Travelogue | Trains  | Video | Tips | Memories

Between the 15th to 31st August 2002, I took my second trip to Japan. This page is a recollection of the various aspects of those 16 days, particularly from a rail enthusiast's viewpoint. You can read about the various activities that we did, see a list of all the trains used, and get some handy hints if you are planning to go yourself. 

Click on any of the underlined text to see a relevant photo. This time the photos were taken with a $1000 digital camera, so I hope you agree the quality is a lot better. The amount taken certainly was (700+) !!! 

*** NB *** I have decided to put the text up first, and add the pictures next - with over 700 to choose from, it will take a while to choose and edit the ones I want.

Day-by-day Travelogue

15/08/02 Thursday

After work, went home, finished packing, and caught the train to the airport, so we left Sydney late in the evening on Qantas. After they serve you a meal at midnight, and then put on some banal movie, you finally get to sleep at about 2-3am, and then you are woken up at 5am for breakfast.

16/08/02 Friday

Arrived at Narita early in the morning again, except this time it was lighter and you could see the silhouette of Mt Fuji in the distance. Once getting into the airport building, you could feel the heat even at that time of morning. We picked up our Japan Rail Passes at the JR ticket office, and then reserved seats that had been booked at home using the JR East Ekinet system. This lets you book Shinkansen and Narita Express reserved seats over the internet, and pay by credit card. Of course if you have a Japan Rail Pass, the tickets are free, but you need to show the credit card that you used to book the tickets for the system to retrieve the booking information. I also got a Y5,000 Passnet card from the Keisei machines, anticipating quite a lot of travel on the private networks. 

Once we got to Tokyo via Narita Express #2, it was time to find somewhere to store our luggage, so we could do some shopping before continuing on to Yamagata. We were lucky to find extra large lockers right at the top of the escalators of the Yokosuka line tracks as we entered the main hall at Tokyo station, and were able to fit a suitcase and 2 bags inside one locker. I don't remember seeing any others this size during our later travels. We then took the Yamanote line to Akihabara, and found we were far too early before the shops opened (mostly at 10am). So we went for a walk alongside the river to the bridges that cross near Ochanomizu station, to the famous view point of the 3 lines intersecting, as well as viewing the scene from the opposite direction. Once again, it was interesting to see the contrast between old and new buildings. 

It was already very hot by this time of day, so we were glad to get into the air conditioned shops once they opened. I had to buy a power supply and rechargeable battery charger for my new Olympus digital camera, as well as some other electrical knickknacks. We also visited the LAOX Hobby store, and picked up quite a few items. Had lunch at a McDonalds, and was surprised to find them heavily advertising that all their beef (and chicken) came from Australia !!! After this we travelled back to Tokyo on the Yamanote to catch Tsubasa #105 (a 400+E4 set) to Yamagata. Here is is after arriving at Yamagata. We we picked up at Yamagata by my wife's father, and found that he had a brand new Toyota Carina (a model not available in Australia). It was unusual from the last time we were at Yamagata, in the middle of winter, with snow piled everywhere. Now it was the opposite - too hot !!!

17/08/02 Saturday 

Up early to catch Tsubasa #1 (a 400 set) to Tokyo to visit the JAM2002 exhibition. While waiting, a 701 EMU set left on it's journey south. After arriving at Tokyo station, I changed to the Tokaido line for the quick trip to Shimbashi on a 113 set. After taking a photo of an funny advertising sign, I realised I was running late, and literally ran all the way to the Yurikamome station, which was packed with people going to Odiaba for the day. The trains were so packed I decided to wait for the second departure, so I could get a ‘drivers’ seat view. Luckily they run about every 8 minutes and by the time we got to Tokyo Big Sight, many people had got off. After going over the Rainbow bridge, you go past what looks like an ocean liner, that is actually a Maritime Museum. The next strange building you see is the Fuji TV headquarters, then you see a building that I saw in a recent Hollywood movie. As you can see, this is one of the few areas in Tokyo where there is wide open spaces and lots of room. The next strange building is the Telecom Center and then the Tokyo Big Sight comes into view. Here is a shot of the Yurikamome leaving, and also the huge red-handled saw sticking out of the ground nearby. I have no idea what it means !!! Unfortunately, the exhibition was not inside one of those upside-down pyramids, but a 'normal' type hall at the back. Here is a BIG picture of the building for you to admire !!! 

At the exhibition hall, I met Dave Fossett and Oliver Mayer and bought the tickets to go into the exhibition. Tickets are expensive, but allow you to visit as much as you like for the full 3 days. It's certainly an experience to see such a large hall full of just Japanese trains (as well as the odd few American ones), however there was not a lot to see layout wise (real ones). I gather most exhibits were either from manufacturers, retailers or clubs - but not from many private individuals. Most displays were just loops of tracks set up on tables with a few buildings placed here and there, together with lots of trains stored at the sides. The large club HO set-ups were impressive though, with their full length trains each worth $1,000's ! However the layouts that did have scenery, all 'N' scale, ranged from OK to very good, particularly some modular tram layouts. I got some good ideas for kit-bashed buildings (here are some samples: A B C D E F G H) etc. for my new 'Setagaya' layout (http://Japanese-Trains.com/Setagaya), at that time under construction and due for it's debut display at the Australian Model Railway Association's exhibition at Liverpool in October 2002. 

A bit disappointing were the manufacturer's displays. All have large layouts that did not appear here - they mostly just had display cases with new models in them. MicroAce had a new track system on display, similar to the Kato double track plate track system, and also a new wireless remote controller. Tomix had their new 923 Dr Yellow on display, and were handing out samples of their new Finetrack system. Kato had some sample new buildings and diorama materials on display. I was also able to meet my previous business contact at Tomix. The second hand/trader's stalls were like a piranha feeding frenzy, with many interesting items often at greatly reduced prices. I got a couple of brand new sets for around 40% off retail price. There were also lots of activities for the kiddies to participate in, from layouts they could drive, to areas set up on the floor with toy plastic trains to play with. Also a large area for the tired mothers to sit and take a rest in. One feature of the stands was the many 'toy' train brands being released, like the remote control DigiQ series, Tomy's Playrail and other N scale 'shorty' train systems. These brands are also now being heavily featured in all the rail magazines, both model and prototype. Not my cup of tea, but a good way to get more younger members into the hobby. The thing that amazed me the most was the lack of barriers around a lot of the exhibits. Children (and their parents) stand back quietly and watch the action, and you never see any hands reaching out !!! 

After having a look at the ride-on live steam running outside, Dave and I walked back to the Rinkai line Kokusai-Tenjijo station for the short ride to Shin-Kiba. Here I was able to buy my ticket with a Passnet card that I bought last trip, that still had a small balance available. At Shin-Kiba, we were lucky enough to ride on one of new ex-Yamanote line 205 sets that have been relegated to the Keiyo line. Once arriving back at Tokyo, we saw some old 183 sets at the Keiyo line terminus. We then went up to the Tokaido line platforms to see the ‘Fuji’ Blue Train sleeper depart, hauled by an EF66. While waiting for it to leave, we also saw a 211 and 185 set together, as well as another 211 and a 113 set arrive. The EF66 that had pulled the train into the station then left to wait for its next assignment, in this case the combined Sakura/Hayabusa. From the Tokaido line platforms you can look up at the Joetsu Shinkansen line trains, which make the massive double deck E1 sets seem so much bigger. After parting, I went to the Shinkansen platforms to catch the Tsubasa #139 (another 400+E4 set) back to Yamagata. While waiting, I saw a 200 series in the new colour scheme next to an E2 set, and then the E2 departing while the typical Japanese railfan family looked on. Just after Omiya, I saw a strange rocket shaped building to the left side of the train. My wife was waiting for me at Yamagata and we organised our reserved seat tickets for the next week’s trip to Hokkaido, before riding home on borrowed bicycles.

18/08/02 Sunday

In the morning, I went for a walk around the local streets, to see what a typical residential area was like. Here is a narrow street leading to houses with no road access. I also took some pictures of a Jomo service station, to compare to the Tomix model. Also you can see the typical small shop that is quite common in suburban areas (1 | 2). Then, with the rest of the family (Father-in-law, step-mother-in-law, sister-in-law and nephew), we travelling in two cars to a rural area south of Yamagata to pick grapes. Along the way we saw a 40 storey apartment building rising up out of nowhere – certainly out of place in a rural setting !!! I also saw an old fire watch tower, like the kit Greenmax makes. The hills in this area are covered with rows and rows of clear plastic sheeting covering grapes and other orchard trees. Grapes here are grown up to around 2m, and then spread out over a wire frame, so you can walk around underneath, and pick the bunches that hang down. At this establishment, you can sit there and eat as many Delaware grapes as you like, and just pay for any you take away. They did not have seeds, and were small but sweet. Akiko's nephew's record was 7 bunches !!! I was surprised to see they had an outside 'toire', not unlike the Australian 'dunny' !!! After that, we drove to Kaminoyama to see the small castle there, which is now just a museum inside. There is a good view from the top floor, of the town and surrounding area. Here is a panorama of the town (1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7). You can see the 40 floor residential tower very clearly in the distance. Also we saw some traditional Japanese shops (picture middle), and you can also see how closely packed the buildings are, with the roofs touching in some places. We then drove back to Yamagata to visit a souvenir shop, where you could taste a lot of the products before selecting your purchase. The Japanese people are very big on buying souvenirs from places they visit, and a lot of very nice items can only be bought in regional areas. For lunch we went to one of the Skylark chain of family restaurants, where you can drink as much Melon Soda as you like. After that we visited a large shop that was full to the ceiling of second hand CD’s, books and magazines, videos & DVD’s, games, toys and figures. In the car park was some kind of small monster truck !!! I found a couple of second hand train magazines, and bought a large Gamera figure. We were then dropped of at Yamagata’s only real model train shop, to have a look and buy some supplies before walking home. On the way, I saw 1 | 2 | 3 old dilapidated Japanese style shops, like the sort Greenmax make as kits.

19/08/02 Monday

Up early again to go to Hokkaido. We walked to the bus stop near to the house (which was a quicker way to get to Sendai than going all the way to the station and then catching the Senzan line train), and caught the Highway bus which is mainly used by office workers that work in Sendai and live in Yamagata. While waiting there, I saw a truck with JR containers on it. The trip takes just under an hour, and the tollway goes through many tunnels. Unfortunately on this day the air conditioning was not working. Once we got to Sendai, we had time to see a refurbished 200 set, an E3 Komachi and an E4 set at the Sendai platforms. Then we caught the Yamabiko #3 (an E2 set) to Morioka. There we changed to the narrow gauge Hatsukari service (a refurbished 485-3000 'North East Express' set) which would take us all the way to Hakodate. There is a lot of rolling stock that can be seen at Morioka, and here are pictures of JR Freight ED75 locos, a 2 car suburban 701 set, which went past us. Along the way to Hachinoe, you could see the new Shinkansen line at various places, even though a major proportion of that line is in tunnels. The seats were nice and comfortable for the 4 hour trip, and the seat backs and bases are both adjustable. At Aomori, everyone gets up and turns the seats around, because the train changes direction. A lot of different stored trains and locos can be seen here. The suburban sets are the same as at Morioka, but with different coloured stripes. We also saw a Cassiopeia EF81, and locos with Doraemon logos.  The train goes through the Seikan tunnel, which is the longest in the world (54 km) and takes around ½ hour. Unfortunately, there was no announcement of this, so after going through many smaller tunnels, you just guess that is the long one because you have not seen daylight for a while. Once emerging in Hokkaido, the tracks run alongside the ocean at many places. At one station, we passed a container train, and another Doraemon painted passenger train. We also saw some old stored diesel sets, a DF200 diesel loco (damn that post!!) and a brown DE10 diesel loco along with some more recent diesel sets. Finally we arrived at Hakodate, where we saw a JR Hokkaido HEAT Kiha281 tilt train diesel set. There are large yards adjacent to the station, where you can see a lot of stored rolling stock (you can see blue sleeper cars, Doraemon 50 series passenger cars, a Kiha281 car, and a Coca Cola painted Kiha183 car). Before leaving the platforms, we also saw some local line diesel cars. We caught a tram to our hotel, which was still close to the city centre. You can buy a day ticket for as many rides as you like, for Y1,000 and it comes with a souvenir carry strap of either Ika-kun (the blue one) or Popo-chan (the pink one). The hotel had a good view of the city, and as it is built on a narrow peninsula, you can see the ocean on the left side, and again on the right side. After checking in at the hotel, we travelled by tram again to see the Pentagon gardens, where you go up a tower to see a good  view of the area. On the way back, we stopped at a hobby shop, that was in a very old style wooden Japanese building and the owner looked like he had been born there. Even though it was cramped, dusty and dark, with cases of stock all over the place full of 10 year old merchandise, they still had the latest releases as well. I managed to get one of the out-of-stock Tomix rail cleaning cars, to complete my collection of them. The owner was curious how a gaijin had found out about his shop, and gave me a souvenir towel with the shop’s name on it. Finally we caught another tram back to the hotel. On the way out that evening for dinner, we stopped at a second hand CD shop and made some purchases. If you ever want to look in a CD shop in Japan, you need to know the order of the Japanese alphabet; otherwise you will never be able to find anything. After having a nice don for dinner, we walked around the streets for a while, however it was raining most of the time because of the effects of a cyclone that was moving past the coast of Japan. Because of that, we could not take the cable car to the nearby mountain (in the background of the two city view shots above) where you get a nice view of the city at night. In Hakodate, everywhere you walk around, day and night, they have loudspeakers in the streets playing music and broadcasting advertising. After a while, it gets very annoying !!! I planned to go back to the station, as the Cassiopeia sleeper train was due in that night. A Doraemon painted ED79 (1 | 2) was waiting for it's next assignment. Finally the Cassiopeia arrived, pulled by twin DD51 diesel locos. The special deluxe bedroom suite car was right behind the locos, but for the journey to Aomori, it would have a view out the back, until the direction changed again at Aomori. Conversely, the lounge car at the other end of the train gets the opposite views. The loco that would take the train as far as Aomori was ED79-9.

20/08/02 Tuesday

In the morning it was raining still, and after a Japanese breakfast and admiring the view from the hotel’s top floor dining room, first we went to the main Post Office to try and get a replacement card for Akiko’s Post Office account. Because they were not open yet, we walked around the surrounding streets, and I was surprised to see the general state of decay of many of the buildings. This is a strange statue in a nearby street (the hotel we stayed at is in the background). This was an abandoned pachinko parlour building. Also the tangle of bare electrical wires outside buildings in Japan would have regulatory bodies in most countries running for cover !!! One road had a park in the middle, and there was a strange statue there (you can see it in the middle RH side of the hotel dining room view picture). I was happy to see that one building provided an 'Automatic Lover' (it was actually a clothes shop), and I found a pastry shop that had the wonderful slogan 'I snaffle, therefore I am'. After the Post Office was sorted out, we went down to the fish markets, which are very large & famous. Here they have all manner of seafood available, much of it still alive. Huge crabs had their legs tied up so they would not run away, and sold for Y5-6,000. We ordered a large seafood basket of crabs and other seafood from Hakodate Asaichi, that they would deliver to Akiko's father's house later that week. Also there was fruit for sale, including melons for around A$50-60 each, that sell here of A$2.95 !!! We had an early lunch at a famous restaurant ('Kikuyo', which Akiko had seen advertised on national television) who gave us some nice pens as souvenirs. Then on the way back to the hotel we found another hobby shop, which did not have a very good selection of trains. Then it was time to collect our bags, go back to the station and catch the Super Hokuto #9 to Sapporo. This was one of the new Kiha281 sets, that tilts on the corners for higher speed travel on conventional tracks. Because multiple sets can run together, the driver’s cab is up high, and there is a door at the front, so you can get an excellent view along the tracks. I was surprised to see that a lot of the main lines in Hokkaido are single track, and passing movements are made at stations. Once we arrived at Sapporo, we put our luggage in a locker and went to look for a bank. Sapporo has three subway lines, the Green coloured Namboku line, the blue coloured Toho line and the red coloured Tozai line. Technically they are not 'trains', as they run a rubber tyred type car that is guided along a centre flangeway, and uses 3rd rail power. This picture of a Namboku line 3000 set and of a bogie shows how it works. The cars are same type, but with the appropriate coloured stripe on the white body, and slightly different headlights (Namboku 5000, Toho 7000, Tozai 8000). There are also some older types of cars still running (Namboku 2000, Tozai 6000). All 3 lines meet at Odori, which is one stop south of Sapporo. Strangely enough, the city name is alway spelt out in Hiragana, not Kanji. It was still raining, so we caught the Namboku subway line to our hotel (is it strange how there are school girls hanging around all hours of the night ???). Then we went out to walk around the shopping area, had something to eat at Mosburger, and found two different hobby shops, that didn't have a very large range of trains.

21/08/02 Wednesday

Back to the main Sapporo station on the subway, and this time our train to Noboribetsu was Hokuto #4 (a ‘normal’ Kiha183). I was able to take good video out the front window, and was able to see the arriving Hokutosei, Twilight Express, Cassiopeia, and several container freight trains. At Noboribetsu, we had to catch a bus to Noboribetsu Onsen, a small town in the mountains which has many hotels, health resorts and hospitals due to the nearby hot springs. First we went to visit the famous Bear Farm, which you get to on a ropeway to the top of a mountain. Here you can see and feed the bears, watch and bet on duck racing, see trained bears perform tricks, and seen Ainu craft making and dancing. After returning to the town, we walked to the ‘Devils Valley’ area where the hot spring activity is more pronounced. You can take a boardwalk right through the middle of the area, which has boiling water running along the ground and the most horrible sulphurous smell !!! Then it was back on the bus to Noboribetsu, where we caught Super Hokuto #7 back to Sapporo. We then caught the subway line to its end, where you can take a short walk to the Ishiya Chocolate Factory, where they make the famous 'Shiroi Koibito' biscuit. However inside is more like a museum of the history of chocolates rather than seeing the production line at work, and you only get one measly small sample. At the Cadbury factory in Hobart, Tasmania, as you walk around you can pick up and eat as much chocolate as you like. We then caught a JR suburban bus (using the Japan Rail Pass) to visit one hobby shop (not work the effort), and then went back to the city area to have look at the view from the Sapporo TV tower, which is in the middle of the long avenue that houses the ice sculpture festival during winter. This used to be the tallest building in Sapporo, until the new JR station building and office tower was recently constructed. Sapporo is easy to get around in, as all the streets in the city area are rectangular, and are numbered sequentially. Then we walked to the Susukino ‘drinking’ area to have a meal, and shared a table with a Japanese politician from Shizuoka, who wanted to chat to us in English.

22/08/02 Thursday

From Sapporo, we caught Super Hokuto #10 back to Toya, and a bus to Toya Lake resort. This area is close to Mt Uso, which is an active volcano and last erupted in 2000. We had to make a detour, because part of the road was still under construction after being closed as a result of the damage caused then. Our hotel at Toya was very large, right along side the lake, and we had a Japanese style room with a fantastic view of the lake. I was able to try out the panorama facility of my new camera. Because we had to wait for our room to be ready, we caught a bus to the nearby crater area, where much of the damage caused in the last eruption has been left intact, and a boardwalk has been built for tourists. We wanted to get a ropeway to the top of another volcanic mountain nearby, but it was too windy, and the ropeway was not operational that day. First we saw a part of the original main road that was flooded as part of the eruption, and then houses that had been flooded or knocked down. There were many souvenir and food stalls set up nearby. The whole area had risen 70m, and in some places you could see the same road at different levels 6m apart. After going back to the town, we visited the volcano museum, where they had video and static exhibits from the 2000 and previous eruptions. On the way back to the hotel, you could walk past the area still closed off with damaged buildings still untouched. This map shows how close the volcano activity was to the town !!! Part of the hotel package included dinner and breakfast, at the large dining room overlooking the lake, so we had to get there early to get as good seat. The top floor of the hotel is the hot spring bath area, so after dinner we separated to have a relaxing bath. It was the first time I had done the Japanese public bath thing, so fortunately there were not many locals around to see if I did anything wrong !!! After that, we enjoyed playing around in the hotel’s basement games room (they even have a 10-pin bowling alley). The highlight of the evening was the fireworks display over the lake, which is performed every night during the summer.

23/08/02 Friday

Down early to the dining room again for a large buffet breakfast, and then a walk along the lake. One of the cruise boats is built like a castle, and you could also hire a paddle boat shaped like a swan. As we had time, we decided to take a short cruise around the lake, which gives you a good view of the town. There are some islands in the middle of the lake, which have some wildlife on them, and you can also get off at one point and wait for the next boat to come past to get you. Also there is a Tori gate in the water, but a little smaller than the one at Hiroshima. Then it was back on the bus to get to the station, and catch the train back to Sendai. It was Hokuto #8 to Hakodate, then Hatsukari #22 to Morioka, and Yamabiko #24 to Sendai. This time they made an announcement before we went through the Seikan Tunnel, so I could time it at 26 minutes underground. Once again it was quicker to catch a bus to Yamagata, even though it seemed to take a long time to get out of Sendai during the evening peak hour traffic.

24/08/02 Saturday

In the morning we went down to the main Post Office (I love Post Offices that are open 24 hours a day!!!), and posted some items to customers and back to ourselves, to save having to carry them in our suitcases. I also went for a walk along the local streets, and managed to take photos of around 50 vending machines within about a kilometre distance. I think the locals must have though I was mad !!! In the evening we decided to go on Tsubasa #105 to Shinjo, which is now the end of the Yamagata Shinkansen line, for they were having an annual festival. The station and streets were packed when we arrived, but we got a good vantage point, and waited for the action. First a group of dancing ladies came along, and then the rain started pouring down. There were people running everywhere trying to find shelter. I though that the festival would be cancelled, however soon we heard the sounds of drums, and the first large decorated float came into view. It was pulled with ropes by hundred of people, and followed by drummers and musicians, all in costumes. Some of the floats were covered with plastic sheets, so you couldn’t see very much. After a while, we decided to leave, as if we left it until the next train (the last one), I am sure we would have never got on. Even so we could not reserve a seat; however there were still vacant ones that we were able to use until Yamagata.

25/08/02 Sunday

Off by myself this day to Sendai to visit the JR East Sendai Shinkansen depot open family day. I went on the Holiday Senzan #6 train, which does not stop at all the little stations on the Senzan line. Having been on this line during winter, when all you can see is white, this time the views were very nice. I arrived at Sendai and before leaving the station, I had to find the location of a joke picture that was doing the rounds on the internet recently showed a sign at Sendai Shinkansen station saying something like "For toilets go back towards your behind" !!! I can report that the sign NOW says "Toilets are in the opposite direction". I then did a walking tour of three hobby shops to see if I could get some items on my wish list. I was successful at two of them. Then I met Dave Fossett again, who had come up from Tokyo for the day. Access to the depot is via a short branch line off the Tohoku main line just north of Sendai. There are just 2 stations - Shin-Rifu, at the depot and usually for workers only, and Rifu, at the end of the line. Usually you have to change trains to use this line, but this day special services were running due to the number of people. I would say a large proportion would be families with young kiddies. First we went to Rifu, to see the collection of preserved AC locos which had been restored by local enthusiasts, stored in an area past the station. It looked strange to see 6 shiny red locos sitting out in a field by them selves, not connected to any other railway line. Each of the locos was the #1 in its class. Then we returned to Shin-Rifu where there was a large crowd entering the premises. Entry was free, but our rail tickets were checked on entry. The large area of stored trains that you see arriving at the station was out of bounds, so there was a suggested route through and around a number of large buildings. Entertainers were providing fun for the children and there were many food and drink vendors on site. The first building we went into was the bogie shop, with rows and rows of wheels, bogie frames, traction motors etc on pallets. There were demonstrations of tyre fitting and how the wheels are matched to the right size axle by computer. Many areas have explanation boards in English. You could also see a car body being lifted for installation of underfloor equipment, and a team were completely assembling a bogie set from the frame, wheels, motors etc. Whether this was 'real' work or just for demonstration was not apparent. There was also lots of stands selling souvenirs (including trains, but no real 'model' ones) and some layouts (one had a nice model of an E4 there!!). Queues were everywhere, for the toilets, getting stamps from each section, and getting your photo in front of something !!! Outside you could also queue to ride on an E4 set to Sendai and back (without being able to get out). The Green car was very popular, as it may have been the only chance some people would get to ride in one. Another building had full length trains stored on overhead rails, and they had an E3-1000, new E2 Hayate 10 car set, and the East-i on display. There was also a number of individual 200 cars and it is interesting to see the ends and the equipment you normally don't see when they are joined together. The main office building had a layout that didn't work, magazines to read and literature to take away (some in bad English). This depot does all the major inspections and repairs for JR East, all others (Akita, Niigata etc) just do regular inspections but only minor maintenance. Also on display was a couple of older 200 cars that you could get into (even the cab's nose), and two cars from the STAR-21 train. There was a long queue to leave when each train came along, but eventually we got back to Sendai and sat at one of the many eating places under the station until it was time to part again. I took video of most of the trip back to Yamagata - the Senzan line is very interesting - mostly single track with passing loops at stations, lots of tunnels and bridges, and the company of mostly housewives and children, and schoolgirls !!! There is an interesting location just north of Yamagata, where the standard gauge Shinkansen track crosses over the narrow gauge Senzan line tracks with a diamond crossing.

26/08/02 Monday

Bags were packed and it was goodbye to the family as we set off for Tokyo on Tsubasa #122 (a 400 set). We quickly changed at Fukushima to the E4 Max Yamabiko #122 set, so as to have a better view out the windows of the top floor. Once we arrived, we transferred to the Yamanote to Shinagawa where our hotel was located. As the rooms were not ready yet, we decided to go to Kunitachi were Akiko’s grandparents used to own a house. So it was on the Yamanote line first to Shibuya to see the statue of Hachiko. 

Hachiko is an Akita dog, and his owner was Dr. Ueno, a professor at Tokyo University, who travelled by train every day to work. Hachiko would go to the station every evening to wait for his master to return home. In 1925, Dr. Ueno passed away at work, and of course did not return home on the train. For the next ten years, Hachiko continued to go to Shibuya station every evening to wait for his master, even though his master never appeared. Passers-by and the station staff noticed this and continued to look after him, and the situation was reported in the national newspapers in 1932, so all Japan knew of his story. Hachiko died in 1935, at the age of 12. It was decided that a statue would be built at the station to commemorate his faithfulness, and this was built in 1934. During the WWII, the statue was melted down for it's metal content, but it was rebuilt in 1947 by the son of the original sculptor. It still remains outside Shibuya station, and the area surrounding the statue and the 'Hachiko' station entrance/exit is a popular meeting place. 

Then we continued to Shinjuku where I wanted to have a look at the Sakuraya hobby store, which is normally very hard to find. We eventually found it, but were very disappointed as they had heaps of all the latest releases, but not much else. So we went back to the station and caught the Chuo line to Kunitachi. It was easier to get a bus than walk, so after getting off, a short walk took us to the right street. As the house had been altered, it was hard to be exactly sure if it was the right one !!! So we caught the bus back to the station, and went on the Tachikawa so as to be able to get the express service back to Shinjuku. Whilst waiting, I saw the Tama City monorail go past – the tracks go right over the top of the JR station. We were now able to check into the hotel, so it was back to Shinagawa again on the Yamanote line. During the last week of our trip, we stayed in Tokyo, at the Shinagawa branch of the Toyoko Inn. They are a large chain of probably what you would call a 'business' hotel, rather than a 'tourist' one. However compare the rates to the nearby Shinagawa Prince, and see which you would prefer !!! Whilst surfing the internet before we left, we found this chain's web page, and it seemed from their map, that the location would be ideal. It is less than 5 minutes walk from the main JR & Keikyu Shinagawa stations, which are around 10-15 minutes south of Tokyo where the Yamanote line curves back up towards Shinjuku. Keikyu can also take you direct to both Haneda and Narita airports. The building is on the main road just south of the main station complex and has 14 floors, so there is nothing between you and the view; we were on the 12th floor and the view was magnificent !!! You can see the Keikyu, Yamanote, Keihin Tohoku, Tokaido, Yokosuka lines, as well as the Tokaido Shinkansen. I can guarantee that there wouldn't be more than a minute where something is going past :-) All floors have a balcony at the front, however you are not supposed to go out there, it is classified as a 'refuge' balcony (from what ???) But the windows do open and you can get out there if you like (try that at the Shinagawa Prince!!!). As protection from falling off the balcony, the top two floors have a brick wall whereas the others have iron railing that you can see through easily. Also being higher, I think the top two floors would not see as good an angle down closer to the station, so the 12th floor is the best. It is easy to set up a video camera and just leave it running .... The room was small; a double bed, small cupboard to hang things in, a bench for writing, one chair and a small bar fridge - together with the tiny 'capsule' bathrooms that the Japanese seem to love. However it is hard to worry about these things when you cannot tear yourself away from the window !!! There are also rooms at the back of the building, with no train view, so make sure you specify when you book. Even though I did not have to talk to them at all, the staff seem to be able to manage English to some extent. Rates are Y6,800 for a single room, and under Y10,000 for a double or twin. I think you get a better rate if you book over the internet. Check in time is a late 4pm, however they will store your luggage for you when you arrive, until 4pm. Check out is 10am, but again they will store you luggage until you come back and get it. The foyer has various drink and an ice vending machine, as well a questionable computers for free internet use. Also a light breakfast if free to the first 100 early risers. There is no restaurant, but the area around the station has many different type of eating places, from McDonalds, to traditional Japanese, to Anna Millers (where the waitresses have the shortest skirts!!!). Over all, thoroughly recommended :-)

27/08/02 Tuesday

Today was my ‘shopping’ day by myself, and my wife went back to Sendai to perform some business, so first it was off to Asakusa via the TOEI Asakusa subway line, which you can get a direct train from Shinagawa station. After getting out at Asakusa, a short walk took me to the shop I was looking for, and I was surprised to see a place arms width wide and about 3m long !!! After dealing with the company over the internet for some time, and seeing the amount of stock they advertised, I never imagined such a small shop. However they did have a lot of stock, all over the floor and piled up around the walls, so that even the owner did not know what he had available. As there is a very famous temple at Asakusa, I went to have a look at it, and first you need to pass through a long street full of souvenir shops. Also in this area is the headquarters of the Asahi beer company. Then I caught the Eidan Ginza line subway to Ginza, to visit Tenshodo. Knowing that one of the Greenmax building kits was fashioned on the real building, I was looking for something similar but could not spot it in the area I expected. However a friendly young policewoman was able to point it out, and the building was hard to spot because it was covered with advertising signs. Going inside, there is 1 floor full of Japanese trains, 1 with European and other things, and 1 full of second hand items. Certainly worth a visit, and not as expensive as I had been made to expect. My next stop was the Shosen Grande bookshop at Jimbocho, so I had to take the Ginza line to Mitsukoshimae and change to the Hanzomon line for Jimbocho. A short walk down a street full of bookshops finds Shosen Grande, which has 1 floor full of train books !!! I spent over an hour there, and ended up with a bag so full I could hardly carry it. Original plans had meant I was next going out to the Kato Hobby Centre, but I knew I could not carry all this stuff, so from Jimbocho I took the Mita subway line back to Mita, and changed to the Asakusa line back to Shinagawa to leave the books at the hotel. Then it was back on the Yamanote line to Shinjuku, and then the TOEI Oedo subway line to Ochiai-Minami-Nagasaki, where a short walk will take you to the Kato Hobby Centre. There is one floor full of dioramas and displays, and the other floor is the shop itself. They have other companies products other then Kato, which surprised me !!! Back on the Oedo line to Shin-Nakano, where I changed to the Marunouchi subway to get closer to Shinjuku station, and back to Shinagawa on the Yamanote. Twice this evening I was proud to have navigated my way through Shinjuku station during rush hour !!!

28/08/02 Wednesday

Today my wife and I had planned a trip to Nikko, so it was off to Tokyo on the Yamanote, and then on to the Shinkansen. I had wanted to go on the Tobu Spacia, but it was too expensive, and we could do the whole trip using the Japan Rail Pass. So we caught Yamabiko ??? to Oyama, were I planned to take video of various Shinkansen passing at high speed, as this was a station that most trains do not stop at. I was able to get good shots of most type of configurations going in either direction. While I was standing at the south end of the platform, I was approached by a young man in normal clothing who tried to talk to me, and showed me a Police badge. So I took him to where my wife was sitting reading a book to pass the time, and it turned out that he was checking security because the Imperial Prince & Princess were due to come through on the next train!! By this time the whole platform was swarming with uniforms, but we didn’t see them on the train (I guess they were in the Green car). This was the train we were getting on to go to Utsunomiya, but by the time we got off again, they had already been whisked way in a big black car surrounded by motorcycles. Here we changed to the Nikko line, which is a single track branch line. The JR station is quite impressive, and a complete contrast to the Tobu one nearby. First we caught a bus up the mountain to see the Kegon waterfall. The road up and down is one-way, and there are 48 hairpin bends – in many places you can see 3 or 4 levels of road beneath you. We had a nice lunch first, and then caught the bus back to Nikko again, we walked to the main area that is full of temples and shrines – all of which were very impressive. I think I saw more non-Japanese people here than any other place. Eventually we went back to Nikko station, and then Tokyo.

29/08/02 Thursday

This day I had planned to see as much of the Tokyu system as possible, particularly the Setagaya line, which is the inspiration for my latest layout (http://setagaya.internet.directnic.com). Again I was by myself, as my wife went to Sendai again. I completely reversed the original plan I had devised, so that the walking I planned would be earlier in the day, and hopefully not so hot. First it was off to Shibuya on the Yamanote, and then to Sangenjaya using the Tokyu Den’en-toshi line. This is one end of the Setagaya line, and the two do not meet (they are actually different gauges). The Passnet card that can be used on the rest of the Tokyu system cannot be used here, but the ticket for a trip to any station is only Y130. First I took some photos around the station and the 300 sets that were there, and then started walking. I had printed out maps from the Mapion page using the highest resolution as my guide, but found they were not quite accurate. The first area was very a densely packed residential area with twisting streets, and some strange looking houses. Sometimes you wonder if cars can get along some of the streets, until you see the size of the cars !!! A lot of the time, the road or footpath runs along aside the railway line, so you can see the trams go past on their 8-10 minute interval journey. At Wakabayashi, the line crosses a major road, and you can get a good view from a footbridge a little way up the hill. At the level crossing, the trains have to wait for the cars !!! At Kanimachi, there is a small depot, and you can see the other sets that are not currently running. Further up the line, I stopped in the shade for a while and took video and photo footage until each set had been past at least once. Eventually I reached Shimo-Takaido – it took about an hour longer than I had planned. Next I rode on the line, and took video of the trip from one end and then back again, and then took the short trip to Yamashita. Here I had noticed a Mosburger outlet, and it was time from lunch. This is also the Odakyu Gotokuji station, and while I waited for my train, I saw the Romance trains going through, however due to construction work could not take video. From here I caught an Odakyu train to Shimo-Kitazawa to visit the Greenmax store there. It was very hard to find in a packed shopping area full of twisting narrow streets. The station here is also shared by the Keio Inokashira line, so I used that to travel back to Shibuya. From Shibuya, I went back to the Tokyu station and caught a Toyoko line express to Sakuragicho, which is just past Yokohama. The station is right next to the JR Negishi line station, which is where the Keihin Tohoku line trains go after Yokohama, and I took that line back to Kamata. I changed to the Tokyu station, and went on the Tamagawa line to Tamagawaen. From there I took the Meguro line to Meguro. At this point I needed a drink, and my camera batteries looked like running out, so I went looking for a convenience store. Then it was back to the JR station to use the Yamanote line to go to Gotanda, and change back to Tokyu again. I used the Ikegami line to go to Kamata again, and then the Keihin Tohoku to go to Oimachi. Back to Tokyu again for the trip to Jiyugaoka on the Oimachi line. I had intended to travel all the way to Futako-Tamagawaen, but by this time it was getting dark, and I could not take any more video, so it was easier to go to Jiyugaoka, and go back to Shibuya again on the Toyoko line. From there, I used the Yamanote line to go to Ikebukuro, and changed to the Tobu Tojo line for the short trip to Oyama. Near the station is a long covered street/shopping mall and just near that is another Greenmax shop. Once I had got a couple of items there, it was back to Ikebukuro using the Tobu line, and I thought I could get back to Shinagawa quicker using the Saikyo line. However the train only went as far as Shibuya, so I had to finish the trip using the Yamanote line.

30/08/02 Friday

The aim of today was to visit some unusual buildings that I had seen in magazines and on web pages. First it was off to Ueno on the Keihin Tohoku line (very crowded). From the station I walked out to the west and through the park and lake nearby, where there are a lot of homeless people. Then, rising up in the distance, is the Hotel Sofitel. I walked past the Ueno Zoo but could not see inside and did not see the Monorail there. Then I continued walking north through the area called Yanaka, that was supposed to have a large proportion of older type Japanese buildings. There were also a lot of small temples in this area. Eventually I reached Nippori, where a road bridge over the tracks next to the station gives a great view of many lines. From there I caught the Keihin Tohoku line back to Shimbashi, where just to the north of the station is the Shizuoka Broadcasting building. A kind man washing the streets let me splash water on my hands. Walking a little to the east under an expressway took me to the Nakagin Capsule tower. Then I went back to Shimbashi, and caught a 113 set down to Yokohama, so I could take video of the line through Shinagawa station and at certain other places. It was at this point that I realised that I was still using my Japan Rail pass, which had expired the previous day, so I had to make the most of JR lines before getting out again. So I went back to Shimbashi again on the Yokosuka line using an E217 set, and then down to Kawasaki on a Tokaido line 211 set. From there I changed to the Keihin Tohoku line, to go to Tsurumi, and to get out of JR territory. Luckily most ticket inspectors are either dealing with someone else or do not look too closely as you pass through. I bought some items for lunch at the station, and walked the short distance to the Little Japan hobby shop, which used to be a Greenmax outlet. After getting some items, I went back to Keikyu-Tsurumi, and went to Kagetsuenmae to take photos, and then also to Namamugi to take photos. Then I went to Keikyu-Kawasaki so I could get an express back to Shinagawa, which was a nice new 2100 set. The ride is quite an experience, going at 120km/h through the narrow double track space between crowded building and through stations without slowing. After that, I had an appointment to visit my main supplier and meet the staff for the first time (I can't tell you where it is though). I collected quite a lot of items that they kindly packed for me to carry easily, and then it was back to Shinagawa.

31/08/02 Saturday

The last day ... First we had some parcels to post, so we took the Asakusa subway line to Nihombashi, where there was a large Post Office. After repacking many boxes to get the weight (and cost) down, we continued on the Asakusa subway to Kuramae, and changed to the Oedo subway line for the short trip to Ryogoku. When changing between these two stations (by going out onto the street), you have to use special ticket machines, otherwise they will think you have finished your journey. Here we found a small air-conditioned restaurant to have some lunch, and then went to the Edo-Tokyo museum. It is quite an imposing structure, and when you get inside, there are full sized bridges and buildings inside. Some of the displays have English explanations, so it is still quite interesting. There are also a lot of models and dioramas. it is interesting to see the early settlers of Tokyo lived, and how they have changed the city so much as it expanded. After that, we went back to Akihabara on a Sobu line 209 set, and then back to Shinagawa on the Yamanote. Before leaving the hotel, we had to pack and store our bags, so we collected them again, and took the Yamanote line to Nippori. It was quite crowded, but we managed our last ride on a new E231 set. Instead of changing here to go to Keisei-Ueno, we were able to get tickets for the next Keisei Skyline service #37, so we used that to travel to Narita airport and sadly had to leave the country. There were long queues at the departure gates because of security checks, so we had no time to buy some nice duty-free sake :-(

01/09/02 Sunday

Arrived in back Sydney the next morning, and it seemed so cool !!! At the customs check, our bags were stopped, and we had to open them. I think they saw the metal parts in some of the trains on the X-ray machine. Then they found some of the food items my wife had packed, and wanted to know what they were. Fortunately they were OK to import, but we should have written them on our customs form. They didn't dig too deep into the bags to actually see how many trains of dutiable value I had packed !!! Just for a change, the suburban line to our suburb was not closed due to maintenance, so we were able to catch the Airport train to Central, and then back to home again. Although my mother was looking after the house (and cat) for us, she doesn't like to drive my car, so I had to walk home to get the car (10 minutes), to come back to the station to pick up all our bags, just as it started to rain.

Summary
Once again, a very memorable two weeks !!! This time it was the middle of summer, and carrying around a heavy backpack in the heat and humidity was certainly an ordeal at times. The heat (low 30 degrees) was not as high as it can get in Australia (over 40 degrees), however the humidity was a lot higher, and even early in the morning you are starting to sweat and feel uncomfortable. If you stay inside with the air conditioning, and not walk around all day outside like I did, it may be OK. I got blisters on my feet, and also chafed thighs :-( Try not to go that time of year if you have a choice. Anyway, after getting back, we found we had enough Qantas Frequent Flyer points to fly next time for free, so we may be going again sooner than originally anticipated :-)

Train Schedule (still under construction)

This table lists the actual journeys taken on various trains and other means of transportation, mainly using the Japan Rail Pass, but also a Passnet card. You can find out more information about these on the Tokyo Area Rail Network page. For a 2 week pass costing ¥45,100, I managed to rack up well over ¥140,100 worth of travel, so it is certainly worth getting and using as much as possible.

Video (still under construction)

Here is a table containing a summary of the 10+ hours of video footage I took during this trip. I am planning to convert all of this to MPG files, and then load a selection to this page so it will be available for everyone to view. If you want to see a particular segment, please ask ...

Tips & Hints (still under construction)

Memories and unusual observations (still under construction)

(Please note that these are my personal observations and comparisons may relate to situations or practices here in Australia.)

Last updated 27/11/2002
All contents © 2004 - Doug Coster