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First, this DE10 rides up on ice and derails in Akita. While not doubting Japan's well maintained and well operated railways, I have difficulty believing that this has never happened before. Maybe it lost its balance because the digits in its road number aren't on straight, it's really driving me nuts. This is the Akita Rinkai Railway, and while trying to figure out where the hell it actually is (Google Map requires you to be significantly zoomed in to show it), I found that they are unfortunately ending operations in March. At least this guy has an excuse for driving something wildly off course. Location: https://www.google.com/maps/@39.7531443,140.0628819,204m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en Then I see this video about a Prius getting onto the tracks in front of a 223 series in Yasu, Shiga at this crossing: https://www.google.com/maps/@35.0835718,136.0449003,314m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en Seems like entering a gated-off area and interfering with operations could have been prevented, you know? Next, there are these inept guys driving a tank truck when its brakes are blown off or something, which naturally times it perfectly to collide with a 183 series on Azusa service. The authorities decide to use a Mitsubishi Montero to try to slow it down. Seems like, I don't know, bad governance or something. Fortunately there's this cool shinkansen-steamer thing at Okama Station. https://www.google.com/maps/@39.7115082,141.0718867,425m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

In JR West's March 15th schedule revision there's an interesting change. KIHA189 series DMUs, built in the last few years to replace the JNR-era 181s used on Hamakaze services, will be assigned to a Biwako Express run on weeknights, departing Osaka at 8:36PM and arriving at its destination, Kusatsu, at 9:27PM. After initially thinking what the !@#$, I assumed this train was coming off a Hamakaze run that conveniently puts it at Osaka to operate this service. The second poster in the Ompuchaneru thread writes just that, it arrives at Osaka as Hamakaze #6. It still seems quite strange for a DMU to be used on a service that's in an entirely electrified section, and a later poster writes that the only others are some JR Shikoku limited express services on the Yosan Line. Also in the thread (http://rail-uploader.khz-net.com/index.php?id=1128280), a poster bemoans JR West's schedule changes. It used to become gradually more convenient, now it gradually becomes more inconvenient . Another replies that it's got to do with Japan's population changes. JR West's pdf: http://www.westjr.co.jp/press/article/items/131220_00_kinki.pdf