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 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 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 yesterday at 04:21 AM 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 yesterday at 04:31 AM 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 14 hours ago 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 13 hours ago 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 all and I never drive besides them!  😲