ShareI was shooting pictures on the bridge at Uguisudani in Tokyo and snagged some nice shots of a yellow E653 set used for the Fresh Hitachi service on the JR Joban Line. The cool thing about the Joban Line is that it is dual voltage with 1500V DC in the Tokyo area and 20,000V AC [...]
Archive for category Transportation
Underground at Ueno-Hirokoji Station
Feb 10
200 viewsSharePeople frequently ask me about navigating the trains and subways in Tokyo. It can be a daunting task. The important thing to do is to prepare properly. First, you should know the area you are interested in, you should know which train or subway lines are in the area and what the [...]
Delay on JR
Feb 10
222 viewsShareDay 10 Post
Note: This is from a series of trip reports from my January 2010 Tokyo Trip. They are random musings about whatever seems interesting for that day.
I was headed to Yokohama on day 10 to visit a friend. The following message popped up on the display. Chuo Line “Delay” due to “clearing [...]
South Entrance/Exit at JR Shinjuku Station
Feb 1
692 viewsShareThis post is about the south entrance/exit at JR Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. This is the entrance sometimes referred to as “Lumine 2″
This is looking directly east with your back facing the station. The bridge on the right side is Koshu Kaido. The exact location of these first two shots is here.
This [...]
Katsuretsu-an Tonkatsu in Yokohama
Jan 21
335 viewsShareDay 3 Post
Note: This is from a series of trip reports from my January 2010 Tokyo Trip. They are random musings about whatever seems interesting for that day.
This may be my favorite restaurant in the world. Good, competent tonkatsu (pork cutlet) in Yokohama. Anyone from Yokohama knows about this restaurant. It’s been [...]
JAL 001
Jan 15
215 viewsShareDay 0 Post
Note: This is from a series of trip reports from my January 2010 Tokyo Trip. They are random musings about whatever seems interesting for that day.
Flying to Japan from California takes a long time. In this case it was about 12 hours due to delays and circling the airport in Japan for awhile [...]
JR West Hikari Railstar Service
Jun 29
415 viewsShareJR West Hikari Railstar trains do not have green cars. But, the reserved coaches are quite comfortable a step up from other JR Shinkansen coach seating. Additionally, non-reserved coach seating on Railstar trains is old and cramped so be sure to always get a reserved seat when using the Railstar.
JAL Safety Promotion Center
Jun 17
455 viewsShareJAL operates their Safety Promotion Center near Haneda Airport. It is a solemn place, open to the public and by reservation only. Photographs are prohibited but JAL maintains a webpage with some photos of what’s inside.
Japan Customs Warnings
Jun 17
435 viewsShareThe departure area at Narita airport has a nice display of contraband. Genuine and counterfeit articles are displayed, prohibited items are also displayed.
JAL Executive Class Dinner (->USA)
Jun 14
403 viewsShareThe Japanese dinner offered in JAL Executive Class on flights leaving Japan is pretty good. I starts out with eight courses of very delicious dishes followed up by an entree with rice and miso soup.
JR Sakura Lounge Shower at Narita
Jun 14
896 viewsShareThe Sakura Lounge at Narita is quite vast and well-stocked. They have first-class shower facilities which are available on a first-come-first-served basis. If I’m not flying business class I use the day room facilities to take a shower prior to boarding but the facilities in the Sakura Lounge are second-to-none.
JR Tickets at Narita Terminal 2
Jun 11
724 viewsShareYou can buy JR (or Keisei) tickets in the arrivals lobby or go down one level to the platforms and use the JR Travel Center (first picture) or the ticket window (second picture).
Mt. Fuji Pictures at 270 km/h
Jun 9
428 viewsShareI was heading to Osaka in January 2009 on a beautiful clear day and took these pictures of Mt. Fuji. It was truly fortunate to be traveling on such a clear day.
Formula One Car at Toyota Amlux
Jun 2
136 viewsShareI reserved a separate blog entry and gallery for the Formula One Car at Amlux in 2009. It is a work of art, a masterpiece of engineering. Here is the gallery.
Aizu-Wakamatsu Webcam
Jun 1
1,040 viewsShareThe webcam located at JR Aizu-Wakamatsu Station is probably one of the most impressive examples of the Internet technology known as streaming video. I had a spare morning and one last day on my JR Pass so I decided to go check out this camera. My photos are in my gallery now.
Tetsudo Hakubutsukan (Saitama Railroad Museum)
Jun 1
179 viewsShareI visited the Saitama Tetsudo Hakubutsukan in January. It is a fantastic place for anyone who likes trains. I recommend going on a weekday because it gets very crowded on weekends.
Homes in Koyasu
May 30
189 viewsShareThese pictures are from an old article I posted on the original sotobori.com website. These homes are sandwiched between the Keikyu and JR tracks in Koyasu.
Homes Under Keio Line Tracks
May 29
205 viewsShareThere are some homes adjacent to Keio Takao Station that are built directly under the Keio Line railroad tracks. These homes absorb quite a bit or rumble and shaking when a train passes overhead. This is a truly stunning example of how precious land can be in Tokyo.
Women Only Train Cars
May 28
173 viewsShareA friend of mine asked me the other day about Women Only cars on trains in Japan. He found it to be quite unbelievable and surprising given his preconceived notions of the behavior of Japanese people. I told him I would dig up some pictures to show him. These are from the Tokyo-bound Chuo Line [...]
Narita Airport Train or Limo Bus? – The Great Debate
May 27
576 viewsShareIn the Tokyo TripAdvisor forums there is a great amount of debate on both sides of this issue. The pros and cons of each method are relevant and sometimes even profound. I’ll try to discuss them here and let you decide which one is best for your particular requirements.
Disclaimer: in Japan, the author prefers using [...]