Surprise Trip to Japan in November

[Kingmeow]

😲😲😲  $4,900 CDN for Premium Economy???!!!!  Probably because it's short notice since your are traveling in November.  But still!

[N-Osoi]

Must be due to late notice... ANA has occasional sales for off-peak travel periods from Australia. For example, return to Tokyo economy can be around AUD $1000. Usually a direct flight as well, and sometimes they offer a free domestic flight if you book it all at the same time.

[RS18U]

So my trip to Japan is set to take off at 9 AM tomorrow morning, weather permitting.  Yup, we have a wind warning up and ferries are all canceled for the night but hopefully it will have blown through by the time my first 13 minute puddle jumper flight is set to take off.  Now for some last minute packing....

 

I will do my best to provide photos while I am there.

 

Will

[Kingmeow]

Safe travels and buy lots of trains.  I have still yet to review my photos and post my haul.  It was rather big as we needed to buy a 45 liter nylon bag to hold it all.  🤣

[RS18U]

OK, going to try and post some photos but since they are all coming off the phone we will see how that works!

 

Anyway a great trip over.  The bumpiest parts were the 13 minute puddle jumper to start, and the approach to Haneda.  Once landed I failed to follow the instructions my Japanese co-worker gave on which trains to take to get to the hotel which is near T-CAT.  So got a bonus ride on the monorail.  Other than that it's been a couple of subway rides, one during the Friday morning commute.  Saw the locomotive at the military museum, along with a Zero.  Also went to Tenshodo in Ginza.  Managed to be rather restrained.  Photos of purchases will happen when I am home.

 

More trains tomorrow as I go to The Train Museum.

 

Will

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 15, 2024 by RS18U

[RS18U]

My apologies for not doing more updates.  The business side of this trip has been very intense, breakfast between 6 and 7 depending on the hotel, and lucky to be in our hotel room by 9.  And a different hotel each day.  Once home I'll be doing updates but as teasers here are some observations and a couple of photos.

 

I am amazed at the quality and price of used trains here.  I have picked up not only a couple of complete train sets (1 DMU and 1 EMU) but some vehicles as well.  The boxes may be a bit beat up but the contents look as new.

 

We have used everything from subways, to the Tokyo monorail, right up to Nozomi Shinkansen.  Plus a few plane rides.  And a SL.

 

Once home I'll post more photos but here are a couple to tantalize you with.

 

Will

 

Edited November 25, 2024 by RS18U

[Ekiben]

Sounds like you made it out just in time. I'm still cleaning up branches from the "bomb cyclone" that whipped up the coast last week. Also looks as though you've managed to ride plenty of trains in spite of the heavy work schedule. Looking good.

[RS18U]

Hi all,

 

I tried to post photos/text from my phone while in Japan, including a reply to @Ekiben, but only 2 came through for some reason, the other 3 are lost in the depths of the internet I guess.

 

I am on the road for work (again), but once I have some time to get through my hundreds of photos I will post some more.  I am very sorry for the delay in getting these out 😳

 

Will

[RS18U]

Ok, let try again!  My photos are now somewhat organized so I will share some here.

 

Day 2 was spent primarily at The Train Museum.  This post at Curbside Classic https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/museum/museum-trackside-classic-the-railway-museum-at-omiya/ has way better pictures than I took so I will just add a few of mine.

 

 

Got to ride the New Shuttle.  This appears to run on rubber wheels?  I could not see the underside and there are no tracks, so I figure rubber wheels of some sort.

 

Glad to get a few photos of this as I have the Entx 1:45 model and this will help especially with painting.

 

Saw lots of freight trains too.

 

 

 

A pretty big place, with a lot of the exhibits indoors.

 

Decided to walk back to the JR station and ran into the Railway Garden Promenade.

 

Edited December 20, 2024 by RS18U

[RS18U]

Day 3 was travel from Tokyo to Miyazaki by train.  Was on Nozomi 1 at 6 AM and arrived around 3 PM, staying at the JR Miyazaki hotel.  Two transfers, one at Kokura to Sonic 13 with an 8 minute transfer time, and then at Oita to Nichirin 7 with 3 minutes.  No issues in making the connections, but it also meant little time for photos.

 

Nozomi waiting for departure.

 

Sonic.

 

The hotel has this layout in the lobby/outside the dinning room.

 

Edited December 20, 2024 by RS18U

[RS18U]

Day 4 was back to work, but there were trains when going from the Central Japan International Airport to our hotel in Hamamatsu, 3 different ones and some time on the platforms to take pictures of the passing trains.

 

The day 5 train was the Shinkansen to Tokyo.

 

These were parked near the Miyazaki station, under the elevated tracks leading into the station.

 

Work related.

 

Also work related.

 

Our Tokyo office manager managing to photo-bomb this picture.

 

 

 

End of a long day.

 

Edited December 21, 2024 by RS18U

[RS18U]

Day 6 was in the woods north of Hamamatsu, near the Ikeba JR station.  The wettest day of the trip, but still very pleasant.

 

Day 7 was Tokyo to Noshiro via ANA, more time in the woods as well as through a large, modern sawmill complex.  No trains on day 7, but day 8 saw us on the Tokyo Monorail when we returned.

 

Some interesting food options too.

 

This is a combination yarder, processor/loader.  It is yarding (pulling) logs up a steep slope in a thinning operation.

 

Fall colours.

 

Did not try the horse sashimi...

 

Nor when it was cooked.  Ate everything else we were offered, including raw liver, heart, and stomach.

 

Got to observe the switching of track on the monorail.  Into the siding we go...

 

Over the track moves...

And not long after an express cruises by.

 

Edited December 21, 2024 by RS18U

[Kingmeow]

When we were in Takayama last month, we walked past a restaurant that specializes in everything horse meat.  I went Hmmm....and kept on walking.  🤣

 

That truck with the different sized logs, I've never seen logs stacked so neatly (and thus efficiently) before!  I do realize that they are all pretty straight!  In the US, every time I see them on the road, they just pile them on, different sizes, different positions, leading to air gaps.  Sometimes they look like pieces will fall off and I never drive next to them!  😲

Edited December 22, 2024 by Kingmeow

[RS18U]

15 hours ago, Kingmeow said:

they just pile them on, different sizes, different positions, leading to air gaps.  Sometimes they look like pieces will fall off and I never drive next to them!  😲

Like these maybe?

 

 

 

Will show some more of the trip tomorrow.

 

Edited December 22, 2024 by RS18U

[Kingmeow]

Yeah, those!  Imagine driving next to the truck in the second photograph on the highway.  NOT!  😲

[RS18U]

6 hours ago, Kingmeow said:

Yeah, those!  Imagine driving next to the truck in the second photograph on the highway.  NOT!  😲

Those 3 trucks are off-highway and are not legal on public roads unless empty, and with a special permit.  They can be configured up to 200 tons GVW, although that capacity is rarely used now.  Weight is dependent on the vehicle configuration, and the load.  Old growth logs weigh more than second growth, and the load on the second picture is second growth.  I estimate that is around 80-90 tons.  Fun point is this photo is taken from the cab of a pickup I was a passenger in, and we were going backwards rather fast as the truck is pulling up a hill (you can just see a bridge in the right background) and was not going to be stopping.

 

Turned out to be one of my favorite logging truck pictures.

[RS18U]

Day 8 9 was a Saturday.  When my wife and I were in Japan in March we had dinner with the Tokyo office manager and found out he too likes trains.  So when he heard I was going to be back in Japan and would be there over a weekend, he offered to take me to his mountain house in Nikko.

 

I got to experience Tokyo traffic; I had not realised it but that Saturday was the Japanese version of our Labour Day, and with the good weather there was a lot of people heading to the country side.  He had wanted to take the SPACIA X train, but it was all sold out and as it turned out that gave us more freedom to do something different on Sunday.

 

We first had lunch with some of his friends, then rode a special train from Nikko to Kinugawa, and a local back to Nikko.  A quick look at the Nikko rail museum, then a drive along the Nikko Suginamiki Kaido (Nikko Cedar Avenue), supposedly the longest tree-lined road in the world at 35 kms.  This must be for planted trees, not natural one.  Around 200,000 trees were planted, and something like 12,000 remain.

 

Then dinner at a sushi ‘fast food’ place, it even has a drive through, but the food was excellent, and cheap.  We finished the day off with some sake, and playing with trains.  A great end to a day with a new friend, no longer just a co-worker.

 

Will

 

Nikko fall colours.

 

We did see lots of SPACIA X trains even if we did not ride one.

 

 

 

The special train arrives.  The flags are flown on the pilot for holidays apparently.

 

Getting turned around for the return trip.

 

 

 

Turns out this the fuel for the SLs.

 

Just another train in Japan.

 

Dinner.  Your order the food on the display and it arrives on one of the two tracks above.

 

Playing with trains!

 

Edited December 23, 2024 by RS18U

[Kingmeow]

Oh I bet if you did get a ride on the SPACIA X, you would be off to a train store the next day to look for the Kato set!  🙂

[RS18U]

1 hour ago, Kingmeow said:

Oh I bet if you did get a ride on the SPACIA X, you would be off to a train store the next day to look for the Kato set!  🙂

😁 Most likely!

[RS18U]

Day 10, Sunday (I got the last post wrong, the Saturday was Day 9, not 8).  After a walk around the neighbourhood that my co-worker has his mountain house at, it was off to Yokokawa through the mountains on Highway 122.

 

Once in Yokokawa we got a traditional Toge no Kamameshi railway bento.  You get to keep the earthenware pot as well.  Then it was off to the Usui Pass Railway Heritage Park for a few hours of exploring, with a final stop at the Megane Bridge (Usui Line No. 3 Bridge), quite the sight.  The light was fading when we got to the bridge so we did not do much hiking on the trail or through the tunnels but you can walk the abandoned line back to Yokokawa as part of the 6 km Apt Road trail.  Finaly back into Tokyo to the hotel and dinner.  Lots of driving, but also lots to see.  No train rides today.

 

Toge no Kamameshi on the right.  Has a lid you can keep as well and comes wrapped up with a ribbon

 

Usui Pass Railway Heritage Park photos.

 

A SO 300 35 ton crane.

 

Apparently how they inspected the tunnels on the line.

 

I have not seen too many references to unpainted stainless steel or aluminum bodied locomotives or cars in Japan so this was interesting.

 

EF 65.

 

These 4 were behind a fence and not accessible, although there was a person sitting and eating near the EF 63 on the right.

 

Megane Bridge.  As it was in shadow the photo is not the greatest.

 

An indication of the grade.  My camera has an indicator in the viewfinder for when it is level which is handy for photos like this.  I could not find a grade for this section specifically, but the line in general is between 6 and 6.7%

 

Edited December 23, 2024 by RS18U

[Kamome]

On 12/24/2024 at 8:15 AM, RS18U said:

I have not seen too many references to unpainted stainless steel or aluminum bodied locomotives

This EF30 is a long way from home in Gunma in the Usui heritage park. These, along with the EF81 300s, hauled freight passenger and sleeper trains through the Kanmon tunnel between Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi pref. and Moji, Fukuoka pref. The earliest locos were actually EF10s. Due to sea water leakage in the tunnel, the locos were stainless steel rather than painted to minimise the salt damage. 

 

All the freight now uses AC/DC EH500s through the tunnel and all sleeper trains have long since finished since the shinkansen tunnel was completed.

 

Moji station was probably a hive of activity at the time with double-heading EF30s bringing through freight and mail trains, and locos being switched over before taking Eastbound traffic back through the tunnel. 

 

 

[RS18U]

The last few days of the trip were spent in Tokyo, both in our office and with some free time.  Highlights included Akihabara (Electric Town) shopping at Popondetta Akihabara, Chatora, and TamTam, as well as a visit to the Tokyo Metro Museum and to the Bank of Japan Currency Museum. And a lot of walking.

 

If you have not been, I highly recommend the Metro Museum, it is cheap (220 yen) and very informative https://www.chikahaku.jp/ .  And like all the other railway related museums I visited on this trip it had a very nice model railway, but with some differences.  The railway parts appear to be HO scale, while the ground level and up are a smaller scale, maybe N, or even smaller?  You can also walk around the complete layout and watch the show they put on.

 

Some miscellanies ramblings of the trip.

• Super friendly people.  Probably due to getting to places that tourists probably never get to, or only really attract Japanese, I found everyone to be very helpful and very nice.  Based on news reports of over-tourism in some parts of Japan I was wondering if there could be a bit of an impact while I was there, but no, it was all good.
• Food.  I can not say enough about the food.  Even the Family Mart/7-11 food is as good as a decent Korean/Japanese place at home.
• Getting off the beaten track.  We did this on our holiday in March as well, and it’s a great way to see any country.  We did do the tourist hot spots in 2014 on our first visit so we have had no desire to go back to Kyoto, Nara, Osaka etc.
• Cost.  Everyone asks about the cost.  A decent dinner can be had for under 2,000 ¥, with a beer or saki/wine.  Our hotels ranged from 6,450 ¥ in Noshiro to 25,000 ¥ in Tokyo, and all except the expensive Tokyo hotel included excellent breakfast buffets, and in one case a ticket to a coffee shop in the hotel.  You can spend more of course, and the breakfast at the expensive Tokyo hotel was advertised at 4,400 ¥.  I did end up moving from the expensive hotel to a business hotel in Tokyo at half the price.  Overall Japan is currently a cheap place to travel for us, although it seemed more expensive than our March trip.

I’ve included some photos that might provide inspiration for modeling.  Happy to answer any questions.

Metro Museum.

 

Metro Museum.

 

Metro Museum.  There is a button you can push to make the pantograph go up and down.

 

Overview of the Metro Museum layout.

 

The control panel for the layout to give some inspiration!

 

Metro Museum layout.

 

Metro Museum layout.

 

Currency Museum.  Photography in the main exhibition area is not allowed, so this was the best I could do.

 

Lots of these little shrines in Tokyo.  Nice oasis of green in the expanse of concrete.

 

There is a prototype for everything!

 

 

 

I don't really know what this is, maybe a river cruise ship?  Or Captain Nemo making a visit?  Sumida River.

 

Edited December 28, 2024 by RS18U

[RS18U]

On 12/25/2024 at 5:28 PM, Kamome said:

This EF30 is a long way from home in Gunma in the Usui heritage park. These, along with the EF81 300s, hauled freight passenger and sleeper trains through the Kanmon tunnel between Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi pref. and Moji, Fukuoka pref. The earliest locos were actually EF10s. Due to sea water leakage in the tunnel, the locos were stainless steel rather than painted to minimise the salt damage. 

 

All the freight now uses AC/DC EH500s through the tunnel and all sleeper trains have long since finished since the shinkansen tunnel was completed.

 

Moji station was probably a hive of activity at the time with double-heading EF30s bringing through freight and mail trains, and locos being switched over before taking Eastbound traffic back through the tunnel. 

 

 

Thanks @Kamome, interesting background information.

[Tony Galiani]

I believe that is the Himiko water bus.  Those boats shuttle from Odaiba to two spots across the harbor.  IIRC, one is near Asakusa, not sure of the other.  We saw them when we were in Odaiba this past November.

 

There was a model available at one time:  https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10222644

 

This link has info on the water shuttles in the Tokyo area:  https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3042.html

 

Cheers,

Tony

Edited December 28, 2024 by Tony Galiani
spelling correction

[RS18U]

Thanks @Tony Galiani for the info.  And that is a fun looking kit, it looks like it came with masks for the windows to make it easier to paint the silver frame work.