Christmas 2024

[Gunzel]

Day 21 Part II
 

We take a train back in the opposite direction, and see that JR is making a drivers view video. 

 

 

We get off at Matsubarako. There’s not much here, but this home made JR sign guarding the gate to the station yard is interesting. 

 

 

We continue our journey to Kobuchizawa on another train, and not far past Nobeyama we pass the memorial to the highest point on the Japanese railway network. 

 

 

And we just happen to be riding on the “six aces”, KiHa 111-111. 

 

 

At Kobuchizawa our branch line journey comes to an end, it’s pretty busy here, not from the traffic our train brings in, but because it is the closest station to the Suntory Hakushu Distillery, and lots of people have been for a tasting and picked up a few bottles to take home. We however slip away on to a train to Chino, where we find our third preserved SL for the day, ❤️

 

 

Then we pick up the Azusa we could have waited for at Kobuchizawa, and head home to Matsumoto to a well deserved katsu curry for dinner. 

 

 

New track: 172.7km

[miyakoji]

I wonder if that video is for their Train Blazer channel.  Hmm.  That curry looks good!

[RS18U]

  On 1/29/2025 at 8:09 PM, Gunzel said:

the memorial to the highest point on the Japanese railway network

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Another one to add to the list.  I've been to the north and south JR stations, as well as several of those claiming to be the closest to the sea but had not even thought about the highest 🤔

[Gunzel]

The curry was good, especially for a chain shop (Coco Ichiban).

 

I’ve been to all four compass directions, both JR and all conventional rail (JR have north, east and south, but there is a private railway that has a station further west than any JR station), I haven’t been to Okinawa yet so there is a southernmost and I think westernmost there if you want to count the monorail there. 
 

Lowest is harder, I think one of the Seikan tunnel ones is the lowest, but now they are closed, but still exist for emergencies, so do they count? I’ve been through them at least. I’ve been to the lowest subway station (Roppongi on the Toei Oedo line) and I have been through already and will have a look at today (but not visit by train) the lowest overground station Kintetsu-Yatomi. 
 

Closest to the sea is even more difficult, I’m not sure how you’d adjudicate that, I imagine that leaves lots of opportunity for competing claims. 

[Gunzel]

Day 22 Part I

 

The final day of the 21 day Japan Rail Pass has arrived. It’s feeling like a bit of a marathon at this point. Today we’ll make use of Japan’s extensive network of coin lockers in order to maximise our time visiting the Akechi Railway. The weather was looking pretty bleak as we proceeded along the Kiso Valley. 

 

 

Things were looking a little better though by the time we got to Ena, where we see a stabled JR works train. 

 

 

After placing our suitcase in the coin lockers (Y400) we checked out the mascots in the toasty waiting room at the Akechi Railway station. 

 

 

After wandering around a little we purchased our 1 day pass for Y1380, and received a nice English language booklet on the attractions along the line. This was very useful as I hadn’t done any detailed planning for today other than to identify the last train I needed to catch to make my onwards connections. On the platform our KiHa was waiting for us, complete with snake to welcome the new year. 

 

 

All the crosses on the line seem to happen at Iwamura. 

 

 

 

At the terminal, Akechi, they have a big display of headboards, including ones like this that can be easily customised for your own event. 

 

 

The end of the line is in a shed. 

 

 

On the return trip we decamped at Iinuma, the steepest station in Japan, on a 1 in 30 grade. It’s hard to get a photo to illustrate this, so here’s the poster. 

 

 

Then we travel as far as Noshi, the second steepest station in Japan, on a 1 in 33, which I’m sure this is meant to illustrate. 

 

 

Some good artwork in the station’s visitors book. 

 

 

Edited February 2 by Gunzel
Fix images

[RS18U]

Oh great, now the steepest line to add to the list 😁

[Gunzel]

Day 22 Part II

 

Next up is Gokuraku, where there’s lots of red and gold. 

 

 

And the neighbour is getting in the spirit with a JR Freight container. 

 

 

Adjourning for lunch to the local supermarket where we can enjoy the warmth and recharge the batteries. On our way back to the station after lunch we can see a logging operation underway on a nearby hillside. 

 

 

It’s time to head back to Ena. 

 

 

At Iinuma we try and get a photo from the train to illustrate the grade. 

 

 

You can sponsor a strap hanger, while some are professionally done, others look more like graffiti. 

 

 

Arriving back at Ena there is a freight put aside for a Shinano service to overtake. 

 

 

Thanks Akechi Railway. 

 

 

It’s onwards to Tajimi where we find this little fella perched on the postbox. 

 

 

And check out BOOK TOWN Tajimi. We are off on the Taita line that connects Tajimi and Mino-Ota. There we will connect with a train to Gifu where we will stay tonight. There’s some issue with the connecting train and although it’s displayed on the sign it’s not the train at the platform which is a previous departure. Eventually an express ex Takayama appeared, the train occupying our platform departed and our train docked. We got away for Gifu about twelve minutes late. On arrival at Gifu we found this tram in the station forecourt set up as an illumination. 

 

 

New track: 42.9km

[maihama eki]

  On 2/3/2025 at 8:26 PM, Gunzel said:

And the neighbour is getting in the spirit with a JR Freight container. 

 

 

 

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"There is a Prototype for Everything"

[cteno4]

lol,I was thinking the same thing and had put the photo in the “to model” bin! there is the tiny hobby shop in one, but even better in someone’s backyard.
 

How I would love one in the backyard but would need a crane to get it there!

 

jeff

[Kingmeow]

I'll have to do that on a T-Trak module!

[maihama eki]

  On 1/14/2025 at 10:49 PM, Gunzel said:

Then it’s on to Kisarazu, Chiba, Tokyo and finally Shizuoka. After dropping the suitcase I search out this postbox. 

 

 

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A new video on these "pla-monuments". There are apparently 13 of them, with new ones coming along periodically.

 

As a lifelong plastic model builder, I need to go see these now.

 

 

 

[Kingmeow]

There is a whole segment on this on NHK.  (Much longer than 8.5 minutes.)