Tsuruga

Of Interest: modern sculptures

Lodging: yes

Tourist Office: yes

I only made a brief stop in Tsuruga. Just long enough to find out that no one in the tourist office speaks English, but they do have a nice English-language brochure and map. Also, the local city hall has decided to beautify their town by purchasing a fair amount of public art. There are several modern sculptures placed throughout the town.

Tsuruga is a little less than an hour from Kyoto by express train. You can also take the shinkansen to Maibara and change to an express, but it takes about the same amount of time. Local trains take 45 minutes to an hour to get to Maibara along the Hokuriku line. Trains along this line sometimes only go between here and Omishiotsu which is fifteen minutes away. The trains end there because Omishiotsu is the first stop in Kyoto Prefecture. Train lines often end at prefectural borders.

According to the signs, technically Omishiotsu is the end of the Hokuriku line. However, what line a piece of track is or is not a part of does not really determine where the trains actually go.

Tsuruga is in the middle of an express route that connects Osaka and Toyama. Kyoto is on the way to Osaka. Going the other way this route passes through Fukui (30-45 minutes away), and Kanazawa. Occaisionnally these trains continue on to northern Japan, with ending points are far away as Niigata or Aomori.

The Obama local train starts in Tsuruga and runs to the city of Obama about an hour away. (The people in the area think that it is kind of funny that the US President has the same name as a small Japanese town.) Some of these trains continue on another hour to Higashi-Maizuru, on the edge of neighboring Kyoto Prefecture.

Trains on most routes run once an hour, sometimes less.

Fukui

Of Interest: downtown Fukui

Lodging: yes

Int'l ATM: Fukui's central post office is down the main street leading away from the west exit

I was not here very long, so I don't have a lot to write.

From Fukui, JR West trains can take you along the Hokuriku main line to Kanazawa in one direction and Tsuruga (one hour via local trains, half that via express trains) in the other. JR West trains travel along the Etsumi-Hoku line within Fukui and the neighboring city of Ono. A tram line connects Fukui to neighboring cities (Sabae, Echizen) while also providing transportation for short trips. Further transportation within the Fukui area is provided by the Echizen Railway. Their trains connect Sakai and Awara through one line while Katsuyama is accessible through another.

Kanazawa

Of Interest: seafood market, Castle grounds, performing arts center, international center
Tourist Office: yes, inside the station
Lodging: multiple
Internet Access: in the basement of the performing arts center to the right of the station (free from 30 minutes)

Int'l ATM: in the post office in the station building

The tourists office is excellent and has lots of materials in English, including a seasonal tourist magazine. Get a map it is easy to get lost in some of the the small streets in the historic district.

Leaving the station area is easy, just walk straight from the station along the four lane boulevard. There is an international center five minutes walk from the station on the right hand side. It is open regular business hours from Monday to Friday. Another ten minutes walk will get you to a covered market that specializes in fish. This is the point that the small roads appear. You may have look at a map to find the entrance. The market is a good place to have lunch. It is very touristy so it is not cheap.

A five minutes walk through the market will take you to a side entrance of Castle Park. Kanzawa used to be basically an independent country and this was the capital. The park is the largest of its type that I have seen in Japan with remains of lots of buildings as well as lots of areas that have returned to nature. There was a rehearsal for some kind of musical while I was there which was pretty interesting. The area is very hilly; if you stand on top of one of the hills you can see almost everything. (This is another place where I would not bring any luggage.)

There is an arts and craft street across the road from the main entrance (or one of the main entrances). Right now the city is organizing a crafts festival, so this area should be pretty lively. The entrance to Kenrokuen Garden is close by also. This is one the "three most beautiful gardens" in Japan.

At this point, you are pretty far from the station. It is best to take one of the loop buses if you are going back. I think that there are four loop buses in Kanazwa. I think that there are three for locals that cost 100 yen, and one for tourists that is more expensive. Each bus is identified by a color.

Kanazawa was never fire bombed during WWII, so there are historic houses in various places in the city.

The city of Kanzawa has translated their website into English, including the information on transportation. The train section includes information on shinkansen and express trains from Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya. Note that from Tokyo, you can take the Tokaido Shinkansen west to Maibara or the Joetsu Shinkansen over the mountains to Echigo-yuzawa. Kanzawa is two hours from Maibara and two and a half hours from Echigo-yuzawa by express train. Other destinations reachable by regular express trains are Kyoto (two hours), Osaka (two and a half hours), and Nagoya (two and a half hours).

Local JR West trains go to Fukui (hour and a half), Toyama (forty-five minutes), and Nanao (ninety minutes). There is also a short line run by the Hokuriku Railroad that has multiple stops within the city of Kanazawa and a terminus in the city of Uchinada. The whole trip only takes seventeen minutes.

Toyama

Of Interest: old Toyama, local history and folk museums, Itachi River

Lodging: multiple

Tourist Office: closed while the train station is renovated?

Int'l ATM: the main post office is just south of the station

Toyama has been an important industrial area for several hundred years. In old Toyama, visitors can see how medicines were made during Edo period. The area also contains Toyama Castle Park which is home to the local history museum and a folk museum which concentrates on the tea ceremony. (The buildings themselves are mostly not original. They are reconstructions dating from the 1950's.)

The Itachi River runs through this area as well. It takes a ten to fifteen minute walk to get to the edge of the interesting stuff which all takes a lot of walking itself. If you are not staying in Toyama overnight, put your bags in a locker at the station. You can also take the tramway to Old Toyama.

Toyama has a lot of commuter rail. Toyama City has several tramway lines, one of which serves the station, and a light rail line which passes the north entrance. The tramway company also operates a local train line that heads north to end in the northern part of Toyama Prefecture in Unazuki Onsen in Kurobe.

JR West runs local trains along the coast to Naoetsu and into to the mountains to Inotani, Toyama. (Inotani is the meeting point of JR West and JR Central lines.) Regular express trains take three and a half hours to get to Nagoya. These trains pass through Kanazawa, which gets the most frequent service from Toyama. Local trains take forty-five minutes, express trains half and hour. There are also occasional express trains to Osaka and Aomori.

Naoetsu

Of Interest: I have no idea

Lodging: yes, two hotels

Tourist Office: yes, outside

Restrooms: clean, both inside and outside the station

Accessibility: almost, but not quite. There are elevators to all tracks within the station, and an escalator leading out of the building

Int'l ATM: There is a post office on the road that lead straight away from the station

Naoetsu is on the edge of of a suburb of Joetsu City. It exists because apparently it is on the dividing line between JR East and JR West. There is not even a quickie Mart near the station. Thank God for vending machines.

The station itself is comfortable, nicely decorated with lots of places to sit.

The ride between Nagaoka and Naoetsu is pretty, most of the time the tracks hug the coast. Naoetsu is on the route to Toyama and Kanazawa. Local trains take two hours to get to Toyama while Express trains only take an hour because they only make one intermediate stop. Those express trains continue on to Kanazawa which is two hours away. Those express trains take a little less than two hours to come from Niigata City. Nagaoka, on the line to Niigata, is about an hour and a half away by local train.

The Joetsu Shinkansen is named after the city here, but it does not even come that close.

Nagaoka

Of Interest: multiple museums, downtown Nagaoka

Lodging: multiple, in all price ranges

Tourist Office: no, but maps of the town are available at the station

Int'l ATM: In the department store across the street

Internet Access: There is a single computer at the Int'l Center. Walk straight down the main street in front of the station to the Civic Center.

Accessibility: elevators at all train platforms

Nagaoka is a medium-sized city in the center of Niigata Prefecture. The city itself is inland, but a port village was incorporated into the municipal area in 2005.

The trains of the Joetsu Line head inland, most ending an hour and a half away at Echigo-Yuzawa station, a spa resort in the mountains, but some continue on into Gunma Prefecture. Both Echigo-Yuzawa and Nagaoka are also stops on the Joetsu Shinkansen. Naoetsu is also an hour and a half away, this time to the south.

There is no English on the signs in Nagaoka Station.

Niigata

Of Interest: shopping, walkable river

Lodging: yes, but cheaper downtown

Internet Access: free in the station from 11 to 7

Tourist Office: outside the station, city information only

There are good restrooms in the malls attached to the station.

The area around the station is a major shopping area. The Shinano River is a 10-15 minute walk away. Downtown Niigata is another 15-20 minutes by foot. Downtown is very nice with lots of covered sidewalks. One of the arcades leads to the oldest park in Japan. An arcade the opposite direction leads to a street of temples.

These kinds of arcades are common in towns along the inland sea that borders Honshu to the north and west. The arcades make walking possible as these are the wettest parts of Japan. In particular, Niigata Prefecture is known for heavy snowfalls.

If you are visiting, I recommend getting a hotel downtown as they are cheaper than the ones near the station.

Niigata is the terminal station for the Joetsu Shinkansen which takes two to two and a half hours to get here. There are also there are also four express trains daily to Kanazawa. Multiple trains travel within Niigata Prefecture. Shibata is 25 minutes north by local train. Most trains head south. Nagaoka, a major transfer point, is 25 minutes by Shinkansen and and hour and fifteen minutes by regular train. The trip to Yoshida is 45 minutes.

To head north out of Niigata, go to Niitsu and change trains.

Note: Some platforms only have signs in kana, the Japanese phonetic script.

Kakegawa

Lodging: one somewhat expensive hotel

Tourist Office: near castle?

Of Interest: castle

Note: There are no clean restrooms near the castle.

Kakegawa is a small town of a little over 100,000 people. JR Tokaido Shinkansen, JR Tokaido Main Line, and Tenryu Hamanako trains all stop here.

Kakegawa castle is a small building set in an attractive park next to a small river about twenty minutes from the station. The castle was rebuilt in the 80's. To get there walk straight ahead away from the station. There are signs in both English and Japanese. According to those signs, there is a tourist office close to the castle, but I did not see when I walked by. I think it is one of the souvenir shows.

Linimo

The Linimo is a maglev (magnetic levitation) line in suburban Nagoya. It is operated by Aichi Rapid Transit Co. It runs from the Fujigaoka subway station in Nagoya to Yakusa, a station on the Aichi Loop Line, in Toyota. It was originally built to service Expo 2005.

The line is elevated so you get nice views of the area.

Honestly, I am not impressed by maglev technology. It is expensive and breaks down easily. I am also not a big fan of taking curves at high speeds.

With a top speed of 100 km/h, the Linimo is not particularly fast. Meitetsu trains reach 120, and these trains have more comfortable interiors.

Nagoya subway system

Nagoya has a subway system with six lines, including a short connector line, Kami Ida. It is operated by the City of Nagoya Transportation Bureau. Parts of the Higashiyama and Tsurmai lines are above ground, but most of the system is below ground.

Fares run from 200 to 320 yen. The Yurika is the systems prepaid card. There are both regular and daytime only (cheaper) cards. There are joint Yurika for use on both subway system and the Aonami or Meitetsu trains. There are also multiple ride tickets and one day passes of various kinds.

Most stations in the system are not handicapped accessible.

Lines are as follows:

Higashiyama (yellow) crosses the city from east to west. Transfers to JR Kansai and Kintetsu Nagoya trains going east are possible at Hatta Station. Transfers to the Linimo maglev are possible at Fujigaoka. Transfers to multiple JR trains are possible at Nagoya Station.

Meijo (purple) makes a circle around Nagoya. Transfers to JR lines are possible at Kaneyama and Ozone Stations. The Yutorito line is also accessible from Ozone.

Meiko (purple and white) connects to Meijo line to Nagoya port becoming the Meijo line at Kanayama Station.

Kami Ida (pink) connects the Meijo line to the Meitetsu Komaki line. It only has two stops, Heian-dori and Kami Ida.

Tsurumai (blue) runs northwest to southeast. It connects to the other end of the Meitetsu Komaki line at Kami Otai Station. Tsurumai connects to the Meitetsu Toyota line at its other at Akaike Station. Connections to the JR Chuo line is possible at Tsurumai.

Sakura-dori (red) is Nagoya's newest line. It parallels the Higashiyama through most of downtown before turning south at Imaike. It turns east at Sakura-honmachi and ends a couple of stops later. Transfers to many JR lines are possible at Nagoya Station. Building on an extension to the east should start this year. Stations have elevators at some exits.

The Nagoya subway connects to three short commuter lines that are included on the subway map, but which require separate tickets: Limino, Aonami, and Yutorito.

Kintetsu Railway

Kintetsu Railway operates both intercity and commuter rail services in the Kansai region. Kintetsu serves Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Yoshino, Ise, and Nagoya. Kintetsu's main Osaka station is located in Namba.

Kintetsu offers two rail passes, both of which can be purchased from within Japan. 3,500 yen buys five days of unlimited rides on all of Kintetsu's ordinary trains and on the Iga Tetsudo and three vouchers. 6,800 yen buys that and unlimited rides on Mie Kotsu buses and discount coupons to area attractions. These passes are bought once you are in Japan.

The Kansai Thru Pass can also be used on ordinary Kintetsu trains running within Kansai.

Meitetsu

Meitetsu trains serve Aichi Prefecture. Meitetsu also runs buses within the same area. It primarily serves to connect Nagoya with its suburbs as well as connecting that city with Gifu in Gifu Prefecture. Don't expect to see much countryside on most of their routes. Tourists are most likely to take a Meitetsu train to or from Central Japan International Airport (Centrair) which is south of Nagoya. Other major destinations include Inuyama and Toyota. Their eastern main line reconnects with the Tokkaido line at Toyohashi. In all Meitetsu runs between eight different lines.

Meitetsu trains have electronic displays that not only give destination information, but also display the train's speed. Top speeds are 120 km hour and trains rarely run slower than 70 km/hour. Meitetsu train cars look newer than those running in other parts of Japan, although they are probably just better maintained. The train I took looked the same as the Meitetsu trains that I took four years ago when I lived in Japan.

Their website also offers information about which stations are handicapped accessible. Click on the individual line that you want to take for this information. Most stations are not accessible, but at least the information is available. First class cars have accessible bathrooms.

Some trains supposedly require reservations, however you can always buy tickets from the conductor on the train without paying a fine. One day tickets are available, but I am not sure of the price at this time. Tickets are usually cheaper

Overall, they offer good commuter rail service.