cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/39680153
Borg Rule
Same energy:
“They’ll never guess it’s me under here.”
“Hello, Riker, glad you could make it.”
“How did you know it was me?”
Elon Musk is a wannabe fanboy of Tony Stark, per Iron Man 2. It’s MCU canon.
Nothing has changed recently. Japan has had purpose-built bike lanes for decades. Where bike lanes have not or cannot be inserted, markings instruct cyclists to use the shoulder of an existing road. It depends on where you are.
It’s actually part of Japanese traffic law. Cyclist can use the sidewalk (are required to use the sidewalk) where there are no markings or lanes. But in places where lanes and marking exist, cyclist are required by law to use them.
The problem is those laws are completely unenforced. So I often experience someone buzzing me and my child on the sidewalk even though there’s a completely empty bike lane right next to it.
You need to charge your shits rent!
It’s Halloween, so the ghost of Bob Barker wants to remind you to control the pet population.
Miniature poodle that lives next door.
Waiting for Japan to enforce bike lanes. Cyclist in Japan have had dedicated bike lanes or marked paths on the road for many years but still use the sidewalk even if it causes problems for pedestrians.
Yes. Many comics (The Far Side) are single panel jokes.
VeggieTales Halloween Special
Above: A 10-car Odoriko 185-0 Series limited express liner, sitting out of service at Tokyo Station in 2017. The 185 Series looks like a regular liner train, but has the trademark flair of a late 20th century Japanese express train with the distinctive triangular "hood ornament" and the backlit name plaque at both ends of the train.
These particular sets were built in 1980 and originally designed to replace the 153 Series on the Izu express service between Tokyo and Shizuoka. In 1981, the Izu express was converted to the Odoriko limited express. These longer A-series sets included Green Car seats - business-class seating with food cart service which require a second ticket to use.
Over the years, the sets were refurbished multiple times, The 185-0 Series sets were repainted in a "Shonan" green and yellow color scheme. In 2011, the A-series sets were refurbished one last time and their livery restored to the original diagonal green lines they began service with.
As of 2022, all 185 Series trains have been retired from service, with the exception of two refurbished sets which are still in use for special events as touring trains.
Picture taken by me in 2017. Part of my Rolling Stock series of posts.
Previous Rolling Stock posts:
(Sorry, maxso216, but this is truly the shortest functional train line in Japan.)
The DisneySea Electric Railway is a 2-station line coming in at less than half a kilometer in total length (0.48km). Even at the relaxed 15kph speed of the trains, it only takes two and a half minutes to traverse the entire line. The line runs between the American Waterfront and Port Discovery areas of Tokyo DisneySea. It also has what must be the smallest fleet of rolling stock of any line in Japan; Four two-car sets, of which only two or three sets are in operation at any given time. (Fewer sets than even the Tokyo Disney Resort Line monorail.)
Sign over the American Waterfront Station entrance:
A trivial oddity about the trains is their numbering system. Which initially appears to not be a system at all. All eight cars of the four train sets have a unique (yet random) car number, and the set pairs are never separated from each other. The only discernible pattern with the car numbers is that the final digit in each number seems to represent in which order the sets were commissioned:
Set #1) 5591 & 1111
Set #2) 1022 & 2842
Set #3) 1783 & 5593
Set #4) 0214 & 4824
Set #1 traversing the elevated tracks over American Waterfront:
The origin of the train sets are a bit of mystery. Their manufacturer is not known. Since the beginning of operation in 2001, the DisneySea Electric Railway has been sponsored by Takara Tomy - A Japanese toy company that makes functioning toy train sets, including replicas of the trains on the DisneySea Electric Railway.
Set #3 passing another train bound for Port Discovery Station.
It is possible that the train sets were designed and built by WED themselves as simply another park attraction, or possibly by Kyosan Kogyo Co. Ltd. which manufactured the sets used on the Western River Railroad in Tokyo Disneyland. The DisneySea Electric Railway sets are modeled to resemble some of the elevated streetcars used in what became the New York City subway system at the turn of the 20th century.
Preserved Brooklyn Union streetcar at the New York City Transit Museum, Wikipedia
All four sets have been in service since Tokyo DisneySea opened on September 4th, 2001. Apart from having air conditioners installed in 2015, there have been no notable improvements to the trains themselves.
Set #3 leaving American Waterfront Station:
Is the DisneySea Electric Railway an actual train line? Yes. In addition to having two stops which allows the line to be used by park guests to easily get from one side of the park to the other, the line falls under the jurisdiction of Japan's transit authority. Despite being on private land and requiring admission to the park to use, DisneySea Electric Railway must adhere to the same standards as any other public train line.
Set #2 arriving at Port Discovery Station:
When Tokyo Disneyland was built and opened in 1983, the Western River Railroad was purposefully designed to have only one stop and run in a loop that sent riders back to where they started to avoid a law that required charging a train fare and that a departure schedule be posted and followed by the line's operators. This decision made it another attraction, rather than a functional line like the Disneyland Railroad in Anaheim. This particular law was abolished in 1987, allowing DisneySea Electric Railway to function as an actual line with destinations without needing to follow those rules.
(This is my first attempt at a long form post here, let me know how I did. All pictures are by me unless noted.)
Above: A brand new Sotetsu 20000 Series train set undergoing trial runs at Shinagawa Station in late 2019.
This is the 10-car variant that was first introduced in 2018, so this would be one of the later sets built. The distinctive paint color is called "Yokohama Navy Blue", which is featured on other Sotetsu trains.
Rear of train:
Platform signboard during the train's layover:
Pictures taken by me in 2019. Part of my Rolling Stock series of posts.
Previous Rolling Stock posts:
Above: A preserved JNR (Japan National Railway) Class 9600 steam locomotive parked outside of Saitama City Hall (Engine 39685, built in Japan in 1920).
Unfortunately, it was scrapped in 2016 due to maintenance costs.
Picture taken by me in 2013. Part of my Rolling Stock series of posts.
Previous Rolling Stock posts:
Above: A Tobu 100 Series Limited Express "Spacia" train stopped at Tochigi Station on the Nikko Line with the unique strawberry pink livery (and custom interior with strawberry patterns on special seats) to celebrate Tochigi's strawberry industry.
Picture taken by me in 2024. Part of my Rolling Stock series of posts.
Above: Two sets of E217s on the JR Sobu Rapid Line during a rare two-way layover at Tsudanuma Station in 2020.
This was shortly before JR began phasing the E217s out with E235s.
Picture taken by me in 2020. Part of my Random Photos series of posts.
Parasneak