Saturday 30 August 2014

Cool Cascade on the Hakone Tozan Line

EMU 30000 series with a gangway on the front (right) and the same model without a gangway (left) 
 
It is late summer in Japan. The maximum daytime temperature is still over 30 degrees Celsius in Tokyo, but a breath of fresh air in the sight of a waterfall must be cooling. I visited a small waterfall in Kanagawa Prefecture on the weekend.

Chisuji-no-taki Waterfall is located in the forest of the Hakone area near Kowakidani Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway. The height of the fall is only several meters, but it is a paradise in summer, as visitors can feel a rush of cool air there. "Chisuji" means "one thousand lines". As its name suggests, we can see many string-like water flows on the small cliff.

To visit this gorgeous spot, the Hakone Tozan Line is convenient. Connecting Odawara on the Odakyu Line and Goura, the 15 km long route climbs Hakone Mountain. The whole route is an electrified single track. The gauge size and electric system are 1,067 mm and 1,500 V DC overhead between Odawada and Hakone-Yumoto, meanwhile 1,435 mm and 700 V DC overhead between Hakone-Yumoto and Goura.

Before leaving Odawara, I saw two sets of Odakyu Romance Cars, the EMU 30000 series, in the station yard. You can easily compare a train with a gangway in the front and the same model without a gangway. I could take a unique photograph in a lucky twist.

The cool cascade and the unique train photo... this is killing two birds with one stone.
 
Chisuji-no-taki Waterfall is seen near Kowakidani Station on the Hakone Tozan Line