My Japanese Trip Aug/Sept 2010

[westfalen]

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

My mistake, don't know what I was thinking.

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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!)

Thanks. I have a visa card but I'll pass the news on to the others.

[westfalen]

We had a mainly off rail day today with a sightseeing tour on a 'bonnet bus' from Awa Ikeda. Included was a short boat trip on the Yoshino River that gave a different view of some of the rail and road bridges along the river. When we got back to Kochi three of us took a tram ride and had a snoop around the tram sheds.

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Bonnet bus tour part 2.

Anyone for fish on a stick?

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Some trains at Awa Ikeda.

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Kochi trams.

[Shashinka]

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!)

Thanks. I have a visa card but I'll pass the news on to the others.

When I was in Osaka this year,. couldn't get the machines to take Mastercard or Visa. 

[yakumo381]

Does anything remain of the old Kochi Station? I went down this line in April'07 and the old station was still extant then - see attached photos - it was like being in a JNR timewarp.

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Does anything remain of the old Kochi Station? I went down this line in April'07 and the old station was still extant then - see attached photos - it was like being in a JNR timewarp.

That's just as I remember it from 1990 but unfortunately it's been totally wiped off the map. If I think of it I'll take some more shots of the outside of the station on the way out this morning.

[westfalen]

A short day today from Kochi to Uwajima via the JR Dosan and Yodo lines.

As promised some shots of the new Kochi station. If my memory serves me correctly the old station may have been a bit closer to the street and the trams did a 90 degree turn with the terminus under the pedestrian overpass visible in one of the photos, when the new station was built the trams were run straight ahead to a new terminus outside the station.

The other photos are enroute at Kubokawa and Ekawasaki on the Yodo Line and some shots taken when I went for a walk around Uwajima in the afternoon.

P.S. The view from my room in the JR Hotel Clement isn't bad either.

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Part two.

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Part three.

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We spent the day in Matsuyama today, travelling up by the coastal route and Iyotetsu Gunchuko line. First a couple more shots out of the hotel window in Uwajima, the 'Shokoku Truck' sightseeing car attached to the rear of the 0617 all stops train to Matsuyama and the Eneos fuel truck making a delivery to the Railcar fueling facility.

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The Iyotetsu. While the group had lunch and went to Dogo Onsen on the Botchan train I went for a run out to Yokogawara to get in all three lines, we did the Takahama line after a visit to Matsuyama castle where I got a few telephoto shots of the trams in the streets below.

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Matsuyama part 2.

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Matsuyama part 3.

The single Iyotetsu car was parked at the end of the Takahama line, we're not sure why.

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Matsuyama Part 4. In one of the shots a tram is crossing the Iyotetsu Takahama Line.

[disturbman]

I really love Shikoku's train. They look incredible. I have suh a sweet spot for the Kiha 185, 2000 Series and 8000 Series design. :)

[westfalen]

We travelled from Uwajima to Hamamatsu today, so some shots at Uwajima and enroute.

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Fancy a ride along the Sanyo Shinkansen on this?

We did a bit of train watching at Hamamatsu station before dinner and just as we were about to call it a day and go to eat the catch of the day came along.

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I went to check out the Seino Testsudo freight line this morning. On the way I passed a short DD51 hauled freight just south of Gifu and arrived at Ogaki in time to see EF66 27 come through with the morning loads from Mino Akasaka and watch a few trains before catching the infrequent branch service to Mino Akasaka myself. JR Freight arrived on time with the lunch time empties so I filmed the loco swap thinking I would have time to get to the crossing at the end of the yard to shoot the train leaving but the Seino crew took off as soon as they had coupled on leaving me with a going away video across a field and a two and a half hour wait for the next train if I waited to catch them coming back, which I didn't fancy. Behind the engine house was a sorry looking DE10 that looked as if it had been used as a source of parts and a second branch that looked as though it hadn't been used for a while either.

In the afternoon I made my way via the Tokaido Line to Araimachi and shot a few trains along the shore of Lake Hamanako.

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Mino Akasaka.

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Lake Hamanako.

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A couple more at Lake Hamanako and one that needs no explanation.

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We made our way from Hamamatsu to Niigata today and did a bit of train riding around Niigata this afternoon. There's the obligatory shinkansen shot at Tokyo station on the way through. The next shot is of the Niigata bus station outside the JR station. We caught Shin-Etsu Line Ltd Exp Kubikino #2 to Higashi Sanjo then the cross country Yahiko Line to Yoshida. From there we did a return trip down the short branch to Yahiko and back to Niigata via the Echigo Line.

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Across from the picturesque old station at Yahiko was a large abandoned hotel. On the way back I got a shot of a huge torii gate towering above the houses.

[Bernard]

What an amazing trip, did you get to see a lot! (You might need a vacation to rest up from this one  )
There is one photo of a Mascot/or Logo of a what looks like a ghost with "Mr." on it. What is that supposed to represent?

[westfalen]

What an amazing trip, did you get to see a lot! (You might need a vacation to rest up from this one  )
There is one photo of a Mascot/or Logo of a what looks like a ghost with "Mr." on it. What is that supposed to represent?

And we're not even half way through the trip yet.

I had to look back through the photos to see which one you meant, I've seen a lot of strange pictures on trains over the last ten days.

The  "MR" stands for Matsuura Railway of which he is the mascot, as for why he looks like a ghost your guess would be as good as anyone's.

[westfalen]

P.S. Just added up my total distance traveled by rail up to today (not including trams).

5162 Km.

[bikkuri bahn]

We caught Shin-Etsu Line Ltd Exp Kubikino #2 to Higashi Sanjo then the cross country Yahiko Line to Yoshida.

That's a good train to ride, it uses 485 series so it's very comfortable, but it's a kaisoku (rapid service), so there is no extra fare.  Had the pleasure to ride the same 14:00 departure from Niigata as far as Naoetsu in July.

[yakumo381]

Which Station did you go to on Tokaido main line to get the views of Lake Hamanako and the railway bridges?

[westfalen]

Which Station did you go to on Tokaido main line to get the views of Lake Hamanako and the railway bridges?

I got off at Araimachi and walked to the bridges, it's about a kilometer.

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We went from Niigata to Aizu Wakamatsu this morning. We couldn't get enough seats on the Banetsu Monogatari SL and the ones we had were all aisle seats spread through the train so I traveled up earlier in a kiha 110 trailing behind a couple of kiha 120's.

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Aizu Wakamatsu.

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SL arrives at Aizu Wakamatsu.

Tomorrow we're off to the hopefully cooler climate of Hakodate.

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We are now in Hokkaido for a few days.

The first of today's shots is for those who have watched the Aizu Wakamatsu webcam.

Then some Shinkansen shots at Koriyama.

There was a post a while back about JR Hokkaido stopping passengers from looking out the front of trains. I can report that when I went up front on the 789 on today's Super Hakucho #9 to video our passage through the Seikan Tunnel the passage to the front door was barred and had a sign reading 'staff only'.

When we arrived in Hakodate I went for a tram ride to Yunokawa to complete my riding of every rail line in Hokkaido with scheduled passenger service.

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There are some weird buildings in Japan.

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Later in the evening we took the bus up to Mount Hakodate, I've been there before but it's one of those places that's worth going back to for the view over the city. In the centre of the third shot is our hotel opposite Hakodate station.

[bikkuri bahn]

Welcome to Hokkaido!  I hope you find it a bit cooler here than down south, though we've also been experiencing record breaking heat (on the order of the first in 50~60 years).  Those weird and/or tacky buildings are common in resort/hot spring areas, the one pictured is a "sky lounge" for an hot spring hotel (Yunokawa is famous for hot springs).  Often when these businesses go bankrupt, the weird buildings turn into "haunted" spots.

[westfalen]

Welcome to Hokkaido!  I hope you find it a bit cooler here than down south, though we've also been experiencing record breaking heat (on the order of the first in 50~60 years).  Those weird and/or tacky buildings are common in resort/hot spring areas, the one pictured is a "sky lounge" for an hot spring hotel (Yunokawa is famous for hot springs).  Often when these businesses go bankrupt, the weird buildings turn into "haunted" spots.

You're right on both counts. There was something about the abandoned hotel in Yahiko that told me I wouldn't want to spend the night there, I've seen a Japanese website where a guy explores such places but I don't have the link on this computer. I'm looking out of my hotel window at a wet and overcast Hakodate though it's still not really cold it's much more pleasant than than it has been in the south. We head up to Asahikawa today then the day after do the trip up to Wakkanai, from my previous experience the weather should be a bit cooler up there.

As I sit here looking out the window at the street corner outside Hakodate station it's dawned on me that it looks just like a corner of the Unitram starter set. It's not as obvious at street level but from the 7th floor you look at it more from the angle you would see a model.

[bill937ca]

It was 39.9 C in Kyoto on Sunday.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100906a5.html

[bikkuri bahn]

We head up to Asahikawa today then the day after do the trip up to Wakkanai, from my previous experience the weather should be a bit cooler up there.

Asahikawa will likely be hot (inland location surrounded by mountains), but yes, further north it should be more pleasant.  Make sure to get some pictures of the old Asahikawa station(especially the Furano Line platform that serves track 6 and 7), it'll eventually be torn down once the new elevated version comes on-line.

[westfalen]

We head up to Asahikawa today then the day after do the trip up to Wakkanai, from my previous experience the weather should be a bit cooler up there.

Asahikawa will likely be hot (inland location surrounded by mountains), but yes, further north it should be more pleasant.  Make sure to get some pictures of the old Asahikawa station(especially the Furano Line platform that serves track 6 and 7), it'll eventually be torn down once the new elevated version comes on-line.

There was a thunder storm this afternoon which cooled it down a bit, 17 C at the moment.

We traveled from Hakodate to Sapporo on a series 281 and again the front door was roped off. Good and bad news for the diesel fans, Higashi Muroran loco depot was full of DF200's but several DD51's were being cut up, one unit in a string of four had been cut down to the cab and frames and several others were parked nearby looking like they were waiting their turn at the cutting torch, I didn't get any photos unfortunately. At Naebo shops outside Sapporo I got a glimpse of the standard gauge cars that are planned to carry narrow gauge freight trains through the Seikan Tunnel after the Shinkansen goes through. As we arrived at Asahikawa a DF200 hauled freight was arriving from the other direction, the tracks in the old station are getting a bit overgrown in view of their upcoming abandonment. We're here for two nights so I should be able to get more shots of the station, I got some shots of the Furano line platform in February 2006 covered in snow. We spent the afternoon at the Asahikawa Zoo, some of the newer exhibits are not bad but a lot of the animal enclosures would have the animal rights people knocking on their door back home.

I just looked out of the window and saw the tail end a freight passing through the station heading east/north trailing several tank cars behind the usual containers.

[ShinCanadaSen]

Which train is the Penguin waiting for? :)

[bikkuri bahn]

Good and bad news for the diesel fans, Higashi Muroran loco depot was full of DF200's but several DD51's were being cut up, one unit in a string of four had been cut down to the cab and frames and several others were parked nearby looking like they were waiting their turn at the cutting torch

Sad indeed   As railfans on the west coast of the US were oft to say back in the 90's (when many of the remaining first and second generation diesels were being retired, concurently with the formation of the mega rr's)- "get your pics while you can, 'cause it may be gone tomorrow".

I just looked out of the window and saw the tail end a freight passing through the station heading east/north trailing several tank cars behind the usual containers.

Possibly a ferry move to the Kita Asahikawa Freight Station, which has both container handling facilities and a siding operated by JR Freight subsidiary Japan Oil Terminal Co.  Shunting on this siding is carried out by Asahikawa Tsuun's DD13 type loco:
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB:D5603.jpg

[westfalen]

I just looked out of the window and saw the tail end a freight passing through the station heading east/north trailing several tank cars behind the usual containers.

Possibly a ferry move to the Kita Asahikawa Freight Station, which has both container handling facilities and a siding operated by JR Freight subsidiary Japan Oil Terminal Co.  Shunting on this siding is carried out by Asahikawa Tsuun's DD13 type loco:
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB:D5603.jpg

I did a bit of googling after I made the post and found Kita Asahikawa. When we passed by on our way to Wakkanai this morning there was a DE10 in JR colours with what appeared to be the private company's name on a green patch under the cab windows shunting the tank cars. I wasn't quick enough to get a photo because we were busy looking at the lineup of snowplows on the other side.

[westfalen]

We did the trip from Asahikawa to Wakkanai and back by Super Soya today. I took plenty of photos of the soon to dissapear old Asahikawa station, I'll put them on a seperate thread. At Wakkanai we went by bus to Soya Misaki, Japan's northernmost point. When our leader went to the bus station to buy 26 tickets the bus company arranged a special tour bus for us instead of us using the regular bus. You can see it in one of the shots parked beside Japan's northernmost public toilet. As the photos show the weather was brilliant and we could clearly see Sakhalin across the strait. In Wakkanai itself the station area is in the process of redevelopment and the old building looks like it will soon dissapear, only one platform is in use and the track seems to be shortened somewhat from my last visit in 1997. Along the main street loudspeakers were blaring out songs from old musicals such as Doris Day singing "Que Sera, Sera" and Judy Garland and fred Astaire with "Easter Parade". Japan

On the way back to Asahikawa we were delayed five minutes with our first meet with an opposing train. We had just regained the schedule when somewhere (it was dark by then) between Bifuka anad Nayoro there were two blasts on the whistle and the brakes went into emergency, where I was sitting three cars back we heard and felt a thud under or on the side if the car, we got underway after twelve minutes during which the crew appeared to be inspecting the train. We didn't find out what had happened but we assumed we may have hit a deer.

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Wakkanai.

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Soya Misaki/arrival back at Asahikawa.

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We've reached Abashiri on our circumnavigation of Hokkaido, tomorrow we press on to Kushiro.

Not many rail photos today as we arrived just after lunch time and then went for a look at the Prison Museum and Museum of Northern Peoples. There's not much rail activity at this remote outpost of JR anyway. There was a DD51 hauled freight waiting for us at Engaru and another at the freight facility at Kitami that looked like it was made up ready to leave or had just arrived, both had DD51's at each end for the reversal at Engaru. The red mini bus was waiting for us to pass at a crossing on the way into Kitami.