Japan Trip - March / April 2018

Holly and I took a trip to Japan. We saw a lot of cherry blossoms and train museums. We both really enjoyed the trip and want to go back at some point.

These photos have been white balanced, though no additional editing was done. This will contrast greatly with the photos from our Israel (2016) trip.

This post is a list of links to the photos themselves.

Below are links to the images broken up by date:
March 26, 2018:
Boston Logan International Airport – American Airlines Admirals Club B30-B36

Japan Airlines Flight 8

On our return trip from Japan we flew in a Japan Airlines Boeing 787-9 in business class (a more thorough review, not by me, can be found here). This is a 2+2+2 configuration. All seats have aisle access. The window seat really offers a ton of privacy. In terms of seat material and comfort I did not like this as much as our American Airlines 777-200 business class, but I think the food was better, and the privacy was better, especially for the window seat.

Narita International Airport - Terminal 2

On our way out of Japan we returned to Narita International Airport, Terminal 2. The initial check-in hall is large. I probably would have liked it if it had more natural light. Also, check-in was okay, but not great, and that was as a business class passenger.

Narita Express (N'EX)

We rode the Narita Express (N'EX) from JR Tokyo Station to Narita International Airport. This time we were in the Green Car, which had slightly fancier seats. This is a E259 Series train. It runs on the regular tracks which are narrower than the Shinkansen and not quite as fast or smooth. But we saw some nice bridges.

Tokyo - JR Tokyo Station

We paid our final two visits to JR Tokyo Station. Admittedly I took a lot of pictures here. Before we did the Ueno trip we had done our scotch shopping (brought some scotches home for family members) in a store in an underground mall connected to JR Tokyo Station.

Tokyo - JR Ueno Station

We got off at JR Ueno Station and caught the next Shinkansen back to JR Tokyo Staion, this was a very short excursion and one of our final uses of our Japan Rail Pass.

Joetsu Shinkansen

We rode the Joetsu Shinkansen on a Toki MAX (E4 Series) which is a bi-level Shinkansen. We only rode one station from JR Tokyo Station to JR Ueno Station.We visited both the bottom and top of the car. On these trains the top is regular seating and the bottom is the reserved seating. There are also Green Car seats on the top in other sections.

Tokyo - JR Tokyo Station

On our last day in Tokyo we decided to do some scotch shopping and ride some random Shinkansen trains. We got on a bi-level Shinkansen. There were lots of pretty trains at the station.

Tokyo - MariCar (Video)

We took a MariCar tour while we were in Tokyo. We rented one of their action cams and had some footage. Due to the camera being head mounted and the go karts having no suspension the footage can be shaky at times. Footage at 2x original speed (otherwise this would be even longer). Please forgive those issues.

My second time editing a video...

Tokyo - MariCar

We took a MariCar tour of Tokyo. It was a lot of fun. It also felt very exposed and you are in traffic. I think we got up to around 70 or 80 km/h flat out on a down hill. You can also catch some air and they will drift.
They are street legal and have lights and turn signals and so on. The costumes keep your clothes clean and keep you a bit warmer.
The down sides... They are obnoxiously loud and ostentatious, arguably one of the most disruptive things you will see and can do. They offer you a face mask. Take it. Breathing the exhaust from these was pretty terrible.
These pictures were taken by our guide.

Tokyo - Tsukiji Fish Market

We walked through the Tsukiji Fish Market outer market and had probably  the best sushi we have ever had. We then walked through the inner market some. It very much smelled of fish and some crews were cleaning up. Some of the stall people did not want their pictures taken. I did not take pictures of the outer market.

Tokyo - Nissan Crossing

On our walk to the Tsukiji Fish Market we walked through Nissan Crossing. One of the displays there included the Nissan Vision GT.

Sobu Line

We took the Sobu Line back from JR Chiba Station to JR Tokyo Station. We were in a two level Green Car on a E217 Series train. These are frequently used for suburban transit. Not quite as fancy or comfortable as Shinkansen Green Cars but still nicer than the normal seating area.

Chiba - JR Chiba Station

We got dinner at JR Chiba station. In our process of looking for which restaurant we wanted to eat at we found a really interesting escalator with two stair sections and a flat section in the middle.

Chiba - Chishirodai Station

We took the Chiba Urban Monorail to its Chishirodai Station terminus which was seemingly in a predominantly residential neighborhood with a small mall. We went through the grocery store of this mall and really found the selection quite interesting. We also took the opportunity to take more photos of the trains themselves and the tracks.

Chiba Urban Monorail

I really wanted to ride on the Chiba Urban Monorail, a suspended monorail. It is very interesting riding in a train where you are sailing over the traffic below you. We enjoyed the experience. Granted, it does not go all that fast and can be a bit wobbly at times, but I am really happy we road on it. There are not many of these operational in the world.

Chiba - JR Chiba Station

We took a trip on the Subo Line to Chiba from Tokyo. We wanted to see the suspended monorail. One of the things that was awesome was that the bathrooms in the station had rooms for handicap access as well as a nursery for mothers in need of nursing facilities. It would be really cool if more US public facilities were so accommodating.

Tokyo - Mitsui Garden Kyobashi Hotel

The Mitsui Garden Kyobashi Hotel was our last hotel in Japan. It was also on of the nicest and perhaps our largest room. I think they also upgraded our room.

Mt. Fuji from Hikari Shinkansen

We took the Hikari Shinkansen (series N700) in a Green Car from Osaka to Tokyo. We got to see Mt. Fuji from the train car. Mt. Fuji was rather off in the distance and covered in clouds.

Osaka - Dotonbori

Upon returning to Osaka from Hiroshima we decided to visit the Dotonbori. We saw some interesting things as well as accidentally found a restaurant to eat fugu (the poisonous puffer fish) at.

Sakura Shinkansen

We then traveled back from Hiroshima to Osaka. We took a reserved Sakura Shinkansen in the Green Car (series N700). The seating was nicer. We reserved the trip back early because of our concern with seat availability heading out. The seating was very limited. But we probably would have liked more time in Hiroshima.

Hiroshima - Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

We continued walking through the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (which I did not take pictures in). I would recommend paying the museum a visit and reading through the exhibits as well as using the audio guide. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and Yad Vashem are two of the most sobering testaments of what humans are capable of doing to one another that I have visited.

Hiroshima - Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome), World Heritage Site

First we visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome), World Heritage Site. The Genbaku Dome "survived" the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. It is an extremely sobering building. The building has supports built into it to keep it standing and to preserve it as a memorial.

Hiroshima - JR Hiroshima Station

We arrived in JR Hiroshima Station and then road the Hiroshima Electric Railway to get to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. The JR Hiroshima Station was under construction.

Sakura Shinkansen

We took the Sakura Shinkansen from JR Shin-Osaka Station to JR Hiroshima Station. These trains were very busy. We could not get a Green Car reservation for the Sakura Shinkansen but we were able to get a Reserved Ordinary Class (series N700). The Reserved Ordinary Class in the Sakura Shinkansen is similar to a Green Car but is not quite as fancy.

Osaka - remm Shin-Osaka Hotel

In Osaka we spent two nights at the remm Shin-Osaka Hotel. This hotel's entrance was located in the JR Shin-Osaka Station, quite similar to the Nagoya JR Gate Tower Hotel in terms of station convenience, though without the spectacular view. In terms of this station it appeared a lot more to focus on styling over function, especially in terms of functional counter space.

Osaka - Osaka Museum of Housing and Living

We next went to Osaka and were looking for something to do. We found the Osaka Museum of Housing and Living and took a few trains to get there. It is a museum that is meant to show you what old Osaka was like. Also, interestingly, it occupies the top two floors of a nine story building.

Himeji - Kokoen Gardens

After Himeji Castle we went to the Kokoen Gardens next door. At this point it was raining very heavily. It was also very pretty, but I did not take as many photos as I may have because of not wanting to risk the water with the camera.

Himeji - Himeji Castle

Since our Akashi Kaikyo Bridge got weathered out we decided to pay a visit to Himeji Castle a day early. We rode a shinkansen there. Himeji Castle is fantastic though it was rather wet.

Kobe - Akashi Kaikyo Bridge

We were planning on going on a tour of the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. It was supposed to include going up the support towers and walking down the maintenance walkways. Unfortunately due to the weather we were not able to go on the tour, the tour was cancelled (payment is made day of because of this, so we were not charged). So no tour for us.

Osaka - JR Shin-Osaka Station

While we were JR Shin-Osaka Station I took some pictures at night. Admittedly I really like the white shinkansen at night.

Thunderbird

We took the train from JR Kyoto Station to JR Shin-Osaka Station. We took a non-shinkansen train, the Thunderbird, which is a series 683-4000 in its Green Car. As compared to the shinkansens this is a narrow gauge train (as our all non-shinkansen) and the cars are therefore narrower than in the shinkansen.

Kyoto - JR Kyoto Station

After walking back from the Kyoto Train Museum to the JR Kyoto Station we decided to take a train to Osaka for fun. First we walked around the platforms of the station some.

Kyoto - Kyoto Train Museum

After heading back to JR Kyoto Station from Fushimi Inari Taisha we took a walk to the Kyoto Train Museum. On our way to the museum we walked through the Umekoji Park and saw these old street cars.

Kyoto - Fushimi Inari Taisha

We went to the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine. The primary shrine at the base of the mountain is  Fushimi Inari Taisha. There are shrines up and down the mountain along with many many torii (Japanese gates). Holly and I would recommend arriving early before the large crowds.

Kyoto - JR Kyoto Station

JR Kyoto Station the next morning we took a local train to Mount Inari and the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine. We rode a 103 Series, likely some of the older rolling stock we rode on our trip.

Kyoto - JR Kyoto Station

The JR Kyoto Station was quite interesting. It had a lot of shopping, restaurants, and so on. It also was a meeting and public gathering place for many people. It also has some sections that are nice promenades as well as parks. There are also offices and hotels. After long days of walking, hiking, and sightseeing we really enjoyed exploring the station.

Kyoto - Togetsukyo Bridge (and Surrounding Area)

Next we visited the Togetsukyo Bridge and its surrounding area. The entire area is rather picturesque, but also has a lot of foot and vehicle traffic.

Kyoto - Saga Kameno-o-cho

From Arashiyama Park  we walked along the Saga Kameno-o-cho area. There were very nice views of the river as well as some eateries along the way.

Kyoto - Arashiyama Park and Observation Point

The Arashiyama Bamboo Path led us to Arashiyama Park which had an observation point of the valley and mountains. There was also a nice set of stairs and a path we decided to go down.

Kyoto - Arashiyama Bamboo Path

From the Tenryu-ji Temple Garden we got back on the Arashiyama Bamboo Path so that we could finish walking the path.

Kyoto - Tenryu-ji Temple Garden

On our walk through the Arashiyama Bamboo Path we took a break to go through the Tenryu-ji Temple Garden. Lots of flowers, blossoming trees, and so on.

Kyoto - Arashiyama Bamboo Path

Our first touristy stop in Kyoto was the Arashiyama Bamboo Path in the Arashiyama district of Kyoto. The photos online that show this path empty had to have been taken at a different time of year or very early in the morning. It was rather packed when we were there. Also, this is not just a preserve but an actively harvested bamboo grove.

Kyoto - Saga Arashiyama Station

On our first day in Kyoto we went to the Ukyō-ku ward. We left JR Kyoto Station and went to Saga Arashiyama Station.

Kyoto - Ibis Styles Kyoto Station

In Kyoto we stayed in the Ibis Styles Kyoto Station hotel. While it was very close to the JR Kyoto Station there were hotels within the track layout which would have given us views similar to those in Nagoya. The hotel room was medium sized for Japan and small by US standards. The hotel included a respectable breakfast buffet each morning.

Kyoto - JR Kyoto Station

We arrived at JR Kyoto Station and took our first pictures of the platforms in the evening. There are lots of restaurants in this train station and our hotel was just across the street from one of the main entrances.

Kodama Shinkansen

We took the Kodama Shinkansen from JR Nagoya Station to JR Kyoto Station. It was not a very long trip. We were in a N700 series Green Car.

Nagoya - JR Nagoya Station

After the Toyota Automobile Museum we returned to the Nagoya JR Gate Tower Hotel, picked up the bags we left there, and made our final trip to the JR Nagoya Station.

Nagakute - Toyota Automobile Museum

We visited the Toyota Automobile Museum. While going through the museum I took pictures of the placards for the cars so that I would know what we were viewing. There were a lot of cars and I photographed them all. We had an audio tour and it was wonderful but also long.

 

Nagakute - Geidai-dori Station

We took the Limino line from its terminus in Nagoya to the Geidai-dori Station in Nagakute so that we could visit the Toyota Automobile Museum. When we were planning this trip we were going to skip this maglev line because it did not appear to be fast enough or close enough to something else we wanted to see. Turns out it was the main conveyance to a museum we wanted to see. So, we accidentally ended up on this maglev line.

Limino Line

We had to ride a ways from JR Nagoya Station and then on the Limino Line (formally known as the Aichi High-Speed Transit Tobu Kyuryo Line). Initially I thought this was a very smooth rubber-tired people mover. But, looking at the tracks / guide way and feeling how it accelerated we thought it may be something else. This is in fact one of the two revenue service magnetic levitation trains in service in the world.

Nagoya - Nagoya JR Towers

The Nagoya JR Gate Tower Hotel and the JR Nagoya Station are located in the Nagoya JR Towers. The towers are very close to a vertically integrated city. There are multiple hotels, it seemed like child education facilities, parking, a mall, some medical facilities, office space, two floors of restaurants, and a large train station. It is really quite an interesting building.