New NHK World show: Japan Railway Journal

[lighthouse]

I can hardly describe it. The show is always done so quickly! Technical information is given less frequently. The review of the "Blue Trains" was brought in only very briefly. For example, I missed the story of the first Izumo and Seto (Blue Train) on the show. I had to look at the information in Wikipedia.

[Socimi]

2 hours ago, lighthouse said:

I can hardly describe it. The show is always done so quickly! Technical information is given less frequently. The review of the "Blue Trains" was brought in only very briefly. For example, I missed the story of the first Izumo and Seto (Blue Train) on the show. I had to look at the information in Wikipedia.

 

I conocur, for example, Ryo, very unusually didn't even name the "electric sleeper train" at 14:50 (wich would be the 583 Series), something that he usually does in almost evry episode.

 

Of course, this show is a first and foremost tourist one, so technical matters are very rare and Joyful Trains always present, but this time, they got excesively on the tourist side.

 

Also, this episode, in my personal opinion, feels a bit cramped, almost made in a hurry. The sequence with Yasuna onboard the Sunrise Express was also unusually cringey.

 

Otherwise, a nice note of this episode is that they invited Donna Burke, and i really hope she will be a regular, as with (what seems to be) her easygoing personaily it will bring a bit of a fresh air in these always overly composed and overly polite NHK shows.

[HankyuDentetsu]

I hate how tourist-centric Japan Railway Journal has become. I mean I know it's NHK World which is basically just a tourist board mouthpiece, but as a show it's really gone downhill. They produce some absolutely great content (the N700s and round-up of 2019 trains were actually decent episodes), but their relentless focus on tourist trains drives me mad. They have almost unlimited material to draw from: incredible rolling stock across multiple major operators, the majority of the worlds busiest train stations, and other advanced technologies that we in the UK could only dream of... but episode after episode they insist on focusing on Yasuna trying some local food on some amateur tourist train I have so little interest in! Give me what the show was designed to: the inside track into the world's greatest railway!

[Cat]

The recent discussion has brought the show to my attention and I just went searching for episodes on the lines we're modelling.  Didn't find one for the Kashima Rinkai, but scored for Hitachinaka Seaside Railway.  I found the very touristy approach super helpful for gleaning little modelling tidbits; whichever station(s) we include will definitely have the proper billboard signs!
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/ondemand/video/2049076/

[Socimi]

12 hours ago, HankyuDentetsu said:

[...] but their relentless focus on tourist trains drives me mad. They have almost unlimited material to draw from: incredible rolling stock across multiple major operators, the majority of the worlds busiest train stations, and other advanced technologies that we in the UK could only dream of... but episode after episode they insist on focusing on Yasuna trying some local food on some amateur tourist train I have so little interest in! [...]

 

In this sense, (and in my opinion, too) the lowest point of the show was reached with the KiHa 40 episode, wich went a bit like this:

 

"we know we've in our hands one of the most influential pieces of Japanese rolling stock ever made, and we could make a nice documentary showing how a simple diesel railcar managed to save dozens of rural railway lines... 

 

...but here's 27 minutes of tourist trains instead!"

Edited January 23, 2020 by Socimi

[bobbodaclown]

New Episode!

 

Echigo Tokimeki Railway: A Railway for Everyone
February 14, 2020
2:30 - 3:00 / 8:30 - 9:00 / 14:30 - 15:00 / 20:30 - 21:00 

Echigo Tokimeki Railway in Niigata Prefecture started service in 2015, coinciding with the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen. However, due to a drop in passenger numbers, the company is currently 490 million yen in debt. The railway's hopes now rest with a new president, Akira Torizuka, who was appointed in September 2019. See how the president plans to revive the railway with exciting ideas that will benefit everyone.

[bill937ca]

 

[Socimi]

I suspect that one of the reasons that these "stuff-handed-over-from-JR-after-the-shinkansen-opened" companies have quite an hard time making profits is that they've inherited infrastructure that's too costly to maintain to JR-standards (as these companies are expected to, by JR itself, wich still runs some of its trains on those lines).

Furthemore, the network these railways inherited is also oversized for a local railway's needs (Echigo Tokimeki's Nihonkai-Hisui Line is fully double-tracked and electrified, but it's 60Km are only travelled by a fleet of eight single-car ET122 DMUs.)

[Nick_Burman]

5 hours ago, Socimi said:

the network these railways inherited is also oversized for a local railway's needs (Echigo Tokimeki's Nihonkai-Hisui Line is fully double-tracked and electrified, but it's 60Km are only travelled by a fleet of eight single-car ET122 DMUs.)

 

Don't forget that JRF also uses the line - most Kansai to Hokkaido (and v.v.) freight goes along the Sea of Japan side, so the OHW and double track are still needed.

 

Cheers Nicholas

 

[Socimi]

1 hour ago, Nick_Burman said:

 

Don't forget that JRF also uses the line - most Kansai to Hokkaido (and v.v.) freight goes along the Sea of Japan side, so the OHW and double track are still needed.

 

Cheers Nicholas

 

 

Yes, in fact i wrote

 

7 hours ago, Socimi said:

(as these companies are expected to, by JR itself, wich still runs some of its trains on those lines).

 

 

[Sacto1985]

9 hours ago, Nick_Burman said:

 

Don't forget that JRF also uses the line - most Kansai to Hokkaido (and v.v.) freight goes along the Sea of Japan side, so the OHW and double track are still needed.

 

Cheers Nicholas

 

 

The Echigo Tokimeki Line is still used a lot by JR Freight. that's the reason for the big freight terminal at Niigata.

Edited February 16, 2020 by Sacto1985
correct wording

[Keith]

It was an interesting episode, and it goes into the “can I fit this into my next trip”, which is becoming more overloaded every episode I watch which includes going through the old ones. I would like them better if they got off at a few more stops to show what there was to do rather than eat another spectacular locally sourced meal on the train. I would think that would help the local communities grow.

A perfect example for me was ISTs blog on Enoshima, as that not only did the Great train trip, but also encompassed a walk and more general activities as I want to absorb more of the “feel” of Japan.

It struck me that it was overplayed, he is going to grow the line and the shining example was one night trip and he was thinking about running a second one, hardly the money earner. Ryo had some good ideas which if could be pulled off would generate real ongoing income.

A lot of these lines seem to be about developing a business that is slightly linked to the line as the margin on other activities is much higher than just running a basic train, but at the end of the day there is only so much tourist dollar (Yen) to go around so each new one might lower the overall pie for each. 

Keith

[bobbodaclown]

New Episode!

 

A Guide to Tokyo's Airport Access Lines

March 27, 2020

 

"With the Tokyo 2020's big events fast approaching, visitors from around the world are expected to enter Japan through Tokyo's 2 international airports. JR East's "Narita Express" and Keisei Electric Railway's "Skyliner" service Narita Airport, while Keikyu Corporation and Tokyo Monorail service Haneda Airport. See how the railways are working to attract passengers by updating services, improving convenience and offering special discounts."

 

Seeing we were booked to go there in three weeks, this would have been useful 😢

[bill937ca]

 

[serotta1972]

Just got back to watching Japan Railway Journal and really like their new studio with the train display and small layout with a model of the trains being featured. After seeing the episode about the Sunrise trains, all of the sudden it went to the top of my list of to ride trains. 

[bobbodaclown]

New Episode!

 

Kintetsu Railway's Hinotori: Challenging the Shinkansen with Comfort

April 17, 2020

 

"Kintetsu Railway (known as the "kingdom of limited express trains") introduced the new "Series 80000 Hinotori," which operates between Osaka and Nagoya in March 2020. With comfort in mind, see how Kintetsu Railway developed its luxurious new limited express train with reclining backshell seats, ample legroom and more, to compete with the high-speed Shinkansen."

[bill937ca]

 

[bobbodaclown]

New Episode!

 

Takanawa Gateway Station: The New Gateway to Tokyo
May 1, 2020

 

 

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/ondemand/video/2049085/

 

"For the first time in almost half a century, a new station was added to the JR Yamanote Line. Takanawa Gateway Station is located between Shinagawa and Tamachi Stations. This new station is part of a redevelopment project that includes plans to build hotels, offices and apartments, transforming the area into a global hub. Designed by Kuma Kengo (known for his work on the new national stadium), the station combines elements inspired by traditional Japanese design with the latest technology. See all this and more as we take a look at the exciting new Takanawa Gateway Station."

[Morcs]

On 4/21/2020 at 3:44 AM, bill937ca said:

 

Just want to say thanks Bill for having all the episodes on your channel, I couldn't find pre 2019 episodes anywhere!

The older episodes are so much better and informative. 👍

[JPTRAINS]

On 4/22/2020 at 7:58 AM, Morcs said:

Just want to say thanks Bill for having all the episodes on your channel, I couldn't find pre 2019 episodes anywhere!

The older episodes are so much better and informative. 👍

That is my channel actually, Bill is a subscriber and posts them here.

[Morcs]

30 minutes ago, JPTRAINS said:

That is my channel actually, Bill is a subscriber and posts them here.

Well hat off to you sir!👍

[JPTRAINS]

 

[HankyuDentetsu]

Got to admire them releasing a new episode during lockdown - and it was actually a fairly decent one too. Takanawa Gateway station is rather lovely.

[bobbodaclown]

New Episode!

 

Securing the Future of Japan's Local Railways
June 5, 2020

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/ondemand/video/2049086/

 

Across Japan there are 95 local railways, many of which are now struggling to survive. The ageing population, a declining birth rate, an increase in motorists and the poor financial situation of local governments has made things difficult for the railway industry. In addition, the impact of the corona-virus is taking its toll. Now, local railways are reexamining the significance of their role in local communities, and how best to work with these communities and local governments to ensure their survival. Join us as we take a look at case studies from previous episodes, and talk to a researcher from a major think tank that has been researching ways to improve local railways nationwide.

[Socimi]

Wow!

This looks like it will be a very interesting episode!

Edited May 27, 2020 by Socimi