@ Yodobashi Kyoto, 6PM (JP#3)

[Nick_Burman]

Hello all,

 

Question...I was today at Yodobashi Camera in Kyoto around 6 - 6:30PM poking at the model trains section and there was another Western gentleman having a look and preparing to take some BTrain Shorty kits home...by any chance this person isn't a forum member :-) ? Speaking of Yodobashi, their model section is small...does anyone know hobby shop addresses in Kyoto?

 

Arrived yesterday evening by "Thunderbird" from Kanazawa, with a short stopover at Fukui to ride the Fukutetsu. Boarded an ex-Gifu articulated to Tawaramachi, then rode south to Takefu. At Takefu, luck struck - a 200-series articulated was ready to depart as an express to Fukui. A quick ticket purchase and off we went again. A word of advice - ride the 200s as soon as you can; one is already OOS at Takefu shops and I fear that the rest will follow as soon as Fukutetsu finishes the connection at Tawaramachi to permit through-running over the Echizen Railway. This will be done using new light rail cars (yet to be purchased - part will be Echizen-owned, part Fukutetsu property), Echizen will have to modify stops with low platform areas on its Mikuni line to permit this new service. Missed photting Echizen trains at Tawaramachi by minutes as motorman and conductor made poses of immediate departure; however Fukutetsu times its trains to meet both NB and SB Echizen trains...

 

Having struck paydirt on the Fukutetsu, bad luck hit me on JR - on the exact moment that I was boarding my "Thunderbird" to Kyoto a northbound freight showed up, with the Hokutosei-liveried EF510 on the point. Earlier I had missed the NB Twilight Express, which passed through Fukui just as my train arrived. I seem to have a knack of having bad luck with freights - they never show up when I want and always have knack of catching me with my pants down...

 

Today we went temple and garden-hopping at Higashiyama. To get there, took the metro where I caught glimpses of Kintetsu and Keifuku (on the Otsu run) trains. Got off at Keage and visited the small but very interesting Lake Biwa Canal Museum, which tells the story of this fabulous piece of engineering (it's still in use - it supplies Kyoto with part of its drinking water, apart from generating power) which allowed Kyoto to have electric lighting (and trolley cars) before Tokyo and thus "one-up" the capital. Also saw the remains of the Keage Incline, which carried boats between the Asanogawa Canal and the Lake Biwa Canal. Went to Gion by way of back streets, then on across the Asanogawa to board the "sansei shitetsu" - Hankyu - one stop to Karasuma, from where we rode (on a Kintetsu train) to Kyoto-eki to visit Yodobashi.

 

An interesting curiosity - there is a former Kyoto narrow-gauge (3'6") single truck Brill trolley car inside a building on Karasuma-dori just north of Gojo-dori. It's encased in glass and in very good condition - one can see it from the street. Makes for awful photography, though...

 

Cheers NB

Edited May 10, 2014 by Nick_Burman

[E6系]

I hope you enjoyed Thunderbird.  It is one of my favourite trains.

[miyakoji]

Nick,

The only one I remember is this one: http://goo.gl/maps/ZY9Sv (streetview of storefront). It's called Kyoto Mokei (surprise), it's on Sanjo Dori, west off of Horikawa street. I love Kyoto addresses. Overhead map view: http://goo.gl/maps/CjxYY . I also did a google search that turned this up, a Yahoo Chiebukuro page lists three others: http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1430384244

三条通り東方面では
「ユニバーサル模型社」
京都市東山区東大路三条下北木之元５２３－４
075-561-1524

(the one I listed above)
三条通り中央部では
「京都模型三条店」
京都市中京区三条通堀川西入ル橋西町
075-841-7098
定休日 水・第2・3火曜日
姉妹店は大丸京都店にあります

この他四条河原町近くに最近オープンした
「Ｊｏｓｈｉｎスーパーキッズランド京都店」
京都市下京区恵美須之町
075-344-1511
平日 １０：１５～２０：００1
土日祝 １０：００～２０：００
※品揃えは多く割引のあるものがあります（２割～運が良ければ３割引）

その他ちょっと遠いですが中古品を含んで品揃えが多いマニアの店
「鉄道模型専門店 亜鉄社」
京都市南区西九条比永城町
TEL/FAX 075-662-5682
http://atetusya.web.fc2.com/
※品揃えは多く割引のあるものがあります

 

 

I looked around at Kyoto Mokei a few times, like 8 years ago, I remember he had some very expensive large gauge European stuff in cases.  I don't recall what he had in H0 or N.  The other 3 I've never seen.  The last one is in Minami-ku and the description says it's a bit far from the others.  Looks like it has a serious supply of used stuff, complete sets, something like that (mania no ten).  But I can't vouch for any of these.  Maybe someone else has some suggestions...

 

I hope you're having a good trip!

[Nick_Burman]

I hope you enjoyed Thunderbird.  It is one of my favourite trains.

 

It is certainly pretty slick. Once it hits the Kosei Line it becomes the closest thing there is to a narrow-gauge Shinkansen...stations flew by so fast that I couldn't ID them!

 

 

Cheers NB

[Nick_Burman]

Nick,

 

The only one I remember is this one: http://goo.gl/maps/ZY9Sv (streetview of storefront). It's called Kyoto Mokei (surprise), it's on Sanjo Dori, west off of Horikawa street. I love Kyoto addresses. Overhead map view: http://goo.gl/maps/CjxYY . I also did a google search that turned this up, a Yahoo Chiebukuro page lists three others: http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1430384244

 

三条通り東方面では

「ユニバーサル模型社」

京都市東山区東大路三条下北木之元５２３－４

075-561-1524

 

(the one I listed above)

三条通り中央部では

「京都模型三条店」

京都市中京区三条通堀川西入ル橋西町

075-841-7098

定休日 水・第2・3火曜日

姉妹店は大丸京都店にあります

 

この他四条河原町近くに最近オープンした

「Ｊｏｓｈｉｎスーパーキッズランド京都店」

京都市下京区恵美須之町

075-344-1511

平日 １０：１５～２０：００1

土日祝 １０：００～２０：００

※品揃えは多く割引のあるものがあります（２割～運が良ければ３割引）

その他ちょっと遠いですが中古品を含んで品揃えが多いマニアの店

「鉄道模型専門店 亜鉄社」

京都市南区西九条比永城町

TEL/FAX 075-662-5682

http://atetusya.web.fc2.com/

※品揃えは多く割引のあるものがあります

 

 

I looked around at Kyoto Mokei a few times, like 8 years ago, I remember he had some very expensive large gauge European stuff in cases.  I don't recall what he had in H0 or N.  The other 3 I've never seen.  The last one is in Minami-ku and the description says it's a bit far from the others.  Looks like it has a serious supply of used stuff, complete sets, something like that (mania no ten).  But I can't vouch for any of these.  Maybe someone else has some suggestions...

 

I hope you're having a good trip!

 

Even though today was a Sunday I went after Kyoto Mokei - it's gone. Also, lots of shuttered shops along the Sanjo shotengai...

 

Cheers NB

[Nick_Burman]

Nick,

 

The only one I remember is this one: http://goo.gl/maps/ZY9Sv (streetview of storefront). It's called Kyoto Mokei (surprise), it's on Sanjo Dori, west off of Horikawa street. I love Kyoto addresses. Overhead map view: http://goo.gl/maps/CjxYY . I also did a google search that turned this up, a Yahoo Chiebukuro page lists three others: http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1430384244

 

三条通り東方面では

「ユニバーサル模型社」

京都市東山区東大路三条下北木之元５２３－４

075-561-1524

 

(the one I listed above)

三条通り中央部では

「京都模型三条店」

京都市中京区三条通堀川西入ル橋西町

075-841-7098

定休日 水・第2・3火曜日

姉妹店は大丸京都店にあります

 

この他四条河原町近くに最近オープンした

「Ｊｏｓｈｉｎスーパーキッズランド京都店」

京都市下京区恵美須之町

075-344-1511

平日 １０：１５～２０：００1

土日祝 １０：００～２０：００

※品揃えは多く割引のあるものがあります（２割～運が良ければ３割引）

その他ちょっと遠いですが中古品を含んで品揃えが多いマニアの店

「鉄道模型専門店 亜鉄社」

京都市南区西九条比永城町

TEL/FAX 075-662-5682

http://atetusya.web.fc2.com/

※品揃えは多く割引のあるものがあります

 

 

I looked around at Kyoto Mokei a few times, like 8 years ago, I remember he had some very expensive large gauge European stuff in cases.  I don't recall what he had in H0 or N.  The other 3 I've never seen.  The last one is in Minami-ku and the description says it's a bit far from the others.  Looks like it has a serious supply of used stuff, complete sets, something like that (mania no ten).  But I can't vouch for any of these.  Maybe someone else has some suggestions...

 

I hope you're having a good trip!

 

Even though today was a Sunday I went after Kyoto Mokei - it's gone. Also, lots of shuttered shops along the Sanjo shotengai...

 

Cheers NB

[bikkuri bahn]

Alot of general hobby shops have bit the dust, victims of the internet, declining interest among young people in modelmaking (besides gunpla), and those chain stores like Yodobashi.  You're better off going to Denden town in Osaka Nipponbashi district, adjacent to Nanba, if you want to browse or shop for train models (Joshin Kids Land is good, also Volks). I recommend taking the Hankyu Kyoto Line to Awaji, where you can see the flat junction, and then transfer to the Osaka Subway Sakaisuji Line through train, get off at Ebisucho and take exit 1b which will take into the heart of denden town.

Edited May 11, 2014 by bikkuri bahn

[Nick_Burman]

Alot of general hobby shops have bit the dust, victims of the internet, declining interest among young people in modelmaking (besides gunpla), and those chain stores like Yodobashi.  You're better off going to Denden town in Osaka Nipponbashi district, adjacent to Nanba, if you want to browse or shop for train models (Joshin Kids Land is good, also Volks). I recommend taking the Hankyu Kyoto Line to Awaji, where you can see the flat junction, and then transfer to the Osaka Subway Sakaisuji Line through train, get off at Ebisucho and take exit 1b which will take into the heart of denden town.

 

Thanks BB but I think I'll hang on to my money till I get back to Akiba. I fear I shan't be able to make it to Osaka, Kyoto has so much to see that it will be impossible to find time to go there - we are barely managing to squeeze a side trip to Nara tomorrow and I still have to find time to visit Umekoji. A pity, since I wanted to visit Cosmic - they have a nice selection of interesting HO stuff. I think I'll return to Yodobashi before I leave to pick some Kyoto-themed train, like a Randen tram or a Keihan Otsu articulated car.

 

Cheers NB

[miyakoji]

Sorry Nick, I hope that didn't cost you too much time.  Too bad about Sanjo dori, I remember there being a few closed shops there, but at the time it looked healthier than other shopping streets I'd seen.

[miyakoji]

I still have to find time to visit Umekoji

 

You'll have to go again in 2016 anyway when JRW opens the museum addition

[Nick_Burman]

Sorry Nick, I hope that didn't cost you too much time.  Too bad about Sanjo dori, I remember there being a few closed shops there, but at the time it looked healthier than other shopping streets I'd seen.

 

As the ozzies say, "no worries". This hasn't been the first dud and it won't be the last either. At least I've seen what a shotengai looks like from the inside.

 

Today I went to Nara (using JR's "Miyakoji Rapid Service" ) to visit Todai-ji temple,the world's largest wooden structure. They are running an "adopt-a-tile" program where for 1000Yen one can "purchase" a tile and write (with a paintbrush...) one's name and a wish: I almost "bought" one and would have wished for a return to Japan ASAP...

 

Cheers NB