Are there many natural disasters in your country?
In Japan, unfortunately, yes. Japan is a disaster-prone country. We experience earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, heavy snow, and heavy rain, including typhoons.
In August and September, the Tokyo metropolitan area was hit by heavy rains three times. Chiba Prefecture, particularly the Boso Peninsula, suffered the most damage. The Boso Peninsula is located east of Tokyo, between Tokyo Bay and the Pacific Ocean.
One of the major casualties was the JR East Uchibo Line. It is still closed due to landslides that occurred on September 21 along the tracks between Anegasaki and Nagaura stations. It is expected to take at least three months to restore train services. It was indeed a major disaster.
I can’t visit the Uchibo Line at the moment, so please take a look at the top photo, which I took two years ago. You can see a JR East Series 209-2100 EMU approaching Anegasaki Station, the station closest to the site of the landslides. The train, liveried in yellow and blue stripes, was shining in the spring sunlight. Unlike the disaster area, the surroundings here look flat, which may have helped keep them safe from landslides. I hope for the peace and well-being of the local people.
By the way, I have strong attachments to the Uchibo Line. They are its seasonal flowers, blue sea, and one more thing. Please take a look at the photo below. They are fossil shells found near Hota Station on the Uchibo Line.
As I have mentioned before, fossil collecting has been a lifelong hobby of mine, just like my enthusiasm for railways. The fossils in the photo are large marine bivalves called Ōhanegai (Acesta goliath), found in marine formation deposited about six million years ago. Their thin but large shells captivate me.
Stay strong, Uchibo Line! I’ll be right back as soon as train services resume.
