some memories and tips from my last Japan trip

[Alemino]

I'm just back from 8 days in Japan.

Again  wonderful country to visit and enjoy.

 

This time i did spend more train time..

i planned only to be on the East side, so i did fully exploit the wonder of JR East pass.

Summed, only of shinkansen where 2200 km..on E4, E2 and E5.

Additionally lots of km on Tokyo urban rail network, which i did not count ;)

 

I could visit the Train museum in Omya, and is really a well spent time there!

Nice train, a nice diorama and a perfect platform to see Shinkansen passing by!

[Alemino]

I was in a some Shinkasen..

and for spotting tokyo station is perfect

 

(more to come)

[JR 500系]

Nice pictures! Brings back memories! It's always fun to stand on the platform 22 to 24 of Tokyo station to see all the variations of the beautiful JR east shinkansens...

 

That picture of the E2 and the monorail to the museum is great!  :)

[Alemino]

as far train spotting i got nice pictures also in others stations or simply around Tokyo

Edited March 18, 2016 by Alemino

[Alemino]

[Alemino]

and i found a Bandai B shorty version of a Shinkansen for people...

 

 

[cteno4]

I want one!

 

Except it would be a boring ride being a smooth Shinkansen!

 

Jeff

[Alemino]

And from my experiences, some tips:

-if you are up for a ride on the E4

avoid a place on the first floor!

the only reason to sit there are if you want to sleep, work or look at people feets while in station and you like concrete walls at 200 and something km/h

 

 

-If you are planning to visit japan and get a JR east pass, be careful, is changing!

 

- Avoid at all costs Akihabara and Nakano broadway

seriously..wandering around those places can be very very costly ;)

so much too see so much to buy even only as train modeler..specially if like me you don't live in Japan.

At home you see what you need online  and order considering the shipping cost too. There you literally have everything at hand to buy in front of you..from A to Z with spares and more! With great prices!

 

- Visit Tomix world in Omya and Kato center in Tokyo. The prices aren't the best one. ( better to buy chez Mr.Nariichi) but they have everything there. So if you are looking at something special either from Kato or Tomix, there you are sure to find it and as foreigner you get them tax free..

 

-Last but not least:

Hot Coffee from vending machines!

May sound like a bad idea, but for me is great as you get it everywhere, is cheap and you have there, at the vending machine a trash can to dispose of the empty can..otherwise something hard to find!

 

i hope those may help..are only my personal experiences and i wanted to share them..

 

 

 

 

 

 

[maihama eki]

Thank you for sharing the photos.

 

Some day I want to take a 2 week trip to Japan with a 2 week JR pass and do nothing but ride trains and take photos.

 

I love the photo of the E7 in the distance through the rain.

[JR 500系]

Thank you once again for sharing the photos! They're great!

 

You forgot to mention that only are the hot canned coffee great, the vending machine that dispenses them are a state of the art too!  :)

[Alemino]

thank you all for the comments

i will look to put the pics in full size somewhere else so are better enjoyble..

 

 

You forgot to mention that only are the hot canned coffee great, the vending machine that dispenses them are a state of the art too!  :)

i would rather say...that are everywhere!!

i think in japan cities till you have a loaded suica card or you have loose pocket money, you cannot walk more then 300 meter between vending machines! impossible to complain that somebody is thirsty ;)

 

Sadly no pictures of the fancies all touch screen ones..

 

 

Edited March 19, 2016 by Alemino

[katoftw]

Thanks for sharing.

 

I think you 300m between vending machine sites must have been in rural locations?  In the middle of Tokyo, they are about 30m between each machine location.

[westfalen]

 

Hot Coffee from vending machines!

A trick is to buy a couple of cans, and put them in your coat pockets to warm yourself up. :)

 

The cans of hot corn or potatoe and onion soup are also good.

[JR 500系]

 

Hot Coffee from vending machines!

 

 

Since we are on the talk on vending machines:

 

[Alemino]

all my pics are here..

 

i hope it works

https://www.flickr.com/gp/141073322@N07/yA40tZ

[JR 500系]

all my pics are here..

 

i hope it works

https://www.flickr.com/gp/141073322@N07/yA40tZ

 

It works great!

 

Thank you so much for sharing!  :)

[cteno4]

Alemino

 

Thanks those are great!

 

Jeff

[katoftw]

A trick is to buy a couple of cans, and put them in your coat pockets to warm yourself up. :)

 

The cans of hot corn or potatoe and onion soup are also good.

My wife say this is an excellent tip.

[spacecadet]

A trick is to buy a couple of cans, and put them in your coat pockets to warm yourself up. :)

 

The cans of hot corn or potatoe and onion soup are also good.

The soup can really warm you up by eating it too :)

 

I love the corn soup on a cold day while waiting for the train.

 

The hot coffee is usually too sweet for me. Probably this is partly because of my lack of language skills in reading the labels, but I always seem to end up with coffee that's like 50% sugar. I always think this is weird in Japan, where they don't usually like sweetened drinks other than coffee. (It's almost impossible to get a *tea* that's sweetened!)

 

I know they do have coffee labeled "less sweet" but I usually can only find that at larger convenience stores.

[Alemino]

reviving last year topic to report from this year.

Just back from a short week in Japan. I wasn't alone so no much train time, still, was more on limited expresses than Shinkansen.

thanks to JR east Nagano/Niigata pass

 

one day trip to Matsumoto and Nagano

E351 Super Azusa limited express to Matsumoto, direct from Shinjiku

on the way some freight station, sadly i could not catch the engine (EH 200Blue Thunder)

( if you go to castle, there are volunteer guides free of charge!)

 

then from Matsumoto the trip went further to Nagano on the 383 shinano

 

in Nagano some temples then Hokoriku Shinkansen to Omya

 

Stop to Tomix world ,)

and Tokyo again on Hokoriku

 

in tokyo abused the local lines, like the Yamanote Line

 

then one day we went to Atami on the Odoriko, to enjoy some beach time ;)

 

on the top, i really enjoyed the limited expresses, they grant lot more view than Shinkansen.

Specially if you don't have to go far..

 

Last but not least kato model world :)

 

And some urban fishing!

Edited March 28, 2017 by Alemino

[Alemino]

And i did even try some stop motion videos ;)

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B33iN49TbvqYUEhuMERQVl9GMlU/view?usp=sharing