Posts Tagged ‘trains’

Backpacker’s Guide to Narita Airport

You can save around 1500 yen when you purchase the JR’s Narita Express & a Suica card combo if your purchase it at the airport.  It’s a special deal only for those who can present a foreign passport at the time of purchase. 

Watch this video for details on where and how you can get it:

It’s a great deal and is highly recommended. Just keep in mind you might be getting off the train at one of the busiest stations in the world.

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Contributor Bio – I was born and raised in Tokyo. I have spent over 15 years in Japan. Schooled in NYC. Used to be a dual citizen, US and Canada. My Grandpa’s military and he married a Japanese women. Today I hold only the Canadian passport. I have three YouTube channels where I post videos frequently.

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Top hotels for Japanese train lovers

The “Mezamashi TV” morning show recently had this countdown of the top 5 hotels for railway fans:

1. Keio Plaza Hotel Sapporo – This hotel overlooks Sapporo station. You can see the trains of Hokkaido, as well as the many special trains from Honshu such as the Hokutosei and the Twilight Express.

2. Miyazaki Kanko Hotel – From certain rooms in this hotel you can see a railway bridge over the river. Many different rail lines share the bridge, allowing railfans to observe a wide variety of trains one wouldn’t find in the Tokyo area.

3. Hotel Associa Shin-Yokohama – This hotel, which opened just a few months ago, offers a fantastic view of the bullet trains that pass through Shin-Yokohama station. It offers special rooms for railfans that are decorated with shinkansen-themed items. The hotel also has kid-sized shinkansen conductor uniforms so that parents of little railfans can take some cosplay photos.

4. Hotel Century Southern Tower – Located by Shinjuku Station, this hotel offers a great few of the many trains that travel through the busiest train station in the world. Guests can also receive a special paper weight created from track used by Odakyu railways.

5. The Kawasaki Nikko Hotel – Its rooms overlook JR Kawasaki station, allowing railfans to view trains from several major lines: the Tokkaido main line, the Keihin-Tohoku line, and the Nambu line. Fans who want to get a last look at the 208-Series trains used by the Keihin-Tohoku line should hurry up and get a room now, since they will be replaced by the end of this year.

Each of these hotels has an English language homepage, which means they probably have staff members that can speak English. If you’re a railfan and want to experience the best these hotels can offer, you should probably contact them directly and inquire about any special plans they have for railway viewing.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
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Japanese sports car vs bullet train

The Top Gear guys hold a race between Nissan’s GT-R sports car and Japan’s public transportation system:

Part 1

Part 2

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
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The rage of Japanese railfans

When railway otaku are taking pictures of a special train, they absolutely hate people who block their camera shots. Don’t believe me? Just watch this clip of one poor Japan Rail employee facing the anger of railfans:

[via Zaeega]

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)