Utsumoniyia, Japan - Noriko Arrives

I love that our friendship shows in our faces.  No matter how long we are apart, our friendship starts the same as it did before.  I appreciate Norriko came all the way from Nagoya to Utsunomiya to have dinner with me.

The Three Amigo's are finally all back together.  A friendship I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Taka chose a Japanese style dinner at MyStays Hotel.

Haha, we are only pretending to be sitting on the floor!  There is recess under the table so we can sit comfortably.

Vegetables and other in a dashi sauce.  Daikon (Japanese radish), tofu, boiled egg, a cabbage roll, something named Konyak and pasta shaped things made from fish paste.  Everything was delicious.

Karage, or fried chicken.

Pickled okra.

Fried daikon.

Salmon salad.

I ate all of this so don't ask Marlon how it tasted.  Tomato tempura and cheese.   Mmmmmmm

More tempura.  A couple kinds of fish, mushrooms, eggplant and other vegetables.

Noriko showed me how to make a chopstick holder with my chopstick paper cover.

Kanpei to the best friends ever.

Noriko gave me this beautiful picture frame.  What a beautiful gift.

Nice to see Kurumi again.  She came to the dinner after work.  She even took us home so we didn't have to take the bus.  She is such a sweet heart.

SCMAGLEV and Railway Park with Kohichi Kida

Marlon Charles met his friend Koichi Kida in Nagoya whom he hasn’t seen for many years. Marlon used to work with him in the Equipment Group at Honda. We enjoyed a day with him touring around Nagoya which is near his hometown of Suzuka. The first stop was the railway park. We really enjoyed learning about how the Shinkansen and train systems have progressed. Japan is also developing a high-speed maglev train. Using powerful magnets for levitation and propulsion, the train has already reached speeds of 603 km (375 mph) in testing, though a commercial service isn’t expected to launch until 2027 at the earliest.

 A collection of 39 retired train cars are displayed in the museum. Many of these can be entered or viewed from underneath, and are accompanied by a host of exhibits explaining the different parts of the trains and all aspects of their operation and maintenance.

 This steam locomotive set a speed record for steam power.  Look at the new engineers!

 

 

 Isn't he a cutie?

  

The first part of the project will connect Shinagawa Station in Tokyo to Nagoya in 2027 and will cover the distance of 286 km in 40 minutes ( instead of 1h32 today with the Tokaido Line and accessible with a Japan Rail Pass). 86 % of the line will be underground.

 The magnetic levitation is a physical phenomenon that is generated by two electromagnets. The interaction between the magnets creates a magnetic force that compensates the gravity and allows levitation.

How does the magnetic levitation on a train work?
The magnets are placed on the train and along the chosen path. The action of the magnets will push the train up and ensure the existence of a gap between the "rail" and train. The train is off the track. Not touching the rail, the train avoids any loss of speed due to friction between the rail and the wheels.

  will be the fastest bullet train in the world with a speed approximately twice that of current Shinkansen at 500 km/h.  We tried their simulator to see what it would be like as a passenger.  When it begins, it is riding on wheels the retract like an airliner after reaching a certain speed.  You could feel how smooth the ride became when levitate.  Next it travelled the speed of the current bullet train.  You could see the landscape fly by.  It next accelerated to the highest speed and it was amazing how fast the scenery  changed

First class cabin.

  Dr. Yellow is the nickname for the high-speed test trains that are used on the Japanese Shinkansen ("Bullet Train") dedicated express passenger train routes. The trains have special equipment on board to monitor the condition of the track and overhead wire, including specially instrumented bogies and observation blisters?

The "Doctor" part of the name is from their test and diagnostic function, and the "Yellow" part comes from the bright yellow color they are all painted. They run late at night when there is no other traffic on the tracks.

 

 Next we tiresome vintage trains illustrating the progress made through the years.

Years ago trains were slow and they needed dining cars for long-distance.  With the speed of the new shinkansen's, there is no need for a dining car only a steward to sell drinks and snacks.

Class Kiha 181 Diesel Railcar

Class 381 Class Kkuha 381 Electric Railcar

 Emperor and Empress Locomotive Train.

Wider tracks are used on the bullet train to provide more stability.

  
This car was used to check clearance.

  The museum also houses one of Japan's largest train displays with miniature trains running through incredibly detailed recreations of Osaka, Nagoya, and Tokyo.