Higashiyama Culture on the Keihan Line

EMU Keihan 8000 series stands at Demachiyanagi station on the Ohtoh line

Higashiyama is located in the eastern part of Kyoto. This area consists of a flat land along the river Kamo and its adjacent mountains. Higashiyama is famous for its culture named Higashiyama culture, which originates from the 15th century. Higashiyama culture has a spiritual aspect. It is totally different from the aureate Kitayama culture spread in the northern part of Kyoto in the 14th century. For instance, it is the beauty we find in imperfection. It is an awareness of the transience of things. A rustic look is also important. We can see those aspects in architectures, gardens, arts, Noh drama and tea ceremonies in the Higashiyama area. Jisho-ji temple is the representative spot to see Higashiyama culture. You can see Ginkaku, a Kannon hall, and a garden made by Zeami in the precinct. They are simple but very beautiful. 

To get to Jisho-ji temple, the nearest station is Demachiyanagi on the Keihan-Ohtoh line. It is an underground route penetrating from south to north in the eastern part of Kyoto. The flagship train on the Ohtoh line is the EMU 8000 series launched in 1989. Different from the standard trains on the line, the 8000 series has vivid two-tone colored aluminum bodies with cross seats. A total of 10 sets, 80 cars were built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. One premium car is sandwiched in the center of an 8-car train. The premium car has gorgeous wide reclining seats, which are very popular among tourists traveling from Osaka.

Ginkaku pavilion of Jisho-ji temple near Demachiyanagi station on the Ohtoh line

Official information about Keihan Premium Car:

https://www.keihan.co.jp/travel/en/premium-car/

official information about the EMU Keihan 8000 series (in Japanese):

https://www.keihan.co.jp/traffic/railfan/vehicle/8000.html

Rare Train on the Musashino Line

Set MU2 of the EMU JR East E231 series stands at Tokyo Station on the Musashino line

It is fun for me to perceive a fine difference between urban commuter trains like any other. Once I come across a rare train on the way to my office or somewhere on business, it makes me happy even if it is a packed train during rush hours. It's a perk of being a trainspotter like me. Trainspotters are easy-going people, aren't they?

I recently luckily came across set MU2 of the EMU E231 series on the JR East Musashino line. It was transferred from the Sobu line on September 19th last year. Set MU2 was originally a 10-car train with yellow-colored stripes but was decreased to an 8-car train with orange, brown and white-colored stripes.

Why was set MU2 transferred from the Sobu line? It is a slightly complicated story. In 2015, JR East launched a new commuter train model, EMU E235 series, on the Yamanote line. The introduction of the new model caused JR East to make train transfers one after another. Firstly, 15 sets of EMU E231-500 series on the Yamanote line were transferred to the Sobu line. Secondly, three sets of E231 series on the Sobu line including Set MU2 were transferred to the Musashino line.

This volkerwanderung still continues for the time being. Finally, ten sets of the EMU 205 series on the Musashino line will be transferred to Jakarta, Indonesia by the year 2020 to spend a second life after retirement from the tracks in Japan.

Side view of set MU2 of the EMU JR East E231 series

Fresh Green and Special Poster Train in Chichibu City

7505F of the EMU 7500 series travels on the Chichibu Railway line

The sakura (cherry) blooming season passed very quickly in the Tokyo metropolitan area. It is a fresh green season now. I recently visited Chichibu in Saitama Prefecture to enjoy spring with my family.

Mitsumine is a mountainous area in Chichibu City. It takes about two hours and a half from Tokyo by train. The most popular spot in the area is Mitsumine shrine, which is a famous Shinto shrine located on the summit of Mt. Mitsumine (1,102 meters above sea level). On the way to the shrine, I could see beautiful fresh green from the bus window. It covered slopes of mountains along Arakawa River. They were light green colored and mixed with dark green colored coniferous trees. The contrast between the green forests and the blue sky was exquisite.

The gateway station to Mitsumine shrine is Mitsumine-guchi, which is the westernmost terminal of Chichibu Railway line. This local company operates trains from Hanyu on the Tobu-Isesaki Line to Mitsumine-guchi (71.7 kilometers). One of the famous trains on the line is 7505F of the EMU 7500 series (ex-Tokyu 8090 series). It is a poster train for promoting tourism to famous Shinto shrines on the line including Mitsumine shrine. The standard color design of the 7500 series is just green stripes with a yellow accent. In contrast, we can see many "gods" on the bodies of this poster train. Needless to say, 7505F stands out conspicuously among the group of the 7500 series.

Spring is in full swing in the Chichibu area.

Fresh green is seen near Mitsumine-guchi Station on the Chichibu Railway line

Classic Streetcar in Kochi City

Electric car Tosaden Kotsu 202 of the 200 series travels on the Sambashi Line

Kochi is the main city of Kochi Prefecture on Shikoku Island. It has grown as the castle city of the lords of Tosa Province since the early 17th century. Currently, Kochi has a population of 332,000, which is a mid-sized city in Japan.

To my joy, Kochi has a superior tram network operated by Tosaden Kotsu. They have three routes in the city. The total line length is 25.3km, which is the second largest tram network in Japan. The eclectic system is 600 V DC overhead. The gauge size is 1,067 mm.

One of my favorite streetcars is the 200 series, which was commissioned in 1950. A total of 21 units were built by Hitachi, Teikoku Sharyo and Tosaden's own factory. Although more than 60 years have passed since it debuted, 14 units are still operated as leading electric cars. They have 11 m-long short steel bodies with two 38 kW DC motors. They are old nose suspension drive cars.

The 200 series is a sister car of the Toei 6000 series, which was operated in Tokyo Metropolis from 1947 to 2001. There are only minor differences between the two models such as the positions of the front lights.

I like the 200 series, specifically car number 201 and 202. They have large air-conditioner boxes and a bow collector on the roof. These air conditioner boxes were installed later. The large central window on the front mask was also different from the original design.

Electric car Tosaden Kotsu 202 of the 200 series stands at Kochi-ekimae Stop

2018 Sakura Season in Yokohama: The Keikyu Line

EMU Keikyu 2100 series passes through Byobugaura station

Yokohama is located southwest of Tokyo and is the main city of Kanagawa prefecture. It is the second largest city in Japan in terms of population after Tokyo. As of the year 2017, this city has an estimated population of 3.7 million. Along with Tokyo, Yokohama has many places famous for sakura (cherry) blossoms. Today, I am going to show you one of those spots in the western part of Yokohama.

Yokohama shizen-kansatsu no mori (Forest of Yokohama Nature Observation) is a large nature protection area. You can observe many precious birds there. In this season, my favorite one is Japanese nightingale, because the male beautifully sings "hoh-hokekyo" in the forest. It is so gorgeous that I often look for him, but it is very difficult to find out and shoot his photo. Instead of moving around Japanese nightingales, sakura trees are photogenic. We can see the fully bloomed sakura trees on the slope of mountains. They have light pink-colored blossoms, which show a vivid contrast with the blue sky.

To get to this precious urban forest, the nearest station is Kanazawa-Hakkei on the Keikyu line. It takes 36 minutes from Shinagawa, a subcenter of Tokyo, by rapid-express train. You can enjoy a pleasant journey boarding on Keikyu's flagship model named EMU 2100 series. It is an express train with rotating cross seats. A total of 10 sets were built by Tokyu Sharyo and Kawasaki Heavy Industries.

Sakura blossoms on the Keikyu line are definitely my cup of tea.

Fully bloomed sakura (cherry) trees in Forest of Yokohama Nature Observation