Visit to Kumamoto: Tram and Unkai

Unit 1097 of the Kumamoto City Tram 1090 series

Kumamoto is the main city of Kumamoto Prefecture, located about 900 kilometers west of Tokyo. It has developed as the capital of the former Higo Province since the 8th century. The population now stands at around 740,000, making it the third largest city on Kyushu Island.

It’s true that Kumamoto is a large city, but there’s more to it than that. For example, Mt. Kinbo is a beautiful scenic spot in the western part of the city. From the summit, you can see Mt. Unzen and the Shimabara Peninsula across the sea. What made my visit even more special was the large unkai (sea of clouds) that covered Kumamoto City and Shimabara Bay (see the photo below). I was very lucky to witness it.

Of course, I can’t stop writing here — this is a rail fan’s blog after all. So, I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce the Kumamoto City Tram.

The tram system opened in 1924 and has been operated by the Transportation Bureau of Kumamoto City. The total operating length is currently 12.1 kilometers. The electrical system is 600 V DC, and the track gauge is 1,435 millimeters.

The main fleet on the line is the 1090 series electric car (see the photo above). It was introduced in 1955, with a total of seven units built by Toyo Koki. Although the technical specifications are rather old, all units are still in active service. One of the design features of this tram is its tail lamps, known as “Basu-kyō tails” — standard tail lamps for buses. Using common parts between trams and buses helped reduce costs.

Unkai (sea of clouds) seen from Mt. Kinbo in Kumamoto City

Kumamoto City Tram boarding guide:

https://www.kotsu-kumamoto.jp/common/UploadFileDsp.aspx?c_id=9&id=2&set_doc=1

Official information by Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau (in Japanese):

https://www.kotsu-kumamoto.jp/

The 55th Anniversary of Tora-san, Part 2

"The 55th anniversary of Tora-san" train, Keisei 3030, runs on the Keikyu line

You may remember when I introduced the 55th anniversary train of Tora-san before. It was trainset 3668 of the Keisei 3600 series displaying the commemorative plate. Today, I’d like to show you two more anniversary trains.

Please look at the top photo. You can see a round-shaped plate on the front of trainset 3030 of the Keisei 3000 series. This train also celebrates “The 55th Anniversary of Tora-san.” The 3000 series was introduced in 2003 to replace older trains on the Keisei Line. It’s a stainless-steel commuter train, with 48 sets (326 cars) built by Nippon Sharyo and others. Because it runs through to the Hokuso Line — part of the high-speed access route to Narita International Airport — its maximum operating speed is 120 km/h.

Meanwhile, Hokuso Railway is also operating a “55th Anniversary of Tora-san” train (see the photo below). This is trainset 7502 of the EMU 7500 series. Hokuso trains directly operate onto the Keisei, Toei Asakusa, and Keikyu lines. The 7500 series, commissioned in 2006 to replace the older 7000 series, is a mainstay of the Hokuso fleet. A total of three sets (24 cars) were built by Nippon Sharyo and Tokyu Sharyo. It’s actually a sister train to the Keisei 3000 series, the main difference being the color of the side stripes.

"The 55th anniversary of Tora-san" train, Hokuso 7502, runs on the Keikyu line

Sayonara, "Hyotan View" Gondolas

Bizan Ropeway in Tokushima City

Tokushima is the main city of Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku Island, with a population of about 260,000. The city is best known for the Awa-odori, a traditional dance festival held every summer, but that’s not all. Just a short distance from downtown lies Mt. Bizan, a popular sightseeing spot where visitors can enjoy a superb view of the city and the Kii Channel from the summit.

To reach Mt. Bizan, the Bizan Ropeway is very convenient. Operated by the Tokushima City Office, it connects Awa-odori Kaikan and Sancho stations with a route length of 787 meters. It’s a single-cable aerial tramway with a height difference of 242 meters between the two stations, and a maximum gradient of 30.23 degrees. The ropeway first opened in 1957, and the current third-generation gondolas were manufactured by Osaka Sharyo in 1997. Each gondola can carry 15 passengers, making a total of 30 per trip. Their rounded design resembles the Haruna-san Ropeway gondolas in Gunma Prefecture. The system operates every 15 minutes at a maximum speed of 4.1 meters per second, taking about six minutes for a one-way trip. The gondolas have a lovely nickname — “Hyotan (Gourd) View.”

On February 17th, the Tokushima City Office announced that brand-new gondolas will begin service on March 30th — the first renewal in 25 years. According to the announcement, the new cabins will have an angular design and feature large windows, offering even wider views. That sounds exciting.

Sayonara (goodbye) and arigatou (thank you), Hyotan View gondolas.

Superb view from Mt. Bizan

Official announcement by Tokushima City (in Japanese):

https://www.city.tokushima.tokushima.jp/shisei/mayor/mayor_press/press_2024/kaiken20250217.files/kaiken2025021701.pdf

The 140th Anniversary of Shinjuku Station

JR East E231-500 series displaying the 140th anniversary plate of Shinjuku station

On March 1st, JR East celebrated the 140th anniversary of Shinjuku Station. To mark this special occasion, several commemorative events are being held by the company.

Let me briefly look back at the history of Shinjuku Station. It’s a giant terminal located in the subcenter of Tokyo Metropolis, where trains of five private companies and one public corporation come and go. The station was originally opened by the Nippon Railway Company (present-day JR East) in 1885. At that time, it stood on the outskirts of the city, but since the 1920s, it has grown into one of Japan’s largest terminal stations. Today, it handles around three million passengers every day.

Now, let’s get down to the main topic. One of the anniversary events is the display of two commemorative plates on trainset A522 of the E231-500 series. The plates feature an illustration of an old yellow-colored train — probably the former JNR 101 series. I still remember when the yellow 101 series often stopped at Shinjuku Station until the 1980s. After their retirement from JR East lines, some of these trains were transferred to the Chichibu Railway.

What lies ahead for Shinjuku Station? The “Shinjuku Grand Terminal” redevelopment project is now underway. This large-scale joint project between the public and private sectors will continue on the west side of the station until the 2040s. For example, the Odakyu Department Store building was demolished last year to make way for a new skyscraper. It’s a promising start, but there’s still a long way to go.

Congratulations on the 140th anniversary, Shinjuku Station!

Close-up view of the 140th anniversary plate

Petrol Transportation Trains in the Metropolitan Area

JR Freight's petrol transportation train travels along the JR East-Musashino line 

I sometimes come across petrol transportation trains running through the metropolitan area. Pulled by electric locomotives, they flash past me in the blink of an eye and soon disappear among clusters of urban buildings. Today, I’d like to share a little about these petrol transportation trains.

There are several oil refineries in and around the metropolitan area — for example, in Kawasaki, Yokohama, and Chiba cities. Do you know how refined petrol is carried to the regions where it’s consumed? The main transport methods are coastal tankers, tank trucks, and petrol transportation trains.

These trains mainly operate toward inland regions such as Gunma, Yamanashi, and Nagano prefectures. The Type TaKi1000 is well known as the petrol transportation freight car. It was introduced in 1993 to replace the older Type TaKi43000. A total of 1,008 cars were built by Nippon Sharyo and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, all belonging to JR Freight’s railyards.

The green-colored cars are owned by Japan Oil Transportation Company (see the top photo), while the dark blue ones belong to Japan Oil Terminal & Logistics Company (see the photo below). The most notable feature of the TaKi1000 is its high speed — 95 kilometers per hour. It may not sound very fast, but please remember that Japan’s inland railways run through many mountainous areas, and the track gauge is only 1,067 millimeters — a narrow gauge.

If you’re interested in the locomotives that haul these trains, please have a look at my previous posts, where I introduced the Class EH200, EF210 and EF210-300.

JR Freight's petrol transportation train passes through HIgashi-Matsudo station