Post B6FlwrVNtBjxA4bJJ2 by hugh@social.crablab.uk
(DIR) More posts by hugh@social.crablab.uk
(DIR) Post #B6FlwrVNtBjxA4bJJ2 by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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Departing London; little bit moist. Shanghai 🔜Pleased to have an entire row to myself 😁
(DIR) Post #B6JU4WZqYtBA1p22KW by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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Time for plane no. 2. I enjoyed the 10 minutes spent landside at Shanghai. Culturally, even though this is a fairly major international airport, it felt very different to the West. The sheer number of staff milling around! The immigration agents had a sort of parade with their stamps. Security felt rather dated in comparison, although certainly effective. My bag was dissected several times!
(DIR) Post #B6JU4WvpFAlB7zJaaW by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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The local currency here.
(DIR) Post #B6JU4X9ePlopormd8a by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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Salted herring and tuna broccoli salad is the ideal breakfast 👍 Japan has already won me over. Other Western tourists are eyeing the options with great suspicion!
(DIR) Post #B6JU4XLLiHB0P9FyN6 by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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My Suica has been vandalised! It transpires this has a leuco rewritable coating, so special products (like this 1 day season) are literally lasered onto the front (including a map!) and overwritten/removed once used. Extremely extra but very cool. I've never seen one of these in the wild before. https://www.ricoh.com/technology/tech/062_laserrewritable
(DIR) Post #B6JU4XXky96L1d3si8 by domi@donotsta.re
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@hugh w00000t that’s possible? super cool
(DIR) Post #B6Ja54N3W7NIYwgyCO by icedquinn@blob.cat
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@hugh wild. though 1,000 (optimistic) is about 3 years assuming its scribbled on daily. that feels low, but i guess for an access card its not.
(DIR) Post #B6JatkU7DFwXei9yQC by antonia@estrogen.network
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@hugh The Humboldt University of Berlin used to have that too, they printed the current ticket information onto your student ID card
(DIR) Post #B6Jb8n49tiYK0OBuzo by mametsuko@mk.absturztau.be
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@hugh@social.crablab.uk welcome to japan!!!!!!!!!!
(DIR) Post #B6JiZxJKcDYVHDBlD6 by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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@domi exactly my reaction! I was originally really confused 😂
(DIR) Post #B6Jid2adRbsyWBkmCO by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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@mametsuko thank you Mame!!!
(DIR) Post #B6K8tH5xsZfawmoEPA by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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Other important infrastructure in Tokyo: The ubiquitous NTT phone, in very well kept and working phone booths (cc. @eloy I've definitely seen these on eBay) CYBER, whilst grabbing sushi with @ripper
(DIR) Post #B6Lfa4I0l2CTNGqx1M by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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Some more telephones, because apparently this is a thing now.
(DIR) Post #B6PltjcggJa5QY7nxA by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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And a study in brand guidelines and iconography for the World Expo 70, held in Osaka that year - my favourite :neocat_heart: Which other event needs iconography for a Monorail? 😁#design #iconography
(DIR) Post #B6PltjqrpavK8Wl83U by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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Note that the UK pagoda (presence) was typically tasteful and muted; not trying too hard to be conspicuous but yet prominent enough to stand out from the crowd. /sIt appears the obsession with flags is deep rooted.
(DIR) Post #B6Pltk2v6mZ4juOkqG by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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Some more Expo 70 photos.
(DIR) Post #B6PltkCqVsVLEh2gJU by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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Brief interlude to declare that I've found the best bar in Osaka. It was absolutely rammed yesterday; people just kept coming! Open very late, serves good (local) beer, fried chicken and gyoza. What's not to like? Everyone coming through the door gets a personal welcome from the chef 🙂
(DIR) Post #B6PltkOXoNrVoyW1Y0 by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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Now for some hydroelectric infrastructure photos from the rather pretty Kuobe Gorge. This is definitely extremely touristy, and there's a much more interesting infrastructure tour available once they fix the earthquake damage 😬 Still, nice to see some green! There are multiple dams going up the gorge; each flowing into each other. The railway was built to support construction and is still used today to get material up the gorge.
(DIR) Post #B6Pltkd4wLUKY3JdCa by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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A station is being rebuilt here. So they are paying a person to stand in direct sun and blow a whistle, each time a train approaches. As you can see, the worksite is completely bounded by fencing. It looks like a horrible job.
(DIR) Post #B6Pltkqu6wXzEvmfke by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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Some more telephones, to balance things out. One is on a Shinkansen!
(DIR) Post #B6PluDuS4pcHMKfPo8 by domi@donotsta.re
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@hugh i’m starting to think you may like phones… /j
(DIR) Post #B6PmZGRNZTYV59ddKK by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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@domi Outed on main as a telephone enjoyer :neocat_peek_owo:
(DIR) Post #B6PnlOC2fm9MYVoHVQ by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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Luggage lockers are underrated and we should have them in the UK. Plentiful and happily exactly the right size for my suitcase.I guess if your case is considered oversized by Shinkansen standards then you're out of luck. Tied to the indefatigable IC too, so no receipt to misplace... (I know why we don't, Japan seems to manage...)
(DIR) Post #B6PnlOQvmQ3lIgmAiG by domi@donotsta.re
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@hugh we have them in PL, and some places in germany too! so lacking them is an UK thing
(DIR) Post #B6PqNLE0MCuGGIx86a by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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@domi It's definitely a UK thing; a hangover from the IRA's mainland bombing campaign
(DIR) Post #B6Pt3tCccRKRiFipYe by eloy@hsnl.social
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@hugh @domi still 100% clean on opsec
(DIR) Post #B6RsH3zm5k7FJRLoDg by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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Some random gebakje photos from today:1. JR reservation system (MARS) 2. DENSO instrument cluster from the 80s 3. DENSO BMS and battery 4. Brother Takeru The last is the most interesting and I'd never heard of it; Japanese wiki here: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%BD%E3%83%95%E3%83%88%E3%83%99%E3%83%B3%E3%83%80%E3%83%BCTAKERUIn classic Japanese style, everything must be a vending machine. And so this is a vending machine for software! You insert a floppy disk, make your selection and boom. Sadly this didn't catch on 😔
(DIR) Post #B6RsH4HV1qIICPdxqa by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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I heard fedi likes trains (especially @aetios). So here's some trains!
(DIR) Post #B6Ryzn1ucCidS23q7s by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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@aetios Which came first - Dr Yellow or the Flying Banana?
(DIR) Post #B6TmRGz4Rb6D5DQUrI by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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I know what we're missing: more telephones.Some of these are imposters; they're not actually branded as NTT.
(DIR) Post #B6TmRHWORhkokZ16nY by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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And in the same spirit as @janamarie, today I visited the International Conference Centre in Kyoto to appreciate the fascinating "metabolistic" architecture. The home of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, but its cuboid cousin in Tokyo is more famous: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_International_Conference_CenterIt's set in a lovely and extensive park, which was fun to explore. #architecture #BrutalistArchitecture #brutalism
(DIR) Post #B6TmRIBA08Mcn05fLE by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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Some more Kyoto ICC photos.#architecture #brutalism #BrutalistArchitecture
(DIR) Post #B6W3Dc1fV8CFpHdJpY by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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It's now time to catch a ferry to a tiny island just off the coast; requiring the negotiation of two buses to the middle of nowhere - that was a little strenuous.This is really quite rural Japan!I don't really know how you'd do this trip without Google Maps; it's extremely hard to find information about these routes unless you read/write Kanji. Even with Google Maps, actually finding the right bus is a challenge and requires Google Translating images.
(DIR) Post #B6W3DcLAKdnCnkktDk by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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On the island is Ikeshima Coal Mine; which operated from the ~1950s through to closure in the late 90s. Most of the "island" is actually spoil from under the seabed, and the surface buildings are largely abandoned and rotting away. But you can go on (a very limited) tour! The mine itself is there and used for training, although the future of that is uncertain. Unfortunately access underground is not generally available :(https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B1%A0%E5%B3%B6%E7%82%AD%E9%89%B1
(DIR) Post #B6W3DcZhSbQ1WpYUsK by domi@donotsta.re
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@hugh oh you’re so cool for picking this as one of the places to visit :ablobcatbongo:
(DIR) Post #B6W4XfeBqYcInrmPcu by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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On the surface there are various buildings in an advanced state of decay. I particularly enjoyed the solitary digger, sitting on the spoil heap and looking out to sea 😢
(DIR) Post #B6W4XfwGlL4vhwEqo4 by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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Naturally, there is also a payphone here - priorities. Being particularly remote and inaccessible, I wonder when it was last used? It's working, of course.
(DIR) Post #B6W4ssnu7qjlgnREps by domi@donotsta.re
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@hugh that digger is almost wallpaper material
(DIR) Post #B6W9Qn5cHG1jd49Azw by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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@domi :neocat_heart:
(DIR) Post #B6XzHAYrXpyOIuWIpU by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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Back to trains: the Kamome Shinkansen is the silliest railway. It's the shortest Shinkansen, and goes from Nagasaki to the middle of nowhere in ~20 minutes. Why is that? Politicians in the next prefecture don't want the Shinkansen... So instead, you get shuttled between Takeo-Onsen and Hakata where you can connect with the rest of the Shinkansen network. Maybe one day they'll join it all up...
(DIR) Post #B6XzHB4PeXD5slHV0S by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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Time for some more phones? Seems like the Shinkansen's character is keen on them too!
(DIR) Post #B6XzHBoqrsMCCn0aOG by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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It's also worth sharing a photo of the dispatcher's console, used on the Shinkansen platforms. Their role seems to be solely to open and close the platform edge doors, and some associated safety checks. Looks pretty cool through!
(DIR) Post #B6aAKdskTVhDvBbG6a by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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It's almost 9am and I'm at this insalubrious bus terminal, smelling of diesel fumes. More popular than the public transport is the tonkatsu restaurant here, that has a queue of hundreds stretching around the terminal 😅😂 Seriously! Clearly this is excellent tonkatsu!(Sadly I cannot take a photo, as it obviously contains many people)
(DIR) Post #B6aAKe6DfQTIaxu16O by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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More telephones.
(DIR) Post #B6aAKeIcvIOdDRhvRQ by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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And a perfectly parked automobile. No notes.
(DIR) Post #B6aAKeXs0cabyiq6CW by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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🍣 Reviews of some Japanse snackfoods from the last couple of weeks. 1. Custard bun thing. Pretty tasty, seemed to include cream too. Could have been a better custard.2. Spam rice ball. Excellent - goes really well with the seaweed & the saltiness cuts through the glutenous rice.3. Chocolate cream bun. Rubbery; came from a vending machine with a BBE in 2028 and tasted like it too.4. Squid strips. Salty, fishy and tasty. Could do with a sauce to dip into.
(DIR) Post #B6ejCqA5D4bEiWYxdo by hugh@social.crablab.uk
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This is what happens when the coating is rewritten. You can see some artifacts remain - apparently if you get someone to ''clear" it several times you can entirely remove them.The card comes out quite warm after this! I've converted my Suica to be "named", so in theory it can now be replaced if lost?