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Canard's "Trains of Japan" Thread
#16
Not to mention the excellent (train) photography!
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#17
Thanks for the kind words; I love taking photos of these systems almost as much as I like the systems themselves.

Today I rode the Osaka Monorail, Nanko Port Town Line and visited Rokko Island via the Rokko Liner.  The Nanko Port Town Line and Rokko Liner are two more rubber-tired AGT systems. If you haven't figured it out, I really like these systems and based a large portion of my Japan trip planing on trying to ride as many of them as I could.

Rokko Island was probably my biggest surprise and favourite part of my trip so far. I have a real fascination with these giant port cranes; I don't know what it is, something about the atmosphere of just walking around harbours next to all the activity with the giant ships and stuff. Exploring quiet Rokko Island at sunset was something I won't soon forget.

   
Osaka Monorail

   
Port Cranes at Rokko Island

   
Rokko Liner

   
Rokko Liner Maintenance Facility

   
Rokko Liner through the centre of Rokko Island.  It reminded me a lot of the Scarborough rt passing through Scarborough Civic Centre.
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#18
Today was my last full day in Japan.  I visited Aichi prefecture to ride Linimo, Japan's only urban maglev.  This line was built for the 2005 Aichi World's Fair, and is about 10 km long.  I can't even begin to describe just how fantastic this one is.  It is futuristic, smooth, and absolutely silent.  From the ground, you don't even know trains are passing by.  On board, only a very faint noise from the linear induction motor can be heard on acceleration or deceleration.  I so wish more cities could be as bold as to build systems like these.  It was a great line to wrap up my trip with.

   
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#19
Linimo!  A fabulous acronym that ends up like a typical Japanese word.

And a great photo, too, with the flowers, the ferris wheel and the light on the train windows.
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#20
(04-10-2016, 02:09 PM)tomh009 Wrote: Linimo!  A fabulous acronym that ends up like a typical Japanese word.

Not exactly an acronym, but it's something you see a lot in Japan. A concatenation and abbreviation of two english words in a uniquely Japanese way.

Lini-mo - Linear Induction Motor
Poke-mon - Pocket Monsters
Deji-kame - Digital Camera
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#21
Not to mention Sumaho -- smartphone!

We do these kinds of acronyms in English, too, but Linimo works particularly well in Japanese. Except for the fact that the Japanese will actually spell it as Rinimo. Smile
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#22
It's funny to me that the Japanese seem to be more focused on the propulsion than the levitation! Linear motors are relatively common - maglev is exceptionally rare. Even the a Yamanashi Maglev train is called "Linear Motor Car", and it's kind of funny to hear them say it. Smile
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#23
(04-10-2016, 05:41 PM)Canard Wrote: Even the a Yamanashi Maglev train is called "Linear Motor Car", and it's kind of funny to hear them say it. Smile

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#24
I was wondering if anyone was going to post that Wink
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#25
Perfume is pretty great.

I knew they were decently popular, but I was surprised when I visited last year to see just how phenomenally popular they are. I finally legitimized some of my music collection by buying one of their CDs.
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#26
More of a World Order guy myself:



Unfortunately they weren't playing anywhere live during my visit, otherwise I would have seen them for sure. They make me so happy.
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#27
Canard says "I'm more of a World Order guy myself" and I go "Well, of course he is."

Something about WO's synchronized mechanical motions and hopeful sound intersects with Canard's train joy, preparing my brain to accept this fact directly without any resistance at all.

Oh, and now I need to chide Canard. Thanks to your thread here, I've gone all nostalgia about my wife's and my 2008 trip to the extent that I'm now going to shell out $$$ to go back, bringing our 6yo daughter so I have an excuse to revisit the Ghibli Museum, go to Tokyo Disney Sea, and stare with unabashed wonder at all the things that really deserve the wonder and joy I'm too old to be allowed to feel.

So, "thanks" Canard. That's some money I wasn't expecting to spend :S
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#28
That's awesome to hear, Chutten!

I can't wait to go back again, too. I could easily see this being an every 2-years kind of trip for me from here on in. My husband isn't so keen on going there (I was solo for this one), so maybe this will be my "get it out of my system" paradise. Hedonism for trains. Smile
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#29
A few more straggler photos from toward the end of my trip.

This is the Tokyo Waterfront New Transit Yurikamome, which was my favourite of the rubber-tire AGT systems I rode.  I just love the look of these trains.  It connects Tokyo to the man-made island of Odaiba, which is very much a place I feel like was designed with me in mind!  It's all futuristic buildings and concrete and glass, port cranes, and highways, and makes one feel as though they've stepped 100 years into the future.

   

   

   

   
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#30
Finally got around to stitching together some of my footage from my trip. Enjoy!

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