ED75's Random Japanese Trip Photos

[Martijn Meerts]

3 hours ago, ED75-775 said:

I also took the time to film some video of the track ahead, but those I can't post due to server reasons

 

It's not so much for server reasons, but more a cost thing. While cloud storage is relatively cheap, videos can be extremely big. Especially with the newer devices shooting in 8k and such. We can't really force people to optimise their videos for the web before uploading them, and the forum software currently doesn't automatically do any video processing.

 

If that changes in a future version, or via an add-on we can install, it could be something we could look into again, but we would never be able to offer the kinda features that for example Youtube offers.

 

[cteno4]

Years ago in the early days of digital video a client wanted a 15 min video up for an event. I was concerned our server would not serve it well for the couple of hundred folks that might try to pull it over the two day event and also worried if it got out and went viral at all, so i proposed using a video hosting service for a month at the cost of maybe a couple of hundred dollars. They balked at this [I had done their web and it stuff very inexpensively on just what they needed as they needed to keep costs low all the time and they got use to that] and said no just put it on our site, so i did. Well it went viral from emails from those at the event and of course most folks got very very slow to forever load times. Everyone then up in arms why isnt this working! At that point you cant say “i told you so… [or thusly]” Luckily a friend did a lot of business with the little company i had recommended and they were able to get us set up and running in an hour or two on the weekend and I redirected the link and things worked and all happy. But then the bill came for $2k for the pulls they had and lots of yelling! But luckily the guy in charge had such a good reception of the video from far and wide he didnt object to the charge at that point as he was looking good and the event organizer was paying ot send DVDs of the video to 2000+ consultants. Only negative going around was i had screwed up the video, ya cant win.

 

jeff

[chadbag]

@Tony Galiani Baumkuchen is fine. We buy it when there and in fact I bought an expensive one at one of those specialty shops in the bottom of a bigger department store in Kobe last time we were there as a gift for our hosts at new years.   In fact it was one of the few places I was at that didn’t take a credit card (but did take IC cards).   I was able to quickly load my virtual Suica and pay.
 

being the good Germanophile I am I love Baumkuchen.   I won’t say it’s  better than a mochi donut though.   

Edited April 2 by chadbag

[ED75-775]

Time to head back to Tokyo one last time - this time, using the Shinkansen. In particular, these two shots from 2019 are rather special as they represent the only time I ever got to ride on a E4 series shinkansen, all of which would be removed from service by the time I was able to head back to Japan in 2023.

 

 

 

Admittedly these platypus-billed trains may not have been the most aesthetically pleasing (spoiler alert: massive 500 series fan), but travelling on high-speed, double-deck trains is always fun. Much as I enjoyed a top-deck ride on this train from Ōmiya to Tokyo, I'm still not entirely convinced it's worth breaking the bank to get one in N scale. Maybe I could bend to an E5 as that was the first shinkansen I ever rode, but so far I have resisted that temptation.

 

Alastair

[ED75-775]

Time to quickly stop back in Shinjuku one last time before we head onto our next destination. But wait - what's that noise? A feline yowl rings out across Shinjuku... and it's not the Shinjuku Cat? What could it be...?

 

 

It's the Cat...truck? This little kei truck operates as a mobile crepe stand, but what caught my eye is the fibreglass front and side details which make it resemble Hayao Miyazaki's famous Catbus. Quirky? Yep. Worthy of inspiring something in model form? Oh, absolutely.

 

Well, that's about it for our Train Tour around the Kanto region. We'll be headed to Nagoya shortly, so as always, please stay tuned!

 

Alastair

[ED75-775]

Time to say goodbye to Tokyo! Back in 2019 it was raining the day I left Tokyo, but the weather had cleared up by the time I arrived in Nagoya.

 

 

 

I'm not sure that I will have this photo-travelogue finished by the time I go back in June, but I'll keep on updating it until I reach the end of my travels to date (and to come). Now I just need to scrape up a sliver of motivation and book all of the accommodation (which I have planned out but haven't booked yet...)

 

Alastair

[Kamome]

On 4/3/2025 at 11:03 AM, ED75-775 said:

Much as I enjoyed a top-deck ride on this train from Ōmiya to Tokyo, I'm still not entirely convinced it's worth breaking the bank to get one in N scale.

Blasphemy!!

 

Nice photos and enjoying this thread.

I really loved the E4 as these ran close to me and remember commuting in to Tokyo for meetings from time to time from Kumagaya back in 2005. Always liked to get the E4 to either sit up stairs or watch the platforms whizz by at eye level on the lower deck. Weirdly I was less enamoured at the time and more fascinated by the Tokaido Sanyo trains as these represented my then minor knowledge of shinkansen.  I didn’t really consider the E2 and E4 as shinkansen at all. More reflective reminiscing of a time since passed and the E4 starter set was my first plunge into n scale. 

The seats were relatively basic, not masses of leg room either but you always got a great view of the yard just north of Ueno. 

Edited April 13 by Kamome

[Kingmeow]

10 hours ago, ED75-775 said:

Now I just need to scrape up a sliver of motivation and book all of the accommodation (which I have planned out but haven't booked yet...)

 

Alastair

 

Peer pressure to encourage you to do it!!!!!!  😁😎

 

We just spent the last 3 days doing this for a 4-week trip to Japan and a side week to Korea in the Fall.  It's tough, tiring and stressful.  Three flights and 9 hotels!  But when you get it done, there's a serene calm that surrounds you!  Of course, that calmness disappears next month when the credit card bills show up!  🤣🤣🤣

Edited April 13 by Kingmeow

[kuro68000]

On 4/13/2025 at 4:35 AM, ED75-775 said:

 

 

So what are the violet/VU lights for? Some kind of positioning aid?

[ED75-775]

We now arrive at Nagoya Station, our destination for the next few days. In 2019 I was happy to have one full day here; in 2023 I'd boost that to three days before cutting back to just two in 2024. On that first trip I stayed at the Sancoinn Nagoya Shinkansenguchi hotel opposite the Bic Camera Nagoya West Station store; while that was perfectly serviceable for my needs, I did feel it was getting a little tired and dated, so decided to try something different in 2023 and stayed at the APA Hotel Nagoya Ekimae which is now my preferred hotel in Nagoya.

 

 

 

Much like Tokyo Station, Nagoya Station has the shinkansen tracks on the eastern side of the classic lines - this seems to be a theme on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen with the same layout prevailing in Kyoto as well but not in Shin-Osaka where they're at angles to each other. Unlike Tokyo however, Nagoya Station's main concourse is located at ground level with the tracks raised above. For whatever reason or another, I have never taken a photo of the main entrances, so instead have these random shots from 2019 and 2023 to show some of the shinkansen side of things.

 

On 4/14/2025 at 2:01 AM, Kingmeow said:

Peer pressure to encourage you to do it!!!!!!  😁😎

 

We just spent the last 3 days doing this for a 4-week trip to Japan and a side week to Korea in the Fall.  It's tough, tiring and stressful.  Three flights and 9 hotels!  But when you get it done, there's a serene calm that surrounds you!  Of course, that calmness disappears next month when the credit card bills show up!  🤣🤣🤣

 

And done it is! I finished the accommodation bookings last night - accidentally paid for one beforehand, went 'meh, whatever' and paid for another, and put the last three on 'pay when you stay'. Plus I topped up my Travelex card too, thanks Easter specials! And for bonus I brought my travel insurance today too, also on Easter special. So that just leaves the JR Pass, pocket wi-fi, and then it's spending money all the way (but don't break the bank!). Though I must admit to having only a lowly debit card so I don't need to worry about credit card bills... though worrying about my bank balance is another story.

 

On 4/14/2025 at 11:21 PM, kuro68000 said:

So what are the violet/VU lights for? Some kind of positioning aid?

 

I'm not sure, sorry. I'm familiar enough with roof-mounted positioning markers and signals, but not sure if they have them on the gates too. I'd have to do some more research and real-world observation to make a call on that.

 

Alastair

Edited April 17 by ED75-775

[Tony Galiani]

@ED75-775 - please don't keep us in suspense!  What is your itinerary?

Cheers,

Tony

[ED75-775]

Heading over to the eastern side of the station now in 2019 for a quick wander around. This side of the station is also home to Takashimaya Gate Tower Mall, home to one of my favourite branches of Sanseido Books, and the JR Gate Tower which hosts the (reputedly) highest Starbucks in the world on its fifteenth floor - I suspect that 'highest' distinction is based on elevation above street level and not above sea level, but that's by the by.

 

 

 

Just in front of the station on Meieki-dori was this unusual conical sculpture, seen in the background of the above right shot. I've got no idea what its significance was, or why it was there. What I do know thanks to Google Maps is that as by June 2024 it wasn't there anymore, having been removed sometime in the last two years to make way for a construction zone. So, it's lucky I did take the time to take a closer shot!

 

 

And for bonus points, the intersection where I shot the first two images, near the Nagoya Chūō Post Office, is in fact the same intersection that the local branch of Hobbyland Pochi sits right next to. I wouldn't find that until 2023, and since I put together a short thread on train stores in Nagoya for everyone's enjoyment at that time, I'll let that speak for what to expect.

 

On 4/18/2025 at 3:22 AM, Tony Galiani said:

@ED75-775 - please don't keep us in suspense!  What is your itinerary?

 

I'm heading to Tokyo on 3 June and will spend four weeks travelling along my favourite itinerary: Tokyo (nine days), Nagoya (one day), Hiroshima (two days), Hakata (six days, but in reality five since I'm planning to ride the SL Yamaguchi while I'm down there) and Kyoto (seven days) before making my way home across 2-3 July. Any days missed out from that little list are Travel Days where I will be mostly riding trains and trying not to overload my suitcases with attempts to prop up the Japanese economy (!).

 

Of course I'm open to suggestions of things to do away from my primary interest (trains), and if other Forum members want to meet up along the way, then I'm all for it! I'm already planning to catch up with my friend @SL58654号 in Kumamoto and maybe take a trip to Hitoyoshi with him, dependent on practicalities of course. But if anyone else is over there at that time, feel free to flick me a message and I'll see if I can make something work. It's always fun meeting new people within our shared hobby.

 

Alastair

 

Edited April 30 by ED75-775

[SL-san]

16 hours ago, ED75-775 said:

planning to ride the SL Yamaguchi

I still have fond memories of riding SL Yamaguchi from Shin Yamaguchi to Tswano and return in October 2008 in series 12 retro coaches behind C57 1.  

Of course I then had to buy a MicroAce C57 1 (A9909) and a Tomix set of those carriages (92391) to replicate the train.  I believe that the rolling stock are different now but that models of the current train are available!😀

Enjoy

Graeme

[ED75-775]

Heading further south from Nagoya Station, one of my favourite spots to spend time with my camera is the Sasashimakomenohodo Bridge, between Komeno Station on the Kintetsu Nagoya Line and Sasashima-Raibu Station on the Aonami Line. This passes across the throat of a Kintetsu maintenance area, and there's a level crossing at ground level into the nearby JR Central yard that makes it easy to get some good photographs of the depot.

 

 

 

Taken on a wet day in 2023, I didn't linger here for long on that occasion. Having visited during the earlier morning in 2024 however, I can confirm there's plenty of train action (mostly suburban and commuter runs). Being at ground level is probably the better option since the bridge has glass balustrades and warnings not to climb onto the ledges in front of the balustrades - I guess some railfans didn't take kindly to not-always-clear photos of trains passing nearby.

 

Disclaimer: These photos are all taken from beside or near to the level crossing gates over the Kintetsu tracks into the JR Central yard. If you don't want to get into trouble, don't go across the crossing.

 

On 4/23/2025 at 6:42 PM, SL-san said:

I believe that the rolling stock are different now but that models of the current train are available!😀

 

They are indeed! Kato lists both D51 200 (2016-8) and the series 35-4000 (10-1500) coaches for the current-day SL Yamaguchi as recently as last year's catalog with the locomotive retailing at ¥14,850 and the coaches at ¥16,500. Not sure if they're still in the 2025 catalog, as I haven't brought that yet - saving that for my first day in Tokyo in June, I seem to have made a tradition of getting at least one catalog on my first day since 2023. Personally I would recommend the Kato versions over the Tomix one, admittedly both are nice but my preference leans towards Kato. Don't ask me why!

 

Alastair

Edited April 29 by ED75-775
Wrong rail operator - thanks Gunzel for the pointer.

[Gunzel]

I think you mean Kintetsu, not Meitetsu. 

[Kamome]

Indeed Kato’s offering of the SL Yamaguchi has been pretty comprehensive and I have been acquiring all parts of the Kato puzzle for some years.

 

10-1499 D51 200 and 35series coaches

(10-1500 and 2016-8 if wanting to purchase separately)

2024-1 C57-1

2020-2 C56 150

7008-2 DD51-1043 Shimonoseki Depot.

 

The 35 series were used from 2017. Tomix 12 series coaches are the brown/white banded paint scheme from 2005 onwards I believe.

Microace did the older 1988 onwards colour scheme 12 series coaches quite recently too if you want to be a full completionist A2473

[ED75-775]

Time for one more random shot before we head up to the Sasashimakomenohodo Bridge, this time of some JR Freight action. With the Nagoya Freight Terminal located between Arako and Nakajima stations on the Aonami Line, it's not uncommon to see freight trains passing. Mostly they're led by what I refer to as the EF210 Imperium, since EF210s are the most common type you'll see in this area. This particular example, EF210 169, was heading down the Aonami Line presumably to collect a train. It's not my best shot, but I've thrown it in anyway.

 

 

And to wrap up, some more Kintetsu trains. With trains constantly coming and going, and occasionally pulling into the depot, this spot's not a bad one to hang out at and railfan.

 

 

Alastair

Edited April 29 by ED75-775

[ED75-775]

As we pass over the Sasashimakomenohodo Bridge, we get a grandstand view of the Kintetsu maintenance depot. Have some random photos from 2024 (good weather) and 2023 (not so good weather) for your inspiration piles.

 

 

 

Alastair

Edited April 29 by ED75-775

[ED75-775]

Heading now to the other side of the bridge but remaining in 2023, we now get a look at JR Central's Nagoya Vehicle District. There's been a depot on this site continuously since November 1935, at which point it was originally a locomotive depot; following a few changes, separations and a recombination it received its current name in 1988.

 

 

 

The best location to snag a photograph of the yard is not from the bridge but rather from its northern approach next to Sasahima-Raibu Station. It's best to come earlier in the day as afternoon shots have the sun behind the trains, making photography just a little bit more difficult.

 

Pointless digression for the interested: the Sasashimakomenohodo Bridge is not the only bridge to cross the Nagoya Vehicle District. There is in fact another bridge seven minutes away on foot, the Kōya Bridge. Originally built by A & P Roberts in 1899 for the Kyoto Railway and installed across the Hozu River, it was relocated to its current site in 1930 and, according to one website I randomly found online, it's another good spot to train-watch from. Our featured bridge at Sasashima however is a much later structure, having been opened in 2011.

 

Alastair

[ED75-775]

Time to head away from the railway for a little while, or is it? During my 2023 trip I decided to walk from Nagoya Station to visit some of the model train stores which are clustered northwest of Kamimaezu subway station or slightly further northwest of Kanayama Station on the Tōkaido Main Line/Chūō West Line/Meitetsu Nagoya Line - pick whichever one you like, they all stop at Kanayama! During my perambulations I wandered past the Nagoya City Science Museum, which happens to have a tram preserved out front.

 

 

Neatly displayed in front of the museum is Nagoya City Transportation Bureau tram 1401, the first of seventy-five 1400-series trams built between 1936 and 1937. These trams managed to last until the end of tramway service in 1974, outlasting some newer types in the process, with nine being on-sold to Toyohashi Railway for reuse and three being set aside for preservation. Today, just two survive - this one and sister 1421 which is located at the "Nagoya City Tram & Subway Preservation Museum" in Asada Town.

 

 

Tram 1401 wasn't the only vehicle to be located here, as can be attested by the lonely semaphore signal and section of narrow-gauge track nearby. Up until 2016, the museum was also home to 2120 class tank locomotive no. 2412, now currently stored at Sappa Boiler's workshop in Osaka pending possible restoration. With no reports to hand that I'm aware of, it's likely that project has stalled. I recommend checking out my 2023 travelogue for those wanting more details.

 

Alastair

[ED75-775]

Heading back now after binging at most of the model train stores and the local branch of Mandarake, we find ourselves close to the Shintenchi-dori shopping street and one block from another famous location, Banshō-ji Temple. Built in 1540 by Oda Nobuhide, the father of Sengoku warlord Oda Nobunaga, the temple was moved to its current location in 1610. It's had a storied past with Nobunaga famously disrespecting Nobuhide during the latter's funeral at Banshō-ji in 1551, Katō Kiyomasa staying at the temple during the construction of Nagoya-jo in the early seventeenth century, and finally being burned to the ground during the Nagoya air raid of 12 May 1945.

 

 

 

Back in 2023 when I wandered past, I wasn't aware of the temple's significance during the Sengoku period. I simply snapped a few photos of the main hall, and moved on. It wouldn't be until I did some quick research online about what I'd photographed during the course of writing this thread, that I learned the main hall is in fact relatively new, with reconstruction beginning in 1992, some forty-seven years after its predecessor was razed during the war.

 

The temple has its own website for those who want to learn a little bit more about this complex and what it offers.

 

Alastair

Edited May 1 by ED75-775

[miyakoji]

Thanks Alastair, lots of great photos and info.

 

DE10-1014 is an interesting story isn't it.  Decommissioned by JR Shikoku, then surplus to Kansai Freight Service's requirements, it winds up at Moka as a parts donor.  The end of this page https://teamde10.fem.jp/rireki/de101000/de101014.html says that during a May 2011 event, its engine was running.  I'd like to see it back in full service actually, lol.

 

Around Sasashima Live is a great location, yes.  I lived in Nagoya 20 years ago, but at that time I didn't really appreciate rail operations in the area.  I became particularly interested in the Nagoya Port Line, West Nagoya Port Line (now Aonami Line), the never completed Nanpo Freight Line, and off-topic, the Nakagawa Canal.  This kind of culminated in my Nagoya Freight Lines post.

 

JR Freight finally shutdown the Nagoya Port Line on March 31 of last year.  The last customer, JR Central, shutdown their materials center operation and moved it to Kasadera.  I have wondered if JRF has a front view video of that line, it would be so interesting to see.  I have never had any success finding images of those lines, or the canal, in their heyday.

 

 

[ED75-775]

Another little feature of Banshō-ji Temple is its Hakuryu, or White Dragon statue, located within the Shintenchi-dori shopping arcade. It has a little 'performance' six times a day, but I've never actually watched one so can't tell you what that 'performance' involves. My two 2024 photos suggest that smoke plays a part, possibly there may have been sound and some lighting but I'm not sure. Either way, I don't think I missed much.

 

 

 

Slightly further down Shintenchi-dori, here's another great idea - a giant maneki-neko! If you're not a mad mileage man like I am and prefer not to walk everywhere, it's actually easily accessible from Kamimaezu subway station, specifically Exit 8. Head north up Shintenchi-dori and you won't be able to miss it.

There's also a karaage chicken joint called GABURICHICKEN just a few steps away that does takeaway pieces - which I plucked up the courage to try in 2023 as well. A quick check of Google Streetview from 2024 shows it's ¥390 for two pieces which is not bad, and mine were both freshly cooked and very tasty!

 

 

 

Alastair

 

 

[ED75-775]

Looking back through my photo folders, I don't have any of Kanayama Station besides a few random train photos from last year's trip. So with that said and done, let's head out and see a few of the sights. Although I typically do my first full day at the SCMaglev and Railway Park in Kinjofuto, we're going to get a little out of chronological order and head to Inuyama to visit Meiji-Mura.

 

 

 

If you want to get to Inuyama, the fastest and most convenient way to do it is by Meitetsu, taking around half an hour or so. Back when I did my trip in 2023, it cost ¥570 one-way, whereas nowadays and going by the information on Google Maps it's since risen to ¥630. For those wanting to travel to Inuyama by JR Central, it's possible, although bear in mind you'll have to go out to Gifu and change trains to the Takayama Line, and the nearest JR station (Unuma) is in fact two kilometres north of Inuyama on the other side of the Kiso River.

 

Inuyama itself is a former castle town, and there's more than a few attractions based around it including the Cultural History Museum, Sankoinari Shrine, and a recreated/restored part of the old jōkamachi district. If you're heading to Meiji-Mura though, don't be distracted by that and head for the eastern side of the station where the buses come in. Gifu Bus operates a private, cash-only connection to the museum - be sure to check the timetables before you travel.

 

Alastair

Edited 13 hours ago by ED75-775

[ED75-775]

Located twenty minutes from Inuyama, Meiji-Mura Museum is a must-visit if you're anything interested in Japanese architecture. Located on the shore of the Lake Iruka reservoir and dating back to 1965, the museum was created by then-Meitetsu vice president Motoo Tsuchikawa and his former university classmate Yoshirō Taniguchi as a tangible means of preserving Meiji-era history and culture at a time when modernization was starting to sweep that history away. Although its stated aim is to preserve Meiji-era history, the museum does include a few buildings from the Taishō and Showa eras. Rather than show off everything, I'll showcase a few examples from around the museum.

 

 

 

To start off with, how about two different architectural styles from the same decade? On the left is the Saigō Dojo built for then-future Naval Minister Saigō Jūdō in 1880, while on the right is the house the writers Mori Ogai and Natsumi Soseki occupied at different times, built in 1887. While the Saigō Dojo is a uncompromisingly Western-looking structure, by contrast the Ogai and Soseki house is very traditionally Japanese.

Meiji-Mura breaks its grounds down into five different areas dealing with different time periods within the Meiji era; these two structures are in area 1, the nearest to the entry gates.

 

Alastair

Edited 13 hours ago by ED75-775