Japan Travel 2022

[railsquid]

This might be too late for you, but for some reason Popondetta is generally a bit more expensive; I only buy new stuff there if it's something I really want which is not available elsewhere. IMO TamTam has better pricing and selection. Note that as with many model railway products, Tomix track is made in batches so sometimes pieces are just not available.

 

4 hours ago, Aleks said:

1) I was hoping there would be some recent models available that have been sold out on Plaza Japan and HobbySearch. There weren't many - none of interest to me - substantially, what is sold out online, seems to be sold out in this store. And given I had purchased this year what I wanted and what was available through online purchases, there was really nothing to buy...

 

Popular items sell out quickly everywhere.

[kuro68000]

I've noticed that used goods other than model rail stuff seems to be somewhat the same. Things that were plentiful a few years ago are rare now.

 

I don't know if people are just collecting more, or if it's the influence of online trading sites.

[Aleks]

2 hours ago, railsquid said:

IMO TamTam has better pricing and selection.

I should be able to make it to TamTam tomorrow if this is the case. Would you recommend TamTam over Chiyoda Rail Center? How do stores in Nakano compare?

Edited December 20, 2022 by Aleks

[railsquid]

Chiyoda Rail Center is a bit niche, they apparently have great prices if you pre-order new releases with them, but the shop itself doesn't have a huge selection of new items, and a middling selection of 2nd hand stuff (and some very nice customised models on display if you have some money to burn). Worth a look if you have time.

 

The 3 stores in Nakano Broadway (that I know of) are mainly 2nd hand stuff. "Poppo" has new stuff but it's a one-man operation hole-in-the wall; Mandarake also has a bunch of railway memorabilia and that kind of stuff. However the place is a maze and you can spend like half-a-day trying to find stores, especially Mandarake which keeps moving around.

[Madsing]

4 hours ago, railsquid said:

However the place is a maze and you can spend like half-a-day trying to find stores, especially Mandarake which keeps moving around.

I went to Nakano Broadway for the first time last week. Only Mandarake was worth the trip (to me at least). I initially couldn’t find the shop, though, so I entered any Mandarake store and asked. If you don’t speak Japanese, just utter the words “n gauge” and the staff will know what you are looking for!

I ended up purchasing a Kato 10-1311 E233 Chuo Line 6-car set there for ¥13,000. 

[Aleks]

Seems like a great price. I went to Tam Tam today and stocked up on a lot of track. Probably 70% on my way to the next layout phase 1. And then I could not resist temptation and added Ueno Tokyo version of E233, 4 plus 4 more cars. And a couple of lighting kits jus t to try it out…

 

prices were perhaps 1-2% higher than on Plaza Japan but with no shipping, it made sense. Unfortunately no tax free options, this would have made it a great deal.

 

But when I got back I found they overlooked charging me for the add on set for E233 so effectively a similar break there….

 

Availability was typical new stuff and hard to assess as everything is behind store clerk backs. Great availability on the track though.

 

Then on the other hand I walked into the store with several teenagers, so It’s possible they get a lot of those and were suffering from shoplifting. So trains are secured.
 

@railsquidthank you very much for the info!

Edited December 31, 2022 by Aleks

[railsquid]

There has been a definite move towards locking everything away in the last few years, possibly as a supplement to the existing theft protection devices (if you look insided your purchases you'll probably find little RFID barcode things), and also I suspect because unscrupulous individuals were stealing individual bits from cases/boxes.

[chadbag]

On 12/17/2022 at 6:18 PM, Aleks said:

Do you know if the new pass allows you to walk into and out of the station without travelling? This was possible with the old JR passes due to paper format and visual inspection, but e.g. if you tried to do the same with the typical SUICA or another card, without going anywhere by train, it would not let you out without having you pay a "visit fee" of sorts (small but a nuisance). 

 

Worst comes to worst, just use the same manned station to go through.

 

Edited December 31, 2022 by chadbag

[Aleks]

A few quick updates as I just came back from the trip. I spent a day or so in each of Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Beppu, Hiroshima. Given I still had more stuff I needed to buy I tried to go to hobby shops in each of those except Beppu (where I suspect there are no train hobby shops). Some shops that are on the other trail with shop locations are not there any longer, and others are open. There is not much in terms of shops in either Kumamoto or Nagasaki. I made my final stop yesterday as I had 3 hours in Tokyo to get from Shinagawa station to Haneda, and the route happened to take me to IMON in Oimachi (1 station on Keihin Tohoku line from Shinagawa). I will try to put more detailed information on shops on this other trail.

 

All in all, the best selection I found (very subjectively and geared to what I was looking for) was - in no particular order - at (1) Edion/NeverLand Hiroshima; (2) Yodobashi Fukuoka; (3) Tokyo IMON Oimachi; and (4) Tokyo Tam Tam Akihabara. Best prices were Yodobashi Fukuoka - 5-10% below Plaza Japan. The other three shops were 1-2% above Plaza Japan. Tax free was available in all of those shops except Tam Tam. 

 

My Kyushu travels were only partially focused on trains and I had a very busy schedule. I did explore the Chikuho (Chikutetsu) "Interurban/Light Rail" line - looks like all 2000 series older cars are gone (unless stored inside the yard building at Kurosaki station). At the other end of this line in Nogata I spent a little time at JR Nogata station, where there were two 415 series EMUs in storage and the third one pulled into the station from a service run while I was there. These were exactly like this https://www.katomodels.com/product/n/415kei_kyusyu and very similar in color to the East Japan version I just got by mail.

 

I also was able to ride the very new JR West Kyushu shinkansen to and from Nagasaki. It's just under 30 minutes ride to Takeo Onsen where you cross the platform to board a Kamome rapid on to Fukuoka or Shin Tosu (where you can switch to shinkansens to Honshu and Kumamoto). They give exactly 3 minutes for this connection. On my way in there was a heavy snow fall, and trains were running late - even shinkansens - by 10-20 minutes or even more. I was getting that day from Miyajima to Nagasaki, and the very first EMU to Hiroshima was late good 30 minutes - thankfully I gave myself enough cushion, and Sakura shinkansen to Shin Tosu was also late. My Kamome rapid from Shin Tosu to Takeo Onsen was late too, but naturally the Kamome shinkansen waited for it - otherwise it would have departed empty.

 

Kamome shinkansen (N700S series) runs with ~1 hour interval most of the day. Given the 30 minutes one way trip time, I was wondering if they only purchased one train for now. However, on the way back just before we arrived in Takeo Onsen, we passed the other train that had just left Takeo Onsen. Given the lack of 1435mm track connection to the rest of the network, I wonder how they got all those train cars into the area. The internal design is interesting - the seats have a wooden (birch?) back to which the soft materials are attached - has a warm but also a bit of a nostalgic feeling (60+ years ago when a lot of train benches were wood).

 

The ride back from Fukuoka to Tokyo on Nozomi in just under 5 hours was great - including passing multiple other shinkansen trains on the way - even though it was on N700A and not on the most recent N700S (which is actually what Kamome shinkansen runs to Nagasaki). Naturally Mount Fuji was covered by thick clouds starting at about 1/3 of its height so my window seat and my prep to preset the camera to take photos at high speed did me no good...

Edited December 31, 2022 by Aleks

[cteno4]

Sounds like you had a very fun and rewarding trip!

 

many Japanese trains have used a bit of wood like that on interior surfaces to very good result. Bent birch plywood can give a very classy and contemporary look, while at the same time be very nice to touch and give that bit of nostalgia as well. Human monkeys just love to touch wood and visually it’s very comforting and our brains accept it well and it won’t detract visually. Our brains don’t like plastic or even painted or metal surfaces much. I loathe airplanes these days, the whole thing feels plastic.

 

jeff

[Aleks]

6 hours ago, cteno4 said:

Sounds like you had a very fun and rewarding trip!

 

many Japanese trains have used a bit of wood like that on interior surfaces to very good result. Bent birch plywood can give a very classy and contemporary look, while at the same time be very nice to touch and give that bit of nostalgia as well. Human monkeys just love to touch wood and visually it’s very comforting and our brains accept it well and it won’t detract visually. Our brains don’t like plastic or even painted or metal surfaces much. I loathe airplanes these days, the whole thing feels plastic.

 

jeff

 

I was surprised at first to see the wood but it did look very cool and comforting. The seats are also actually arranged in 2x2 even though it's ordinary class.

 

It was also interesting to see the shinkansen departure protocols (probably somewhat similar at most stations, but I observed in Tokyo). Unlike the normal train departure where the train driver is in charge, a guy on the platform is in charge. He stands around the middle of the train and actually has a whole small control station at his disposal, with camera views on screens. He also listens to and watches signals from other attendants positioned throughout the platform. He also watches cameras on staircases/escalators to ensure no one is running to catch the train about to depart. He has a routine to look around all his observations points and make sure they are all clear. If something is not clear, he re-starts... until all is clear. Then he pushes a button to close both train and then platform doors. Only then the train driver is allowed to take control and depart.

 

 

Edited January 1, 2023 by Aleks

[Aleks]

A couple other things I just realized. If you look at the Google Maps of Nagasaki Station today, it is nothing like reality. (The Apple Map is similar although it does show the starting stages of the new station construction).

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Nagasaki+Station/@32.7520861,129.8701542,212m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x3515533a55ec0623:0xd848856646e78f43!8m2!3d32.7523027!4d129.8689485

 

You can see on the Google Maps the lines for the track (shinkansen and regular) are all to the left of where the station used to be - this is where the new station is now. To add shinkansen, they had to move all regular station tracks to the west, so that shinkansen and regular tracks would not need to intersect. This is because shinkansen departs from the station almost due north (and then north-east), and the regular line to the north-north-west. They also elevated the regular tracks too, all the way beyond Urakami station (which allowed to remove a grade level crossing).

 

The entire place where the regular station tracks were before, and some parking lots, and some structures there, this all has now become a large open plaza, with a lot of construction going on at one side. My guess when it is all said and done, this will become a large multi-story station/department store combination like elsewhere in Japan. In fact, you can see floors already piling up if you walk along the street by the stub ends of the lines. The plaza in front should remain and could be a good place for occasional festivities, street food and drinks and live performances, as I have just observed people do in front of stations in Kumamoto and Fukuoka.

 

Google Street views are more recent as they show the present station (from the stub end side) but still not totally current as the construction is now further advanced and some driving lanes have been removed.

 

Hiroshima - English Wikipedia states Hiroden operates 271 trams. This is not accurate and the system would not need as many. Japanese Wiki version indicates just 135 trams based on the 2021 guide published (actual number slightly less by now). This seems a lot more consistent with my observations as well.

Edited January 1, 2023 by Aleks

[chadbag]

Just a note that I think the JR Kyushu trains, at least Shinkansen, have been “wood heavy” in decor for a while.  When the Kyushu Shinkansen was new and just partial main line from Hakata towards Kagoshima a good many years ago now I rode an 800 and it had a lot of wood in the seats and interior as well. A light colored wood.  I kind of remember some of the other Kyushu limited express I rode back then also using wood in the interiors but that is hazy.  
 

The joint JR Kyushu / JR West N700 being used for Sakura (and I assume Mizuho) also use some dark wood in their interiors.  Less than the Kamome and 800 and it is a dark wood but much more organic and comfortable feeling than the JR Central Shinkansen which are the normal plasticky feel. 

[cteno4]

The rapit’ has very nice wood accents in its interior. Made it feel like Jules Verne’s Nautilus to me along with that rich blue, porthole windows and the bulb nose.

 

jeff

[chadbag]

Just as a point of reference.  This is an non-reserved seat car (3x2) on the Sakura today showing the medium colored wood panel and highlights in the N700s used for Osaka -- Kagoshima by JR West / JR Kyushu.  Not quite the Kyushu wood use but I like it a lot more than the JR Central Shinkansen interior.  All around, when going S from Osaka I'll take the Sakura if at all possible.

 

(We just went from Shin-Osaka to Shin-Kobe as it was faster than the Rapid to Sannomiya and subway back to Shin-Kobe)

 

[Aleks]

Looks cool! I have been reading up on various shinkansens on Wikipedia. Apparently the wood was incorporated into the design of Kyushi shinkansens because a lot of the trip is inside the tunnel, so they wanted to make up for the dark outside with a nicer inside. Also, they used 2x2 seating in the original 800 series probably for the same reason (and as they probably did not expect as many travelers than on Sanyo/Tokaido). On the N700 trains (whether JR Kyushu or JR West) reserved cars (green or ordinary) also all have 2x2 seat arrangements.  

 

Also, saw some pictures of how shinkansens were being delivered around the country. So it can be by boat, by truck (usually shorter distance or from the adjacent port), or on temporary narrow gauge bogies, hauled by a loc. Sometimes this was done even when a shinkansen connection was available, I think likely because trains are not delivered in a drivable condition (all the electronics, signalling, etc. probably does not make sense to program for a single trip from the factory to the depot).

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/800_Series_Shinkansen

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N700_Series_Shinkansen

[Gratias]

On 1/4/2023 at 12:12 AM, Aleks said:

Looks cool! I have been reading up on various shinkansens on Wikipedia. Apparently the wood was incorporated into the design of Kyushi shinkansens because a lot of the trip is inside the tunnel, so they wanted to make up for the dark outside with a nicer inside. Also, they used 2x2 seating in the original 800 series probably for the same reason (and as they probably did not expect as many travelers than on Sanyo/Tokaido). On the N700 trains (whether JR Kyushu or JR West) reserved cars (green or ordinary) also all have 2x2 seat arrangements.  

 

Also, saw some pictures of how shinkansens were being delivered around the country.

 

So it can be by boat, by truck (usually shorter distance or from the adjacent port),

 

or on temporary narrow gauge bogies, hauled by a loc.

 

Sometimes this was done even when a shinkansen connection was available,

 

I think likely because trains are not delivered in a drivable condition (all the electronics, signalling, etc.

 

probably does not make sense to program for a single trip from the factory to the depot).

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/800_Series_Shinkansen

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N700_Series_Shinkansen

Japan Shinkansen

It’s amazing how much thought goes into the design of these trains, especially with the wood interiors on the Kyushu shinkansen to make the journey more pleasant inside those long tunnels. The 2x2 seating definitely makes sense for a more comfortable ride, especially when they weren’t expecting as many passengers as on the more crowded Sanyo or Tokaido lines.

[chadbag]

I do like the wood interiors on the Kyushu trains.  It's very pleasant.