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Street Color Japan: Back Again and my love for their rail systems

Steven Sinski

Active member
went over to Japan again as usual in November. here are some results.

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https://sjms.smugmug.com/Places/Trips/Japan-10312018-to/
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
I love the surprise of no densely packed Tokyo passenger trains.

You have found trains which carry a history!

Very “English” last picture.

No way one can find a wooden floor these days in trains in the UK!

Asher
 

Steven Sinski

Active member
on this trip, with the time I had, I concentrated on what are referred to as the 2nd and 3rd tier lines. privately owned and operated feeders. these trains have character and then some. they are a labor of love for their operators. The Enoshima/Enoden line has a total length of 6.2mi or 10km. it has an unbelievable ridership number too. the wooden floor train belongs to the Fujikyu train line which is an access line to the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. lots of hikers. the Thomas train is also part of Fujikyu and is a direct access to a popular amusement park

ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enoshima_Electric_Railway
ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fujikyuko_Line

as to the crowded trains referred to they their own "issues". they are being resolved in various ways:

this placard is from a line in Nagoya.

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Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Steven,

Thank you for all those lovely shots.

I remember a trip to the Tokyo area in 1997 when I traveled by several trains in succession from Haneda airport to my destination in a small town south of Tokyo. At one station, my instructions were to "take the train with the green Kanji characters on its destination sign."

But I benefited greatly from the fact that in the stations the station name was given on signs in Hiragana as well as Kanji (I think this had been done to facilitate access by visitors during the 1964 Olympic Games). I had learned to transliterate both Hiragana and Katakana (and had made pocket cards for each) so I was able to keep track of where I was.

All lovely, Japan and railways.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
went over to Japan again as usual in November. here are some results.


These are so different, Steven!


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No one could mistake these for trains in the USA or The U.K. The use of the wood is particularly unique.



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But this last picture is especially romantic. Here or in England, those friendle trees would have been cut back without mercy!

Asher
 

Steven Sinski

Active member
these days in Japan they are adapting to many languages. with the influx of travelers from all over the world ever increasing and 2020 Olympics in Tokyo in less than 2 years the nation as a whole is gearing up to communicate across a large spectrum using multiple methods.


this sign is at the terminal station of Fujisawa of the Enoden railroad in multiple languages (at least the ones they hear the most of at the moment)

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here is a very important sign at the train station of Narita the city which they are attempting to prevent confusion with that of the actual Narita airport stops on the same line.

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that last image of the cream and red single car train is a favorite of mine. it is also a train line used in more than one movie in japan. the most recent is "shoplifters" which won the "Palm" at Cannes 2018

see: https://www.imdb.com/videoplayer/vi598325785?ref_=ttvi_vi_imdb_1 and go to the 1:39 mark

last but not least, the train yard:
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Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Steven,

these days in Japan they are adapting to many languages. with the influx of travelers from all over the world ever increasing and 2020 Olympics in Tokyo in less than 2 years the nation as a whole is gearing up to communicate across a large spectrum using multiple methods.

Thanks for those pix of station signs, and especially of the "Not Narita Airport" sign.

As to the cream and red cars (a lovely shot of a single-car train of those seen earlier): I assume these are diesel rail cars (what were at one time called in the US "doodlebugs").

Thanks so much.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Here’s a question:

How come that Japan is not a major international builder of rail lines in other countries as they have so much experience and technology?

Amazing that China is everywhere!

Asher
 

Steven Sinski

Active member
Hi, Steven,



Thanks for those pix of station signs, and especially of the "Not Narita Airport" sign.

As to the cream and red cars (a lovely shot of a single-car train of those seen earlier): I assume these are diesel rail cars (what were at one time called in the US "doodlebugs").

Thanks so much.

Best regards,

Doug

Deisel they are.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
actually Japan is going to build Shinkansen lines in Texas and India so far. they are especially particular on how they are to be operated. operational safety is of the highest priority then efficiency. they want their product to shine above all. then of course there is cost.
https://www.nippon.com/en/genre/politics/l00146/
https://www.facebook.com/texascentral/posts/2219847544924646

Great to hear! I fear the Chinese managing so many major international transportation hubs, when we already know how much security breaches we suffer just from their invasive hacking and misuse of social media!

We should preferentially support the Japanese and our other allies!

Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
This is a bit off topic, but you may be interested in this map: https://www.openrailwaymap.org. It shows the high speed trains. Check Asia and Europe.


Amazing free resources, Jerome! Thank goodness for self-motivated enthusiasts. This is an amazing multilingual work of love!

One could argue that trains have been a major force of industrialization of exploration, trade, exploitation, making war and suing for peace!


But your photographs, Steven, bring us to a different place:

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https://sjms.smugmug.com/Places/Trips/Japan-10312018-to/



...you add tradition, peace, calm, sentiment and beauty!

Asher
 

Steven Sinski

Active member
i do agree. that whole station area is just that. I will be going back to that exact location when I return and continue that particular journey which is temporarily on hold (yet another excuse for going back of course:))

i get a feeling that Japan as a whole is what Disneyland would be if it were a country.

this is the name of the station. its about an hour from Narita Airport

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Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Steven,

this is the name of the station about an hour from Narita Airport

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And what a precious image!

Interesting that the notations at the bottom, seemingly for the next station each way (perhaps Satomi and Tsukizaki), are in Hiragana only (the fool-proof way)!

Best regards,

Doug
 

Jerome Marot

Well-known member

That is indeed a very nice image. There is something undeniably Japanese about this train, but I can't put my finger on it.

I don't know if members of this forum have seen the animated movies from Studio Ghibli under the directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. There are sometimes trains depicted in them and that image has the same atmosphere. For example, here from My neighbour Totoro:

totoro.jpg
 

Steven Sinski

Active member
yes i agree.

i have had the honor of being around him a few years ago at the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka on Christmas Day. unfortunately no pic. had to respect their rules. a shame because the museum is great. he has a whole slew of reference images in binders there he used. i pretty much have his entire collection. my favorite is "the wind rises"
https://sjms.smugmug.com/Places/Trips/Tokyo-Dec-2013/i-tCWX3rf/A

i have found myself waiting for the "cat bus" a few times in smaller towns on cold rainy nights:)
 

Jerome Marot

Well-known member
yes i agree.

i have had the honor of being around him a few years ago at the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka on Christmas Day. unfortunately no pic. had to respect their rules. a shame because the museum is great. he has a whole slew of reference images in binders there he used. i pretty much have his entire collection. my favorite is "the wind rises"
https://sjms.smugmug.com/Places/Trips/Tokyo-Dec-2013/i-tCWX3rf/A

i have found myself waiting for the "cat bus" a few times in smaller towns on cold rainy nights:)

I still have to watch "The wind rises", but I see what you mean with the "cat bus".

Is that you at the center of that picture and who are the beautiful ladies?

https://sjms.smugmug.com/Places/Trips/Tokyo-Dec-2013/i-znJrvJp/A
 
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