Just got back from an excellent Japan 2015 Trip!

[katoftw]

Wow that station and its staff are awesome!

[TestudoToTetsudo]

More Resort Shirakami:

 

Scenery along the coast:

 

Waiting for the southbound at Juniko Station:

 

And Lake Aioke at Juniko.  Juniko overall is an excellent gorgeous hiking day, the blue lake is just the highlight:

 

And here's the bus you take from the station to the hiking area, during hiking season the buses seemed timed to the Resort Shirakami trains enabling a nice day trip from Akita:

 

And coach interiors of two of the Resort Shirakami trainsets.  My Dad and I rode one on one day coming back from Kanagi, and the family rode the other the next day coming back ftrom Juniko:

Edited August 6, 2015 by TestudoToTetsudo

[TestudoToTetsudo]

Tohoku Shinkansen GranClass:

 

The number on the phone is good ole' #murica miles per hour, not KPH:

 

GranClass seats:

 

 

And the E6 Shinkansen's Ordinary Class:

[TestudoToTetsudo]

A day to Wakayama Dentetsu and Kishi to visit the place that the late, great Tama the Cat made famous.  

 

We got the Omocha (Toy) Densha both directions between Wakayama and Kishi:

 

The train featured toy vending machines, to the left of Mrs. TestudoToTetsudo:

 

Clean shot of the interior of the Wakayama Dentetsu's Omocha Densha.  On the way back a kid took a nap in the crib like structure:

 

We visited about a month before Tama passed away.  Tama was on vacation this day, but Nitama was holding the Kishi job down:

 

My better half and I in front of Kishi Station:

 

Across the street and about 150 feet/100m south of the Kishi station was an excellent cafe with a really nice staff:

 

Finally, on the way back to Himeji from Wakayama, we rode the Kuroshio.  The EMUs were old, the real highlight here was this bit of safety signage I am yet to find in any other country:

[TestudoToTetsudo]

Akita - Kanagi Day Trip featuring the Tsugaru Railroad:

 

Akita station.  The TV screen on the right ran a video loop encouraging couples to have their weddings at the Hotel Metropolitan Akita, and kept playing the song from Beauty and the Beast (in English):

 

Riding the Tsugaru Limited Express from Akita to Hirosaki, the EMU on the left.  The commuter EMU on the right had what sounded like a steam whistle, and mostly carried high school students into Akita.  Sad to see this part of Japan losing population, downtown Akita felt dense enough to be lively but also small enough to not feel overwhelming.

 

From Hirosaki to Goshogawara, it was the JR Gono Line and an old DMU with openable windows through apple country:

 

From Goshogawara to Kanagi, Dad and I rode the Tsugaru Railroad, seen here at Kanagi.  The agent here ran the batons for their baton train control system from cab to cab when the two trains met here.  One baton was a little shovel, the other a tennis racket.

 

The Tsugaru Tetsudo trains themselves had miniature libraries at the ends of each DMU car, next to the farebox:

 

At Goshogawara Station, some floats for summer festivals rested throughout the rest of the year:

Edited August 7, 2015 by TestudoToTetsudo

[TestudoToTetsudo]

Those are the main train ride highlight photos, I took lots of trains around Tokyo and the Tokaido Shinkansen, but I feel like the highlight of those isn't measured in photos, it's the breadth of service.  I'll post some other highlights over the weekend so stay tuned (with a much shorter wait I hope) for the rest!

[miyakoji]

Great pics.  So was this back in June?  How was the weather?

 

edit: Ah, May.  Nevermind :)

Edited August 7, 2015 by miyakoji

[cteno4]

Looks like you guys had a great trip, I'm jealous! Thanks for the picts!

 

Jeff

[JR 500系]

Thank you for the pictures! Looks great!

 

The Shirakmai and the Gono lines are something I would love to try the next time I go... You got the 485 series in Super Hakucho colour for the Tsuguru, usually they also run with the 751 series...  The gran class was really amazing...

 

I'm guessing the Kuroshio you took was the older 381 series EMU in blue colour?  

[beakaboy]

fantastic shots. Juniko looks amazing place. My wife and I enjoy walking or hiking. In fact my wife completed the Tongariro Crossing in New Zealand in February!

[TestudoToTetsudo]

fantastic shots. Juniko looks amazing place. My wife and I enjoy walking or hiking. In fact my wife completed the Tongariro Crossing in New Zealand in February!

 

Thanks.  Yes, it is a great trip and if you're in Northern Japan I'd recommend a Juniko day trip as a great way to combine hiking and trains.  The Resort Shirakami trains make this a nice day trip from either Akita or Aomori (although if you try to do an Akita-Aomori day trip with daytime stopover in Juniko realize the lockers may not be large enough to store the suitcases you might have on an international trip).

[TestudoToTetsudo]

Thank you for the pictures! Looks great!

 

The Shirakmai and the Gono lines are something I would love to try the next time I go... You got the 485 series in Super Hakucho colour for the Tsuguru, usually they also run with the 751 series...  The gran class was really amazing...

 

I'm guessing the Kuroshio you took was the older 381 series EMU in blue colour?  

 

Thanks and yes that sounds right, 381 series on the Kuroshio.

[TestudoToTetsudo]

E7/W7 Shinkansen and its Green Car Seats:

 

Reserved Ordinary on the N700-7000 Kyushu Shinkansen:

 

Ordinary Seats on the 800-series Tsubame:

 

Massive 10-story Station City at Kyoto, looking down from the escalator and looking up the LED lit stairs:

 

Refurbished E653 EMU on the Inaho:

 

SL themed Ekiben purchased in Niigata and enjoyed on the Inaho:

Edited August 8, 2015 by TestudoToTetsudo