Albireo

I briefly touched basis on the difference of transportation in Japan. Let's go a little more in depth about each of these.

Travel on train depends on a few things.
1. Where you are going
2. Which line will you be taking
3. How much are you willing to spend.

For long distance travel one would probably use the bullet train (shinkansen) (新幹線)
The inside of these trains could easily be confused for an airplane!

These trains are can reach speeds of 170 MPH (at the fastest) Not all of the shinkansen go this fast. That's were the first comes in. Where are you going? Due to noise pollution regulations many trains have to go slower in residential areas. However for short travel one will for the most part be using the local trains.

While most JR trains are the same, there can be difference depending on how old the line is, how much is it used, and where is it located. In Tokyo most of the trains are less "comfortable" than the shinkansen. The commuter trains are used to haul as many people as possible.

The Yamanote line (Also known as the Tokyo loop line) Has cars that are referred to as "Cattle Cars" these cars have fold up seats that are folded up to help make room for the morning rush. The Yamanote line is the best and worst of Japan's train line. Anyone who rides the Yamanote might think that all of Japan's trains are bilingual and they are always packed. While it's true that Japan has tried to "modernize" them selfs by putting most signs in romaji (wester characters) there are still problems outside of the big cities. For instance. While on the Yamanote line you are given the luxury of signs that say what the next stop is, what lines you can transfer to, and if there are any delays in both English and Japanese. However, after you transfer off that line, you will be greeted by little to no English help and the stop announcements will be in Japanese. While it's helpful it also sets up for a fall. The over crowding on the Yamanote is a problem that will never be solved. Between the hours of 7:00 and 10:00 the trains are impossible to get on as everyone is rushing to their jobs in inner Tokyo. People pushers help get the job done.

Well I've grown tired. Been packing and cleaning all day (though the only you can tell happened was the packing)

Only one more day!!!!

Crazy Going Crazy

As promised I will give a little info about Japan's transportation system.

To start out I will only be talking about Tokyo's transportation because otherwise I would be here until the end of time talking about Japanese transportation.

While Tokyo is the world's 10th largest city it is the city with the world's most effective transportation system. Tokyo's transportation involves trains, subways and bus lines that make any part of Tokyo accessible. There are also other modes of transportation such as Street Cars, Monorails, and Ferries.

Trains first came to Japan in the mid 1800's Japan made it's first commuter train line in 1872 and in 1927 Japan opened it's first subway line. The Toei Bus lines came into affect after many of the street cars were damaged in the "Great Kantou Quake" in 1923.

While traveling in Japan many people will refer to JR lines as "the train" JR stands for Japan Rail a previously government owned railway. JR are the most used trains in Japan. Tokyo's famous "Yamanote line" is JR. I myself have to admit that the number of times I rode a train line other than JR inside of Tokyo can be counted on my fingers. My first being the Keisei Skyliner from Narita to Keisei Nippori. Then I changed to JR Yamanote. Many of the private train lines are owned and operated by big name companies. Seibu Line is owned by the Seibu Group which owns the Seibu Department stores, the Prince Hotel chain, and even the Saitama Seibu Lions baseball team. Seibu, Tobu, and Odakyu lines are all train lines that are associated with Department stores around Tokyo.

The next most popular mode of transportation around Tokyo is the Tokyo Subway lines.
Two companies make up the Tokyo subway lines. Tokyo Metro and Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation or Toei (the same as the bus) The Tokyo Subway lines go places that many train lines can't go. Such as popular tourist spots as Roppongi, Ginza, and Asakusa,

The third most used mode in Tokyo is the bus lines. These are used mostly for locals. They mostly go to suburban areas.

Until recently to transfer from one mode to another has been a task. First you would have to buy a train ticket to whatever stop you needed to go to. Then go to another ticket kiosk and buy the ticket for another transportation mode. While many stations offered transfer tickets to another mode it was still a hassle. Then in 2000 the "Passnet" System arrived and transferring among non-JR line trains became a snap. The Passnet system used a magnetic card to subtract your fare on a refillable card. 22 train lines implemented the system. Not to be outdone, in 2001 JR lines introduced the "Suica" system for JR lines. The Suica system uses a smart card that requires no contact between the card and the machine. In 2007 the Passnet system was replaced by the Pasmo system. Changes included an updated technology, and the addition of the Subway and Bus routs. The Pasmo system uses the same technology as the Suica. For a short time the Pasmo and Suica cards became incompatible and would sometimes cancel each other out if a person owned both a Suica and a Pasmo card. Later in 2007 Pasmo and Suica cards became interchangeable and only one card is needed.

While this post talks about the outside differences of Tokyo's transportation methods next post I'll give you a glimpse inside of each of these. See you next round!

~Lala~

One week and counting

So we have one week left.

YAAAY!!!!

Last night's meeting went off without a hitch. As far as I can tell, everyone's questions got answered. As always if you have ANY questions please e-mail me or you can even comment here.

I'd like to introduce to you the phone of my dreams.

This is the P506ic. An AMAZING phone. I've used it every time I've rented a phone from Japan. I LOVE the camera feature as well as the dictionary. So easy to use. I wish I could use this phone in the USA. I hope I get it this time as well. The Japanese word for cell phone is "携帯" (keitai) this word is the abbreviated form of the word "携帯電話"(keitai denwa) which means "portable belt telephone" It has been shortened to "keitai" which by its self means "portable belt" While it doesn't make sense it's easier to say. Much like the way we say "cell phone" instead of "cellular phone"

Next post I'll talk a little about transportation. See you next round!

Rollin' Rollin' Gambler just going to lose!

So I am finally home in Vegas from my trip to New Mexico to visit family. It was nice to see them but I have to admit it was nice to get back to my own bed.

With two weeks before the trip, things are really heating up! The living arrangements are not 100% complete. The girls had to split up but it's not TOO big of a problem.

We have the last study meeting tonight. (Last before we go and last of the summer) For those who are going we will be discussing the next meeting which will be a PARTY WOOOOOO! It's a farewell party as well as a general information meeting. Parents or family members are invited to attend so that they can get contact numbers as well as see who will be going on the trip.

More information about when it comes.