Trans Alps Express

I found some beautiful clips at YouTube, just would like to share some with everyone.
When I hear "Trans Alps Express", always these below pop up in my mind.

Glacier Express

Bernina Express



Glacier express runs via BVZ railway Brig station. It looks more like a stop of a tram rather than a normal railway station which confused me a bit when I traveled there.

Brig is an important location for transportation because we can go to Italy, also go to Interlaken direction and Lausanne, Geneve.

Scene from a train for Interlaken direction from Brig
Tracks go left direction at the first part of this clip above are the one for Lausanne, Geneve.
　Trains for Interlaken direction start earning the height from here to go across the Europe Alps. When I traveled there, it was just a single track around the tunnel. Maybe their budget to construct the tunnel across the Europe Alps might have not been enough to make plural tracks.
　Anyway, I feel it very comfortable to see this clip because the train runs in a very comfortable speed. As we are now used to Shinkansen ( bullet train ) and some super-express train in Japan, when I find this kind of speed, I can not help mentioning it.

　You'll find some cars keep getting on a freight train at the end of this clip. They bring cars by trains. I am not sure there are tunnels for cars across the Europe Alps or not, but this kind of service is available there. Not in Japan.

Chur A locomotive pulls some passenger cars on a track in a paved road. Looks as if it runs in a tram track. Could not be in Japan....

Hayaokidori website

Loverias

I like small sensitive flowers. This below is a "Azzuro compact" which I have found
this year for the first time. There are some other colors like marine blue and sky blue.

Usual loverias are not good at staying with humid weather, so usually they can not survive in rainy season here in Japan. This "Azzuro compact" seems to survive longer until around October.
I think "Azzuro" is an Italian word, so I think this Azzuro compact is originally from Italy. Not sure. Plural form is probably "Azzuri" as the Italian national soccer team is called.



This blue one is a common loveria. It didn't survive in rainy season, already dead. :( The green leaves in the pot is a hedera, a kind of Ivy, I guess

I think I like small sensitive flowers like loverias, forget-me-not. Big flowers are not my cup of coffee, maybe because I have a big face lol...... You know, people always want something they don't have :p
The weather forcast for today was just cloudy but it was rainy until noon.
The hard thing to have some small flowers is you have to work hard to delete flowers which are dead to get more flowers. You really need to be careful to find all the dead flowers.

Hayaokidori website

Bonnet "Aizu"

Picture taken at Aizu-Wakamatsu station somewhen around 1981 when I travelled around Tohoku region by myself. Tohoku Shinkansen (bullet train) was not in service yet at that time, a lot of express and limited express trains were in service for many directions from Ueno terminal at that time. Most of limited express trains at Tohoku main line were constituted by 12-13 passengers cars but due to the restriction at Ban'etsu-saisen line, Aizu had to be 9 or shorter. The shortest regular limted express train at Tohoku line at that time. This control car in the picture was the green car ( 1st class passenger car ) called "Kuro 481", but not sure if it was an original one or 50+ or 100+. Because of the slight difference up to when one is made, soemtimes JNR distinguished some from others by their number like Kuro 481-1, 481-2 etc (Original ), Kuro 481-51, 481-52 etc(reconstructed from Saro : a 1st class passenger car without a control room ) and Kuro 481-101, 481-102 etc( ones with bigger MG (Moter Generator). As it had a couple of whistle covers at its waists, it might be one of 100's but could be original or 50's because its main lights at its waists do not seem to be sealed beams, also it does not seem to have some "cover" at some holes at the side bottom to take air inside to cool the MG.

Hayaokidori website

1,000 yen for underground?

... Not in Japan but in London, U.K. They raised the price a little bit before, now it costs 4 lbs for the minimun fare. Additionally , the lbs exchange rate against Japan yen has been strong for a while, it's now 1 lbs is more than 250 yen which means the minimum fare for the London underground is now more than 1,000 yen!

If a family totally had 4 adults, the total fare is 4,000 yen which might be more than the fare for a cab? Most European currencies have been strong against Japan yen recently, they say it will cost more than supposed when Japanese people have some tours around Europe this summer. Newspapers estimate some Japanese lunch plates will be 2,500 yen, a cup of coffee will be 510 yen and a hamberger will be 800 yen.

But I think it's just like to enter a phase to correct the rates because when I travelled around Europe in '82, 1 U.S. dollar was 270 yen, it was 240 yen in '84.
Now interests in Japan are very low, very high in Europe so people would like to raise some fund in Japan to employ in Europe to get some benefit which might cause
this situation that European currencies have been stronger against Japan yen.
And I don't think Japanese people need to worry too much. Even if a hamberger costs 800 yen in Europe, I guess it's much bigger than in Japan lol.... Because I found it that vegitables sold in markets there in Europe were way too huge!!! Cucumbers, egg plants etc were unbelievable huge to me.

Anyway, it will be fun to experience different things when you travel around especially when you travel somewhere in different culture. I also hope the foreign exchange rates against yen will not have been strong for ever, otherwise it will cost expensive for me to buy some model trains and its figures from Germany etc :p
I remember reading a description that said it was something like 1 U.K lbs = 1,008 Japan yen somewhen after the WW2 - must have been somewhen before the Smithsonian Agreement when it was a fixed exchange rate system, so British people seemed to be prosperous when they were in Japan. But.... if it still stays like that, the minimun fare for London underground would be more than 4,000 yen per person!! :o

Hayaokidori website

Making a layout #43 Sitting people vol.2

Some sitting people in a bench with a big coca cola ad. A kiosk cabin also got some ad boards on its roof.

Hayaokidori website

Natural disasters

A typhoon 4th hit Japan in this couple of days and when I thought the disaster was gone, an earthquake occured in the sea along Niigata prefecture today 10:13 a.m.
Some people passed away by the disasters and many were injured. I pray for the repose of their soul and pray any other disaster won't attack them.
I think we had better check where the refuge is for us if any disasters attacked. You never know when one occurs. It might do when all your family members are in different locations. If you all know the refuge, your all family members will get together there.

Here's an English reference how we should do in case of earthquake provided by Shibuya-ku office, Tokyo . Just a reference, I hope it helps you.

Hayaokidori website

Watching out fireflies in and around Hakuba

The other day, a firefly dropped in my house in accident. I hear they can survive only a week after they emerge. I slowly and patiently guided it to outside.

From around July 20th, an outdoor activity to watch out fireflies will be held here in Hakuba. They guide you to Lake Aoki, you have to roar a Canadian canoe for 12 passengers at the most. 3,500 yen per person for adults, 3,000 yen for elementary school children. Kindergarteners and youngers are not qualified for this event. Old local people here in Hakuba tells there used to be a lot of fireflies in Hakuba. It seemed they were decreasing but lately people protect them so they show up again in summer which is nice!

Hayaokidori website