After sharing the cherry blossoms along the Keio Inokashira Line, I would now like to introduce this year’s cherry blossoms in Tokyo from other viewpoints.
Please take a look at the top photo. A train is passing by cherry trees in full bloom. Can you guess which railway line it belongs to?
If you are familiar with Japanese rolling stock, the answer might come easily. It is JR East’s Nambu Line. The stainless-steel body with yellow, orange, and black stripes is a distinctive feature of the trains on this line.
The Nambu Line is one of the main commuter lines in the Tokyo metropolitan area. It connects Tachikawa and Kawasaki, running approximately 45 km. The trains in operation include the E233-8000 and E233-8500 series EMUs.
Now, returning to the top photo: I took it from a road bridge near Bubaigawara Station. It was my first time visiting this location. Although a high safety net stood along the bridge, I was able to avoid it thanks to the stepladder I happened to bring with me. I had a good feeling that day, and the result was a beautiful scene. One interesting detail I captured was the roof of the leading car. You can see two digital-radio antennas. The reason for having two is to use a technique called diversity, which improves communication quality by automatically selecting the antenna with the stronger signal.
The photo below shows a train crossing a small bridge framed by cherry blossoms. I took this shot from the bank of a small stream near Shukugawara Station. The afternoon sunlight made both the blossoms and the train shine beautifully. It was also my first time visiting this spot. Although I thought it might be relatively unknown, I found several international rail fans photographing there. Their enthusiasm was impressive—railway fans truly share the same passion all over the world.
It was a delightful day, enjoying both the cherry blossoms and the trains.
