A adventure
Last Saturday, my sons' school had a parents observing day. Parents observed their kids' class.

And last Monday my kids went to the railway museum by themselvsves in Omiya, which was little far from their house. (1 and half hours from their house by train)
Because last Monday was a day off instead of last Saturday. And their motehr couldn't take off.
Also her older son really wanted to go to the railway museum. When he was young age, he must go his after school Care Program. But he grew up, he has his plans.
This trip was a adventure for them and their mother.
Their mother was very afraid of earthquakes and random valences in trains.
Because there were earthquakes in Miyagi two weeks ago, and there was a random violence in Tokyo three weeks ago.

Anyway their mother went to the railway museum after a afternoon meeting. And she brought their kids.

Is it possible for kids to go somewhere by themseves in your country?
My older son is 11 years old. My younger son is 6 years old.

Interior of Railway Museum

railway model dioramas Mini trains

The thing I can't stand...
I found a guy who was very terrible behavior in the steam engine's front of special car when we enjoyed to get on it. I found a guy who was very terrible behavior in the front of special car. He didn't close a window, although smoke went up the car. And he lay down on a sofa in public.

The thing I couldn't stand he didn't give up his sofa.
The thing I couldn't stand are people who didn't think about the other people in public.

The other passenger complained of the guy's behavior. " Please close the window."
But the guy ignored it.
I think he is adult. He should have been gentleman for kids.
Sometimes train's OTAKU can't understand their situation.
'

Sleeping car
We got on a sleeping car again. Now when pepole take a trip in Japan, they usually use planes or bullet trains.(Off course we use car too.) Because planes are faster than sleeping cars. Therefore sleeping cars become to disappear on rails.
Next year this sleeping trains will stop.
Therefore before stopping this train we planed to get on it.
Strange to say this sleeping cars getting really trendy.

We slept in a nice room which is a little retro. Next time we want to write facilities in this room.
We Japanese travel by train, we eat Ekiben on trains. "Eki" means station. "ben" means lunch box. I think ekiben are a part of Japanese culture. And eating ekiben on trains is the Japanese way of traveling by trains. If you travel by trains in Japan, you should try ekiben. You can get many kinds of ekiben. Any stations have any bento.

Steam engine in Ymaguchi

We enjoyed to get on a steam engine. We don't get on packed trains everyday.

In Japan

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Railway Day in Japan
October 14th is Railway Day in Japan.
We went to Minakami Onsen in Gunma prfecture. It is one day trip. But we enjoyed to take hot spring and eat lunch.
Also we enjoyed to travel on a steam locomotive.

Perth station ( Part 2)

This photo is the shop of Perth station in Australia. When we went to Perth, I took it five years ago. My older son likes this train of photo. I heard my friends went to Perth in Australia three months ago, they could watch this train.

Perth station

Otaku
Our sons like trains. They are kids now. But there are a lot of enthusiastic fans who are trainspotters in Japan.
Do you say “OTAKU”? A newspaper’s story said you know “OTAKU”meaning.

Shanghai Maglev Train!
When my husband went to Shanghai on business, he didn't get on the Shanghai Maglev Train in Caina. Some people said, it is not conveniente to get on the Shanghai Maglev Train. Taxis are better transportation than the Shanghai Maglev Train in Shanghai.
Anyway, the Shanghai Maglev Train’s high speed is 430km/h. It is amazing.
Actually, I was afraid of an accident. Because there was an accident in Gaermany. A lot of visitors died in September. When I watched this bad news on TV, I heard that the visitors were families of this company’s employer. I thought they were like our sons who liked trains. I’m not sure about this news in detail. 　

A Cream Mitsumame
I like "Mitsumame".
Mitsumame is a Japanese traditional dessert. This picture is Cream Mitsumame. It is made of small cubes of agar, a white translucent jelly made from seaweed, beans and fruts.
The big cup is a Japanese tea.
The small cup is "Mitsu" which is very sweat. We usually pour it onto the jelly before eating.

This is a Japanese traditional tea shop near train line.

Tohoku Shinkansen Max
We went to sendai. And, we planed to take a ship on Sendai.
If there had not been a typhoon last Saturday, we would have taken a sleeping berth train this Monday.

A berth train (Hokutosei)

When we got on a berth train, my older son really wanted to keep the top bunk.
But I didn’t permit it. So he hid and cried on the button bunk. He insisted that he would not fall on the floor!!
I thought the top bunk was completly high, he will have done it by the time he us 18 years old.

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After that he asked the berth train's conductor.
" Do you know someone who fell on to floor?" (Has anyyone ever fallen off the bunk? Do you know if anyone has fallen?)
The berth train of conduoctor said "I have not heard of it yet."

Yoshioka Undersea Station
We went to Yoshioka undersea station by trains which was Doraemon undersea trains.
You asked me " What's an undersea station? "

First, I have to explain about Japanese topography. Japan is islands country. And there are seas around islands.
Second, When we want to go from the Honshu region to the Hokkaido region, we have to be over Tsugaru strait. When it was in ancient time, people ferryed by ships which were sometimes wrecked in winter season. Of course , now we can take on safe ships, planes , trains..

Japanese map

Hokkaido region
Hokkaido railway company sight http://www2.jrhokkaido.co.jp/global/index.html

I added a little bit something in English to "Seikan tunnel cross section"
Finally, you understand there is "Yoshioka under sea station" is under sea.

This is a Japanese sight http://www.hakodate.or.jp/JR/tonnel/default.htm, I quoted this picture.

Seikan tunnel was built under Tsugartu strange in 1988. This tunnel is for trains only. Japanese said Seikan tunnel was the longest tunnel in the world. But Kieran might not say same opnion.

old type Doraemon train and entrance of tunnel

In Yoshioka tunnel visiting course


We came back to trains

Doraemon Undersea World 2006 -Final-
Doraemon Final stage. Before Szélső Fa said she didn't know Doraemon. I think Doraemon was a famous cartoon in Asia.
There are five kinds of train's boxes which are special for kids. But Draemon trains and events were last this summer. Because, Seikan tunnel visiting course will have been stuff area for bulting Hokkaido shinkansen in one year. Hokkaido Shinkansen will run about 2015.

The ceilng of trains
Play room for kids in the train

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Trains in Hokkaido
We went to the Hokkaido region. We took a lot of kind of trains. Our kids enjoyed them.

Nijht Express Hokutosei
Ueno station bound for Hakodate station







Draemon's undersea trains
Hakodate station bound for Yoshioka undersea station

Yoshioka undersea station bound for Hakodate station






Tram in Hakodate city









Steam Locomotive
Hakodate station bound for Mori station

Mori station bound for Hakodate






Super Express Shiratori
Hakodate bound for Hachinohe















Shinkansen Hayate
Hachinohe station bound for Tokyo station

Last summer memory (2005)
This steam engine is "Ooigawa railroad" in Shizuoka prefecture. Every summer, this steam engine run, it is temporal. This summer, it will run again.

Perth station

A yeallow ramp
When we went to Australia, we found a yellow ramp on the doors. Trains arrived at Perth station, so doors opened. At the same time, yellow ramp came down. I thought it was a very nice system. It is easy to run wheelchairs and baby byggies. Australia is more Barrier-free than Japan.
I sometimes saw people who drove wheelchairs by themself in Perth.

D51

Shinkansen -Bullet train-
shinkansen can drive at 250 Km an hour. My older son tryed to take a photograh in Odawara station which is in Kanagawa prefecture. But shinkasen was too fast to take a photograh.

Before one hundred years ago, it took one day from Tokyo to Osaka, now it takes only three houres.
Shinkansen is a major technology in Japan.
But we are so hury to do somthing. And we forget the true richness. We should return to old styles like steam engine.