Wednesday 6 December 2017

Autumn Foliage on the Sunzu Line

EMU JR East 185 series (block pattern painting) travels on the Sunzu Line

It is December already. A year has passed so soon. Before the New Year, I am going to hurry and show you the topic of this autumn.

Shuzenji is a small town on the Izu Peninsula, about 140 km southwest of Tokyo. It is famous for its hot spring and deep warm-temperate forest. Specifically, the forest of Japanese maple is very beautiful in the season of autumn foliage. I visited one such forest in Niji-no-sato (Rainbow Village) with my family last month. It was the best timing of autumn foliage. The Japanese maple leaves were turning scarlet and yellow in color. We fully enjoyed a stroll throughout the village in the gentle autumn sunlight, but that still wouldn't finish. After sunset, we enjoyed viewing autumn foliage again, as it was beautifully lit up. The night autumn leaves were also elegant.

To visit Shuzenji, the Sunzu Line of Izu-Hakone Railway is convenient. It takes about two hours from Tokyo by JR East's limited express train, "Odoriko", the EMU 185 series. This JR East train is directly operated onto Izu-Hakone Railway via Mishima Station. As I reported before, a media outlet recently stated that the EMU 185 series will be retired from the JR East and Izu-Hakone lines within a few years. It will be replaced by the EMU E257 series, which is currently operated on the Chuo Main Line.

Operation of the historical train, EMU JR East 185 series, will soon end.

Japanese maple leaves are lit up in Niji-no-sato (Rainbow Village) near Shuzenji Station