This may sound a little sudden, but are you an early bird or a night owl?
As for me, I’m definitely the latter. I usually get up late, especially on weekends. In Japan, people like me are often thought to be lazy, which feels a little sad.
Still, even I have exceptions. Please take a look at the top photo. You can see the classic KiHa 0 series DMU of Kanto Railway running on the Joso Line. I took this photo early morning because this train operates only at that time. For once, the early bird really did catch the worm!
■ What Are Kanto Railway and the Joso Line?
Kanto Railway (often called Kantetsu) is a local railway company in the northeastern part of the Tokyo metropolitan area. Its Joso Line runs through Ibaraki Prefecture from south to north, connecting Toride and Shimodate stations over a distance of 51.1 km. Toride provides an important transfer to JR East’s Joban Line (see the photo below).
Kantetsu has a unique atmosphere—a mix of a commuter line and a local rural line. As shown in the top photo, the section near Toride is double-tracked, and trains run every nine minutes during the morning rush. However, the line is non-electrified, and most trains consist of only one or two cars.
■ Rolling Stock Notes: DMU KiHa 0 Series
The KiHa 0 series DMUs entered service in 1981. Each trainset consists of two 20-meter-long, single-cab cars. A total of four sets—eight cars—were built using equipment reused from the Japanese National Railways KiHa 20 series.
■ Details Trainspotters Will Enjoy
If you feel like you’ve seen this railcar somewhere before, you have a sharp eye for Japanese trains. The KiHa 310 series, which I introduced in 2011, looks very similar to the KiHa 0 series. However, if you look closely, you’ll notice some differences. For example, the shape of the front destination display is slightly different, and the presence or absence of rain gutters on the sides also varies. Did you find the differences?
