My Japanese Trip Aug/Sept 2010

[stevenh]

You threw me with "headed down the coast" ... I expected a trip towards Oita.

Nice work on the exploration, I probably would've tried to get to the Mitsu Miike line near Omuta and failed! :)

 

The late running disturbs me a little, but it might just be a Western trait.

 

I love the photography too, especially the old DMUs around Tokyo. Thanks for the updates and please keep them up!

[Bernard]

Great photos and thanks for sharing your trip with all of us at the forum!

[westfalen]

You threw me with "headed down the coast" ... I expected a trip towards Oita.

Nice work on the exploration, I probably would've tried to get to the Mitsu Miike line near Omuta and failed! :)

 

The late running disturbs me a little, but it might just be a Western trait.

 

I love the photography too, especially the old DMUs around Tokyo. Thanks for the updates and please keep them up!

I probably should have said along the coast it gets a bit confusing which way you're facing here sometimes. I was going to try for the Mitsu Miike line tomorrow morning but seeing its Saturday I'm thinking there might not be much happening there so I'll go with the group around the southern tip of Honshu then to Mojiko, where there is supposed to be a 'Torokko' train operating on the former line to the port.

 

There were a couple of late trains in the Hakata/Kokura area tonight too but for the most part the usual Japanese timekeeping seems to prevail.

 

Here's tody's report. While the rest of the group visited Nagasaki, where I've been a couple of times, I went around the north western tip of Kyushu on the Matsuura Railway from Arita to Imari and Sasebo. We started out in a 500 series on a Kodama service from Kokura to Hakata, the first time I've ridden in one.

[westfalen]

More Matsuura Railway.

[westfalen]

Three more for those who like something more modern.

[to2leo]

I just love the exterior curves and the interior design of the 885.

[gmat]

Actually delays in service in Japan might be more frequent than one might expect. Last night at Shinjuku Station, the announcer for the Chuo line apologized for the train being late and apparently a little later, the Saikyo line, the next platform over, had a line stoppage where no trains appeared for about 10 minutes then a rush where a train pulled in just after the previous one left. Possibly it might be connected with the student who fell off the tracks at Harajuku last night. He was safe. Tonight at Uguisudani Station, the Tokyo bound KT train stopped at the station for about five minutes.  Just coincidental, I guess.

Best wishes,

Grant

[bikkuri bahn]

The Chuo Line has always been famous for delays and stoppages, not surprising given its roles as the main rail artery between central Tokyo and the western suburbs.  Any accident or malfunction will have a chain reaction, magnified in the peak hours when trains are running on 2~3 minute headways. Also, its been said that recently JR East has been plagued by more service disruptions than before, mainly due to the proliferation of long distance run through services, such as the Shonan Shinjuku/Saikyo/Takasaki Line services, which allow for little leeway/padding in operating schedules.

[gmat]

Wesfalen,

If you're still up, there is a program on an SL on NHK right now, 2:54 AM. I caught it too late to try to record it.

Best wishes,

Grant

[bikkuri bahn]

Wesfalen,

If you're still up, there is a program on an SL on NHK right now, 2:54 AM. I caught it too late to try to record it.

Best wishes,

Grant

 

I'm watching it now, it's the Hisatsu Line in Kumamoto Pref. (Kyushu), the locomotive is mogul 58654, the former "Aso Boy" service now dubbed "Hitoyoshi".

[gmat]

NHK now (3:19 AM) has the music and picture after hours filler on the SL, probably for the next hour, 2 times 30 minutes. If the past is any indication, tomorrow and perhaps the next day at about 3:10 AM, NHK should have another hour and then the next day a half hour of SL filler. The next day or day after, they should broadcast the local train fillers with pop songs. Well worth watching if you can. That is if you're not too tired from traveling all day. If your hotel room has NHK BS, then on the 4th and 5th, NHK will broadcast a HD SL program. I don't have BS, so I'll miss it.

Best wishes,

Grant

 

Thank you, bikkuri bahn, my Japanese is poor so I never know what they're talking about.

[westfalen]

Wesfalen,

If you're still up, there is a program on an SL on NHK right now, 2:54 AM. I caught it too late to try to record it.

Best wishes,

Grant

I'm afraid I was fast asleep. There was a travelog type show on last night where they were travelling around Kyushu on branchline railcars looking at local attractions.

[disturbman]

I just love the exterior curves and the interior design of the 885.

 

It looks nice but of all the Express I've ride in Japan it is the most uncomfortable.

[westfalen]

I just love the exterior curves and the interior design of the 885.

 

It looks nice but of all the Express I've ride in Japan it is the most uncomfortable.

Many of the first timers on the tour think the most comfortable and smartest looking train we've ridden so far this trip is the good old 100 series Shinkansen.

 

Today's Report: We travelled by the above 100 series to Asa where we were planning to ride the Mine line across to Nagatoshi but the line has been damaged by flooding for some time and buses have replaced the trains indefinately. Locals we spoke to at Mine where we had to change buses said the government and JR seem to be debating about whether to close the line altogether. The bus ride through rural Japan was interesting though, at Shigayasu (I think) we passed a long abandoned limestone/cement plant (?). I didn't get any pictures at Nagatoshi as our bus arrived at the same time our San-in Line train for Shimonoseki was due to leave. The track from Nagatoshi to Kogushi is very rough, a far cry from 1990 when the route was still served by limited expresses. Along the way at Ukahonga the local croquet club was badly in need of some fund raising to improve their clubhouse. At Kogushi we met a 'painted' train I hadn't seen before. On our way from Moji to Mojiko the stations and trackside were lined with railfans and shortly after us arrived a four car vintage railcar set on a fan trip. We rode the 'Torokko' train around toward the old port area where stainless steel bodied electric loco EF30 1 is on display. Before we headed back to Kokura we checked out the Mojiko railway museum where the fan trip railcar was spotted with the fans photographing it wth different train nameboards.

[westfalen]

San-in Line painted train.

[westfalen]

More Mojiko.

[westfalen]

Still more Mojiko.

[westfalen]

The last of Mojiko.

 

Probably not so many photos tommorow as it's mainly a travelling day from Kokura to Kochi on Shikoku.

[bikkuri bahn]

Thanks for the pics.  You were at Mojiko at a good time, to photograph that (cream and orange DMU) chartered express "Hikari". This usually runs as a two car kiha 58/kiha 65 combo (based in Oita), but that day it was combined with the Nagasaki based kiha 66/67 pair, to make for a real JNR era style express train.  Today the train left Oita, stopped at Mojiko on the way to Hakata.  Tomorrow it's scheduled to depart Hakata for Kumamoto, and then return to Oita via the Houhi Main Line.

[KenS]

As others have said, thanks for posting these photos.  It almost makes me feel like I was there (a virtual vacation if you will). I never cease to be amazed by the sheer variety of trains in Japan.

[westfalen]

We're now at Kochi on the south coast of Shikoku. After we arrived this afternoon one of the other guys and I went for a trip to Nahari on the Tosa Kuroshio Railway. The wooden trainshed over the JR's new Kochi station is a real piece of craftsmanship. On the return trip we got off at Gomenmachi and caught a tram the rest of the way.

[westfalen]

Tosa Kuroshio Railway part 2.

[westfalen]

Tosa Kuroshio Railway part three and Kochi trams.

[disturbman]

Small detail, the city of Kochi is located in Shikoku not Kyushu. :)

[Guest ___]

Good news everyone, as of today, according Kyodo News, you can use Mastercard again at 7-11 for cash withdraws. (Sadly this was not the case when I was over there!)