Japan Imperial Train E655


When the Emperor and his wife Michiyo-sama took the Imperial Train late September 2010, a large number of densha otaku (I suppose "trainspotters" is the best English term, but some are of course just parents that bring their kids) were delighted: They all take photos and post videos on Youtube and other Internet media.

The train is a E655 and it had not been used for 2 years. This black train is much like Air Force One in the United States, but more down to earth, so to speak. The first Imperial Train trip was on 12 November 2008, when the train was used for a trip that the Japanese Imperial couple took with the Spanish Royal couple. It is a VIP train that ordinary people can also ride, as part of JR's extensive promotional activities called Joyful Train.

お召し列車 Omeshi Ressha refers to a non-scheduled service solely operated for the Imperial Family. E655 is built by Tokyu Car Corporation and Hitachi Ltd. The E655 series unit can be hauled by a diesel locomotive on non-electrified lines, in which case power for air conditioning and lighting is supplied by the diesel generator in car 1.

Train makers like Tokyu are very much in symbiosis with other manufacturers around the world, and have a long history of working together. Tokyu first licenced technology from Budd Company from Philadelphia in the early 1960s.

Today, as Japan pitches its Shinkansen trains to the United States, perhaps there are links with rail fans in the US that could be nurtured and encouraged. Hitachi, meanwhile, has been exporting trains to UEA in the Middle East, to the UK and to South Korea. Hitachi is active in China, including Shanghai and Beijing, but appears to play down its role to not upset clients in the communist country.

The Emperor looked at rice fields in Chiba, and the Empress waved to the trainspotting crowds.

I also like the simple ceremony caught in this video, showing three JR train workers unwrapping the two Hinomaru flags and polishing the Imperial Seal, and how it shows a lot of attention to detail.

I'm usually no huge fan of royalty, but when they promote trains and public transportation, and appreciate the hard work of farmers (such as the Imperial Household's Organic Farms back in February 2008), I tend to think it is rather Kurashi-like stuff! Only thing is, did they have to paint it black? Why not a nice, dark red or a very deep purple, or a dignified royal marine blue...?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Global Article 9 Conference to Abolish War

Image
A unique three-day international conference is being held at Makuhari near Tokyo, a day after the 61st anniversary of the enforcement of Japan's Constitution. It is organized by nongovernmental groups, including Japan-based Peace Boat . Organizers said the meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss the significance of the constitutional article that endorses demilitarization and what people can do to promote its spirit, notes The Japan Times . While the constitution stipulates that Japan renounces war as a sovereign right and that it will not maintain land, sea and air forces, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has been keen to make amendments. "The war in Iraq has shown that even the strongest, biggest army in the world can not keep peace in a single city. It proves that aggression never instates peace," Tatsuya Yoshioka, director of Peace Boat and a representative of the event's organizing committee, said during the opening remarks. "Article 9 is a treasu...
Read more

マーティンの鵜の目鷹の目 -世界の消費者運動の旅から

Image
  My new book has been published! マーティン・フリッド (著)   世界中の消費者が同じ課題を抱え、悩み、たたかっている。スウェーデンに生まれ、ヨーロッパ、そして日本の消費者運動の現場を歩いてきた著者が、人びとの日常によりそいながら軽妙なユーモアを交えて食、環境、エネルギー、社会のあり方、政治、経済を考えます。   https://nishoren.net/new-information/14177 Consumers all over the world are facing similar problems, worries, and struggles. In this book, the author, who was born in Sweden and has walked the frontlines of consumer movements in Europe ...
Read more

Salvador Dali, Hiroshima and Okinawa

Image
Spanish artist Salvador Dali was deeply terrified by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki , and his exact, detailed style was very much suited to show the horror of the A-bomb, which America tried to keep a secret by classifying photos and descriptions until the end of the occupation of Japan in 1952. The Bureau of Atomic Tourism has more details if you want to know more about the legacy of nuclear weapons in the U.S. Even today, do people understand the real horror of atomic bombs? If not, then, why not ? Dali's paintings are on display in Fukushima prefecture, where you can view Melancholy Atomic and Uranium Idyll and The Three Sphinxes of Bikini at the Morohashi Museum of Modern Art . Long YouTube video from the Nihon University (Nichidai) channel with an interview featuring Morohashi Eiji, the son of the founder of the unique museum, and scenes from the Morohashi Museum (29:20): #271美術館への誘い ダリの世界 Is there a hidden message in Dali's Bikini hydrogen bomb painting...
Read more