Akashi Bridge

I am a little disappointed here as I had hoped to make a more comprehensive visit and report on Tuesday. As I said Satyaki and I visited the bridge on Sunday but the tour that takes you to the top of one of the towers is closed on Sundays, so I returned on Tuesday to complete the mission. It was a cloudy hazy day early and again the tower was closed, and my ability to understand the people at the desk kept me from completely understanding why.
Oh well.

The bridge is a very impressive structure and is one of the largest suspension bridges in existence. The towers are nearly 300 meters tall (nearly 1000 ft) and nearly 4km long (about 2.5 miles). It was built after a couple of ferries sank and 150 lives were lost, mostly schoolchildren I believe.
If you click on the bridge data picture it will expand and you can read the detail.

The toll to cross is about $50 (covers out and back).
The bridge had to be designed for an earthquake prone zone and was under construction when the 1995 Kobe earthquake occurred. They ultimately discovered that the towers had shifted during the quake and they had to start over with at least one of the structures.
The suspension cables are 1.1 meters thick (maybe 45 inches) and consist of multiple hexagonal strands that are designed to be fairly rigid in one direction and flexible in the other.

 

Cable cross section

You can feel the bridge move with traffic and this would be important in an earthquake. Equally the bridge has to be designed to sustain and survive high winds. So It is a complex structure that was expensive to build but manages the task while also being a beautiful (in my mind anyway) piece of architecture.

 

Osaka Bay from the bridge base

Looking down thru a glass floor to the water 100 meters below

I am on the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) on my way to Hiroshima. Satyaki showed me yesterday how to get to Shin Kobe station and navigate the subway, and I managed to do that and order a simple breakfast at the Shinkansen station, which is separate from the Japan Railways (JR) stations.

 

Nozomi Shinkansen train. Cruise 185 mph

The trains are very sleek and exude the feeling of speed even when they are in the station. The trains run about every 20 minutes and cruise at around 185 mph.

There are varying levels for train and the Nozumi is the fastest and is the equivalent of the Super Rapid on the regular JR line. There are a lot of tunnels and only two other stops between Kobe and Hiroshima. It takes about 90 minutes for the journey and is about $100 each way!

The train stops in the station for about 45 seconds, and there are barriers and gates that only open when the train is in the station, so you had better be ready when your stop comes up!. There are reserved seats and some cars with non-reserved seats where you take potluck.

The train is quiet and very smooth and there is plenty of legroom and a table. It is clean and well lit, and like everything I have seen so far is well maintained.

We have been traveling for about 30 minutes so far and it looks like we are approaching the first station Okayama.  It looks like not all the stations have full-length barriers and gates. There were none at Okayama.

Yesterday on the regular JR trains we watched the driver and the conductor. They are impeccably dressed and wear white gloves, and there is a procedure that looks like it is rigidly followed where the driver physically points to the signal ahead and when the train stops physically touches the light that indicates that the train is stopped and the brakes applied. 

 

Note the white gloves

They are also meticulous about the time and the conductor constantly checks it and the doors close on the second. I looked at the board that the driver has and it shows the arrival time and departure time for each station on the route and is to the second, even for local trains. S the train would arrive at Sumyoshi station at, say 10.22 and 20 seconds and depart at 10.22 and 45 seconds. The length of time is dependent on the average passenger volume and probably varies by the time also. To the average American we would maybe find this obsessive, but it works with Japanese culture and their expectations for efficiency.

 

The information board indicates the next two trains and when the train is approaching it starts to flash. You had better be ready as the stop is brief, even for the Nozomi!

While there is some evidence of farming the vast majority of the journey so far has been either tunnels, or an urban or industrial area.

The whole system must have been very expensive to build, and expensive to maintain, but the results are truly impressive. I can recall hearing about bullet trains 35 years ago. I am told that there are also many trains In China that are as fast or faster and impressive.

The thing that surprised me most is the number of trains. They look like they leave Hiroshima (most southerly point) for Tokyo, a terminal anyway but not the most northerly point, every 20 minutes or so. Maybe the other thing was that there are female train drivers, and in this male dominated society I was surprised. I saw shift change in Hiroshima and the new driver was a lady in her 30s. Of course I took a train with a male driver…much safer!! JUST KIDDING.

Random photos and situations in Japan

Something a little different today.
I have collected a variety of images to show some similarities and some differences between life in Japan and elsewhere.
I hope you enjoy them. Some are classic

 

Call before you dig. Could work anywhere.

Bicycles at the train station. Hundreds of them. Most are not locked or chained.

 

You might have to lock this one up. Gas mileage is appalling.

Plug in electric assist bicycle with kid carrier.

Check out the boys school uniforms especially the hats!.

Looks like kids routinely ride the train and tram unsupervised at very young ages.

More kids with strange hats on their way home. This time in Kyoto.

The backpack is nearly as big as the kid. I understand they cost around $500!!

Japanese toilet (Western style) with soft heated seat, vent fan and bidet feature with adjustable pressure and heat!

Operator controls for said seat.

Seat on sale in a store for approx $350. Reduced from $750. Crappy market I suppose.

Note the store name. "Love Girls Market"

 

Probably what you buy at the Love Girls Market.

Lots of trashy dressing particularly girls. Presumably a chance to rebel in a very structured society.

Cheap hotel between 10pm and 11 am. Just about $50.

Understandable even for married couples where you live with the kids even when they are adults, and the walls or dividerrs are made of paper. Bet the kids will pay the $50 sometimes just so they do not have to listen. LOL

This guy is in a world of hurt. Parked illegally outside the Bullet Train station. It was there for at least 30 min with three cops taking pictures and measurements.

Security risk I am sure.

This house can only be 3 meters wide at this end judging by the relative width of the SUV. Good news is that it gets wider at the other end.

Rhino looks from the bridge at the A Bomb Memorial in Hiroshima. Seperate post about that trip but it was time Rhino made an appearance.

Nissan GTR for my son Al.

Saturday and Sunday. The amazing Akashi bridge.

If you know me, you also know that I love weird airports, ferries (any and all) and beautiful and dramatic bridges. Satyaki mentioned a visit to another castle or pagoda, which would have been nice, but then mentioned the Akashi Bridge. We decided to make that Sunday’s visit as well as a trial run at the train change and getting the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) for my Hiroshima trip on Monday. I will do a separate post for this.

He and I took the kids out Saturday morning for a run around and to hopefully give Snigdha a break, and we went to their preschool on Roko Island maybe 5km away. 

It is a nice school focused on expat kids and they enjoy it and are learning well. We climbed up the mountain (in the car) from there and got a good view of the whole of Osaka bay including both Kobe and Kansai airports which are built on man-made islands.

 

We came home and Satyaki grilled an excellent tenderloin, and mushrooms, after which we all promptly took an afternoon nap. 

We walked around downtown Kobe and tried some street food. Rather like a donut, and then we saw a celebration of Chinese New Year as we entered Chinatown.

Street food Kobe style

We ate at a Chinese (very authentic) place on Saturday night. The in-laws of a Cat guy Tay who was a BCP employee until the reorg and now works for HEDC own it. I think he is Japanese, and his wife Chinese but grew up in Japan. Get all of that!!.

Anyway good food, selected by the owner/chef and we meekly ate what was put in front of us. There was only one item that we adults agreed did not taste as we would have liked. The rest was really good and not too expensive by Japanese standards.

Satyaki went for a 12 mile run on Sunday morning in preparation for the Tokyo Marathon next weekend, and I blogged a little and took a walk. There is a river that runs in front of the house and it has some nice walking trails alongside. There are lots of signs and alarms and escape routes because it is subject to flash flooding after rain in the mountains.

 

 

 Satyaki's home

We then took off for the Akashi Bridge by train. I will, as I have said do a separate post for this.

We went out to a very good Indian restaurant for dinner. Excellent Tandoori chicken (Sneha’s favorite) and Dal Makini (spg?) with black lentils and butter chicken. Superb!!

Kyoto. Friday

So today I have the somewhat daunting prospect of navigating to Kyoto on the train without any help other than the excellent briefing given to me by Satyaki last evening. I have my tickets (around 20 bucks for a one hour each way train ride) and I know that the train to Kyoto is a “Rapid” which has limited stops but still zips along. There is also a “Super Rapid” with even more limited stops and then local trains. All VERY efficient. This does not include the Bullet Train, which I will experience on Monday going to Hiroshima.
All went well and this is really helped by the incredible punctuality of the trains, almost to the second. The train arrives in Kyoto station at 7.39 as promised and I have an hour to navigate my way to the hotel and get something to eat. That all proves easier than anticipated so I have time to relax and look around.
Japan is VERY clean, and VERY organized and everything has a feel of quality.
I am booked on the all day tour of Kyoto and we have about 8 destinations and of course a tight schedule. We are on a bus with a total of about 50 people and I am sitting next to a guy who works for …..Volvo!!. He is actually in the On highway truck group and we spend most of the day on and off chatting about global business and how large corporations function or not depending on your view.

 

2 cute girls on the tour

Two cute girls with Andy

Two cute girls with the guys they were REALLY interested in!!

Kyoto is the ancient capital of Japan and is full of both Buddhist and Shinto temples and many beautiful gardens. All are meticulously maintained and there are restrictions in some of the palaces and temples on wearing shoes and taking photos.

 

 

 

Kiyomizu Temple

 

 These guys have to be really fit

I was really impressed with the Golden Pavilion, and the Kiyomizu Temple and the associated gardens.
There are really three aspects to a visit like this in my mind
Ø The religious history and impact
Ø The building construction and techniques
Ø The social implications
I do not pretend to understand the religious aspects and underlying history, but remain aware of the impact that it had and continues to have on people’s lives. This was essentially the same in India.
Some of the buildings are many centuries old and kept in superb condition. The overall construction must have been as a result of many previous years of experience so the culture and expertise is actually much older than the buildings actually suggest. The Kiyomuzi Temple for example was built without the use of nails, screws or any other fasteners. All the construction was made with dovetail and other fashioned joints. It stands on 130 + massive pillars that must have withstood many an earthquake. The Imperial Palace was built on a foundation of alternating sand and clay so the two materials would “slip” against each other in a quake and the building would remain safe. How about that for smart engineering about a thousand years ago! The rafters in the roofs are spaced much closer than we would be accustomed to but the roofs are heavy and the principal seems to be to be safe and use more materials if deemed necessary.
I do not feel well enough qualified or experienced in Japan to comment on the social aspects, but the Shogun system and it’s implications, and the Geisha system are certainly different and impacted how Japan developed. It was a completely closed society until about 150 years ago, and in many respects still is today. The status quo seems to work well for them and there are few signs of any poverty, and many signs, sometimes ostentatious of great wealth . The system would not suit me well I believe, but now I think about it I have not been invited to join!

Travel Mumbai to Osaka, and initial Japan impressions

Wednesday was spent on the plane from Mumbai to Hong Kong with a tight connection to Osaka via Taiwan.
Looks like Tiawan is serious about the drug issue.

I arrived more or less on time with a good flight on Cathay Pacific. My bags made it to Hong Kong but were on the next flight to Osaka and showed up at Satyaki’s home on Thursday about lunchtime.

Satyaki met me at the airport and we took the 30 minute ferry ride across the bay and then home by car from there. Just a pity it was at night because I love ferries!

Thursday was a day to get caught up and post some updates on the blog. It is amazing how a fast connection can help uploading photos. I also did some much needed planning on the NZ portion of the trip as that is now very close. At least the first few days are settled.

Satyaki and his family (Snigtha, and the twins Rohit and Sneha who are 4) have a beautiful home in the hills above Osaka and Kobe, very spacious particularly for a Japanese home. The kids warmed up to me very quickly and I got a little one on one with Rohit when Snigdah took Sneha for her piano lesson in the afternoon.

When Satyaki got home from work we went out for a beer and something to eat at a tiny joint near the station about a mile from the house. I hear that there are lots of good hole in the wall type restaurants and nearly all are close to railroad stations. Satyaki,s grasp of Japanese is very impressive for someone who has only been here a short time, and ordering food and my train tickets was made much easier because of that. Thanks!!

Satyaki works in the Akashi factory and walks to the station (about 15 minutes) and then about 30 minutes on the train and another 15 min walk if the company busses are not scheduled, He takes the 6.23 train and returns around 6.30 or 7 in the evening, often with a late night teleconference from his home. A tough schedule by any measure but not abnormal for an expat in Asia who has to coordinate with people back in the US.

I have done little planning for this portion of the trip and with advice from the family I am going to Kyoto tomorrow, and then probably to Hiroshima on Monday or Tuesday before heading to Tokyo.

Satyaki is running in the Tokyo marathon on the 28^th, and I leave for New Zealand that night.