Rare Train Delays

Today I sat at a station for probably about 20-30 minutes and I have

no idea why. There were so many announcements but there were so few

keywords I could pick out that I was totally lost as to what the cause

was.

My guess is that it was weather related but I really couldn't tell you.

**********

I wrote the above line while trapped on a train in Chuo-Rinkan today. I was staring out the train window, lost in a podcast when I noticed we had stopped at a train station for a lengthy amount of time.

I took off my headphones and noticed people looking around at each other and pulling out phones to dial. Finally, my train moved a bit and sped off. I decided I was going to switch to a local train at the next stop just in case. When we arrived at the next station, the train came to a stop but it's doors did not open.

We started to roll forward and then stopped again.

The doors slid open and I dashed for my usual train labeled "Katase-Enoshima". I grabbed a seat and looked up at the display to check my route. On the screen was "Sagami-Ono" which is the opposite direction! So I immediately got off the train and followed the unusually large crowd down the steps in hopes to hop to the other side of the track or see a display with any details. All Japanese of course. 

Person Accident? :(

I did happen to notice that people were gathering around a random table with baskets filled with slips of paper covered in Kanji. I snagged one and did a "quick" translation on my phone. They were complimentary transfer tickets. 

I noticed a short English message that said there was a delay due to a person related accident. Did someone get hit? That sounds awful. None of the times had been updated on the schedule though so I had to ask someone for some kind of direction.

I went up to a ticket window and blurted out "Zengyo?" and the lady there responded with a string of nonsensical Japanese (to me anyway) and "Shonandai" and pointed to a staircase that led to a subway line toward Yokohama. 

I took a chance and hopped on the first train headed there. I totally lucked out. I ended up taking the long way and made it to a transfer point where I completed my journey. 

This whole ordeal doubled my commute. 

I really wish I could speak/understand Japanese.

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!

Downtown Fujisawa Bound!

Walked to downtown Fujisawa on my own today. 

Can't wait to explore more of the surrounding area. Only took me about 40 minutes to get down there. Not too shabby

Can totally read everything ;)

Lots to see and do.

Pachinko and slots seem to be big here. Saw quite a few of these.

Hrm.... Waaaaait a second! This looks familiar!

Sweet view!

Actually can get a decent view of Mount Fuji from Hana's apartment. Among the many wonders of japan: here's tonight's sunset!

Noise

Things I've noticed about this city in Japan compared to cities in the US:

noises are from things, machines, animal sounds and sometimes kids - - screaming, yelling, most conversations are a rarity when I'm in in Hana's apartment

the 5 o'clock jingle startles me every day

What can I say - - I like to walk around!

A couple of the sights from my nearby wanderings. Totally loving Japan :)

Tobacco Festival Weekend

Acquired some gold fish from the festival yesterday. Kensuke was kind enough to get us a "fish house"

Got a sweet [giant] bottle of Sake from Taichi. So incredibly hospitable!