JPN « modelrail.otenko

4Oct/170

Shin-Osaka Webcam – Twilight Express Mizukaze!

First it was Doctor Yellow, but today proved a more rare sight....

You'd better believe it, that's the Twilight Express Mizukaze. The link to the camera is here. It has been raining the last two days and the sound of the rain has actually been fascinating!

Update, here it is again on the 11th October 2017...

And again this morning!

Back into Osaka...

I've made some most posts on this webcam! See here for standard services, here's Doctor Yellow and here's the Salon Car Naniwa. I've also posted a live timetable of the normal traffic in and out of the station.

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27Sep/170

Fukushima Station, Osaka, Japan – July 2017

Welcome back to Osaka. This time it was an airbnb apartment (red marker) right in town near Fukushima Station. This area is of note as it's where the limited express/freight line from Shin Osaka connects to the loop line to continue west/south (green marker). There's also the continuation of the Tokaido Main Line west of Osaka through to Amagasaki (blue marker).

This location would've also been in good proximity to the Umeda freight yards, if only they still existed! Instead the freight that comes through proceeds down to Ajikawaguchi, just before Universal Studios, Japan.

Note that standard east-west freight between Suita and Kobe uses the shortcut from Shin Osaka to the triangle just south of Kashima Station. Not the line shown on the map above; their line follows under the Shinkansen tracks via the passenger staging yards just adjacent to Shin Osaka Station.

The arrows in the freight schedules (further below) indicate the direction of travel. This is directly related to the map above: being Westbound and being Eastbound.

Tokaido Main Line

This is the continuation of the line that originates in Tokyo. The final station is Kobe, just west of Osaka, where it becomes the Sanyo Main Line.

The apartment mentioned above has a view of this line from the balcony...

With the best view being from the fire-escape's top platform...

From here, you'll be able to see all of the standard Tokaido-Sanyo Line EMUs...

Plus a view extra express trains. For example, here's the Super Hakuto...

And the Hamakaze...

And even a dead-heading Thunderbird!

You can even see out to Osaka station, amongst the other delights of the neighbourhood.

There's more to see down on the ground-level... but before that, here's the timetable of trains you can expect to see. Note that the dead-headings aren't listed... I have no idea how to find those! (You could probably guess that if a Thunderbird arrived at Osaka and had no return service then it might come past 10-20 minutes after it arrived?)

Tokaido Line Timetable

The table below describes all the services that will traverse point A on the map above. Note that the time here indicates the action as Osaka Station. Therefore, if it's heading to Osaka (Arriving), then it's going to be ~1 minute prior to the time listed. Likewise, if departing, it'll be ~1 after the time. Regardless, I'd be in position ~5 pre/post any scheduled time.

Direction	Arrive/Depart Osaka	Service
	0034	Sunrise Seto/Izumo
	0737	Super Hakuto #1
	0812	Kounotori #1
	0910	Kounotori #3
	0919	Super Hakuto #2
	0924	Super Hakuto #3
	0938	Hamakaze #1
	1001	Hamakaze #2
	1012	Kounotori #5
	1119	Super Hakuto #4
	1124	Super Hakuto #5
	1211	Kounotori #9
	1222	Hamakaze #3
	1223	Kounotori #12
	1320	Super Hakuto #6
	1324	Super Hakuto #7
	1411	Kounotori #13
	1423	Kounotori #14
	1511	Kounotori #15
	1519	Super Hakuto #8
	1524	Super Hakuto #9
	1622	Kounotori #16
	1705	Hamakaze #4
	1718	Super Hakuto #10
	1720	Kounotori #18
	1726	Super Hakuto #11
	1804	Hamakaze #5
	1820	Kounotori #20
	1931	Super Hakuto #12
	1949	Kounotori #24
	2005	Hamakaze #6
	2006	Super Hakuto #13
	2101	Kounotori #26
	2104	Super Hakuto #14

Ground Level - Fukushima Station and the Express Line

A short walk south will get you to point B on the map right up top. This is the ground-level-crossing of the 'express line' that bypasses Osaka station from Shin-Osaka. Here'll you'll get all the south-bound express trains and a bit of freight!

First up, that perpetual impossibility! The M250 Super Rail Cargo!

The Haruka will take you to Kansai International Airport...

And the Kuroshio (ex Ocean Arrow series as well!) will take you to Shingu/Wakayama...

You'll also see the new 'Osaka Power Loop' EMUs running up above...

Osaka Loop Line / Wakayama Line Timetable

All passenger trains listed below depart/arrive at Shin Osaka. Therefore, the time needs to be adjusted by +/- ~4mins depending on direction of travel. Note that these trains approach the Fukushima area via the west side of the old Umeda freight yards! They're still at ground level when they cross the point marked B on the map above! They climb up to the Loop Line level by Noda Station.

I've mapped out the freight train timetable before, but I've also incorporated it into the table below. I've also snapped the Super Rail Cargo once before, but it was much easier this time as I just had to walk over.

Note that the freight times are squiggled. I've estimated when they should pass the area (not the time at Shin Osaka). I've only got the times at Suita and Ajikawaguchi. Check the link above for the more accurate times, or just arrive at the area 10 mins earlier than those times posted below.

Direction	Arrive/Depart Osaka	Service
	~0505	JRF #59
	~0512	JRF #51 (Super Rail Cargo M250)
	0617	Haruka #1
	0648	Haruka #3
	0716	Haruka #5
	0720	Kuroshio #2
	0738	Haruka #2
	0733	Kuroshio #1
	0747	Haruka #7
	0751	Kuroshio #4
	0817	Haruka #9
	0837	Haruka #4
	0846	Haruka #11
	~0850	JRF #91
	0903	Kuroshio #3
	0907	Haruka #6
	0916	Haruka #13
	0922	Kuroshio #6
	0932	Kuroshio #5
	0937	Haruka #8 (And then every 30 mins from here until 2100)
	0950	Kuroshio #8 (And then every hour from here until 2050)
	1000	Haruka #15 (And then every 30 mins from here until 2100)
	1015	Kuroshio #7 (And then every hour until 2115)
	~1048	JRF #1180 (Rail-Set Train)
	~1140	JRF #93
	~1620	JRF #1883 (Rail-Set Train)
	~1715	JRF #90
	~1825	JRF #5088
	~2305	JRF #58
	~2315	JRF #50 (Super Rail Cargo M250)

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25Sep/170

Shin-Osaka Webcam – Doctor Yellow!

Here's a webcam north of Shin-Osaka Station with a beautiful view of the tracks between Higashi-Yodogawa Station and Shin-Osaka itself. You also get to see the Shinkansen in the background.

I just happened to be randomly viewing this when I stumbled upon Doctor Yellow!

This would have to be the first time I've ever seen this train moving... Sure, I'm a few thousand kilometres away... but... I'm declaring this a success!

Turns out that this arrival is spot on to the timetable from 2014! I wonder if it'll depart at 1623? I'll update if so.

Update: I previously completely forgot to check at 1623... but I've just caught a return service at 14:14:12 on 11th October 2017:

Here it is again on the 20th of October 2017:

And after quite a hiatus, it's been seen again!

And it didn't continue west... instead turning around and departing east again at 14:28...

Very cool to watch!

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20Jun/170

Aizuwakamatsu Roundhouse

I was just browsing around Aizu on google maps and came across the turntable in the north-west of the main yard. The roundhouse looks great from above [Google Maps Link], but the turntable itself wasn't clear...

What you're seeing above is a DMU being turned on the turntable as the satellite was snapping away. Interesting to know that they took quite a few shots! Here's the same thing from side-on.

And here's my 2009 Aizu album. Looking forward to creating a new one in 2 weeks!

Filed under: JPN No Comments

24Mar/170

Mt Fuji Live View!

So this is actually a Mt Fuji monitoring camera... probably specifically for traffic? But it also has a great view of the Tokaido Main Line between Okitsu Station and Yui Station. The main link is here and the 'close angle' view is here.

The timetable below is based on weekday services between Yui and Okitsu (and return.) I checked the weekends and the timetable seems to be exactly the same? There might be more peak-hour services during the week, so don't be sad if there's a train or two missing on weekends.

Next Trains between Yui and Okitsu (Current time in Shizuoka: )
~??:?? Northbound	~??:?? Southbound
Next Freight Train
~??:?? Northbound	~??:?? Southbound

Here's the actual camera location... or thereabouts. I've guessed it's on one of the buildings under the pin.
Click the map to go to the area on Google Maps.

Passenger Train Timetable

There's no need to write this down here, just browse over to Hyperdia and check out their running sheets. From Okitsu, it's around 3 minutes travel time to the centerpoint of the webcam view. Using the interval timetable here, you can guess when the next passenger train will be. In the other direction, it's about a 2 minute travel time, so use the reverse timetable here to work out the timings.

As for limited express passenger trains, there are the Sunrise Seto/Izumo (~midnight and ~430am) and the Wide-View Fuji services (8-10 services a day). They're all plugged in and you'll get an idea as to when they'll show up in the tables above the video feed.

Freight Train Timetable

Fortunately, there's a lot of freight to see on the tracks. Using the timestamp in the video, hang around to see the following trains! If you have any other data to add to this table, then please tell me in the comment area below.

Sightings... to be incorporated to below.
2017-03-23 - 13:37:15 - Southbound?
2017-03-24 - 08:03:35 - Southbound?
2017-03-28 - 13:37:00 - Southbound?
2017-04-04 - 14:33:05 - Southbound Toyota Long Pass Express... REALLY LATE?
2017-04-13 - 14:19:20 - Northbound? - Early 5094?
2017-04-18 - 13:36:32 - Southbound?

	Shizuoka	~Webcam	From/To	Comments	Sighted
61	0021	0001	Tokyo - Ajikawaguchi	Container No Sundays
1067	2349	0009	Koshigaya - Kudara/Hirano	Container
1069	0049	0029	Niiza - Osaka	Container
1093	0106	0046	Tokyo - Nagoya	Container
51	0114	0054	Tokyo - Ajikawaguchi	M250 Super Rail Cargo No Sundays
65	0120	0100	Tokyo - Kudara/Hirano	Container No Sundays
5057	0126	0106	Kuragano - Fukuoka	Container
7053	0133	0113	Tokyo - Fukuoka	Container
53	0058	0118	Tokyo - Suita	Container No Sundays
69	0147	0127	Tokyo - Kobe	Container No Sundays
1057	0154	0134	Kuragano - Fukuoka	Container No Sundays
55	0158	0138	Tokyo - East Fukuyama	福山レールエクスプレス No Sundays
5081	0204	0144	Sendai - Ajikawaguchi	Container
1051	0208	0148	Tokyo - Fukuoka	Container
1053	0215	0155	Tokyo - Fukuoka	Container
5088	0137	0157	Ajikawaguchi - Sendai	Container
3095	0225	0205	Onahama - Nagoya	Container
1099	0225	0205	Niiza - Nagoya	Container
1059	0230	0210	Utsunomiya - Fukuoka	Container
1098	0202	0222	Nagoya - Sumidagawa	Container No Sundays
2050	0207	0227	Nagoya - Morioka	Container
1080	0222	0242	Osaka - Niiza	Container
5096	0230	0250	Nagoya - Hachinohe	Container
1092	0235	0255	Nagoya - Tokyo	Container
1084	0238	0258	Osaka - Sendai	Container
1066	0248	0308	Osaka - Tokyo	Container
64	0301	0321	Kudara/Hirano - Tokyo	Container No Sundays
1088	0305	0325	Kudara/Hirano - Koshigaya	Container
50	0321	0341	Ajikawaguchi - Tokyo	M250 Super Rail Cargo No Sundays
52	0324	0344	Suita - Tokyo	Container No Sundays
5054	0334	0354	East Mizushima - Tokyo	Container No Sundays
1096	0339	0359	Nagoya - Sapporo	Container
5056	0350	0410	Fukuoka - Kuragano	Container No Sundays
60	0357	0417	Ajikawaguchi - Tokyo	Container No Sat/Pub.Hols
68	0405	0425	Kobe - Tokyo	Container No Sundays
7082	0411	0431	Kudara/Hirano - Tokyo	Container
5082	0415	0435	Ube - Koshigaya	Container
70	0422	0442	Niihama - Tokyo	Container
5091	0459	0445	Sendai - Nagoya	Container	2017-05-15 04:45:25
5062	0428	0448	East Mizushima - Tokyo	Container No Sundays
1055	0504	0449	Tokyo - Fukuoka	ContainerNo Pub.Hols	2017-05-15 04:49:40
3074	0432	0452	Nagoya - Sapporo	Container
66	0453	0513	East Fukuyama - Tokyo	Container
5086	0500	0520	Kudara/Hirano - Sapporo	Container No Sundays
5085	0534	0514	Sendai - Hiroshima	Container	2017-04-28 05:13:05
3071	0553	0533	Sapporo - West Hamamatsu	Container No Mondays
1071	0558	0538	Tokyo - Kagoshima	Container	2017-04-28 05:38:30
5087	0607	0544	North Asahikawa - Kudara/Hirano	Container No Mondays	2017-04-20 05:44:35 2017-04-28 05:44:10 2017-05-16 05:44:32
5071	0635	0622	Sendai - Fukuoka	Container	2017-04-28 06:22:20 2017-05-15 06:23:10 2017-05-16 06:22:20 2017-05-24 06:22:50 2017-05-25 06:23:20
8860	0612	0632	Suita - Koriyama	Other
54	0734	0747	East Fukuyama - Tokyo	福山レールエクスプレス No Sundays	2017-04-07 07:47:30 2017-04-18 08:51:01 2017-04-20 07:48:54 2017-04-21 08:46:46 2017-04-28 07:47:40 2017-05-11 08:48:14 2017-05-16 07:48:48 2017-05-19 07:48:15 2017-05-24 07:46:01 2017-05-25 07:47:00
1097	0903	0848	Sapporo - Nagoya	Container	2017-03-28 08:48:50 2017-03-29 08:49:50 2017-03-31 08:48:45 2017-04-03 08:49:50 2017-04-04 08:47:42 2017-04-06 08:49:31 2017-04-07 08:48:55 2017-04-12 08:49:45 2017-04-18 08:50:01 2017-04-28 08:51:05 2017-05-10 08:49:05 2017-05-11 08:49:20 2017-05-15 08:48:40 2017-05-16 08:49:27 2017-05-19 08:49:15 2017-05-24 08:49:55 2017-05-25 08:49:50
8863	0920	0905	Kawasaki - Shin-Nan-Yo	Other
1068	0907	0921	Shimonoseki - Tokyo	Container	2017-03-28 09:21:00 2017-03-29 09:20:50 2017-04-04 09:20:48 2017-04-05 09:20:25 2017-04-06 09:20:55 2017-04-07 09:21:55 2017-04-12 09:21:55 2017-04-13 09:21:20 2017-04-18 09:22:00 2017-04-27 09:20:45 2017-04-28 09:20:35 2017-05-09 09:20:20 2017-05-10 09:25:55 2017-05-11 09:22:45 2017-05-16 09:21:10 2017-05-19 09:21:45 2017-05-24 09:31:50 2017-05-25 09:20:30
2053	0950	0935	Morioka - Nagoya	Toyota Long Pass Express No Sat/Pub.Hols	2017-03-24 09:35:30 2017-03-28 09:34:45 2017-03-29 09:35:05 2017-03-31 09:35:35 2017-04-05 09:34:45 2017-04-06 09:35:30 2017-04-12 09:35:45 2017-04-13 09:35:33 2017-04-18 09:35:03 2017-04-26 09:35:30 2017-04-27 09:35:00 2017-04-28 09:34:50 2017-05-09 09:35:14 2017-05-10 09:34:38 2017-05-11 09:35:20 2017-05-12 09:35:32 2017-05-16 09:35:20 2017-05-19 09:35:23 2017-05-24 09:35:18 2017-05-25 09:35:05
1060	0923	0938	Hiroshima - Tokyo	Container	2017-03-27 09:38:05 2017-03-28 09:38:14 2017-03-29 09:38:30 2017-03-31 09:37:57 2017-04-03 09:38:25 2017-04-04 09:39:40 2017-04-05 09:38:15 2017-04-06 09:38:00 2017-04-18 09:38:30 2017-04-20 09:38:55 2017-04-21 09:37:38 2017-04-26 09:38:50 2017-04-27 09:38:20 2017-04-28 09:37:55 2017-05-09 09:38:10 2017-05-10 09:39:10 2017-05-11 09:37:39 2017-05-16 09:38:15 2017-05-19 09:39:25 2017-05-24 09:42:55 2017-05-25 09:38:20
8091	1033	1015	Tokyo - North Kyushu	Rail Train	2017-04-18 10:15:30 2017-04-20 10:16:12 2017-04-28 10:15:42 2017-05-11 10:14:50 2017-05-25 10:16:15
5052	1014	1027	Fukuoka - Tokyo	Container No Sundays	2017-03-28 10:29:12 2017-03-29 10:29:00 2017-03-30 10:27:30 2017-04-05 10:27:35 2017-04-06 10:27:16 2017-04-07 10:27:30 2017-04-12 10:28:18 2017-04-13 10:29:40 2017-04-18 10:28:05 2017-04-21 10:26:59 2017-04-28 10:29:45 2017-05-10 10:28:24 2017-05-11 10:28:20 2017-05-16 10:29:50 2015-05-17 10:29:18 2015-05-19 10:28:50 2015-05-24 10:27:40 2015-05-25 10:27:44
5073	1050	1035	Tokyo - Fukuoka	Container	2017-03-27 10:35:00 2017-03-28 10:35:20 2017-03-29 10:34:30 2017-03-30 10:34:50 2017-04-03 10:35:15 2017-04-04 10:34:40 2017-04-05 10:35:01 2017-04-06 10:34:45 2017-04-07 10:34:43 2017-04-12 10:34:33 2017-04-13 10:34:40 2017-04-18 10:34:54 2017-04-19 10:34:45 2017-04-21 10:35:30 2017-05-01 10:35:12 2017-05-10 10:34:38 2017-05-11 10:34:40 2017-05-17 10:34:40 2017-05-19 10:34:54 2017-05-24 10:35:05 2017-05-25 10:35:00
5094	1041	1101	Nagoya - Tokyo	Container
1090	1052	1105	Niihama - Numazu	Container	2017-03-24 11:05:50 2017-03-27 11:05:10 2017-03-28 11:05:45 2017-03-29 11:05:50 2017-03-31 11:05:41 2017-04-10 11:05:50 2017-04-12 11:06:20 2017-04-18 11:05:10 2017-04-19 11:05:38 2017-05-09 11:05:24 2017-05-10 11:05:59 2017-05-11 11:05:56 2017-05-17 11:05:45 2017-05-19 11:05:33 2017-05-24 11:05:20 2017-05-25 11:05:52
8090	1211	1230	North Kyushu - Tokyo	Rail Train
2079	1402	1337	Numazu - Inazawa	Container	2017-05-09 13:37:05 2017-05-10 13:36:37 2017-05-11 13:35:55 2017-05-12 13:36:45 2017-05-15 13:36:50 2017-05-16 13:36:44 2017-05-19 13:37:08 2017-05-24 13:37:10 2017-05-25 13:36:45
8052	1332	1345	Fukuoka - Utsunomiya	Container	2017-03-23 13:45:50 2017-03-24 13:48:20 2017-03-27 13:46:10 2017-03-28 13:46:15 2017-03-29 13:46:10 2017-04-13 13:47:45 2017-04-18 13:47:44 2017-04-19 13:48:20 2017-04-21 13:46:25 2017-04-26 13:46:52 2017-04-27 13:47:40 2017-05-11 13:47:05 2017-05-12 13:48:50 2017-05-15 13:46:25 2017-05-16 13:46:40 2017-05-19 13:46:51 2017-05-24 13:49:38 2015-05-25 13:46:55
2078	1423	1438	Inazawa - Numazu	Container	2017-03-24 14:38:42 2017-03-25 14:38:10 2017-03-27 14:38:20 2017-03-28 14:38:05 2017-04-07 14:38:30 2017-04-10 14:39:10 2017-04-13 14:38:28 2017-04-18 14:38:50 2017-04-19 14:38:50 2017-04-20 14:38:10 2017-04-21 14:38:02 2017-04-27 14:37:38 2017-04-28 14:38:20 2017-05-10 14:38:40 2017-05-11 14:39:05 2017-05-16 14:38:30 2017-05-19 14:38:55 2017-05-24 14:37:42 2017-05-25 14:38:20
5075	1537	1523	Tokyo - Fukuoka	Container	2017-03-28 15:23:19 2017-04-03 15:23:25 2017-04-10 15:23:25 2017-04-12 15:23:50 2017-04-18 15:23:10 2017-05-10 15:23:37 2017-05-11 15:22:55 2017-05-12 15:26:40 2017-05-15 15:23:10 2017-05-19 15:23:07 2017-05-24 15:23:20 2017-05-25 15:23:33
8862	1521	1541	Shin-Nan-Yo - Kawasaki	Other
3075	1611	1556	Sapporo - Nagoya	Container	2017-03-28 15:56:50 2017-04-04 15:56:28 2017-04-07 15:56:31 2017-04-18 15:56:35 2017-04-19 15:57:00 2017-04-21 15:56:30 2017-04-27 15:56:15 2017-05-10 15:56:20 2017-05-11 15:56:53 2017-05-24 15:56:28 2017-05-25 15:56:15
5095	1630	1610	Tokyo - Inazawa	Container	2017-03-24 16:14:00 2017-03-28 16:14:40
2052	1603	1620	Inazawa - Morioka	Toyota Long Pass Express No Sat/Pub.Hols	2017-03-24 16:20:00 2017-03-28 16:20:00
5050	1644	1704	Fukuoka - Tokyo	Container
1070	1653	1713	Kumamoto - Tokyo	Container
1050	1700	1720	Fukuoka - Tokyo	Container	2017-03-24 17:15:00
71	1841	1825	Tokyo - Niihama	Container	2017-03-29 18:25:50 2017-04-01 18:24:20 2017-04-10 18:24:26
1054	1822	1837	Nabeshima - Tokyo	Container	2017-03-29 18:37:25
1072	1835	1850	Hiroshima - Sendai	Container	2017-03-29 18:50:54
1091	1949	1929	Numazu - Fukuoka	Container	2017-03-27 19:38:00
1052	1922	1942	Fukuoka - Koshigaya	Container
5074	1931	1948	North Kyushu - Tokyo	Container	2017-03-24 19:48:00 2017-03-27 19:47:40 2017-04-02 19:48:40
1058	2000	2016	Fukuoka - Utsunomiya	Container	2017-03-28 20:16:10 2017-04-11 20:16:20
5053	2053	2033	Tokyo - Fukuoka	Container No Sundays	2017-03-28 20:39:20
5070	2106	2126	Fukuoka - Sendai	Container	2017-03-28 21:28:22
5058	2131	2145	Okayama - Tokyo	Container	2017-04-11 21:45:30
5055	2230	2210	Tokyo - Fukuoka	Container No Sundays
3070	2235	2255	West Hamamatsu - Sapporo	Container No Sundays
7085	2250	2230	Tokyo - Kudara/Hirano	Container
67	2321	2301	Tokyo - East Fukuyama	Container
5061	2328	2308	Chiba - Hiroshima	Container
1085	2333	2313	Sendai - Osaka	Container
8053	2255	2315	Utsunomiya - Hiroshima	Container
1089	2345	2325	Tokyo - Osaka	Container
5090	2313	2333	Nagoya - Sendai	Container
2051	2317	2337	Morioka - Nagoya	Container No Sat/Sun
1061	0013	2353	Tokyo - Hiroshima	Container

I hope I copied the above correctly!

Filed under: JPN No Comments

19Dec/160

Narita, Tokyo – November 2016

Thanks to Jetstar, I've been frequenting Narita International Airport lately as there is a great Melbourne to Tokyo direct flight on the Dreamliner 787. Sure, it's Jetstar, so you know what you're getting, but the red-eye timing is great on the way there and it's also not too early in the morning on the way back. Unfortunately, it seems that Qantas has seen how lucrative this leg is and will take it back early in the new year?

Getting to and from Narita Airport quickly means taking either take the JR East N'EX or Keisei Skyliner. On the way, other small towns flick by in the windows... these Limited Express trains don't bother stopping when it's not convenient.

Thanks again to Jetstar, we suffered a huge delay when returning to Melbourne. Well, actually, it wasn't Jetstar's fault. Melbourne Airport received a bad batch of aviation fuel and any plane loaded with it had to dump its tanks. Other planes waiting for fuel had nowhere to go and no fuel to receive.

Due to this, our operating aircraft was delayed. I received an email at midnight (before a midday flight the next day) telling me that my 12:50 would leave at 14:45. That's awesome when you're in Tokyo, as there's no end of stuff to do. Unfortunately, the email did not mention what time check-in was. Since the plane was suffering a 2+ hour delay, could I go to the check-in 2+ hours later? This was non-refundable-cargo-hold-style Jetstar and so I wasn't going to take that risk. I made it to the check-in desk at 10am for my 14:45 flight and the attendant happily checked in my obese bag! (Famicom + Games, MSX + Games, Model Trains, Pla-Rail, etc)

Now, thanks to Jetstar being an LCC, I was in Terminal 3 in Narita Airport with not much to do. I really like the terminal; the 'running track' is great to get people into the orderly fashion of Japan straight away and the food court is nice. But ... once through security (and they even warn you with signs stating so) there is nothing do to but sit in massage chairs.

It was 1030, the flight wasn't boarding until 1420. That was ... nearly 4 hours! Let's check out the closest town.

Narita

Yes, there is actually a town called Narita. It's located just south-west of the airport and isn't huge. The limited express trains of both companies (they have individual stations) often don't stop here. Therefore I jumped on the next Keisei local train (I no longer had a JR Pass and I wanted to test the competition) and travelled one stop.

So far, 15 minute walk to the station from Terminal 3, 2 minute ticket purchase, 5 minute wait and then 10 minute transit. We're here! McDonald's is out the front of the Keisei Narita Station. I had my last binge on delicious Japanese-style western food.

A quick walk north-east along the Keisei route saw a vista of a sweeping curve, but the elevation to take a shot from the road was too low. I intruded on a building's fire-escape and was quickly asked to move on.

It seems that, although it's a small town, I'm not the first Gaijin here and other intruders have done the same thing. If so, I'm not surprised; it would've been perfect to have the Skyliner bolting in with the sun where it was.

JR Narita Station

Oh well, time to check out JR. Wandering along any road north-west from Keisei will get you to the JR Narita Station. It's a lot larger and has a nice yard to the south. The N'EX trains come through frequently, but I was never in the right place at the right time.

There's a viewing deck on the far side, near the bicycle parking. After this, I circumnavigated the yard to the south-west. At the time, this seemed like a great idea. I was wrong though... it's a LONG walk and it was already hot with the sun in your face most of the way. The road also doesn't provide any vantage point to the railway below. Once you get to the south-eastern side of the tracks, you're then too elevated to get a good shot without catenary. It was still nice to check out the sleepy town though!

Keisei Narita Station

After dawdling further around, you'll start intercepting level crossings for Keisei. This doesn't happen with JR, as their tracks are all grade-separated. From the south-west, where the companies rails cross (oh crap... if I'd looked at a map then I would've gone down to check out this over/under!) you can walk up the main road between both companies. You get a good view of Keisei to the right and the odd view of JR between buildings.

Further down the road, on the right, you'll hit some level crossings.

And then... if you hang for longer than 20-or-so minutes, you're bound to see the one we're all waiting for.

Now that I look back; waiting down at the area where JR passes over Keisei, regardless of the incorrect morning light, would've been a great opportunity. Oh well.. gives me something to go back for!

From here, it was a quick local trip back to the airport for a second and then third lunch.

Is it just me or does Keisei have an Amtrak feel to their livery?

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16Dec/160

N3331 Bar and Cafe, Tokyo

N3331 Bar and Cafe is located inside the mAAch ecute building in Ochanomizu, Tokyo. This is actually the old Manseibashi Train Station on the Chuo Line between Ochanomizu and Kanda Stations. Unfortunately, trains no longer stop here, so you'll need to walk from either of the stations mentioned above. You can also get here from Akihabara or the Tokyo Metro Kanda Subway Station, Shin-Ochanomizu Subway Station or Awajicho Subway Station.

Update: This is now known as Platnium Fish Cafe!

The cafe actually populates the entire width of a short section of the original station platform and is therefore located right between the rails. You'll get to see a variety of local, express and limited express trains from your table.

Note, it is required that you place an order prior to entering the cafe. I assume that the proprietor gets a lot of seat-warmers, rather than patrons and therefore at least wants a small amount of custom from each guest. The Kirin lager is delicious!

You'll also be vying for position. As you can tell, the best table is up the end where the tecchan were recording the movements. Unfortunately they therefore were my subjects as well as the trains :)

Sun sets early in Winter and the beer glasses were empty; so it was off to Akihabara for one last shopping expedition. Exiting the building proves how nice the renovations are.

A short walk and you're back in the thick of it!

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16Dec/160

Tokyo, Japan – November 2016

After a lovely t-shirt-and-shorts-weather 25 degrees in Miyazaki, it was colder in Osaka. A few days later we arrived in Tokyo to a pleasant day, somewhat similar to Osaka weather.

After failing to correctly find a good location in the Urawa area last time, I had decided this time it was time to venture onto the Musashino Line and check out the freight as they branch down from the north.

Nishi-Urawa Station

This station is located to the west of Musashi-Urawa station and forms the left leg of the triangle with the Tohoku Line. Because of this, any freight that wants to head west uses this line to bypass the city. I arrived there on a really nice pre-winter afternoon and the setting sun provided a very surreal glow on all trains approaching from the east.

You can tell you're in the right place when there's already a row of fans blocking your first shot :)

I saw one express passenger train, but it wasn't until now that I realised it was a school excursion! The kanji is 修学旅行.

Next up was an EMU transfer. Totally fluked it.

Back to Minamisenju

I'd stayed in hostels here before, but this time I chose AirBNB. The apartment was in Arakawa-ku and had an amazing view of the Joban line, right after the freight line joined from the Sumidagawa Yard.

There was a constant barrage of passenger trains, including express trains.

And then the odd freight train!

Having a beer on the balcony provided a perfect end to a fun day. The weather was getting eerily cool though.

First Tokyo November Snow in 54 Years?

WTF... it was freezing. What was happening... the sunset was amazing the evening before... where'd the heat go?

Hahaha... that is ACTUALLY snow. And the flakes are huge. It's even settled around the neighbourhood already!

Venturing out into it saw that the trains were actually struggling. Quite a few delays and a few track faults? I always laugh when Melbourne fails in the heat but never expected Japan to be caught unawares.

Back to Nishi-Urawa, the long way...

As that I was staying right next to Minamisenju Station, and knowing that freight traversed the Musashino Line, a direct path was cut to the closest Musashino Station. This happened to be Shin-Koshigaya Station on the Tobu SkyTree Line. Initially a local train was taken, but a transfer to an express occurred halfway down the line when the delays meant that the local would take a lot longer than expected.

The snow was simply beautiful and not getting any lighter. It was actually making it pretty hard to focus on the trains over the large flakes!

At Shin-Koshigaya Station, lunch was had at Matsuya. Once thawed out, we entered JR Minami-Koshigaya Station and departed for Nishi-Urawa once more.

Even in the snow, there were still avid fans taking photos.

This shot was nearly totally blocked by the EMU. My fellow photo taker got a little excited!

An umbrella would've been a really great idea... keeping snow off the lens was a challenge.

From there it was off to Akihabara...

Night Time in Minamisenju

Japan is always picturesque at night, so we went for an urban crawl photographing the scenes whilst trying not to freak out the locals.

That last shot is a bit of cool street art depicting the Arakawa Street Car line that has a terminus just around the corner.

Freight at Mikawashima Station

The next day was back to brisk but sunny weather, so we checked out the area to the west of the apartment.

The freight line drops away from the Joban Line at Mikawashima Station and there are a few level crossings to be taken advantage of. Unfortunately, the lighting in the morning isn't good for west-bound trains.

Arakawa Toden Line

This is a small tram line running in the inner-north of Tokyo. It's all single-car EMUs and runs light rail at the east end.

Most of my photos are in the shade as the line runs between tall buildings most of the time. I recommend checking it out later in the day!

Last day in Minamisenju

A final shot from the balcony in the late-morning sun provided great lighting!

The one location I haven't mentioned yet is the Sumidagawa Freight Yard which was just east of where I was staying. I've been here before a few times and have never been disappointed. There's always something being shunted, as well as services departing and arriving. This time they have a new hybrid shunter!

And that was a wrap.. I'll post two more articles on Tokyo. We stopped through the N3331 Cafe in Ochanomizu and also ventured into Narita town itself as Jetstar delayed our flight!

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12Dec/160

Osaka, Japan – November 2016

From Shimonoseki, a Hikari was taken to Osaka. Staying in the Shin-Osaka area meant for a bit of urban exploring around the Yodogawa precinct.

Higashi-Yodogawa Station

This is the first station to the north of Shin-Osaka station. It's only for local trains, so most pass. There's a level crossing right next to the station and the gates are down more often than not. It's the Kyoto/Tokaido Line, so you'll see a good selection of both freight and express passenger trains. There's also a recycle shop on the 'west' side of the level crossing where I happened to buy my Famicom from!

Hankyu Depot, Kishibe

From Higashi-Yodogawa Station, you can take a local towards Kyoto and find yourself at Kishibe Station. From here, it's a short walk along the Tokaido line to see the Hankyu yards. It's a large complex and there were some interesting sights!: carriages being completely overhauled, works trains being formed and consists being stored/started in all roads. The closest Hankyu station is Shojaku.

Closer around to Shojaku is the running line to Kyoto.. meaning it is very busy.

Meanwhile, don't forget to keep an eye on the Tokaido line. You're right near Suita yard at this point and there's always something happening.

I returned to Kishibe and then took a quick trip to Takatsuki. There was a recycle shop there that I'd been too years back. It has a GREAT selection of railway stock, but also famicom games. I actually found A-Train for 500yen! From Takatsuki, I took the Hankyu line to Awaji.

I do love the green velour of those Hankyu consists!

Awaji Station

This area is being set up for a huge overhaul. Looks like everything is about to be elevated and they're building some huge concrete towers which, after being joined and completed, will form the base for the elevated line.

The trek to the bridge is pretty straightforward. In past trips, I've used wifi dongles, but this time we all got international data sims and they work a treat. Sure, no calls or sms (so when my credit card got skimmed I had to switch the sim card back), but the data is brilliant. Following google maps made sure that I didn't get lost!

Along the way you could see the work being done on the "East Osaka Line" from Suita. They're busy double-tracking all the bridges and making a wye at the Suita end so that trains can come from Shin-Osaka and turn right.

Yodogawa Bridge

This area has changed as well. The bridge itself used to be single track (on the right) with a pedestrian path on the left. Not so anymore...

So they've actually ripped up the pedestrian path, layed the new track, connected it and then re-laid the track on the right.

They still have quite a bit of tracklaying to go before the whole lot is connected. Supposedly it's taking a long time as they've had to re-acquire land that has been 'squatted' on. There's a few buildings that owners have illegally built into the old corridor!

I'd timed the trip to co-incide with a freight service. Usually I'd hang around for an hour waiting... but I had a friend with me and there was no need to waste their time also! We started walking in the direction of a final recycle shop for the day until I heard the bloody level crossing activate!

I do love an EF-510. First time I've seen one on this line! We continued to the recycle shop ... but on the way, found something a little more interesting!

This poor old DF50-4 has been stuffed, mounted and forgotten. I was never expecting to find this locomotive; I knew that there was an EH10 in the area, but not this DF50. I actually forgot to track down the EH10, so it was a pleasant surprise to find this locomotive!

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9Dec/160

Getting from Kyoto to Otsu the long way…

I love Kyoto. I'd be happy to write a post that only said that. Usually when I'm in Kyoto, I'll either be found at the Railway Museum (actually, it's been twice now and I haven't visited it since it has been renovated!) or up at Mt. Kurama via the Eiden (Railway). This time, I was on the Eiden, but I veered right.

Demachiyanagi Station to Mount Hiei

Hiei-zan is the mountain range to the north-east of Kyoto and forms a dividing range between it and Otsu. As with all mountains in the Kyoto area, Hiei-zan has multiple shrines, multiple temples and multiple transport methods for conquering it. Fortunately, one of those is the famous Eizan Dentetsu (shortened to Eiden) which starts at Demachiyanagi station and ventures to the base of the mountain. Of course, Eiden also heads of north-west towards Mt Kurama and I recommend this trip too.

Anyway, back to tackling Mt. Hiei. Our journey starts at Demachiyanagi Station. We got here from Temmabashi in Osaka via Keihan which has a subway station right across the road.

The trip to the base of Hiei-zan is quick and you'll end up at Yasehieizanguchi station in around 20 minutes. The track splits at Takaragaike; left takes you off to Mt Kurama and right to Mt Hiei. Make sure you turn right :)

The garden around the station is also picturesque! Autumn was a great time to come. Turns out I was there a week before the snow.

The autumn colours were so very different from the colours experienced in Nichinan a few days earlier!

Hiei-zan Cablecar

After hopping off the train, we're off to the cable car. This is a standard vertical mountain climber, like the peak tram in Hong Kong. It passes the opposing car half way and offers amazing views the whole way!

There's enough seats, but I'd recommend getting up as high as possible. It'll give you a better view out the front.

The view out the side isn't bad either!

At the top, the attendants will politely ask you all to get off as quickly as possible... please follow their instructions and do this!

Hiei-zan Ropeway

Are we at the top yet? Not quite. There's one more mode of transport to go! Let's just take in that view first.

That's north-east Kyoto in the left of that picture above. The loop hanging in the foreground is a target. Buy some rocks for 100yen and throw them. Make a wish and it'll come true if your lobbed rocks make it through the middle. Anyway, back to the mountain climbing.

Welcome to the Ropeway! This is a suspended cabin that'll take you to the very top of the mountain.

You've made it! You're at the top of the mountain! How crisp is that air? It's now a short walk to the bus stop... so enjoy the scenery. Don't worry about the main building of the ropeway machinery, it's perfectly structurally sound.

Follow the signs and you'll end up at a bus-stop/carpark/kiosk/garden-museum.

If you head right once you're at the carpark, you'll find the toilet and a great view of Otsu city.

Heading then to the other side of the kiosk, you'll see a nice view of Lake Biwako to the north.

Follow the bus timetable and work out when the next one is. They're about 30mins apart. If you have time, grab a frankfurt with sauce from the kiosk. Yum!

Notice that set of white lines on the right of the image above? That's actually where you are meant to line up! We followed the tourists in front and lined up in the wrong spot! Either way, the bus is uneventful and you're going to want to get off at the first stop.

Sakamoto Cable Car

From here, there's only one mode of transport down. You'll hear it a few times, but it's only one method because it's the longest cable car in Japan. There's even tunnels! Before that though, there's a 20min walk to get to the station. Check out Enrakuji while you're up here!

Jump into the station and buy a ticket... but don't forget to check out the surrounds!

There's a cool display on the second floor of the station. The stairs up are inside.

Check out the times and line up prior to departure, you'll want a good seat!

The view down is fantastic and mainly out the left. There are a few bits to the right too though.

The last picture above is of the road through to JR Hiei-zan Sakamoto Station. After exiting the station, turn left and follow the road. It'll curve right and then head straight down towards Lake Biwako. The station is about 20mins down the road. (So are a few good places for lunch!)

JR Hiei-zan Sakamoto Station

This is a suburban raised station along the lake, north of Otsu. It's appropriately named as it is the closest JR station to the Sakamoto Cable Car. Some freight trains come through here, but most travel down the other side of Lake Biwako. The JR West Thunderbird express runs through this station.