Monday 23 July 2012

Tobu Spacia and Daylily Community in Kirifuri Highland


EMU Tobu 100 series, "Spacia" (new color) at Tobu-Nikko Station

The Japanese Archipelago is being heated in dazzling sunshine. The Meteorological Agency announced on July 17th that rainy season this year has finished in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Tatebayashi City in Gunma Prefecture reached 39 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature of this summer so far. As if waiting for the midsummer, Japanese people move to cool environments away from the hot urban areas.

My evacuation area last weekend was Kirifuri (Misty) Highland in Tochigi Prefecture, some 120km north of Tokyo. It is located at altitudes between 1200 and 1600 meters above sea level, and is even cool in midsummer. Not only merely its climate, but the beautiful daylily community is also attractive in this area. The grassy hills are swathed in beautiful yellow daylily blossoms in this season (see the following picture).

So as to avoid a traffic jam on the highways, I took a train of Tobu Railway from downtown Tokyo. This company operates luxury limited express, "Spacia", to Nikko, the nearest city to Kirifuri Highland.

Currently, Tobu Railway is gearing up for the promotion of tourism to Nikko, a World Heritage Site by renovating their flagship trains, the Spacia EMU 100 series (see the top photo). The interior has become more gorgeous and the exterior colors have also been changed.

Thanks to the leisurely reclining seat, it was very relaxing in the train. I enjoyed drinking beer while I went back home.

Rail travel is the best in Japan.

Daylily community in Kirifuri Highland near Tobu-Nikko Station