Sightseeing Train to Mt. Kurama

EMU Eiden 900 series stands at Kurama Station on the Kurama Line

 

Kuramadera is an old Buddhist temple founded in 770. Although the original main hall had been destroyed by fire in its long history, some of the old Buddha statues are still preserved. They are designated as National Treasures. Kuramadera is located within a deep forest on Mt. Kurama in Kyoto Prefecture, some 500 km west of Tokyo. It is said that Tengu (a goblin) lives in the forest. Tengu is a legendary creature, who has a red face and a long nose.

To get to this mysterious mountain, the Kurama Line of Eizan Electric Railway (Eiden) is convenient. Connecting Takaragaike and Kurama stations, the length of the Kurama Line is 8.8 km. The track is mostly double and the gauge size is 1,435 mm. The electric system is 600 V DC overhead. All trains are directly operated onto the Eizan Main Line to Demachiyanagi Terminal in Kyoto City.

One of the popular trains on the Kurama Line is the EMU 900 series, called Kirara. The 900 series debuted in 1997 to promote tourism to Mt. Kurama. A total of two sets, four units have been built by Mukogawa Sharyo. The 900 series has large windows and special seats, which provide passengers with the fantastic scenery of Mt. Kurama.

For your information, the 900 series was a winner of the 1998 Laurel Prize awarded by Japan Rail Fan Club. This special prize is awarded to trains, which were launched in the previous year as the most outstanding technical and designed ones.
 

Kuramadera near Kurama Station on the Eiden-Kurama Line

 

Official information about the EMU Eiden 900 series (in Japanese):

https://eizandensha.co.jp/vehicle/46/

Supermoon on the Inokashira Line

EMU Keio 1000 series arrives at Eifukucho Station on the Inokashira Line

Moon viewing is one of the traditional autumn events in Japan. Its exact origin is unknown, but moon viewing is a celebration of harvest for modern people. In Japan, people offer silver grass and rice dumpling to the moon. This year, moon viewing coincided with supermoon.

Supermoon, also known as a perigee full moon, is a unique ‎celestial phenomenon. It is a full moon occurring when the moon passes through the nearest point to the earth in its elliptical orbit. As a result, the apparent size of a supermoon is 14 % larger than the one that passes through the farthest point. It is also 30 % brighter than the one that passes through the farthest point.

To enjoy the "supermoon viewing", I visited my parents, who live on the Keio-Inokashira Line. It was an evening rush hour. Outbound trains were crowded with commuters and students as usual. The Inokashira Line is a short commuter route connecting Shibuya and Kichijoji. Its line length is only 12.7 km. The track is 1,067 mm-size double. The electric system is 1,500 V DC overhead. Although the Inokashira Line is a short route, the express train is frequently operated for flying passengers. It connects with a local train at Eifukucho Station, which is located on the middle point of the line.

Following the beautiful cardinal sunset, the supermoon went up in the eastern sky. It was indeed big, bright and fantastically shining. Feeling the cool autumn breeze, we could enjoy the special supermoon viewing this year.
 

Supermoon is seen on the Keio-Inokashira Line

Classic Train on the Ooigawa Railway

EMU Ooigawa Railway 21000 series stands at Kanaya Station

Ooigawa is a large river in Shizuoka Prefecture, some 200 km west of Tokyo. The valley of Ooigawa is well known for tea cultivation and hot springs. I often visit this area on vacation with my family. Our transportation means is usually the railway. We can take a local line, Ooigawa Railway, from Kanaya Station on the Tokaido Main Line.

Ooigawa Railway is a small private company. It has the 39.5 km-long Ooigawa Main Line and the 25.5 km-long light railway, namely the Ikawa Line. The Ooigawa Main Line is a 1,067 mm-size single track with a 1,500 V DC overhead electric system. The express train, pulled by a steam locomotive, is very famous among tourists, but I am going to show you the classic EMU 21000 series today.

The 21000 series is an old EMU launched in 1958. It had been operated on the Nankai Line in Osaka and Wakayama prefectures. A total of 4 units, namely car numbers 21001, 21002, 21003 and 21004, were moved to Ooigawa Railway in 1997 after their retirement from Nankai Electric Railway.

This classic train is definitely my favorite. The body has a nostalgic 50s design. The interior of the train is also nostalgic, as it has switchable cross seats using red-colored moquette fabric. The reading lights under the shelves are beautiful and elegant. The 21000 series looks very old, but it is equipped with the same air conditioners as the other standard trains in Japan.
 

Interior of the EMU Ooigawa Railway 21000 series

Official information about rolling stock of Ooigawa Railway (in Japanese):

http://www.oigawa-railway.co.jp/train_introduction.html

Patoden in Kagoshima City

Electric car 9507 of the 9500 series (Patoden color) in Kagoshima City

A patoden is a special poster train for a road safety campaign. What does a patoden look like? It looks like a police patrol car painted with black and white colors. It also has red colored squares, which resemble warning lamps, on top of the train's face. In many cases, the patoden is a streetcar operated on a shared track of a public road. It means that many car drivers, riders and pedestrians can easily see it. The patoden is eye-catching and is expected to reduce the number of traffic accidents.

For instance, the Transportation Bureau of Kagoshima City Office has a patoden, car number 9507, for their two tram routes. It is sponsored by the Kagoshima Prefectural Police and major auto manufacturers. You can see the slogan, "Let's get rid of traffic accidents!" on the side body of the streetcar. The letters of the KAGOSHIMA PREFECTURAL POLICE are a bit coercive, aren't they?

Car number 9507 was built in 1997 by Aluna Koki. It belongs to the electric car 9500 series. A total of 15 units of the 9500 series were built from 1995 to 2000. Their electric and mechanical equipment, such as DC motors and rheostatic control system, are rather old, since they have been diverted from the retired 800 series, but are still in good condition.

For your information, The Transportation Bureau of Kagoshima City has a total of 13.1 km tram routes in the urban area. The gauge size is 1,435mm and the electric system is 600V DC overhead.
 

Electric car 9510 of the 9500 series (standard color) in Kagoshima City

Projection Mapping Event in the Traditional Garden

EMU Keihan 2400 series arrives at Shichijo Station on the Keihan Main Line

Projection mapping is an advanced technology using a computer and a variety of objects in place of a screen. These objects may be walls of buildings or complex landscapes. Projection mapping is currently very popular in Japan. I recently saw one such event in a unique venue... a Buddhist temple in Kyoto City.

Kodaiji was established in 1606 by Kita-no-mandokoro, who was a widow of a pre-eminent Daimyo, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. This historical temple is famous for its traditional Japanese style garden, and popular among tourists. The projection mapping was held in the temple garden using karesansui (a traditional dry landscape garden), a garden gate and hedges. I could enjoy the fantastic projected scenery one after another with live violin music. A half-moon was also beautifully shining in the clear night sky.

To visit this event, I took the Keihan Main Line and got off at Gion-Shijo Station. My vehicle was the EMU 2400 series, a standard commuter train launched in 1969. A total of 6 sets, 42 units have been built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The 2400 series is known as the first commuter train with air-conditioners in the Kansai (Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe) area.

For your information, Keihan is one of the major private railway companies in the Kansai area. The route extends to the eastern part of the Kansai area including Kyoto, Shiga and Osaka Prefectures. The track is electrified (1,500 V DC, overhead) and the gauge size is 1,435 mm.

Projection mapping event is held in Kodai-ji temple near Gion-Shijo Station

Official information about rolling stock of Keihan Electric Railway (in Japanese):

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