ED75 does Japan (take 2.3)

[ED75-775]

And from said experiment comes this shot, brought to you by the Canon SX50 HS:

 

 

To bag this shot, I needed to have the trusty camera set to Sports Mode, plus I opened one of the windows ever so briefly to snap my shots. The traincrew didn't bat an eyelid - I'm sure they would have seen what I was doing - so I am going to say they either thought I was being sensible enough not to warrant intervention or they've seen other train enthusiasts do it in the past and have learned to just go along with it. This one happens to be my favourite shot of those taken on this particular trip, although I did get another one further down the tracks with the West Express Ginga parked up in the sidings and an unusual two-coach set I last saw four years ago parked up at Shin-Yamaguchi. Track inspection unit, perhaps?

 

 

Also didn't post any Randen shots last episode, so here's one of MoBo 301 arriving from Shijo-Omiya into Randen Arashiyama earlier that day. This tram is one of only two left in the green/cream colour scheme with the other being MoBo 103. These functional little workhorses are, I'm sure, competent little performers but they don't hold my interest as much as other single-car trams, simply because they look too much like a newer tram pretending to be older than it actually is in my opinion.

 

Alastair

[ED75-775]

Quick update before heading out for the day!

 

Back in 2019 I took a trip out to Otsu on the Keihan Keishin Line to view the famous street running section. It was wet, and not overly pleasant that day, and on this day it didn't seem any different. Having learned last time the distances involved, I took the JR train to Otsu station and walked down to the Keishin Line near Kamisakaemachi. I didn't have to wait too long before an 800-series showed up!

 

 

Whereas I didn't have much luck last time with the Ishiyama-Sakamoto line and its short street running section, this time I had more luck with a few 600s and one 700 showing up to entertain me when I walked down to Biwako-Hamaotsu Station. Getting this shot involved a short dash down the tracks toward Sakamoto-Hieizanguchi as set 605/606 headed east. Such an intimate little railway!

 

 

With the weather starting to fine up, meaning I didn't need to use my umbrella now, this was my last shot on the Keishin Line as set 801/802 climbed up towards Kamisakaemachi from Biwako-Hamaotsu. I'd had to quickly visit the former station earlier as my pocket WiFi was by now playing up with a recurring '110' error, meaning it wasn't connecting to a network! This meant no online timetable and a few autistic noises of frustration at things not working. And unfortunately it's still doing the same thing today, so I have no pocket WiFi until Japan Wireless can help, or I leave tomorrow.

 

It's kind of hit me that this is the end of the trip almost, and I had a hard time processing that last night between bouts of book-buying, as I've discovered I really don't enjoy my job anymore and am getting tired of the job rejections trying to find something else. I've had it recommended to me that I look into becoming a English-language teacher here in Japan which sounds like something to investigate further into.

 

Alastair

[kuro68000]

Thanks Alastair, some great photos. You have an eye for it!

[Tony Galiani]

Great photos and great reporting.  I am going to miss your updates when your trip ends.

Cheers,

Tony

[Yugamu Tsuki]

For the pocket Wifi, take out the battery and put it back in. That sort of thing happens sometimes when you cross provider regions and it glitches to no network available. It happened to me when I crossed into Shizuoka.

[ED75-775]

7 hours ago, mojo said:

Thanks Alastair, some great photos. You have an eye for it!

I wish I could say that I do, but in reality I'm more of a point-click-shoot photographer who is fine with just taking a photograph for the sake of it and not thinking about things like layout or composition. And I'm going to miss the level of variety I've enjoyed here too!

 

Well, the trip is almost over with the final act tomorrow being a trip on Hikari 646 back to Tokyo, departing at 10:33AM. Arrival in Tokyo is scheduled for 1:12PM, and with a little under two hours' layover time, I am tempted to do one final trip to Nakano Broadway to snag one last tram from Mandarake, and perhaps a quick dash through one or two hobby stores in Akihabara on the way home. I'll then pick up a Narita Express just after 3PM, which gets me to Narita just after 4PM so I can drop my suitcase off, have some time to look around the terminals, and then pass through security to the gate for boarding.

 

This trip has been the best I've had in a long time, and as much as I loved heading to Invercargill last year for an annual heritage rail conference, this has been even better. I've not felt so alive in such a long time! And apart from a few bumps and shunts along the way, it has been thoroughly enjoyable.

 

~ ~

 

Anyhow, today was spent sending off the last of five parcels from Kyoto Central Post Office, then shambling around the station including one final visit to the Kato Store where I almost could have brought another steam locomotive but no, too pricy this trip, and then off into the city to try and find Maruzen Books. I didn't get there in the end, but instead wound back up at Hobby Land Pochi where after almost being tempted by a ¥6,000 MicroAce D51 1002 or a ¥4,500 Kato ED75-1000, settled for a sixth Kato 8620 at ¥10,000. The front snowplough kept playing up though and the shop clerk eventually glued it into place for me so it wouldn't derail the locomotive. I'm going to miss that dedicated level of service!

 

The final act for the night was to head off to Popondetta Æon Mall for some D51 front couplings that quickly ended up being a bit more. On the way out, I happened to detour through the nearby arcade and found a Densha de Go! cabinet, which just demanded I play it. Well, how could I say no? Two trips along the Yamanote Line later, my first run had scored a 'D' while the second was an 'A'! Woohoo! I finished the night at Kyoto Ramen Street with a good meal, then reeled back to the hotel to try and repack.

 

I will try and post tomorrow but make no guarantees, as the router has now been confirmed as defective so I'm being offered a refund for the three days I wasn't able to use it fully. It still kind of goes, but only enough to run Apple Maps so long as I don't try finding something with it. The Shinkansen though, that offers free WiFi on board though...

 

Alastair

 

 

[Tony Galiani]

Safe travels.  And hopefully no delayed flights!

Cheers,

Tony

[ED75-775]

Just stopping at Gifu-Hashima now for five minutes. While so far Air New Zealand is being reliably punctual, I almost wasn’t thanks to a slightly longer than planned packup and grabbing a snack!

 

 

To be completely honest though, I couldn’t leave without a couple of Andersen’s Bakery dark cherry and rhubarb and yuzu danishes. Too moreish! And I should have paid more attention to where one of the lifts went as that would have saved some minor stress about going in the wrong direction. I guess Kyoto did not want me to leave!

 

 

And with a Nozomi service past us, we’ve just pulled out bound for Nagoya. See you later!

 

Alastair

[Tony Galiani]

8 hours ago, ED75-775 said:

Andersen’s Bakery dark cherry and rhubarb and yuzu danishes

 

Why has no one mentioned these before?  What other food treats did I miss on my last trip?  We certainly ate well but I am sensing that I missed quite a bit of goodness on my last visit - I have started a food list for my next trip!

Japan is food paradise for me - I can eat more than I should but walking 6 miles / 10 kilometers a day burns it off.

Cheers,

Tony

[katoftw]

There is so many food options in Japan. There is just too many to expect someone else to list them all that may appeal you to.  But before you next trip, use Google. Like Danish + Japan for a search option. Pick stuff you already know and love, then add Japan to the search.

Edited June 28, 2023 by katoftw

[cteno4]

Bakeries in japan always astounded me. Not big on the breads, but he pastries would have homer drooling a block away.

 

jeff

[ED75-775]

Just another quick update from me now that I am safely home, and on my thirtieth birthday no less!

 

Since I had a little time to kill between getting into Tokyo and heading out to Narita, I decided to do a side trip back to Nakano Broadway to snag one last Tobu 100-series tram. This went well, but finding a luggage locker took longer than expected, and by the time I got back I had missed the 3:03 Narita Express by just a few minutes. Oh well, the 3:33 will have to do, and it got me there five minutes late after an emergency stop between Tokyo and Kinshichō. Then the fun and games began at checkin!

Suffice to say, my luggage was overweight and I had to pay a bit extra. One 30kg suitcase later, and fingers crossed that my trains would be fine in their long bag as cabin cargo, we were ready to roll. Stop at the post counter to get rid of the pocket WiFi unit, one last dash downstairs to the JR East Ticket Center to get the eki-stamps there, and then on through security to my flight. Phew!

 

We were delayed 13mins on departure due to air traffic control not being ready for us, but once airborne everything was fine. Arrival in Auckland around 8:15 did not leave long to get to the Domestic terminal though... and Customs was on a go-slow. Aaaargh! Made it through, drop 30kg suitcase off, scramble to the domestic gate and that plane left slightly late too. Oh well! Five minutes late, nothing really serious in the scheme of things. So I am now home, mostly unpacked but not yet tidied up, and planning to have a snooze after lunch to recover some extra sleep.

 

While I didn't get my travel organiser back (and I am deeply annoyed by that), this trip has been an absolute blast and I'm already thinking about going back next year in some form, whether it be to holiday or as a ESL teacher. Tokyo or Kyoto would be top of my list if that was to happen. And with 1.9k thread visits, I think this is the most 'interesting' thread I have posted to date!

 

I'll post some more random photos later when I'm a bit more recovered and tidied away.

Alastair

 

[Madsing]

Thank you Alastair. I really enjoyed reading your posts, and I can safely say that many other people on the forum also did!

I look forward to your next trip to Japan.

Marc

 

[Tony Galiani]

@katoftw  wrote "Like Danish + Japan for a search option"

 

I have to confess that combination would never have occurred to me!  But there is a lot more food variety in Japan than I would have imagined so live and learn I guess.

 

Cheers,

Tony

[cteno4]

Alastair,

 

Thanks so much for your travelogue here, it’s been a blast! Circumstances are such I’ve not been able to travel for a number of years here so it’s really nice to have a vicarious travel experience you put forward!

 

happy 30th! Unpacking the train suitcase was a good birthday present to yourself.

 

thanks again!

 

jeff

[kuro68000]

12 hours ago, ED75-775 said:

Just another quick update from me now that I am safely home, and on my thirtieth birthday no less!

 

Suffice to say, my luggage was overweight and I had to pay a bit extra. One 30kg suitcase later, and fingers crossed that my trains would be fine in their long bag as cabin cargo, we were ready to roll.

 

Happy 30th! Sounds like you had a great trip. It's been really fun following along.

 

As for your luggage, most hotels have scales you can borrow.

[SL58654号]

On 6/16/2023 at 1:17 AM, ED75-775 said:

Unfortunately the SL Hitoyoshi does not run to its namesake town anymore, as large parts of the Hisatsu Line were destroyed including the two major bridges over the Kuma River during the 2020 Kyushu floods. I understand that prefectural governments are trying to get the railway restored, but it's dependent on large sums of money being stumped up to make it happen. You may want to ask @SL58654Gō about the state of negotiations as he's based in Kumamoto and has been involved in campaigning to get the railway running again.

 

The train itself wasn't affected and nowadays runs between Kumamoto and Tosu, although it's due to retire at the end of FY2023 due to JR Kyushu finding it too expensive and difficult to maintain a 100-plus-year-old steam locomotive. Hence why I am so keen to ride it before it finishes and goes back into museum life.

 

Alastair

Yes, 肥薩線again and I have not given up hope. We are still having meetings. Money is needed to make this restoration of epic proportions happen, but encouragement is being risen and I don't think the prefectures, the councils of Hitoyoshi and other municipalities served by the line will take no for an answer. Everyone in town misses and loves the trains that once ran there. There even remains optimism that the 58654 may not be permanently confined to a static display after retirement. After all, it was the top of the line of tourist trains on that line. We'll see what we can do...

In the meantime, I'm on my way to starting my first permanent tabletop N gauge layout. Having the KATO SL Hitoyoshi warrants such.