Celebration of World Heritage... Everywhere

Displaying the celebration plate, EMU Izu-Hakone 5000 series arrives at Wadagahara Station

 

As I mentioned before, Mt. Fuji was added to the UNESCO list of the World Heritage sites on June 22nd this year. Taking this opportunity, many industries, such as hotels and tourism businesses, are exploring new business opportunities. Railway companies are no exception.

For instance, Fujikyu is displaying a celebration plate on the front of all their trains; whereas JR East changed the name of their sightseeing train from "Kawaguchi-ko (Lake Kawaguchi)" to "Fuji-san (Mt. Fuji)" to promote passengers to visit the new World Heritage site.

Izu-Hakone Railway is also capitalizing on the fame of the new World Heritage site. Look at the top photo. It is the EMU 5000 series on the Daiyuzan Line. You can see a large celebration plate on the front of the train, congratulating on the listing of World Heritage. The train with a special plate is photogenic for rail fans, but there is a question about this plate.

Is the Daiyuzan Line close to Mt. Fuji?

The Daiyuzan Line is situated in Kanagawa Prefecture; whereas Mt. Fuji is located in Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures. The administrative area is different. The distance between the Daiyuzan Line and Mt. Fuji is about 35km. It is not close. Furthermore, we cannot see Mt. Fuji from the Daiyuzan Line trains.

Let's not be too argumentative. Whatever the case may be, the listing of the new World Heritage is good news for all Japanese people, because Mt. Fuji is a symbol for Japan.
 

The celebration plate on the front of the EMU Izu-Hakone 5000 series

EMU 52 Series, Streamliner in the 1930’s

KuMoHa 52004 of the EMU 52 series is preserved in SCMaglev and Railway Park, Nagoya City

 

Following the world's fastest train, MLX 01 series and the domestic high speed record holder, 955 series, I am going to show you an elegant old EMU in SCMaglev and Railway Park in Nagoya City.

Look at the top photo. It is KuMoHa 52004 of the EMU 52 series manufactured in 1937. The 52 series had been operated by Japanese Government Railways (later Japanese National Railways) since 1936, mainly for express trains in the Osaka metropolitan area. A total of 12 units were manufactured by Kawasaki Sharyo and Nihon Sharyo in 1936 and 1937.

Streamliners are timeless popular trains among rail fans as well as passengers. Specifically, the EMU 52 series was called "Gyorai-gata (torpedo-shaped)", and later affectionately-called "Ryuden (streamlined electric car)" by Osakan. The electric welded body without rivets is very smooth and beautiful. The interior is also very elegant. The wooden walls, the orderly rows of seats and rounded ceiling lights are luxurious and nostalgic.

The 52004 was retired in 1978 with the operation on the Iida Line. Currently, only two units of the 52 series, namely KuMoHa 52001 and 52004, are preserved as precious historical electric cars in Osaka (Suita Depot of JR West) and Nagoya (SCMaglev and Railway Park). The 52004 was moved to SCMaglev Railway Park in 2011, when the park was opened.

It was a very precious experience for me as a Tokyoite to see this elegant historical train, which had been operated in the Osaka metropolitan area.
 

Interior of KuMoHa 52004

Tokyo Night Walk: Marunouchi Entrance of Tokyo Station

EMU JR East E233 series stands at Tokyo Terminal on the Chuo Line

 

As I mentioned before, JR East completed the renovation work on the Marunouchi Entrance Building of Tokyo Station last October. The red brick masonry of the building has been brought back. The Marunouchi Entrance Building was opened in 1914 as a main building of the central station in the Tokyo Metropolis. Since it had aged, renovation work was started in 2007.

Look at the following photo. It is a night view of the southern half of the Marunouchi Entrance Building. A red-colored brick building is beautifully lit up by illuminations. You can see an elegant dome, which was restored to be the same as it was when it opened. As you may know, this building was severely destroyed by an air strike in 1945. Although it was repaired after WWII, the design of the roof was changed, because it was a stop-gap measure.

In the meantime, the top photo shows the EMU JR East E233 series, standing at Tokyo station on the Chuo Line. The E233 series is a train for my "everyday use" to go to the office. As a commuter, I also use this platform everyday. It is located just behind the Marunouchi Entrance Building so it is very convenient for me to get on the train. The problem is that the platform is located at a high place, as the Chuo Line is on an elevated track. It takes 1 minute 26 seconds to reach the platform on an escalator.
 

Night view of Marunouchi Entrance Building in Tokyo Station

2013 Summer Scenery in the Water Country

EMU JR East 209 series passes through Lake Kitaura on the Kashima Line

It's still very hot in Japan, although we are already in October. According to the weather report, the daytime maximum temperature in many places reached 30 degrees Celsius yesterday. In commemoration of "the second summer", I am going to show you a memory of the 2013 midsummer scenery in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Is that a bit of a stretch?

Suigo is located in the eastern part of the Tokyo metropolitan area. It lies astride the prefectures of Ibaraki and Chiba. Being surrounded by large rivers and lakes, Suigo is known as the water country. The small rowboat has been a means of transportation for local people since medieval times. Today, rowboats are rich tourism resources, as visitors can enjoy precious experiences by boarding the small boats.

To get to this traditional water country, take the JR East Kashima Line and get off at Junikyo Station. It takes about two hours from downtown Tokyo. Connecting Katori and Kashima Soccer Stadium, the total operating length of the Kashima Line is 17.4km. All trains are directly operated into the Narita Line for Sahara and Narita. Furthermore, some of them are extended to Chiba and Tokyo. Four or 6-car trains, the EMU 209-2000 and 2100 series, are in service as local trains on the Kashima Line. It was previously operated in the central part of Tokyo, and sent to this local line in 2010 after interior renovation.

You will find a vast sky and a beautiful lake in front of the station.
 

Summer scenery in Lake Yodaura near Junikyo Station on the Kashima Line

Vermilion-colored Train in Odawara

EMU Odakyu 1000 series arrives at Odawara Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway

 

Odawara is a major city located some 80km southwest of Tokyo. It functions as a key junction of transportation in the western part of Kanagawa Prefecture. JR East, JR Central and Izu-Hakone Railway have large stations there. Odakyu and Hakone Tozan Railway also have a large shared terminal adjacent to the JR station.

Odawara Station is a popular spot among rail fans, since many kinds of trains belonging to the five companies are seen there. Out of all the trains, the vermilion-colored EMU, Odakyu 1000 series must be the rarest one. The EMU 1000 series is my "everyday use" train to go to the office, but the color of the body in Odawara is different.... why?

The reason is as follows. Hakone Tozan is a mountain railway to climb up the Hakone Volcano. The route is divided into two parts. The lower section between Odawara and Hakone-Yumoto is a narrow gauge (1,067mm) track with a 1,500V DC system, while the upper section between Hakone-Yumoto and Gora is a standard gauge (1,435mm) track with a 750V DC system.

The lower section is integrally-operated with the Odakyu Line, because it functions not only as a sightseeing railway, but also as a commuter route for local people. High transportation capacity is required in this section. So, the company chose the integrated operation with the Odakyu Line. As a result, Hakone Tozan Railway borrowed the EMU 1000 series from Odakyu, and vermilioned it as a sign of the Hokone Tozan train.
 

EMU Odakyu 60000 series (left) and 1000 series (right) in Odawara station yard