#railpassion

[thetravellingman87]

Countryside rails.

[maros130]

Good morning ! 

[nyancrimew]

so i majorly fucked up my sleep schedule, but also i have a railpass for all of switzerland that's valid from 7pm to 7am (it's only like 99 CHF, which is about what id pay when going out clubbing in another city just 4 times a year, so well worth it) so i think im gonna spend the night exploring some nightly trains

[greenbagjosh]

Overview of places in Summer 1997

Guten Tag!  Bonjour! I wanted to continue on with my preview of Summer 1997 to let you know where I went.  I had a two month rail pass in which I could choose to go on weekend trips.  I was able only to use the railpass up to the 20th July 1997, as I would not be able to use the pass on 17th August because it would have expired.  With my limited wages as a Praktikant, I had to take advantage of certain discounts as available.  

An overview where I went in Summer 1997 Paris CDG to Paris Nord by RER Champs des Elysees, La Defense Cergy-Pontoise, the entry to EuroDisney Notre Dame de Paris, Centre Georges Pompidou and Chatelet les Halles Bercy 2 mall, Montmartre and Sacre Coeur Paris Gare de l'Est to Strasbourg, Kehl, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, and Munich Dachau, Starnberger See Landshut, Regensburg (spent Saturday overnight there!), Salzburg Zurich, Milan Pilsen, Prague Hamburg, Flensburg Stuttgart, Ulm, Neu-Ulm, Füssen for Neuschwanstein Castle Park de Luxembourg, Eiffel Tower Site of Bastille prison

homeward flight via JFK

All in all it was a nice summer.  I hope to recount everything from the 26th May to 19th August 1997.  For some places I have photos and I recorded music from the radio on a HS-J3NN series radio that was on its last legs but it still recorded quite good material even then, onto C90 blank cassettes.  

My good camera stopped taking flash photos, so I had to buy a cheap one in Stuttgart.  I replaced that one in April 1998, but even that had to be replaced.  

The summer in 1997 prompted me to try my luck at a Werkstudent position which I was able to get for summer 1998.  

Anyway I hope next week to have some stories of what happened during the last week of May 1997.  Hope you will join me then.

[riku-in-japan]

Japan Trip 2023!!

It's been 4 long years and a full pandemic, but we are finally heading back to Japan again! Giving me 17 days to enjoy everything the country has to offer. (Because days 18 and 19 will be eaten up by traveling) In hindsight, I wish I had pushed my husband to book a few more days, because I'm just starting to feel it's going to be too short. At least, assuming I don't have to cancel half of my plans due to bad weather or a typhoon destroying every hiking trail in existence just before I arrive. (As happened in 2019...)

We have yet to book our hotels, but that doesn't keep me from creating extensive travel plans that may or may not be the death of me.

For example, I'm currently considering visiting Naritasan Shinso-ji Temple and Naritasan Park on the day of arrival. (Because my husband has never been there, and it's so pretty!) Our plane is scheduled to land at 9:45. So, even if it takes roughly 2 hours to make our way through customs, baggage claim, and to exchange our JR Railpass vouchers, there should be plenty of time to have a look around the area. Of course, we could decide to drop this plan if I realize upon arrival I'm just too sleep-deprived for sightseeing. (We would practically arrive in Japan at my usual bedtime, so I don't expect to sleep much on the airplane. To my body, this day would become an all-nighter! It's exactly for this reason I never do any extensive sightseeing on the day of arrival! Well, until this year... maybe.)

However, I managed to cook up an even more insane plan... You see, we will be spending a week of our stay in the Kyoto/Osaka area. I already pretty much have more places I want to visit than days to go around. And then, we came up with the brilliant idea we might want to throw in a day-tip to visit Hiroshima too. Osaka-Hiroshima is only 2 hours by Shinkansen, so it's honestly not too bad. My husband really wants to visit the Peace Memorial Museum (again), but I'm not entirely sold on the idea. (The Peace Memorial Park was incredibly impressive and do want to visit the museum sometime, but I just feel like this isn't the right year for it somehow.) So then, I had the brilliant idea to combine two plans. I will delay my own arrival in Hiroshima by giving myself a couple hours to visit Himeji Castle in the morning. So, my husband will have time to visit the Peace Memorial Museum. When I'm done in Himeji I make my way over the Hiroshima too, so we can meet up and visit Miyajima together in the afternoon, and then maybe we can explore Hiroshima a bit more in the evening until it's time to catch a train back to Osaka. Brilliant plan, right? *sarcasm*

Only while planning this, did I realize Himeji Castle is actually a lot closer to Osaka (by Shinkansen) than I expected, so... I may return to the drawing board and actually give Himeji its own day. There actually seems to be quite a lot of stuff around the castle itself, so it might warrant more than a two-hour visit. I'll have to figure it out as I plan out the other days.

What probably surprised me most, looking at my rough itinerary was... that I only have 3 days dedicated to Tokyo itself! The days that should have been for Tokyo are slowly getting allocated to an assorted number of other places... Like Mt.Takao, Kamakura, Nikko, Isehara... I fear my days in Tokyo will simply become one big shopping spree. I have spent plenty of time in Tokyo over the years and it will probably be the place I will visit most often in the future, so it's not that big of a deal, but... realizing I am effectively only spending 3 days of my whole trip in Tokyo certainly surprised me.

Either way, like always, I'm planning to blog about my travels... so, look forward to November! That's when the adventure begins!

[reiketsui]

Flings a preloaded railpass at him.

catches it – and stares at him dead in the eye. " i don't care for trains. " / leave an object in my ask and my muse will react to it being given to them / @shinkannsen

[japanexplorer]

Perfektes Fuji-Wetter

Für den heutigen Fuji-Ausflug hatte ich mir einen Zeitplan zurecht gelegt. Um 7 Uhr morgens verließ ich das Hotel und ging in Richtung des Bahnhofs in Kawasaki. Im Vergleich zu meiner normalen Aufstehzeit während meines Urlaubs war das schon sehr früh. 😅

Bis zum Bahnhof in Shinjuku musste ich zunächst 40 Minuten mit der Bahn fahren. Die Züge waren entsprechend der Uhrzeit an einem Wochentag ziemlich voll.

In Shinjuku hatte ich mir dann etwas Zeit eingeplant, um mir einen Kaffee und eine Kleinigkeit zum Frühstück zu holen. Danach ging es dann mit dem Fuji-Excursion-Zug nach Kawaguchiko. Das Problem war leider, dass nur die Fahrt bis Otsuki über den JR-Railpass abgedeckt ist. Dort werden dann die Waggons abgekoppelt und nur die Wagen 1-3 fahren weiter Richtung Fuji. Da ich recht spät meinen Sitzplatz reserviert hatte, konnte ich nur für Wagen 4 reservieren und musste dann in Otsuki in die vorderen Waggons wechseln. Dementsprechend musste ich die Hälfte der Fahrt stehen. Ingesamt ging die Fahrt von Shinjuku nach Kawaguchiko ca. eine Stunde und 45 Minuten.

In Kawaguchiko angekommen, musste ich dann noch die zweite Fahrthälfte bezahlen. Das ging zum Glück unproblematisch am Ticketschalter. Um mir später den Stress zu sparen, holte ich mir auch direkt mein Rückfahrtticket. Leider war der Fuji-Excursion-Zug für meine gewünschte Uhrzeit bis Otsuki schon ausgebucht. Als Alternative konnte ich mir aber ein Ticket für den lokalen Zug nach Otsuki holen und für die restliche Fahrt hatte ich dann einen reservierten Sitzplatz.

Am Ende der Fahrt konnte man bereits aus dem Fenster einen Blick auf den Fuji werfen und es war auf jeden Fall sehr gutes Wetter, um ihn zu sehen.

Nach einem kurzen Aufenthalt ging es dann in Richtung des Sees Kawaguchiko. Solange es keine Kirschblüten oder ein farbenfrohes Herbstlaub gibt, befindet sich der beste Fuji-Spot auf der Nordseite des Sees. Ich startete an der Südseite und ging auf der Ostseite entlang. Anfangs war der Fuji durch die umliegenden Hügel verdeckt, aber nach und nach tauchte er aus seinem Versteck auf. Das war ein echt beeindruckender Anblick. Als ich an der Nordseite entlang lief, verstand ich auch, wieso es der beste Spot für das "Fuji-Viewing" ist. Mit dem See im Vordergrund und dem Vulkan mit seiner weißen Haube dahinter, bietet sich einfach ein sehr schöner Anblick. Ich hoffe mal, dass ich es auf den Bildern rüberbringen konnte. 😄

Nach etwas Entspannung und einem kleinen Mittagssnack ging es dann zurück. Ich entschied mich dafür, dieses Mal die Westseite zu laufen. Der Weg war um einiges weiter und leider auch nicht so schön wie der Weg auf der Ostseite. Ich lief den Großteil der Strecke direkt an der Straße entlang. Es gab oftmals nicht einmal einen richtigen Gehweg... Der Vorteil war jedoch, dass man nochmal andere Blicke auf den Fuji werfen konnte.

Nach 3-4 Stunden war dann mein Rundweg auch beendet und ich war ziemlich fertig. Durch den fast wolkenfreien Himmel war ich den Großteil der Strecke auch der Sonne ausgesetzt. Ich bin gespannt, wie viel Sonnenbrand ich morgen haben werde. 😅 Ich hatte auch so langsam Hunger und entschied mich dazu, bevor ich mit der Bahn zurückfahre, etwas zu essen. Da der Ramen-Foodtruck leider geschlossen hatte, musste ich nochmals ein Stück weiterlaufen, um in einem Tempura-Restaurant zu speisen. (Es war für mich echt erstaunlich, dass sehr viele Restaurants und Cafés nicht offen hatten, auch wenn es ein Wochentag war.) Das Tempura war sehr lecker und hat mich dann auch gut gesättigt für die Heimreise. Da ich sehr kaputt war, ging es für mich dann nach der zweieinhalbstündigen Heimfahrt direkt zurück zum Hotel. Im Supermarkt neben an, holte ich mir noch etwas zum Snacken. Für mehr hat es dann auch nicht mehr gelangt. 😂

Während der Bahnfahrt, zumindest als ich einen Sitzplatz hatte, konnte ich mir den Ghibli-Film "Ponyo - Das große Abenteuer am Meer" anschaue. Dieser hat mir sehr gefallen. Ich würde ihn wahrscheinlich aktuell auf Platz 2 meiner gesehenen Ghibli-Filme ranken.

Ich entspanne jetzt noch etwas und gehe eventuell später noch in den Wellness-Bereich. Morgen ist dann mein letzter richtiger Tag in Japan und wahrscheinlich auch mein letzter Blogeintrag. Ein bisschen habe ich aber morgen noch zum Erleben übrig.

[randomnation]

JAPAN GUIDE

-City Guides & Itineraries-

https://trulytokyo.com

https://tokyocheapo.com/itineraries/shibuya-to-harajuku-meiji-jingu-walking-tour/

https://boutiquejapan.com/best-destinations-in-japan/

https://www.insidekyoto.com

https://insideosaka.com

https://www.insidekyoto.com/nara-travel-guide

-Tips-

Helpful apps while traveling in Japan

Google Maps

Google Translate

TripAdvisor

XE Currency

Japan Navitime (Helps with navigating Tokyo subway)

GuruNavi (Yelp for Japan)

Highly recommend getting a pocket WiFi or MiFi. Japan Wireless is the only one I’ve found to offer the fastest internet speeds with unlimited data.

1,000 Yen Discount Promo Code: JWWMWINTER

https://www.japan-wireless.com/en

If you are traveling to multiple cities, I suggest getting a Japan Rail Pass. It allows you to have unlimited access to the Japan Railways. Use the JR Pass Calculator to calculate if it’s worth buying one for your trip.

https://www.japan-guide.com/railpass/

https://www.japan-rail-pass.com/

https://www.japan-rail-pass.com/assets/JR-Pass-User-Guide-04-16.pdf

http://www.hyperdia.com/

  -”things to do” Recommendations-

-TOKYO-

MariCAR Akihabara #1

Senso-ji Shrine

Meiji Shrine

Walk down Harajuku

Memory Lane - Shinjuku

-KYOTO-

Nishiki Market

Kiyomizu-dera Temple

Sannen-zaka & Ninnen-zaka district

Fushimi-Inari

-NARA-

Todai-ji Temple

Nara-koen Park

 -Food Guide-

-TOKYO-

Shinjuku

Isetan Shinjuku (Luxury Food Court)*

Shinjuku Kappo Nakajima (Michelin Star/Affordable)*

Tsunahachi (Tempura)

Tenkuni (Tempura)

Shin Udon

Tokyo Mentsudan Udon

Menya Musashi (Ramen)*

Menya Kaijin (Ramen)

Fu-unji (Ramen)

Ichiran Ramen*

Tatsuya (Gyu Don)*

DEN (Modern)

Echigoya (Yakitori)*

Sarabeth (American Breakfast)

Shousuke (Yakitori)*

Sushi Tokyo Ten

Mister Donuts

Sushi-Zanmai Higashi*

Shibuya

Seirinkan (Pizza)

Maisen Aoyama Honten (Tonkatsu)*

Gion Tokuya (dessert)

-Akihabara-

Tonkatsu Marugo*

Maruka (Ramen)

Ginza

Birdland (Yakitori)*

Aoki (Sushi)

-Roppongi-

Naniwaya (Teriyaki)

Savoy (Pizza)

Tsukiji

Edogin (Sushi)

Sushisei (Sushi)

Sushi Iwa (sushi)

Sushi Dai

Meguro

Masakichi (Yakitori)

Tonkatsu Tonki

-Sugamo-

Tsuta Japanese Soba Noodles (Ramen)*

Duck ramen

-KYOTO-

Yamamoto (Udon)

Iroha Kitamise (Sukiyaki)

Ramen Sen No Kaze (Ramen)

Gion Tokuya (dessert)

Sushisei (Sushi)

Den Shichi (Sushi) 

Ganko Sushi

Ippudo (Ramen)*

Ramen Muraji

Inoichi (Ramen)

No Name Ramen*

Warai (Okonomiyaki)

Torito (Yakitori)

Owariya (Soba)

Omen Ginkaku-ji (Udon)

Ootoya

Asuka

Inoda Coffee

Arashiyama Yoshimura*

OSAKA

Minami

Chibo (Okonomiyaki)

Ajinoya (Okonomiyaki)*

Takoyaki Wanaka Sennichimae (Takoyaki)

Yakiniku M Hozenjiyokocho (Steak)*

Ryukishinraizu (Ramen)

Tsukemen Nidaime Misawa (Ramen)

Gekiryuu (Ramen)

Teuchisobaakari (Soba)

Nishiya (Soba)

Kamatakeudon (Udon)

Tsuki no Odori (Yakitori)

Shinsaibashi Madras 5 (Curry)*

Tennoji Area

Yamachan (Takoyaki)

Kita

Kiji (Okonomiyaki)

Bon (Kushikatsu)

Gunjou (Ramen)

-NARA-

Mellow Cafe (Italian/Pizza)

Wakasa (Curry)

Yoshinohonkuzu Tengyokudo Narahonten

*Highly Recommend

[penusinfurs]

Railpass secured 

[princessslut6969]

--k but really? This was me 2008-9. Abusive ex-bf, cut off from every single classmate especially friends. Lowest lowest low. Moved out to live alone. Better that way...

Except I'm still human. Literally afraid of the dark. And the only people I could risk talking to, were his friends he left behind. They basically had enough power to not be included in the threats to not talk to me, but if they ever wanted, they could turn me over to him. And that level of anxiety became my new normal, that it didn't even register most of the time. One of those friends said he didn't agree with even what he knew that he'd done & said, & was even aware that hearing only 1/2 the story was not the whole picture. So I took the risk of going over, telling him everything, in the hopes of not just sinking to the bottom, even if it blew up in my face, at least something would happen, which meant there was a chance for it to be something good. A resolution to fix this terrible threat I was living under. Maybe he'd talk some sense into him for me. (Hope sucks.) The first time he invited me to a party, I again jumped at the chance, for anything, even if it was a horrible idea, even if anything bad happened. Just something to keep trying, keep living, anything to feel something. A short burst of normalcy & fun. (I was enrolled in my own college still, but basically not attending & if I did, didn't do any work.) Only --unrelated-- one of the guys who lived at the apt it was at, was high on some kind of rx drugs, and drinking, and started fighting. Lil guy, though, but everyone else was like, whoa, not okay. Most people had left already, then he caused the last few to leave. That friend who invited me, called the cops on him. THEN told me after the fact. "Uh, then I need to leave. I'M NOT 21!" (20.5) Cursing ensues, he hadn't realized, but we left immediately. He was in an awkward interim between moving out of the dorms & into the apt we were actually just at. But at the moment, his stuff was still at someone else's place entirely. Where there was only a blowup mattress... for the 2 of us. I wouldn't say we had even flirted at all. But shared bed (omg human connection), turned into snuggling (omg touch starved), turned into kissing (omg it'd been so long), turned into him cleeearly reaching to finger me. Thaaat, I wasn't sure about. I was clearly shirking away from that. He clearly got that, so while he didn't advance, he also wouldn't retreat. I panicked for only the prospect of having nothing in me but actively seething hate for relationships & dating, etc. Terrified I'd get invested & emotionally broken further than I had ever thought possible again. "I'm not really looking for a relationship right now." "Neither am I." Oh, good! But, still not sure for some reason about the fingering. Until, that is, he said the magic words. "I wanna eat you out." OH, WELL, WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST SAY SO!

No way I was passing that up.

And I got hooked. Within a week, I asked to come back for more. And more, and more. Virgin still, but only for 3 more months. It became routine. I didn't pay towards drinks at the parties & sometimes he paid for food. On nights I was there, & sometimes only for the night, he'd drive me back into the city the next morning. Once I, too, moved out of the city to nearby him + co, but was still attending college in the city, he would drive me back and forth. Instead of paying for a $230 railpass. Which was explicitly negotiated. ...so it was a different type of "railpass." And I secretly loved that aspect of it. It was awesome sex every night, that he wanted. I could certainly ask, though, but while he'd sometimes say no, I felt like I couldn't say no. Not that that was ever a problem, actually. Him simply asking/starting something, with me having that in mind, would instantly turn me on, without fail. I mean, I probably did refuse sometimes, if I had a very good reason. He was extremely chill, very staunch on etiquette, generous & accommodating. But really, I loved *feeling* like I couldn't say no. It would get & keep me so turned on constantly. Like, I had to have sex with him, to pay for my rides. Instantly wet & cock hungry. There were lots of times while hanging out around other people though, where he'd do or not do something to be rude to make a point to them that we weren't dating. During parties we never stayed around each other. Other people did try to tell me like, that when i wasn't around, he talked like we weren't dating, etc, he'd be flirting with other girls. At least these convos happened when I was drunk, so I just felt extra naughty in giggling, "Oh, we're NOT dating, no." Only a couple times I remember him being like, hey, it's been a lil while, where's mine? You want me to drive you, then, ya know... Well that was enough itself to remedy it. Loved being a slut with safe consistent dick & no relationship to worry about, cuz, god I was so lonely & hopelessly depressed otherwise... . . . P.S.- While we were in that routine of him driving me to & from every single day, & specifically even in the routine of anal every night... That was when I was working on editing a short film in this same computer lab, same computer, same times, same days, all quarter long. When, week 2, this guy came in... "Is there a class in here?" Now, HIM-- First of all, I didn't even hear what he had said cuz my brain was literally screaming YES so loudly. No, there wasn't a class in there. He got embarrassed, thinking I was laughing at him, but as he ducked & quickly headed through the room to the back, my brain next went, Oh, there you are. Only, I had never seen him before in my life. Again, I shook it from my head, cuz relationships BAD. Those thoughts of recognizing a soulmate like that - all bs that my subconscious just spit back out randomly. Stupid, doesn't mean anything. And this guy? Oh, I instantly knew I wouldn't be able to FWB this guy. If I let this go 1 neuron farther, I would ruin something wonderful. Didn't make sense, but felt like, DO NOT TOUCH, both for my own good, & I would break him. He kept showing up at the same time, every same days, same times, sat at the same computer with a perfect view of me from behind. Always asked ME if there was a class in there. But the quarter ended with nothing else happening. ... NOWADAYS, 😏 he says that what he was thinking during that period, was: 1. "You intimidated me. I saw you flying around [Final Cut Pro], like, oh god she's so smart and talented!" 🤩 2. "Besides the sexy librarian look you had going on - that was obvious - but I could tell, too, that girl looks like she takes it up the ass." 😅 "And ya know, for any of those nights during that period, you were right." 😅

[thetravellingman87]

The old diesel is waiting for departure.

[maros130]

Somewhere in Poland.

[damonsterkanard]

Foule sur un TER Z2 #grafftrain #graffontrains #traingraff #z2 #graffiti #passiontrain #railpassion #spotter https://www.instagram.com/p/B-2hvnTJKU9/?igshid=s9m2n41kwhix

[frenchkissmagazine]

#frenchkissmagazine . . . . . #paintedtrains #Graffitimagazine #subwayart #railpassion #inoxlove #yardromance #graffitiporn #graffititrain #papermagazine #graffitiart #parisgraffiti #instagraffiti #graffitiontrains #metrowar #graffitimetro https://www.instagram.com/p/B32IDZBoOY0/?igshid=1mbfr7rmltmur

[indianrailwayss-blog]

Konkan and monsoons the love story! Ukshi Railway station portraying its magnum opus of tranqility . . . . . . #railways #indianrailways #railstagram #trainsmart #railmainindia #railwaystation #beauty_of_india #trendingrailzone #thegreatindianrailways #indianrailzone #railfans #raillovers #railway_photography #western_railways #ukshi #locomotives_of_india #railroad #railpassion #naturalphotography #windowseatproject #railmemories #raildiaries #_indiasb #indianrailwayss #railways #indianrailways #anandjunction #INDIANRAILWAYSS (at Ukshi, Maharashtra, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4RWgf5nQ23/?igshid=9wno03esqffr

[herr-bert-dortmund]