Wednesday 5 March 2014

Tokyo Snow Scene: Tokyu Setagaya Line

Electric car Tokyu 300 series arrives at Yamashita Stop
 
Setagaya Ward is a typical residential area in Tokyo Metropolis. Many people go to their offices in the city center by taking commuter railways such as the Tokyu, Odakyu and Keio lines. Most of them are modernized railways, for instance, an elevated double-double track and an underground double track constructed below a state highway.

Although a modern railway system has been developed, there is still a traditional tram route in Setagaya Ward... the Tokyu-Setagaya Line. When Tokyo was in for a heavy snowfall three Saturdays ago, I visited the Yamashita stop on the Setagaya Line to take pictures of rare snow tram scenes on the Setagaya Line. Fortunately, the trains were being operated on schedule and I saw snow-crusted trams, EMU 300 series, arriving at and leaving the stop. I was able to shoot the colorful trams backed by snow-capped tracks.


For your information, the electric car 300 series on the Setagaya Line was launched in 1999. The vehicle is articulated and composed of two cars. A total of 10 sets have been manufactured. Each set is a different color such as red (photo at the top), light blue (photo at the bottom), dark blue, green, yellow and ex-Tamaden colors.

After boarding the tram, I saw a thick blanket of snow through a train window. There was snow as far as the eye could see. It was out-of-the-ordinary and exotic. We call that "gin-sekai (the silvery world)" in Japanese. I wondered where I was. Was I in Hokkaido (the northernmost island in Japan)?

Electric car Tokyu 300 series stands at Yamashita Stop