2021 Sakura Season in Tokyo, Part 2

Set 1729 of the EMU Keio 1000 series travels on the Inokashira line

I'm going to show you the other sakura (cherry) viewing spot in Tokyo. It's Inokashira Park near Inokashira-koen station on the Keio-Inokashira line. At the end of last month, I found many full-blown cherry trees around the pond in the park. Although we were prohibited to hold parties under the sakura trees due to new coronavirus infection risks, I could at least enjoy walking in the park with my family. Spring was here.

Incidentally, the Inokashira line is Keio's short commuter route connecting Shibuya and Kichijoji. Its line length is 12.7 kilometers. The track is 1,067 mm-size double. The electric system is 1,500 V DC overhead. The EMU 1000 series is the sole model on the line. The commercial operation of the 1000 series started in 1996, as the first 20-meters long body train on the line. One set is composed of three motorcars and two trailers (3M2T).

Taking this opportunity, I'm going to introduce a rare train on the Inokashira line. It's set number 1729 of the EMU 1000 series. This unique set has a white colored front mask with a rainbow-colored stripe on the side body of the train. Set 1729 was built by Tokyu Sharyo in 2009. The original front color was bluish green, but, was changed to white in 2012 to make it be a flagship train on the Inokashira line. Designed posters of several scenic spots on the line, such as Inokashira Park and Kanda River, are displayed on the body of this train.

Inokashira Pond and full-blown cherry trees

2021 Sakura Season in Tokyo

EMU Tokyo Metro 15000 series

On March 14th, the Meteorological Agency of Japan declared that sakura (cherry) blossoms had started blooming in Tokyo. It was the earliest record in history. The agency then reported that they fully blossomed on March 22nd. As I post year after year, Japanese people harbor romantic emotions towards cherry blossoms. We are also reminded of the emptiness of life seeing the beautiful blossoms dropping only a week after they fully blossom. Cherry viewing is a part of Japanese culture.

The other day, I went for a stroll around the office during my lunch time break. My favorite area to walk is around the Imperial Palace, where we can enjoy full-blown trees. I found many female students who have just graduated from a university. They put on colorful "hakama" to graduation ceremonies, and took memorial photos of each other under the cherry trees. Hakama is a traditional Japanese clothing, much like kimono; however, hakama have pleated trousers, instead of one long cloth like a kimono. Congratulations on your graduation!

To visit this cherry viewing spot, the nearest station is Kudanshita on the subway Tokyo Metro Tozai line. Taking this opportunity, I'm going to introduce the EMU 15000 series operated on the line. The 15000 series debuted in 2010 to replace the old EMU 05 series. 16 sets, 160 cars in total, were built by Hitachi Kasado Factory. The most distinctive feature of this commuter train is its wide doors, which enable the safe and smooth boarding of passengers during the rush hour.

Full-blown cherry trees and female university graduates

Slope Car in the Plum Grove

Slope Car in the Taura Ume-no-sato (Taura Plum Village)

When I visited Tauta Ume-no-sato (Taura Plum Village) in Yokosuka City last month, I came across a curious transportation means in the plum grove. It looked like a monorail or a funicular, but it was different from both of them. What was that?

The answer is Slope Car operated by Yokosuka City. It's a climbing vehicle that uses an electric motor with a rack-and-pinion driving system. Slope Car is classified as an elevator under the Building Standards Act, not a monorail under the Railway Business Act. The vehicle and the track were constructed by Kaho Monorail Company in Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu Island. You can see a similar transportation system in Asukayama Park, Mt. Sarakura, Manna Country Club, a hotel in Hakone Mountain, Minami-Yatsugatake Hana-no-mori Park and so on. The role of the Slope Car is to transport supplies to Taura Youth Outdoor Learning Center. The supplies are barbecue and camping outfits for boys and girls. It's also used for transporting plum fruit to a wine factory in the city. The white-colored vehicle with a small cockpit and the coupled freight car were very lovely, but visitors like me were unfortunately not allowed to ride it.

The Slope Car weaved its way through the full-blown plum trees. The track was very steep in some sections. The plum grove was very beautiful with white, pink and red-colored blossoms. Birds were singing and there was a light breeze, which was very pleasant.

It's an advent of spring.

Taura Ume-no-sato (Taura Plum Village)

Good-bye to the EMU 215 Series

EMU JR East 215 series stands at Takao station (April, 2012)

Along with the 185 series, one more excellent train was retired from the track synchronizing the new timetable effective from March 13th. It's a double decker train, EMU JR East 215 series.

Businessmen and businesswomen in the Tokyo metropolitan area are very busy. To make matters worse, they have to have a hard time while going to their offices and returning home. It's because the commuter trains in the Tokyo metropolitan area are packed. The 215 series "Shonan Liner" was a healing train for such busy businessmen and businesswomen on the Tokaido main line. By paying an extra fee, they could secure comfortable seats to be relaxed.

The 215 series was launched in 1992 to eliminate congestion in the rush hour. 4 sets, 40 cars in total, were built by Nippon-sharyo and Hitachi. The 215 series had been commissioned as Shonan Liner operated between Tokyo and Odawara on weekdays. On the other hand, the 215 series transformed themselves from commuter to sightseeing trains on weekend. View-Yamanashi was the representative sightseeing train on the Chuo main line using the 215 series. I often used it when I visited Mt. Fuji or other resorts in Yamanashi Prefecture with my family. The view from the upper floor was excellent.

After retirement from the Tokaido main line, the 215 series, Shonan Liner, was replaced by the E257-2000 series, a limited express Shonan. I hope that the new train also becomes a star train on the Tokaido main line.

EMU JR East 215 series leaves Nirasaki station (September, 2014)

Good-bye to the EMU 185 Series

EMU JR East 185 series travels on the Izu-Hakone Railway (January, 2017)

On March 13th, 2021, a new timetable started on the JR East line. Synchronizing the new timetable, an old EMU 185 series was retired from the track.

The 185 series was launched in 1981 by Japanese National Railways. 227 cars in total were built by Nippon Sharyo, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and others. The specification of the 185 series was rather old, as a classic rheostatic electric control system with DC motors was applied; however, the 185 series was long lived as its mechanism was simple and hardly breakable.

The 185 series was mainly operated between Tokyo and Izu Peninsula as a limited express train, "Odoriko". Odoriko means "a dancing girl" in Japanese. The name of the train comes from the famous novel, "Izu no Odoriko (The Dancing Girl of Izu)" by Yasunari Kawabata (1899-1972), who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968. The Dancing Girl of Izu was published in 1926 as the first work of his literature to achieve great popularity. The story is about a youth's transitory love. A twenty-year-old young man, who was feeling lonely because he was an orphan, met a dancing girl in Izu Peninsula while he was travelling there. Through the meeting and heart-to-heart exchange with her, he was healed and was eventually drawn out of his loneliness.

After the retirement of the 185 series, the limited express Odoriko was succeeded by the E257 -2000 series. Thank you and good-bye, the EMU 185 series. You were the star on the Tokaido main line.

EMU JR East 185 series passes through Takanawa-gateway station (April, 2020)

Official memorial website, the EMU 185 series (in Japanese):

https://www.jreast.co.jp/yokohama/izu/185-memorial/

Official memorial movies, the EMU 185 series (in Japanese):

https://www.jreast.co.jp/yokohama/izu/185-memorial/movie/