Shikoku: A Few Sights (not Sites) in Shikoku

 I snapped a few shots in Shikoku that have no real good place elsewhere, so I've combined them together here.

Let's start with this single-car diesel train I saw in Takamatsu. It's not often that someone living in Tokyo gets to see a single car train, and everything around here is electrified. I've been on a few diesel lines in Japan, but there aren't too many remaining. And one-car trains are pretty tiny when you think about the huge eleven-car trains that arrive every two to three minutes on the Yamanote Line.

 Art. There's a bowling alley in the background.

 The chicken is a mascot called Bary-san from the town of Imabari. He is holding a ship and has a crown that looks like the Shimanami Kaido, a toll road which is a series of bridges connecting Shikoku and Honshu via Imabari. Shimanami Kaido is the only route to Shikoku which is possible to be walked or biked, and is on my itinerary for some unplanned future trip. At 70 kilometers, it'll be quite a bicycle trip so I won't be taking it lightly.

I'm not sure what AKB48 is doing in Shikoku, but I don't know how I missed the girl in the costume standing at the far left. I wonder what she was doing there too. Both photos above were taken at Matsuyama Station.

Finally, here are two pictures of Takamatsu's mascot "Hyoko-tan". Well, I say Takamatsu's mascot, but really she's the mascot for Hyogo-machi, the covered shopping street in Takamatsu. It's quite a long shopping street (like most others in Japan) and is a good place for tourists to get noodles and souvenirs and kill some time out of the hot sun or rain. I stayed at a hotel just off of Hyogo-machi so I used it as my walking route back to the train station.

Shikoku's Anpanman Torokko Green Car

 Last year, while heading off to some corner of Shikoku or another, I happened upon one of the Anpanman train cars. Apparently, there are three, traveling around Kagawa, Kochi, and Ehime.

 The outside of the train car is well-decorated with Anpanman characters, including special windows. The regular train windows are much larger than normal carriages, allowing a better view out for tourists - especially the little preschool ones the Anpanman TV show is geared toward. Not to mention they are actually open to the outside, which necessitates the safety bars you see in my photos. There are also shadowbox-style windows inside and outside the train with little Anpanman scenes.

 Apparently, the Anpanman train car above only seats twenty, with some seats in groups of four and others only in pairs. Again, the insides are custom with Anpanman images along the upper wall, the picture windows, and wooden seats complete with decorative Anpanman character coat knobs. The picture below shows some of the play "room" area for the little ones.

It appears that there is an indoor train car for use in Kagawa as well (no open windows), with drop down tray tables and nice seats. I didn't see this one - it might be used on one of the other routes, or just used in bad weather. I should note that the Kochi and Ehime train cars all appear to be "indoor" only and they do run to Okayama.

In addition to train rides, you can get special Anpanman breads and bentos (lunch boxes) along with plenty of exclusive merchandise. The train cars run various routes - the one that travels around Kagawa departs from Takamatsu in the morning before running two round trips between Tokushima and Awa Ikeda.

Trains run July through September, though not necessarily daily. JR Shikoku has a special Anpanman Train website, but it is all in Japanese and uses images for all of the text so nothing is translatable through Google. Seat reservations are available a month in advance and if you want to ride in the car above, I suggest doing it as soon as possible to avoid sellouts. As far as fares are concerned, the car you see above is considered a "Green" car and appropriate upcharges are applied. Advanced reservations are probably not required (they are available) for the regular Anpanman trains that run from Okayama to Kochi and Ehime - that is, unless you're traveling during holiday season.

SCMAGLEV and Railway Park: Nagoya's New Train Museum

 2011 may seem like a long time ago, but as far as museums go, three years is still pretty young. Located inside a giant train-themed building, this new train haven goes from ancient to futuristic. Seriously. The building is shaped like a line of trains. Do you not see that?

 After paying admission, you enter a large, dark area showcasing three train engines. The first is an extremely powerful steam engine, the fastest of its time. On the wall behind the trains is a very short video about the history of the trains.

 Times have changed, and the Shinkansen bullet train in the middle is the fastest operating train model today. But to the right is a model of the future, a maglev train.

 Train doors are already pretty cool here in Japan, but the doors on this model are even cooler, opening up instead of to the left or right. You can take a look at the seating compartment inside.

 From the entry display, you are then free to explore the expansive grounds of the main museum exhibits. But before playing inside, now is the best time to go out the doors to the side to see the steam engine with exposed innards and an older express train you can explore.

 This train ran on the Chuo and Tokaido lines, and the route map/stop guide is still visible above the doors. You can peek into the conductor's compartments, but entry into that area isn't allowed... ever... seemingly on any train in Japan.

 But, explore the rest of the train and have a seat. I believe this is the only train you can actually sit in at this museum.

 What sets this museum apart from the train museum in Saitama is its collection of bullet trains. Omiya's museum has a lot of historical vehicles and a wide variety of cars and engines; the Nagoya park mostly focuses on express trains.

 You can walk in almost all of the cars, but sitting isn't allowed! Actually, that's a major problem I have with this museum. The train and subway museums in the Tokyo area all allow (and usually encourage) guests to relax on board, while this place forbids it.

 You aren't allowed to play with the large ticket machines (another shame) but you can operate the touchscreen and generate a free "ticket" for the model gates.

 Then you can use the ticket to pass through the gates, and keep it as a souvenir. The wall board displays actual up-to-date information on Shinkansen approaching Nagoya.

 Along the back wall is a row of historic cars.

 You can't walk into the older models; it's completely fenced off. But some of the back doors are open and you can peer inside.

 The collection includes a sleeper car (left) and a gauging car (right) which would help find areas where trees or other objects might be too close to the tracks and risk contact.

 There are some dining cars attached to one of the trains.

Again, entering the generally off-limits areas is forbidden (so much for seeing something new) but you can peek inside the kitchen from the door, and admire the metal etching on your way up to the elevated dining car.

 Because it would require more cleaning and maintenance, the entire dining area is off limits of course. But you can observe it from the entrance.

 There's a second car with a lower-class dining area and kitchen to view.

 Again, you can't enter the area, but you can see some model food and view the area from the entrance.

 From the entrance to the main area, the cars seem to go from newest on the left to oldest on the right. Some of the older cars are more exciting to see than the newer ones, mainly because the newer cars are still easily seen traveling around Japan.

 If only they made train cars like this today. I guess the wood isn't as easy to maintain.

 This car is a little more spacious, designed for heavier city crowds. The darker car would most likely have run on longer routes.

 Closeup shots are fun.

 There's a very old steam engine here that you can view including a coal car. Then, you've reached the end of history and you can explore the rooms and second floor.

 There's a really expansive model train layout with small Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya areas.

 Tokyo is in the picture on the left. You can see SkyTree! The trains can be operated for a fee.

Here's the floor with all the trains. Eight rows of trains with two or three cars per row.

 It's a nice collection! There are 39 train cars on display in all.

 There's an old bus around a corner in a dark room. Wait a minute, you're upstairs in the entry area again! This is a great chance to take a break, take some photos, and get a better view of the trains.

The second floor also has history exhibits like you see above, and simulations for trains and subways (for a fee). There are also displays on train parts and it's possible to look under many of the train cars down on the floor. Many of the rooms up here focus on science, engineering, and logistics, including building the new maglev line from Tokyo to Osaka.

An English audio guide is available for 500 yen, and it's supposed to be really good. There's a lounge area on the second floor, and a small area sells boxed lunches and sandwiches like you'd get on the trains.

The museum is open 10:00-17:30, closed on Tuesdays and over the New Years holidays. Adult admission is 1000 yen, with train simulator fees ranging from 100 to 500 yen.

Access is via Kinjofuto Station, the last station on the Aonami Line, 24 minutes from Nagoya Station (350 yen). Signage at Nagoya Station for the Aonami Line is pretty good, and the railway park is right next to the station.