Tuesday 3 April 2012

Miracle Plum Tree and Urban Local Railway


EMU Tobu 8000 series leaves Kameido Station

Kameido is located in the eastern part of downtown Tokyo. Currently, this area is attracting a lot of attention along with the soon-to-be-opened Tokyo Sky Tree, a 634m high new landmark tower (see my blog on July 29th, 2011).

But that's not all in Kameido. It is a historical and traditional area as well. One of the famous spots in this area is Kameido Tenjin, which is a shrine opened in 1661 to express a belief in god of academic achievements. In the grounds of the shrine is a beautifully arranged garden and alters.

In early spring, if you stand on the bridge in front of the main alter, you will find a beautifully blooming plum tree right in front. It is a very famous miracle tree, because both red and white flowers bloom on the same tree (see the bottom photo).

One way to get to this traditional and contemporary area, is by taking the Tobu Kameido Line and getting off at the Kameido Terminal. This route is a branch line of the Tobu Isesaki Line, and looks a local line in the urban area.

A 2-car train of the EMU 8000 series travels slowly, threading its way through a shopping arcade and small factories (see the top photo). There are five stations on the 3.4km route. The train is operated every 7 to 8 minutes during rush hour and every 10 minutes during the daytime.

Kameido, it is a miracle plum tree and an urban local railway town for me.

 
Miracle red and white plum tree in Kameido Tenjin Shrine near Kameido Station