JRM @ Sakura Matsuri

[cteno4]

Just found this thread. Wow. This layout is truly the gold standard of American Japanese-prototype layouts.

(Blush) Thanks very much for the compliment! Hopefully the new layout we are working on this year will be even better!

cheers,

jeff

Japan Rail Modelers of washington DC

[Sushi Train]

pocari sweet is fantastic, also cowpiss, sorry don't know how to spell it. its like liquid yogurt. mmmm

[Mudkip Orange]

When I was in college I had a major Pocky fetish. We had an awesome Japanese supermarket that sold every variety. I kinda fell out of eating the stuff when I moved and no longer had access to anything other than the chocolate kind they label for US resale.

Maybe I just need to order a huge batch off J-list or something.

[Shashinka]

on my visit to Japan, the other thing the Japanese love besides trains are vending machines. It's where I got hot coffee in a can.

I wonder if there are vending otaku??   

[scott]

What would an otaku vend?


 ;)

[Sushi Train]

figurines and comics or if in aki, camo gear and knives to protect themselves.

[cteno4]

We just got word from the sakuri masuri organizers, this year broke records at 160,000 visitors! not sure if we can go back to the old train shows after crowds like we had at the festival! started to feel like a rock star with all the flashes going off!

Looks like they expect us back next year!

Gyula and I were standing behind the layout answering questions and we realized that our crotches (quick fly check happened) and bellies are in like 5000 pictures by now as thats all folks got of us when they took pictures of the layout with us behind it!

new picture gallery is up at:

http://japanrailmodelers.org/photos/_sakura/index.html

cheers,

jeff

[Bernard]

160,000, am I reading that number right?! Congratulations on a successful exhibit!

[cteno4]

160,000, am I reading that number right?! Congratulations on a successful exhibit!

yep thats 160 THOUSAND. Knew it was going to be a big event, but was not prepared when the streets were packed! Heard from some member's friends they didnt get into our tent as the crowd seemed too packed! Really was quite different from the usual train show with a few thousand coming!

cheers

jeff

[Shashinka]

160,000, am I reading that number right?! Congratulations on a successful exhibit!

yep thats 160 THOUSAND. Knew it was going to be a big event, but was not prepared when the streets were packed! Heard from some member's friends they didnt get into our tent as the crowd seemed too packed! Really was quite different from the usual train show with a few thousand coming!

cheers

jeff

It sure and hell felt like 160k especially on the Metro.

[cteno4]

That was the only good thing about having to show up at 6am and going home at 8pm!

cheers,

jeff

[Bernard]

With 160,000 people my hat is off to you for being able to manage that crowd.

On another note, I just realized that we are already in the 7th day of May and Aaron hasn't changed his Avatar yet....it's how I know I'm in a new month, you're throwing my calender off. ;D

[cteno4]

With 160,000 people my hat is off to you for being able to manage that crowd.

it was a challenge and definitely stunned us some. Usually there are a dozen or so folks around the layout at train shows at any one time. here it was a solid wall, sometimes 3-4 deep. rarely saw much of an opening for a sec before getting filled in! one of our members said he had told friends to stop by and they found us but the crowd was too much for them to want to fight into see us so they moved on. makes you realize we only saw a tiny fraction of the actual crowd! we did have a good location in the center of things and right around the corner from the food and beer!

We actually got lucky as we upgraded our crowd control barrier from a bit of rope between stanchions to bamboo poles and it was good we did so. even then the crowd press was high at times! only real problem was kids thinking the bamboo was sturdy enough to put their full weight on! the rope would have been a disaster as the crowds would have just pressed right up to the layout!

this is always the challenge to keep fingers off the trains (its even tempting to the 40yr old kids) but let the audience (especially the smaller kids) get the best view possible. we also dont want the barrier looking like some sort of riot control device! the bamboo looks lovely and is pretty easy to set up, only downside is that it does appear more sturdy than it really is!

cheers

jeff

[scott]

(its even tempting to the 40yr old kids)

Hey--I resemble that remark.

[cteno4]

(its even tempting to the 40yr old kids)

Hey--I resemble that remark.

LOL, I may resemble it worse, my wife says she as a husband and a 7 yr old but only lives with one person! most of my friends kids outgrow me at about 12... sad, keeps on happening for the last 30 yrs...

cheers

jeff

[Shashinka]

With 160,000 people my hat is off to you for being able to manage that crowd.

On another note, I just realized that we are already in the 7th day of May and Aaron hasn't changed his Avatar yet....it's how I know I'm in a new month, you're throwing my calender off. ;D

I switched icons a few weeks early, went from EF58 to Fastech