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Post by calflier on Jul 22, 2012 18:47:47 GMT 1
A few pictures of Japanese bullet trains,official name the Shinkansen,from my trip to Japan last month,hope you like. After a couple nights in a nice hotel in Tokyo,I thought I would try one of the famous capsule hotels,Strange experience,but interesting though. You cant really get lost Tokyo,the Skytree tower is visable from quite a distance. Tokyo station is the main station in Tokyo for Shinkansen(bullet trains) departures,there are no problems taking photographs but dont lean on the fence,you will receive a whistle from the station staff! I departed Tokyo station,for the 3 hour trip to Kyoto,bullet trains are not cheap,but are upto every ten minutes at peak times,this is the view from my seat in the first class green car section,similar to airline business class,but with more space, A Shinkansen series 700,at Kyoto station. Kyoto,s new and very impressive main station. My superb hotel in Kyoto,and with a fantastic view,after a night in a capsule,I needed it! Railstar shinkansen at Kyoto station. Shinkansen series 700 again at Kyoto station. Railstar shinkansen about to depart for Osaka. With the weather being nice in Kyoto,I found time to visit the Steam roundhouse not far from the manin station. The loco in steam for that day,at least 10 of the steam locos at the museum,were servicable,and are all used on the main line,the Japanese love their railways. Beware of the menace of soot! The emporers own loco,still working,but not in steam. Japan is about the easiest country,I have ever had to find my way around!as can be seen from these signs at Kyoto station A JR East commuter train near Kyoto station. On to Hiroshima,and two Shinkansen,s at Hiroshima station. Hiroshima,is known for its many different types of street cars,heres a couple at the Atomic bomb dome stop,(the only building left standing after the little boy bomb, was dropped in august 1945, The atomic bomb dome,is left the way it was after the bomb detonated,as a reminder to future generations of the horror of Nuclear war! The very moving Hiroshima peace park and musuem. Hope you liked my pictures,thanks for looking.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2012 19:23:13 GMT 1
Fantastic set of photos, thanks for sharing them. I like the variety of different shaped fronts on the trains. Wonder which is fastest?
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Post by calflier on Jul 22, 2012 19:34:11 GMT 1
Thanks SteT,I know the fast journey times are on the Nuzomo trains,but this is because they have fewer stops,they use the current fastest train set,which is the Shinkansen series 700, Bullet trains should start running to Sapporo in the next few years,through the Seikan tunnel,which I went through by standard train,its 60 km long,from the island of Hokkaido to the island of Japan,very impressive.thanks again for looking.
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Post by johnoakes on Jul 23, 2012 7:50:15 GMT 1
Brilliant photos--some of the best on the forum.fascinating subjects. Nice to see the memorial at Hiroshima--they need one alongside to the memory of those brutalised and murdered by their ancestors.My uncle was a Jap prisoner and another ex collegue was in the Hiroshima POW camp on the day of the bomb. It was over the hill from the city so was not vapourised.
BUT as Basil Fawlty would say,"Don't mention the war." LOL
Truly in awe of the bullet trains and my partner was VERY impresssed by the wheeled kettles.LOL
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Post by owensy on Jul 23, 2012 8:36:49 GMT 1
Great photos. Looks an amazing place and very humbling. I see there is a bullet train in Ryanair colours in picture 3!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2012 9:02:19 GMT 1
Another fascinating set of pics, thanks once again Calflier Cheers, Dave
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Post by calflier on Jul 23, 2012 22:19:23 GMT 1
Thanks Dave,once again,happy to post my reports,regards Calflier.
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Post by Biggles on Jul 23, 2012 22:21:58 GMT 1
Not being a train buff I now have a greater appreciation of these super fast trains after watching the documentary Big Bigger Biggest. I did pause for breath seeing that the French want to expand the super fast new generation train and they want to bring it into the UK ? I mean if we get a leaf on the line the whole system "crashes" not literally.
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Post by calflier on Jul 23, 2012 22:28:05 GMT 1
Brilliant photos--some of the best on the forum.fascinating subjects. Nice to see the memorial at Hiroshima--they need one alongside to the memory of those brutalised and murdered by their ancestors.My uncle was a Jap prisoner and another ex collegue was in the Hiroshima POW camp on the day of the bomb. It was over the hill from the city so was not vapourised. BUT as Basil Fawlty would say,"Don't mention the war." LOL Truly in awe of the bullet trains and my partner was VERY impresssed by the wheeled kettles.LOL Glad you liked them John,I agree regarding the way our POW,s were treated by the Japanese,and some would say they had it coming as regards the Atom bomb,but this one act stopped the war,I have visited the death railway at the River Kwae in Thailand,and the photos tell a harrowing tale,Quite amazing that your uncle was actually at the POW camp in Hiroshima at the time of the bomb,cant imagine what that was like,But of course thing have changed,Hiroshima is a big busy city,and people flock from just about every country around the world to go to the peace park,and its quite something, thanks again John for your comments,Calflier.
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Post by calflier on Jul 23, 2012 22:35:39 GMT 1
Great photos. Looks an amazing place and very humbling. I see there is a bullet train in Ryanair colours in picture 3! Thanks Owwnsy,I see what you mean about the colour scheme,but the comparision stops there,the level of customer service from Japan railways,far exceeds Ryanair,s! thanks for looking.Calflier.
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Post by johnoakes on Jul 24, 2012 18:36:13 GMT 1
Calflyer--still in awe of the places you get to see. Just to clarify re my relatives etc. My Uncle was with Wingates Chindits,captured and tortured by thje Japs,left to die in a clearing with him pinned by bamboo spikes through his arms and legs. An allied patrol found him a week later alive but in a bad way.In later life he was VERY disturbed and a bitter and aggressive man.I got on wlell with him on the few occasions I met him but the mental damage was there for all to see as it was in many of our returning POWs.
The guy at Hiroshima was the former head of my first school in leeds-he had been taken prisoner and taken to japan where he was told they would all be beheaded as soon as one American foot stood on japanese soil. One morning they saw two sunrises from over the hill on the same day--and the rest is history; I would never wish to see anyone killed by bombs nuclear or not but japans savagery during the war in my opinion should be taught in Japanese schools and never be forgotten.
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Post by calflier on Jul 24, 2012 21:04:19 GMT 1
Amazing stories John,I agree we should not forget this,The Japanese empire would have been a worst reign of terror than the third reich,but it was stopped dead,so everyone taken prisoner did serve thier duty for an outcome that saved the world,thanks for sharing that.
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Post by johnoakes on Jul 25, 2012 22:55:24 GMT 1
Still think the photos are some of the best ever--you lucky man;
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Post by Biggles on Jul 25, 2012 23:45:50 GMT 1
Funny that all the people suggesting forgiveness and understanding towards the Japanese for what they did during conflicts seems to come from people far too young to realise what they did or from older people who at most have never been involved in a war. Every person relative or not who experienced being a POW and survived or who had fought the Japanese have nothing but hatred still.
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Post by johnoakes on Jul 26, 2012 14:14:40 GMT 1
This is very true--I was a student postman in the 60s and I bought a little Honda 50 to get to work during the Summer as a6am start meant no buses between StHelens and Prescot where I worked. I got a real dressing down from one of my seniors who had been captured at Singapore and had had the metal box treatment for b eing last off the humiliating parade ground--the box too small to stand in too narrow to sit or lie was in full tropical sun and touching it caused burns that rarely healed. he explained that to that day if he woke on a sunny day he thought he was back there and broke out into a cold sweat of fear. my buying of a Jap bike was really upsetting to him--I just didn't want to walk to work--thankfully he forgave me but these tales die with the survivors unless we tell them and pass them on. truth is far nastier than fiction and I for one think the japs got what they deserved.
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