Shigaraki Kogen Railway

Shigaraki Station 信楽駅

One of the nice things about Japan is that there is always something to explore. Someplace to go. I love flipping through Mapple's railway maps of Japan. Extremely useful for any train journey throughout Japan--even if your command of the Japanese language might not be as good as you wish it was. Flipping through the pages of the Kansai edition, I found a third sector railway line that I hadn't ridden yet.

Third sector lines like the closed Miki Railway or its neighbor the Hojo Railway are former JR lines that were slated for closure after the split up and privatization of Japan National Railways in the late 1980's. Like the two lines mentioned above municipalities ended up buying and running the lines instead of letting them die. Some like Miki Railway have eventually proven to be too much of a drain on the local coffers and ended up closing.

The Shigaraki Kogen Railway or KTR has stayed in operation since being jointly bought by the city and prefecture in which it runs. Thankfully KTR allows access to a touristy area based around the local pottery industry adding to its ridership.

Looking down the line to Shigaraki from near Kibukawa Station

I rode up the short 14km length of the KTR's one line on a cold snowy winter's day. The cold desolate landscape reminded me somewhat of eastern Montana. I enjoyed watching at the small, almost inconceivable, stations pass by along this one-man line.

Matching the areas fame for pottery KTR sells a clay tablet ticket that I didn't have the chance to buy since I had already paid for my paper ticket. I'm not the kind of guy to pay for a ticket twice. Maybe next time. It would make a great addition to my office wall.

Shigaraki Station 信楽駅

Because I was short on time and it was really cold out, I decided to take the next train back to Kibukawa station where the line starts and intersects with the JR and Ohmi Railway lines to continue my train journey for the day. I'm planning on going back to Shigaraki, although by car, the next time my mother comes out. I think she'll enjoy looking at the pottery shops there.

KTR is also infamous for a fatal accident that occurred along the line in 1991 killing 42 people and injuring 614 others. One of Japan's deadliest railway accidents.

Tsukaguchi, Amagasaki Fire

UPDATE Saturday, 19th 18:15 (JST): Added the video.

Along the Hankyu railway tracks next to Tsukaguchi station in Amagasaki there was a rather large fire that burnt down 2000 square meters of commercial buildings. The Tsukaguchi Chuo Market consisted of a few restaurants and food stalls all of which burnt down by my observation. There was a small standing bar in the market which I had been to a few times.

The fire was first reported to authorities sometime after 2AM Friday morning. Danger from the fire along with the hoses and firefighting crews blocking the tracks lead the Hankyu Kobe line to be delayed for over an hour. Once trains started running again at 6:30 the stations were full of passengers waiting to get to work. They were also only running local trains. It only took me a few more minutes to arrive at my job, but it took a coworker over an hour to complete a 20 minute commute. For the both of us and all of the people heading into Osaka from Kobe, got a taste of the Tokyo commute this morning. It was packed, painfully so.

Thankfully no one was hurt or killed in the fire although 20 people living in nearby buildings have been evacuated. The cause is still under investigation.

The Hankyu trains are still running slowly or off schedule. Please be aware of this if you're traveling along the Kobe line today.

Links in Japanese
Asahi-TV (video): http://news.tv-asahi.co.jp/ann/news/web/html/210218012.html
NHK (video): http://www.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20110218/t10014136351000.html
Kobe Shimbun: http://www.kobe-np.co.jp/news/jiken/0003811396.shtml
Hankyu Railway Information Page: http://rail.hankyu.co.jp/railinfo/
尼崎　塚口駅　火事　阪急電車

More Snow - Kurakuenguchi Station

Looking towards Koyoen.

It's rare for this much snow to accumulate in Nishinomiya.

Poor scooter. One half of it was left unprotected from the snow.

It's Cold and Snowing.

I haven't seen snow this heavy in my neighborhood since 2005. Surprising and cold. I'm looking forward to going home in this weather.

Best of 2010

Here are what I think were my best photos of the last year. With the baby coming and changing jobs 3 times, I didn't get much photo time in. Looking at Lightroom, I took 800 less photos than I did in 2009. Also most of those photos I took this year were of little Mia.

Hopefully I'll be able to get out and get some more shots in 2011.

In order by date, the top 5 photos I took in 2010 according to me.

On the beach in Ako

Looking down on the shops lining the street to Seigantoji

The lovely beach at Hane in Shimane

Exercise equipment in Osaka city

Old sign, old building in Nara

Mumblings of an Old Man - マヤンの呟き

02.04MayanNoTsubuyaki-1, originally uploaded by sleepytako.

Not so cheap sake...

I got this buckwheat (soba) shochu for my birthday. It's worth it for the bottle and the name, but the taste is wonderful.

It smells like straight alcohol but with a subtle whiskey smell in the background. Somewhat spicy.
The first thing that gets you when you sip it is the thick, slippery mouthfeel. A bit oily.
The favor has a sweetness, but not as sweet as some shochu. It's the most scotch tasting of any shochu I've had. The kick in the aftertaste is pleasantly strong.

I've had it straight or rocks. Both good.

マヤンの呟き
Mumblings of an Old Man
Miyazaki
38%
Ingredients: soba, koji, rice.
(I'm guessing mayan is a local term for oyaji?)

Morning Along the Shukugawa River

A CBS Sunday Morning like walk along the Shukugawa River I took this morning. Everything is so peaceful over the New Year's holiday.

Akaoni to Aooni no Tango

(OP・ED) 赤鬼と青鬼のタンゴ OP
アップロード者 Milfy. - 音楽動画、アーティストのインタビュー、コンサートやその他色々。

I just saw this on a Songs of the 70's show on NHK. The Red and Blue Ogre Tango. BUNNIES!!!

December Nara Photo Walk

Last month I went on a photo walk with my boss and a coworker. We had a wonderful time and really stretched our legs. It was enjoyable experiencing photography with other people. I typically do all my photo taking alone, with headphones on, lost in my own mind. This time I was giving and getting suggestions along the way. My boss also introduced me to Byakugoji, an amazing hillside temple that I hadn't visited yet. One of the most amazing temples that I've been to. So pristine and stoic in it's simple beauty. I'll be talking more about Bayakugoji in a later post.

I took about 300 shots on our walk and cut that down to 5 that I'm happy with. Here are those shots from my December Nara photo walk.

This was my first time doing a photo walk, and I hope it wont be the last. Thanks Mr. M and Mr. Y.

Happy New Year 2011 from sleepytako!

Happy New Year everyone and thanks for following, reading and watching this space.

Translation: Happy New Year! We have a new member in our family this year. Please welcome her kindly.

(somethings just don't translate well into English)

Koguma's New Year Message is here.

My Christmas Gift To My Liver

12.25WinterBooze-1, originally uploaded by sleepytako.

For Christmas and New Year's Eve I've got myself 2 magnums of Anchor Brewing's always wonderful winter beer. One of those is for Christmas night. The bottle of Goshon sake is for New Year's. It was Yuko's father's favorite brand, so I'm really looking forward to having (and sharing) it!

It's a Snowy Christmas!

12.25SnowyChristmas-1, originally uploaded by sleepytako.

A bit of snow is slowly floating to the ground now in Nishinomiya. Although it's not accumulating, it's still quite beautiful.

Merry Christmas from Sleepytako...

enjoy a smoke...

 or a kiss.

Thank you for checking out my little blog this year. I'm working on some fun projects for the coming year. I hope you'll stick with me until then.

Merry Christmas or, as my students say, メリクリ!

Live Crab Vending Machine - In Shanghai

OK. Now I'm getting worried about China's growth. They are encroaching into Japan's long held title as the country with the oddest vending machines.

A live crab vending machine has been introduced in Shanghai. The crabs sell for ¥200 to ¥600 depending on quality. These crabs are selling well too. They are reporting sales of 200 crabs a day.

The vending machine is kept at -10c to put the crabs, which are packed in plastic cases, into a state of hibernation. The company that runs the vending machine is also offering a refund of 3 fresh crabs if your crab is... dead on delivery.

The Japanese article and video is here.

Walking Around An Early Winter Osaka

Hashimoto, Yawata, Kyoto

Common in Japan is a neighborhood map such as this. The houses are identified with the resident's last name instead of a street address or house number.

Months ago, when it was still hot and sweaty out, I took a trip to ride the remainder of the Keihan lines that I had not been on at that time. After riding the Otokoyama Cable Car, Keihan's only cable car, I walked down the back of the mountain towards Hashimoto station on the Keihan Main Line. Otokoyama itself was quite interesting. There was a fine old shrine, a park, and a memorial to Thomas Alva Edison. The latter being something that I feel would warrant inclusion in the Japanese version of Roadside America.

The trees in the distance cover a small shrine on this steep street.

The hilly neighborhood of single family houses connected by steep narrow streets provided an interesting walk. I'm glad I don't walk up those streets coming home from work everyday however.

I've learned how to judge the population of a neighborhood by the size of their mailboxes.

The ku and su of kusuri (medicine) are barely hanging on to the side this pharmacy in a small enclave of commercial buildings set among the houses.

We Can Ship To The States Again!

Quick note here. If you were annoyed by the 470g limit on packages to the USA that happened in mid-November, it's been lifted as of December 1st. Well, if my Japanese serves me right it has.

Here's the press release:
http://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/information/2010/1129.html

Sunday Walk Along the Shukugawa

Hanshin Expressway - MukogawaIC Loop

The Mukogawa off ramp on the Hanshin Expressway is one of the most elegant pieces of urban infrastructure in Kansai. Driving it is boring, but looking at it from below is breathtaking. A large loop towering over the local community center, park, and a few houses.

The expressway traveling down the narrow coastal plain between the mountains and Osaka bay offers a great view of how this area has been developed. Typically congested, it allows the driver to take in some of the scenery while waiting in bumper to bumper traffic.

I grabbed this shot while driving towards Kobe around 4pm. The sky was just incredible.

Nishiki SA - 西紀SA

A quick tour of Nishiki SA on the Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway (Maizuru side). I enjoy a lovely bowl of wild boar udon... very recommended if you like wild boar.

A sign advertising the wild boar udon, soba and sweet black bean soft cream

My wild boar udon

大きな地図で見る

Yonegees ヨネギーズ

Yonago, Tottori is a city 148,000 people along the Japan sea coast. It's a local population center and provides access to Kaikae onsen and Minatosekai, the home of Gegege no Kitaro.

Negita

I love traveling along the San'in coast and stopping at Yonago station is always a highlight. Don't know why, but I really Yonago.

Recently the city created it's own mascot characters. Something not too uncommon, but the Yonegees are just way too cute, with a touch of the ehhhh...

Negiko

The city's mebutsu or famous thing is green onions, and using the green onion motif they created a boy and girl green onion character. Negita and Negiko. Ta and Ko are common kanji used in boy's and girl's names. Negi being the Japanese word for onion. Negita and Negiko are joined by Kashiwagi-san an acorn character.

The characters all have full backgrounds, including the date of Negita and Negiko's marrage--March, 31, 2005.

Kashiwagi-san

The tourist info center at Yonago station sells various Yonegees goods. They have their own page on the Yonago city website. You can even download graphics for your cellphone. Oh, and of course... they are on Twitter... as am I!

Pins and a cell phone strap that is also a screen cleaner

The towel is sold rolled up like this so it looks like a green onion. The tape is the same tape used on real onions you'd get in a super market

Close up of the characters on the towel