The major difference between the 7500 and the 3000 series is the color of the stripes.

"The 55th anniversary of Tora-san" train, Hokuso 7502, travels on the Keikyu line

Sayonara, "Hyotan View" Gondolas

Bizan Ropeway in Tokushima City

Tokushima is the main city of Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku Island. The population now stands at 0.26 million. This city is famous for Awa-odori, the traditional dancing festival held every summer, but that’s not all. There is a popular sightseeing spot, Mt. Bizan, close to downtown. Visitors can enjoy superb view of the urban area and Kii Channel from the summit.

To visit Mt. Bizan, “Bizan Ropeway” is convenient. It’s owned by Tokushima City Office. Connecting Awa-odori-kaikan and Sancho stations, the route length is 787 meters. It's a single-cable cross type aerial tramway. The height difference of the two stations is 242 meters. The maximum inclination on the route is 30.23 degrees. Bizan Ropeway was originally opened in 1957. The third-generation double gondolas were built by Osaka Sharyo in 1997. Passenger capacity per gondola is 15; therefore, a total of 30 persons can ride on each trip. They look like Haruna-san Ropeway in Gumma Prefecture. The gondola is operated every 15 minutes with a maximum speed of 4.1 meters per second. It takes about 6 minutes to go one way. The nickname of these gondolas is “Hyotan (Gourd) View”.

On February 17th, Tokushima City Office announced that new gondolas of Bizan Ropeway will be commissioned on March 30th. This is the first introduction of new gondolas in 25 years. According to the city office, the new gondolas will be angular-shaped, and have large windows. That sounds exciting. Sayonara (Good-bye) and arigatou (thank you) Hyotan View gondolas.

Superb view from Mt. Bizan

Official annoucement about new gondolas of Bizan Ropeway by Tokushima City Office (in Japanese): https://www.city.tokushima.tokushima.jp/shisei/mayor/mayor_press/press_2024/kaiken20250217.files/kaiken2025021701.pdf

The 140th Anniversary of Shinjuku Station

JR East E231-500 series displays the 140th anniversary plate of Shinjuku station

On March 1st, JR East celebrated the 140th anniversary of Shinjuku station. In commemoration, several events are held by the company.

Let me quickly review Shinjuku station to start. It’s a giant terminal located in the subcenter of Tokyo Metropolis. Trains of five companies and one public corporation arrive at and leave this giant terminal. Shinjuku station was opened by Nippon Railway Company (present JR East) in 1885. It was located on the outskirts of the city at that time, but has become a giant terminal since the 1920s. The ridership is currently 3 million passengers per day.

Let's get down to the main topic. One of the events for the 140th anniversary is two kinds of memorial plates on the trainset A522 of the EMU E231-500 series. You can see the illustration of the old yellow-colored train, probably the EMU ex-JNR 101 series, on the plates. I remember when the yellow-colored 101 series often stopped at Shinjuku station until the 1980s. After retirement from the JR East lines, some of the 101 series trains were transferred to Chichibu Railway.

What will happen in the future of Shinjuku station? "Shinjuku Grand Terminal" project is going on. It’s a joint public and private sector redevelopment project, which will continue in the western side of the station until the 2040s. For example, the Odakyu Department Store building was demolished last year in order to build a skyscraper. It’s a good start, but still quite a long way to go. Congratulations on the 140th anniversary of Shinjuku station!

Enlargement of the 140th anniversary plate

Petrol Transportation Trains in the Metropolitan Area

JR Freight's petrol transportation train travels on the JR East-Musashino line 

I sometimes come across petrol transportation trains in the metropolitan area. Being pulled by electric locomotives, they pass by me in the blink of an eye, and disappear into a group of urban buildings. Today, I am going to post about these petrol transportation trains.

There are several oil refineries in and around the metropolitan area. They are for example in Kawasaki, Yokohama and Chiba cities. Do you know how to carry the refined petrol to consumption regions? Coastal tankers, tank trucks and petrol transportation trains are the main transporters.

Petrol transportation trains are operated mainly toward the inland areas such as Gunma, Yamanashi and Nagano prefectures. Type TaKi1000 is known as the petrol transportation freight car. It was commissioned in 1993 to replace the old freight car, Type TaKi43000. A total of 1,008 cars were built by Nippon Sharyo and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. They all belong to JR Freight’s railyards. The green-colored cars are owned by Japan Oil Transportation Company (see the top photo). On the other hand, the owner of the dark blue ones is Japan Oil Terminal & Logistics Company (see the photo below). The most notable point of TaKi1000 is its high speed… 95 kilometers per hour. It may look not so fast, but please remember that inland railways in Japan are located in mountainous areas. Furthermore, the track gauge is 1,067 millimeters… a narrow gauge.

You may want to know the towing locomotives as well, so, please review my previous posts, which I explained the Class EH200, EF210 and EF210-300.

JR Freight's petrol transportation train passes through HIgashi-Matsudo station

Preserved Locomotive in Tokorozawa City

Locomotive unit B15 of the Class Seibu B11 is preserved in Tokorozawa City

You may remember when I introduced you to the Seibu-Yamaguchi line in 2014 and 2023. I'm going to supplement this topic today.

Let me review the Seibu-Yamaguchi line to start. It's a rubber-tyred automated guideway transit (AGT) system straddling the border between Tokyo Metropolis and Tokorozawa City in Saitama Prefecture. The line length is only 2.8 kilometers between Tamako (Lake Tama) and Seibu-kyujo-mae (Seibu Baseball Stadium) stations. The Yamaguchi line was opened in 1985 as the fifth AGT route in Japan. The entire route is an electrified single track with one signal station for a passing loop. The electric system is 750V DC using a "third rail".

Next, let's look back on the history of the Seibu-Yamaguchi line before the opening as the AGT line. This route was originally opened in 1950, as an attraction railway, “Otogi Densha (fairy train)”, in an amusement park. It was then changed to the formal railway named Yamaguchi line under the Railway Business ACT in 1952. The Class B11 was the main locomotive fleet at that time. A total of 5 units were built by Seibu-Tokorozawa factory and Nakajima Electric Cars. It’s an accumulator (rechargeable battery) locomotive with an axis arrangement 0-4-0 (Whyte notation). It had two 11kW DC motors. The accumulator was manufactured by Yuasa. Currently, unit B15 of the Class B11 is preserved in front of a shopping mall, “Emi Terrace” in Tokorozawa City. Emi Terrace was constructed at the site of ex-Seibu-Tokorozawa factory, the birthplace of unit B15. It's homecoming of B15, isn’t it?

Old photos of the Class Seibu B11 locomotives are displayed in Emi Terrace

Plum Festival on the Keio Line

Displaying "Mogusaen Plum Festival" plate, trainset 8714 travels on the Keio line

We had a cold winter this year. As temperatures have been low, the plum trees began blooming one to three weeks later than usual. Mogusaen Garden in Hino City is no exception. Usually, the plums in this garden are in full bloom in mid-February; however, they have not fully bloomed yet this year. Instead of that, I enjoyed “Tsurushi-bina” displayed in a hermitage of the garden (see the photo below). For your information, Tsurushi-bina is a Japanese tradition where ornamental dolls are displayed on strings for Girls' Day (the Doll's Festival for girls).

To visit this plum garden, the nearest railway station is Mogusaen on the Keio line. During the plum blooming season, Keio Electric Railway operates a train with a special plate on the Keio line to promote tourism to Mogusaen. It’s trainset 8714 of the EMU 8000 series. The large plum blossom-shaped plate on the train front makes me feel　the arrival of spring. The 8000 series was commissioned in 1992 as Keio's first train to adopt the variable frequency drive (VFD) electric control system. As you know, the RPM and torque of induction motors are adjusted through frequency and voltage in the VFD system. Coupled with a regenerative braking system and vehicle weight reduction, electricity consumption of the 8000 series was reduced by 45 percent compared to the prior trains.

Finally, please check out my previous posts as well about famous plum groves/gardens in the metropolitan area such as Taura Ume-no-sato, Haruna Plum Grove and Ikegami Plum Garden, if you have time.

Tsurushi-binas are displayed in a hermitage of Mogusaen Garden

Serving a Double Purpose on the Chuo Line

EMU JR East E353 series passes through Tamagawa Bridge 

There is a proverb in Japanese that says "isseki nicho (killing two birds with one stone)". I’m not a native English speaker, so, I didn't know until recently that this proverb was originated in England. I’m going to post a topic about this proverb today… but, “serving a double purpose” is better, because I don’t want to kill birds.

Enough with the preamble. Let's head to the main topic. I recently visited Tamagawa Bridge on the JR East Chuo line for the first time in three years. What for? First, I wanted to shoot the Chuo line trains passing through the bridge. Please look at the top photo. That’s the EMU JR East E353 series, a limited express, “Azusa”. It has a special air suspension type tilting system to pass through tight curves in the mountain areas keeping at high speed. The maximum operating speed of the E353 series is 130 kilometers per hour. Cool!

After enjoying the train shooting, I concentrated on another hobby… fossil collection. As I posted before, it’s my lifelong hobby. I have been visiting fossil localities in the metropolitan area since I was a boy. The riverbed near Tamagawa Bridge is one of my favorite localities. We can observe the fossiliferous beds of the Renkoji Formation, young shallow marine sediments, deposited about 1.3 million years ago. Please look at the photo below… my prey on that day, “Akanishi (Rapana venosa)”. The spikes on the conch are cool!

I served a double purpose on the Chuo line.

Fossil "Akanishi (Rapana venosa)" is found near Tamagawa Bridge

Official information about the EMU E353 series by JR East:

https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/en/traininformation/azusa_kaiji/index.html

Official information about the EMU E353 series by J-TREC (in Japanese):

https://www.j-trec.co.jp/company/070/04/jtr04_100-105.pdf

Classic Diesel Railcar on the Ryugasaki Line

Unit KiHa 532 of the Diesel railcar Kantetsu KiHa 532 series

I thought that I had already described all of the trains in the metropolitan area in this blog, but there are still some left. The description of trains in this area is endless. Today, I am going to show you one of such rolling stock, diesel railcar 532 series on the Ryugasaki line in Ryugasaki City.

To start, let me quickly review Ryugasaki City and the Ryugasaki line. Ryugasaki City in Ibaraki Prefecture is located some 50 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, and has been developed as a commuter city since the 1970's. The Ryugasaki line of Kanto Railway Company (Kantetsu) is a 4.5-kilometer-long route connecting Sanuki and Ryugasaki stations in Ryugasaki City. The track is un-electrified and single. Diesel railcars are operated every half an hour.

Now, let's head to the main topic. I found a classic vehicle on the line. It's unit KiHa 532 of the diesel railcar Kantetsu KiHa 532 series (see the top photo). This model was commissioned for the Ryugasaki line in 1981. The body was newly manufactured by Niigara Tekko, but the apparatuses were reused of the ex-JNR’s KiHa 20 series. Only one unit is operated on the line. To my delight, Kantetsu discloses the timetable of the KiHa 532 series on their website. It’s often operated on Saturday, and useful for train-spotters like me to avoid bearing a grudge, “I went to the Ryugasaki line, but the KiHa 532 was NOT operated today.” I could fully enjoy this train including nostalgic interior (see the photo below).

Interior of the KiHa 532 series

Offcial information about the rollingstock of Kanto Railway (in Japanese):

https://www.kantetsu.co.jp/train/traincar

Keisei Skyliner AE Series: Over 50 Million Passengers

EMU Keisei AE series, Skyliner, displays a gold-colored commemoration sticker

It’s a little bit old news, but the passengers of the 3rd generation Keisei Skyliner exceeded 50 million on June 9th last year. I'm going to bring up this topic today. 

Let's take a quick look at Skyliner to start. It’s an airport access train between the city center of Tokyo and New Tokyo International (Narita) Airport. The current Skyliner, namely the EMU AE series, was commissioned in 2010 to replace the old model, the AE100 series. The AE series is an EMU for 1,435-millimeter-gauge and 1,500 V DC track. A total of 8 trainsets, 64 cars, were built by Nippon Sharyo and Tokyu Sharyo. One trainset is composed of 6 motorcars and 2 trailers (6M2T). The electric control system is an IGBT-VVVF (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor - variable frequency drive) inverter with 175kW induction motors. The AE series is able to travel with a 160 kilometers per hour maximum speed, which is the fastest in Japan except the Shinkansen vehicles.

The AE series reached 20 million passengers in September, 2016. It then achieved 25 million passengers in November, 2017 and 45 million passengers in October, 2023. The period between the 45 millionth and the 50 millionth passengers (June, 2024) was only 8 months. Keisei Electric Railway held a commemoration ceremony at Narita Airport Terminal 1 station. The 50 millionth passenger was a Japanese mother with her two little daughters. Currently, one trainset of the AE series, namely trainset AE2, has a gold-colored commemoration sticker on the front of the train. Congratulations on the 50 million passengers!

Side body of the "50 million passengers" commemorative Skyliner

Official information about Keisei Skyliner:

https://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetudou/skyliner/us/skyliner/index.php

Official information about the 50 million passengers of the EMU Keisei AE series (in Japanese):

https://www.keisei.co.jp/cms/files/keisei/MASTER/0110/JhGckcB5.pdf

The 55th Anniversary of Tora-san

"The 55th anniversary of Tora-san" train arrives at Shibamata station

“Otoko wa Tsurai yo (It's Tough Being a Man)” is a Japanese film series released from 1969 to 1995 starring Atsumi Kiyoshi. The main character, Tora-san, played by Atsumi, is a kind-hearted vagabond who is always unlucky in love. Tora-san is a street vendor, encountering his madonnas in many places and creating innocent ruckuses. Tora-san is an unlikely hero, because he is lazy and poorly educated. Nevertheless, he is a hero among local people, because they respect Tora-san’s human kindness. Tora-san’s family home was in Shibamata on the Keisei-Kanamachi line. There is a bronze statue of Tora-san in front of Shibamata station (see the photo below).  

Shibamata celebrated the 55th anniversary of Tora-san last year. In commemoration, Keisei Electric Railway operates the anniversary train until March 23rd, 2025. We can see a celebratory plate of "the 55th anniversary of Tora-san" on the front of the anniversary train, trainset 3668 of the EMU 3600 series. This plate celebrates "the 115th anniversary of Keisei Electri c Railway" as well. The 4-car anniversary train slowly passes through Tora-san’s mother town (see the top photo).

Incidentally, the EMU Keisei 3600 series is a standard commuter train commissioned in 1982. A total of 9 trainsets, 54 cars, were built by Tokyu Sharyo and Nippon Sharyo. Currently, 2 trainsets, 10 cars, are still operated. It originally had a field chopper electric control system; but trainset 3668 was modified to the GTO-VVVF (Gate turn-off thyristor-variable frequency drive) electric control system in 1999. It’s a rare train.

Bronze statue of Tora-san in front of Shibamata station

Official information about the 55th anniversary of Tora-san by Keisei (in Japanese):

https://www.keisei.co.jp/cms/files/keisei/MASTER/0110/Pwy4ScrH.pdf

Aerial Tramway for Pilgrims

Tairyuji Ropeway in Tokushima Prefecture, Shikoku Island

Shikoku is the fourth largest island of Japan. It's located about 800 kilometers west of Tokyo. The Shikoku Pilgrimage is a unique experience visiting 88 Buddhist temples on this island. The temples are located throughout the island, and walking the entire route from one temple to the next adds up to a journey of more than 1,400 kilometers. You may anticipate it will be challenging, but please don’t worry. You are allowed to use public transportations, if you want.

Tairyuji in Tokushima Prefecture is a good example. This temple is located near the steep mountain summit, 618 meters above sea level. To visit this mountain temple, Tairyuji Ropeway is convenient. The route was opened in 1992 by Shikoku Cable Company. It's a four-cables cross type aerial tramway. Connecting Washinosato and Sancho stations, its route length is 2,775 meters. The height difference between the two stations is 422 meters. Its maximum inclination is 30 degrees. Swiss made gondolas are operated every 20 minutes. It takes about 10 minutes to go one way. Each gondola can accommodate up to 101 passengers.

There are 2 struts on the route. The height of the first strut is 42 meters, which is the tallest in the world. I observed this giant structure on the way to the temple. I could also see the mountain summit was lightly dusted with snow that morning due to the cold weather. Incidentally, I was not a pilgrim, just a tourist. I’m wimp, so, I don’t want to join the 1,400-kilometer-long pilgrimage.

The first strut of Tairyuji Ropeway

Official website, Tairyuji Ropeway (in Japanese):

http://www.shikoku-cable.co.jp/tairyuji/index.html

Encounter with the Rare Train: EMU E257-5000 Series

Set OM-93 of the EMU JR East E257-5000 series, non-gangway side

I'm going to post a topic for old-school trainspotters today. The E257-5000 series is JR East’s vehicle for extra train services. It is mainly operated on weekends and holiday seasons. This model was originally commissioned as the EMU E257-0 series, and operated as limited express trains, Azusa and Kaiji, on the Chuo main line.

After operating for nearly 20 years, 3 trainsets, 27 cars, were modified to the E257-5000 series in 2021 by JR East Nagano Factory. They are trainsets OM-91, OM-92 and OM-93. One set is composed of 5 motorcars and 4 trailers (5M4T). What are the differences between the older E257-0 and the newer E257-5000 series? They are basically the same, but the body color was changed. The newer E257-5000 series has fresh green-colored stripes. And there’s one more thing, the E257-5000 series has baggage spaces. 

I could come across set OM-93 at Tokyo station last August. It was being operated as the extra train, “Atami Fireworks Festival”. As the name suggests, this train would carry tourists, who would see the fireworks, to Atami City on the Tokaido main line. I was very happy to observe the “two different faces” of this train. The southern face had no gangway (see the top photo). On the other hand, the northern face had a gangway (see the photo below). Finding such subtle differences is the greatest pleasure for trainspotters like me. Please check out my previous posts as well about the EMU E257-2000 and E257-5500 series, if you have time.

Set OM-93 of the EMU JR East E257-5000 series, gangway side

Winter Scenery on the Keikyu Line

Interior of "Wing Seat" car, EMU Keikyu 2100 series

It's still cold in Tokyo. The maximum daytime temperature is around 10 degrees Celsius, but the sunlight is getting stronger. I can't keep fidgeting at home, so, went out with my family on the weekend. Our destination was Nobi Coast on the Keikyu-Kurihama line.

Let me review the Keikyu lines to start. Keikyu is one of the major private railway companies in the metropolitan area. It has an 87 kilometers line network in the southern part of Tokyo Metropolis and the northern part of Kanagawa Prefecture. Keikyu faces fierce competition from Tokyo Monorail Company on the route between downtown Tokyo and Tokyo International Airport (Haneda). In addition, the company is also exposed to competition with JR East on the section between downtown Tokyo and the Yokohama-Yokosuka area. The important factors for selecting routes by passengers are fares, speed and services.

We took the Keikyu main line from Shinagawa terminal, because it’s convenient, fast and reasonable. To secure comfortable cross-seats, we booked “Wing Seats (see the top photo)” in advance. The Wing Seat car was being coupled within an 8-car train of the EMU 2100 series. The fee for a seat reservation was only 300 yen (1.94 USD). We got off at YRP Nobi station after 70 minutes travel from Shinagawa, and walked along the coast of Miura Peninsula. We enjoyed looking the blue sky, blue ocean, green hills and the bow-shaped sand beach (see the photo below). They were diffidently beautiful and relaxed us. Spring is around the corner.

Nobi Coast near YRP Nobi station on the Keikyu-Kurihama line