Japan - 6

Hi, Our next to last port on the cruise to Hokaido was Hakodate.  This was another important city and port to be opened up to foreign trade in the 1850s. 

In the morning we visited the Jomon Cultural Center.  The Jomon were hunter-gathers that existed  in prehistoric Japan from about 12,000 BC, and in some cases cited as early as 14,500 BC, to about 300 BC.

The museum contained a number of artifacts (above and below).

Outside the museum building were recreations of their dwellings.

This structure was left without thatch to show how the frame was constructed.

I thought the roof thatch made an interesting pattern.

After lunch on the ship we visited Goryokaku Fort; headquarters of the short lived Ezo Republic which was formed during the war that led to the downfall of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the restoration of the Emperor.  The final battles of the war were fought around this fort.

The tower is in the middle of the fort.

There were some great views of the fort, its buildings and the surrounding city (above and two below).

The elevators had uniformed attendants.

This picture, taken by Ruthe from the bus, shows one of the nicest homes we saw.

The Japanese love ice cream (above and below).

Here are a pair of decorated man hole covers (above and below).

Its not just instruction manuals accompanying Japanese products that have interesting language.

Our last stop was at the former British Consulate and residence.  Here are two views of the garden (above and below) and

one of the rooms in the residence.

On the way back to our bus we walked past these statues (above and below).

Thanks for looking.

Japan - 5

Hi, This post will cover our visit to the port of Otaru and to a scotch (yes Scotch in Japan) distillery in Yoichi.

It seems like every city of any size in Japan has a Ferris Wheel.  This is the view from our balcony aboard the Diamond Princess.

Human powered rickshaws are still in use.  The body of water behind the rickshaw is part of a canal.

Nikka Distillery was established in 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru.  He became enamored with scotch whiskey when he traveled to Scotland in 1918.  There he took university courses in chemistry and apprenticed at distilleries.

The path through the distillery is lined with plants and trees that are very carefully tended to.

The plant was shut down for maintenance when we were there.  Here two workers are examining the furnace under a still.

After the plant tour we passed through a small museum.  Among other things there was a still and a stained glass portrait of a master blender (above in background and below).

Obviously the master blender pictured is not Japanese.

Next up we passed a display of some of their products

before entering the tasting room.  Since I am not a scotch drinker I can not evaluate their products.

In the afternoon we visited a herring merchant's house.  These people bought fish from fishermen and sold the fish to retail sellers.  Above is the path up to the house.

The house had a Torii which has significance in the Shinto Religion.

There was a large mural with this section of it showing the fishing boast being unloaded.

The fish was carried in these buckets with larger ones used by adult males, the midsize ones by adult females and the smallest ones by children.

Here are some furnishings in the house (above and below).

This building was to be a luxury hotel on a point of land overlooking the ocean.  However, the land under it is unstable and is slipping toward the sea so it can not be occupied.

There was some time for us to walk around when we returned to Otaru.  The bus let us off right next to a small area where these children were drumming (above and below).

After we tired of listening to the drumming and photographing the children Ruthe and I did a little walk about.  I walked along the canal where there were a number of former fish warehouses (above and two below).

This warehouse has been re purposed as a restaurant.

The walk along the canal was nicely decorated.

Ruthe was intrigued by this music hall,

shop and house, and

this statue.  Thanks for looking.

Railfanning 1-26 to 1-28-2016

Hi, I had the opportunity to visit with my friend Stan Short from the morning of January 26 through the early afternoon of January 28. During that period we spent our days photographing trains and the evenings looking at railroad slides. It was great.

Shortly after my arrival on Tuesday morning we headed for CSX.  It was dead and we did not see a train until 2:50 PM when this north bound intermodal came through Doswell, VA with a pier of Tier 4 compliant GEs.

Next up a few minutes later was a southbound coal train (above and below).  I was surprised at how much had changed at Doswell with the addition of a new industry just out of the photo to the left.

During the next half hour Q400 came north and

Amtrak #95 went south.

We set out early the next morning to shoot some dips on the NS mainline starting at Culpeper, VA.  As the northbound Amtrak from Lynchburg was due in about an hour we elected to wait for it photographing NS #213 in the interim.

Number 95 was right on time.

After loading passengers it departed (above and below).

We found our first dip at Midland, VA where we shot NS #35Q (above and below).

Next up was Calverton with a northbound local (above and below).

Our final train of the morning was Amtrak #51, the westbound Cardinal (above and below) just before 1:00 PM.

The next train, NS #211, was at 4:43 PM.

The next morning we hung around Fredericksburg.  Our first train was Amtrak #84 at 10:15 AM (we got a late start).

Next the local backed down from the yard in Fredericksburg to work an industry near the new VRE platform.

Soon after the local went by Amtrak #67, running about 3 hours late, hustled by (above and below)

followed shortly by #89, the Palmetto.

Thanks for looking.