Squampton.ca » Trains

Roppongi (六本木)

Andrew — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 07:20:45 +0000

“You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious.”

Construction (Kouji,工事)

Andrew — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:01:44 +0000

Construction of a new train platform at Tagajo Station, Miyagi Prefecture.

Steam Train (Okajoki, 陸蒸気)

Andrew — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:01:59 +0000

Still sticking around Nishi Park, this old locomotive sits at the far edge of the park. Reminds me of the one they used to have across from the pavilion in Squamish.

Tsutsujigaoka Station (榴ヶ岡駅)

Andrew — Mon, 31 May 2010 15:01:09 +0000

Deep in the bowels of the train station that’s near our apartment. Senseki Line, from Sendai to Ishinomaki.

Train Crossing (Fumikiri, 踏切)

Andrew — Mon, 17 May 2010 15:01:54 +0000

Near Sendai Station, all of the various train lines converge, leading to frequent waits at small train crossings like this one.

Parking Lot (Chuushajō, 駐車場)

Andrew — Sun, 16 May 2010 15:01:01 +0000

A freight train line underpass, also posing as a strange parking lot near the Wakabayashi Ward Office.

Nishi Park

Andrew — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:57:45 +0000

Finally, we ended up at Nishi (West) Park. Lying along the Hirosei River, the park is home to lots of events and festivals throughout the year. The leaves were in full colour. We avoided the bum singing all alone in the bushes and rode around the park. Nishi Park serves as a natural western boundry of downtown Sendai; beyond this are bridges and highways leading to universities and suburbs.

View Around Sendai in a larger map

The Walk Home: Under The Tracks

Andrew — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:21:24 +0000

WARNING: The following may very well be the most boring paragraph I’ve ever said or written.

As part of an ongoing photography project I’ve been trying to take different routes home from work. They are getting progressively longer though, as I have to take increasingly indirect paths. Also hindering my return home are the bullet and local train tracks that I must either pass above or below as I snake my way away from Sendai Station, which is the most direct route. I guess I’ll have to start riding my bike to and from work, but I find that there are so many photo opportunities missed while on a bicycle. There are basically only four crossings through the tracks, so eventually I’ll have to find deviations both before and after I reach them.

All shots were taken hand-held on a Nikon D40 with a 35mm f/1.8 prime lens. Only one long exposure shot, the others were taken in Aperature Priority mode.

Smalltown Life

Andrew — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:16:05 +0000

Every Wednesday evening I have to work outside the city in a small town called Tagajo. Basically it’s a suburb of Sendai, but it’s also home to many factories for big companies like Mitsubishi and Sony. I walk through the main entertainment area on my way to work, so I thought I’d keep trying out the prime lens and take some low-light photos.

Like most countryside towns in Japan, there’s only one main strip where most of the bars and tiny restaurants reside. Easy to go bar hopping and grab some eats afterwards. Of course, afterwards can be 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7am…

Riding the Mangatrain

Andrew — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 02:34:50 +0000

On mornings I go running, I take the train to work. The station is right next to my place, and the station I get off at is like 50 feet from my office entrance. The train I take is on the Senseki Line, which goes from Sendai all the way out to Ishinomaki out on the Pacific Coast. Sometimes I get to ride what I call the Mangatrain. I don’t read comics anymore so I wasn’t sure what characters these were, but it always made me a little happier when I saw it rolling down the tracks.

Upon doing some research, I found that the actual name of this train is the “Mangattan Liner”. Since Ishinomaki is home to the Ishinomori Manga Museum this train is undoubtedly an homage/advertisement to Shotaro Ishinomori and his famous work.

The train has four cars, which you can see in the illustration below. First is the “Cyborg 009″ car, featuring characters from this famous manga/anime. Next is the “____-jidai (____-period)” car (I can’t quite make that last kanji out), featuring characters from various manga, including Sandarabocchi さんだらぼっち. After that is the “Comedy” car with various silly characters. Finally there’s the “Hero” car, featuring the famous Kamen Rider!

Many thanks to Chimihen for the illustration and the additional info (Japanese website). When I first rode the train, the interior was plastered with comic book pages, not regular train advertisements. I guess however that the economics of it all won out; the next time I got to ride the Mangattan Liner all the comics were replaced with the usual ads.

Check out the brief slideshow below to see the Mangattan Liner up close and personal, and also check out this post over at Pink Tentacle to see some other beautifully painted manga-themed trains throughout Japan.