「ロマンスカーギャラリー」に展示されている初代3000形電車(左)、3100形電車(中央)、7000形電車(右) First 3000 Series (left), 3100 Series (centre), and 7000 Series (right) exhibited in "Romancecar Gallary" area
On May 21st, I went to see Romancecar Museum, which shows Odakyu Romancecar carriages, in Ebina City, Kanagawa Prefecture.
Because of COVID-19 spread, visitors needed a booking before coming there since its opening in 2021. However, the walk-up ticket started to sell in October, 2022.
I saw some families waiting for museum tickets on the "ViNAWALK" pedestrian deck, crossing over the Stations on Odakyu Odawara Line, JR East Sagami Line, and the museum.
First, I went to the "ROMANCECAR MUSEUM CLUBHOUSE" cafe to eat a piece of "Cool Cake" Swiss roll filled with ice cream topped with fruits. It was served in Romancecar trains until 1993. Because I hadn't eaten the cake while on board, I wanted to eat it.
I wanted to visit the museum before May 31st because I heard an announcement that the cafe would finish its service. I found interest in the gap between soft sponge cake and hard ice cream.
After eating the cake, I went down to the ground/first floor to see the exhibition. In the "History Theater" area, an 1 Series, the first carriage on Odakyu Odawara Line, was exhibited.
Coming to the "Romancecar Gallary" area, I saw three types of Romancecar Carriages (first 3000, 3100, and 7000 Series). The exhibited 3000 Series are the three carriages of the five I saw at an event in 2019. Before the museum opened, those were preserved at a carriage shed in nearby Ebina Railyard. Though the set is shortened to three carriages, it still has an atmosphere of the old time.
3100 Series is also exhibited as a three-carriage set. The visitors can overview the cabins of the two sets from the end sections near the doors of the second carriage.
The exhibited 7000 Series is only a front carriage, and visitors can't see its interior.
Going over the three, a front carriage of 10000 Series and two carriages of 20000 Series are exhibited. The visitors can see the whole of the cabins and sit on the seats of both front carriages. The visitors can also look around some parts of a double-decker carriage of 20000 Series, such as a kitchen and service counter, lower-deck semi-open compartments from an aisle, and an upper-deck "Super Seat" first-class cabin from the end of the stairs.
Going up the other stairway to the first/second floor again, I came to "Diorama Park", which consists of miniatures of scenery along Odakyu Lines, such as Shinjuku, Hakone, and Enoshima, with model trains.
The Shinjuku Station in the diorama copied the wall with characteristically shaped glasses bordering Odakyu and JR. Around here, the Odakyu Department Store (HALC Shinjuku West), Shinjuku MYROAD Department Store, and Tokyo Metropolitan Government building stand.
In the Enoshima area, Katase-enoshima Station looking like the Ryugu-jo (Dragon Palace), the underwater dwelling in the Urashima Taro fable, copied. Enoshima Shrine pavilion and Enoshima Sea Candle lighthouse stand on the top of Enoshima Island.
In the Hakone area, dolls of some athletes move on a roadway in front of Hakone-yumoto Station, which depicts the Hakone Ekiden intercollegiate relay race on January 2nd and 3rd. From Hakone-yumoto Station, Hakone Tozan Line spreads to the middle of the mountains with switchbacks. At the end of the diorama, a cruising ship, "Queen Ashinoko", on Lake Ashi, comes and goes.
I went to the roof balcony, where the visitors could watch the trains in service or at the railyard. I saw a 30000 Series set staying at the yard and a 60000 Series set in service.
At last, I came to the cafe again to eat lunch. I chose a soy meat hamburger and a cup of hot chocolate topped with cream, on which a picture of a Romancecar carriage was printed. I was surprised at the quality of it on the cream.
I enjoyed my first visit to the museum. I want to do it again because I can see the Romancecar carriages closely.
If you love Romancecar, I strongly recommend visiting.