My day on Japan's second-shortest train (this got me on Japanese TV!)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 27 січ 2024
- I spent a day investigating the second-shortest railway in Japan. The private Kishū Railway is in southern Wakayama Prefecture. It begins at JR's Gobō station and winds through the small city of Gobō a little over a mile and a half to the end. I rode the eight-minute train, past its five stations, all the way to the terminal stop, where I was approached by a local TV crew who interviewed me on-camera (!). Then I explored beyond that last station on foot, because the line used to go further - the abandoned tracks are still on the ground and you can just about follow them through people's properties to the remnants of the old final station, Hidakagawa. I then walked back along the entire line to see town life up close and personal. It was a day of fun, mystery, embarrassment, and solitude. And a couple weeks later, my UA-cam channel and I were featured on TV in Osaka!
Note: The shortest railway in Japan is in Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo, and mostly runs under the airport. It's not the rural and picturesque beauty that the Kishū Line is. So there.
Full MBS TV segment: • 『日本一短い私鉄』片道わずか８分間、５駅を行...
🔔 SUBSCRIBE → ua-cam.com/users/t1dwanderer?sub_confi...
👉 PATREON → / t1dwanderer
🌍 EMAIL NEWSLETTER → www.t1dwanderer.com/subscribe
Music provided by mellowstu and Blake Music / Pond5
That was really cool that you documented not only the train ride, but track exploration along the abandoned line (one of my favorite things). The serendipitous inclusion of the local tv team gave it that extra authentic boost. I do wonder how the train's operation is supported, but it looks like an efficient operation.
I was talking with someone about it and they speculated that it's basically a hobby or sense-of-pride venture for the owner of the real estate company. So maybe making money isn't the point?
Absolutely love your videos! I'll be traveling to Japan in early June, and your content has definitely helped me pick out which routes to cover and what to expect onboard. Hope all is well!
This is the kind of traveling I like to do - finding an out of the way place and soak in life in the slow lane.
Thanks for a gem of a video, especially showing us the retired diesel train that is being used as an office - just priceless.
Thanks! Glad you liked this
Have you ever checked out the Skyrail in Hiroshima prefecture? It is a very short, very odd rail line from Midoriguchi Station that goes only 1.3 km up a hill to a residential area, ending at Midorichuo Station. It is kind of like a cross between a gondola ride and a monorail. It looks kind of cool, but from the research I did they are scheduled to end service on this line at the end of April 2024 because it is losing too much money. 😕
Thanks for the tip! I've never heard of this, but it does look like it's ending in April. If I get the chance I will try to go see it before it closes. Thanks!
Oddly enough youtube presented me with the japanese TV movie first, which I started to watch to find the interview with you 😀The interesting bit about the rail in Japan is, that the local trains operate on different rail gauge than the high speed rail. So most tracks are 1067mm and the modern, all electrified are 1435mm. The latter gauge is standard in Europe. Greetings from Poland!
Greetings in Poland! Glad you found my channel :D
Thank you for a ,
Very interesting video, I noticed that their is no trash strewn all about like would be seen in the USA .
Not much trash, and no public trash cans. It's weird
❤❤❤
That was fun, Jeremy, Made me wonder if there are any short, little-known but still operating train lines in he US and Canada. Maybe some day you could find curiosities like that. Trains that had a Powerful Katrinka to get the car back on the tracks. There was a time when the Toonerville Trolley was a Sunday morning colored comix favorite.
Thanks. I think there are actually quite a few short, little-known train lines in the US. Some are sort of expensive tourist experiences, but I think there are several "normal" ones too that would be fun to ride. I hope to some day
I saw the local TV and came here. You're a famous movie star now ;)
Ha, thanks!
Ha--splendid! And thanks for including that bit of the television piece, too!
Thanks for watching - fun to be on TV here
テレビで見ました。
初めまして！
紀州鉄道無いなと思ってたらまだ出てなかっただけだったんですね
ありがとう！
I enjoy your videos and I really like getting a look at the more rural and normal Japan rather than just the tourist sights. I was thinking the person in the non operated rail car was a caretaker for the exhibit.
I thought that, but I think it was just a private office as well as a sort of informal tourist thing. People barging in might not be that unusual, hence the curtain (?)
Wow, you’re famous! (In Japan). I love the videos! Thanks!
Heh, thanks! Nobody has asked for my autograph yet, somehow...
That was awesome. You’re a TV Star Woo Whoo. I really enjoyed your walk back. Thank You.
Thanks a lot. Funny, I don't feel like a TV star :p
Platform Zero! LOL, JR is giving the local train operators no face.
Thanks for answering what happened to the extra track, that was the first question that popped into my head when you arrived at the terminus.
Separately, real estate is the real business of most light rail operators in Asia. Even the heavy traffic lines use tickets receipts to cover maintenance and operations costs, the build is nearly always paid out by the premium in land prices that comes from being located close to rail transport. Outside of China where it is a government monopoly in both rail and real estate, to be a big real estate firm in Asia means you really are either a rail operator or have some sort of financial ties to a rail operator. Sounds like the firm was doing a bit of manipulation, but the rail company would also make a good tax dodge.
I was thinking Harry Potter when I saw 0, maybe 0.75.
I was actually charmed by the platform zero heh
Awesome!!! Congrats on making it on TV too! Love your channel!
Thanks - being on TV was pretty cool :)
Who is that man behind the curtain???? Another great episode.
The Wizard of Oz, of course! 🙂
Hi there!
I am watching from Japan.
I saw you on Japanese TV on real. Your videos are very interesting.
I’ve subscribed.
Thank you! Welcome to my channel
Fab!
That was cool that you made it on TV! I've made it on, but for work and not vlogging. Enjoyed the process of exploring not only the entire line no matter how short it was, but also to take the time to explore each station as you walked back. Thought you might've walked in on a groundbreaking business deal in that old railcar! Safe travels my friend! Keep in touch! Your content is always so much fun!
Thank you! It was crazy luck that I ran into that video crew - I missed a connecting train in Osaka and was there later than planned. Kinda worked out :)
@@T1DWanderer Keep the awesome content coming
The point is...People!
Interesting and I’m proud of you for getting on tv…🤷🏻♀️ Funny commentary as well…
Thank you! :D
Subarashi. Means excellent in Japanese if I got it right. Your videos 📹 are so well done. You are having fun and it shows. I am about halfway thru your 5hr Norwegian video. Have been to Norway twice, but not that far north. Be safe as you travel.😊
That's correct, subarashii! Thanks. I hope you enjoy the Norway video - it's one of my top favorites still!
@T1DWanderer i am at hour 2 of 5 hrs Norway 🇳🇴 video. All videos 📹 of yours are excellent. Glad I discovered your channel. Be safe Jeremy. Will keep in touch. Thanks 😊 . P s. Loved that Lexus in Norway . Nice......
MBS NEWSから来ました
Welcome!
Great video Still Jeremy! Does is get really cold in Japan during the winter? Is it nyc cold or more mild?
Thanks! Osaka gets rather cold, but only around freezing. Northern Japan gets much colder and buried in deep snow. (Hoping to go there soon!)
@T1DWanderer oh interesting.. thanks for the reply.. it would be cool to hear you walk in snow in some remote part of a city...crunch.. crunch...
You’re walk sounds like going over railway tracks
I think that means I've been riding too many trains ;)
取材受けてましたね
そうです！
@@T1DWanderer ぜひ木次線に
Intruder alert, intruder alert! RealForce got pretty scared.
They must have planted them spiked plants to stop intruders but you prevailed.
Takes more than social embarrassment to stop me!
Jeremy. Maybe the hotel company bought the little train for the tax write off. But now I wonder if Japanese taxes operate in any similarities with US tax.
I have been told that it is indeed a prestige thing, some historical relationship between hotels and train lines
maybe you are more of a train nerd than you think. Maybe me too.
May be time to face it...!
Please at some time talk about the Japanese car culture. Am continuously astonished by the typical "cars" used in Japan. From Europe i see that Japan producing pretty good looking and good quality cars. But in your films one can see they simply use just rolling boxes instead of cars. Why is that? Anyone knows?
Are they different than ones elsewhere? I guess driving and parking uses tighter spaces here, so small cars are just more practical