Trains, Travel and Technology

It's been quite awhile since my last post. SO MUCH has gone on that its heard to pinpoint what to write first.

I've mulled over whether I just wanted to rehash my experiences or write more of a feature reflecting on Japan and the culture here. Haven't fully decided either way yet.

Also, Hana always takes such good pictures its hard to compete with her blog ;).

Therefore, I must shamelessly plug her site [HERE].

If you haven't checked it out yet, you definitely should. Especially if you want a great grasp on our collective experiences here in Japan.

And you're in luck - - it's updated more than I can compete with ;).

And when I say updated, I mean she JUST updated last night. Check it out!

You might be thinking: I have so much time [stuck] on a train that this must mean I am incredibly productive! If only I were so lucky. The majority of my train rides in the morning aren't exactly spacious. I have been trying to toy around with departure times and train combinations but there's really no *best* option. Much of the time, I am squeezed into a tiny section of the train, barely able to keep my arm up to hold onto something to keep my balance.

It can be brutal.

Therefore, in the morning, I give up on trying to get anything accomplished and catch up on my favorite podcasts or attempt to power nap while standing [quite difficult]. I know I must sound like I'm complaining but the whole system is actually a major convenience.


I don't really need a car to get *anywhere* I need to go. Inconceivable in el dorado county and I would argue only a portion of the way there in Portland.

Another reason the train system here is praiseworthy is (I'm totally enamored by) the complete implementation of NFC or Near Field Communication. The two major brands are Suica, which is apparently owned by the massive and most well known train company JR, and PASMO, owned by a smaller yet still extensive Odakyu. Both are fairly interoperable. I would liken them to MasterCard and Visa. They issue metal cards with roughly a 500 yen deposit (6-7 USD) with which you charge up with funds as you go and/or load prepaid train routes onto for a preset length of time. These cards feel like fancy credit cards but lack prominent account numbers or (weak) magnetic strips.


I rarely have to take the card out of my wallet and that's only to add more money with certain older machines. Otherwise I just pull out my wallet and tap a glowing area and it instantly tracks my location and deducts the appropriate funds. It's a system that's worked absolutely flawlessly so far and is very fast and convenient.

I really can't wait to have something equivalent to it in the states!

Anyways, enough of my gushing about the nerdy stuff. I'm sure I'm one of the few people that actually cares about the inner workings. It's just an intriguing set up. My BART experiences seem archaic in comparison.


Right now, I'm in a position where I've got a decent routine in catching trains and making my way to Shinjuku. What was potentially daunting and peppered with kanji and Japanese language I'm only barely getting familiar with has become fairly painless. I have a few scheduled times ingrained in my brain, which is advantageous in that I don't have to worry about whether or not a train I need will be there and/or constantly relying on [Hyperdia] all the time [also difficult in that I have to constant mobile data connected beyond the very few free wifi hotspots I can find]. What's also cool is I'm now able to listen to audio and visual queues for when transfer and arrival points are near. In essence, things are really working out in travel.

Every time I tell a fellow classmate about where I live, they are shocked about the distance I travel to get to class. Though that is true, it's become part of my daily routine. While that is great, I imagine I'm becoming increasing spoiled by how well public transit here works.

Until next time!