Railways in art and photos

© Kagaya

1000: Fantasy railroad in autumn (Kagaya)

A portrayal of one of the best-known works of fantasy fiction by Miyazawa Kenji, Japan's much-loved poet and author of children's literature. The original title is Ginga tetsudô no yoru, probably best known in the West from the anime film "Night on the Galactic Railroad" (but there are many variations on this translation).

Kagaya portrays the train in earthbound mode, yet in a surreal setting.

Wikipedia article on Miyazawa Kenji

Born in Saitama (just north of Tokyo) in 1968, Kagaya spent his childhood in wonderment of the stars in the sky, and never stopped painting them. He has had a successful career as an illustrator for astronomical books and magazines, and many of his works have been turned into jigsaw puzzles, among other products. Since 1996, he has worked exclusively in the digital medium, using a Macintosh. Perhaps that is why he does not appear to sign his pictures.

He goes by his family name; his given name appears to be Yutaka, but in English you will also find him called Joh Kagaya (Jô is the Chinese reading of his name).

This is a glow-in-the-dark puzzle.

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© Matsumoto Tadashi

1000: Paddy field reflections (Matsumoto)

The local train passes through the rice fields, not long after leaving Aizu Wakamatsu...

This single-track, non-electrified line, joining East to West across Japan's mountain backbone was only completed in 1971 from Aizu Wakamatsu (Fukushima) to Koide (Niigata). It has escaped "rationalisation", because heavy winter snowfall closes the only road alternative.

Born in Kanagawa in 1973, Matsumoto Tadashi took an arts degree from Tohoku University, before pursuing a career in illustration. He specialises in the railway scene, and his work has appeared both in specialist train magazines and general travel literature. He combines attention to engineering detail with a warm evocation of rural charm.

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© Matsumoto Tadashi

500: Hometown tints (Matsumoto)

A rare sight anywhere: a station with a thatched roof. This station serves Yunokami Onsen, a resort evocative of the Edo period before the modern age, and famed for autumn colours. This is on the Aizu Railway, running north-south through the mountains along the old Nikko Road.

Born in Kanagawa in 1973, Matsumoto Tadashi took an arts degree from Tohoku University, before pursuing a career in illustration. He specialises in the railway scene, and his work has appeared both in specialist train magazines and general travel literature. He combines attention to engineering detail with a warm evocation of rural charm.

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A Yanoman puzzle: 500 pieces; 53 x 38 cm (21" x 15")
Code: Y05914 (05-914 on box)
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© Matsumoto Tadashi

500: Winter scene (Matsumoto)

A striking composition, reminiscent of a classic woodblock print... near Yanaizu on the Tadami line

The artist tells how he took the train to Yanaizu, left the station, and found this footbridge providing a splash of colour against the winter monotone: it was then only a question of waiting for a train to pass.

This single-track, non-electrified line, joining East to West across Japan's mountain backbone was only completed in 1971 from Aizu Wakamatsu (Fukushima) to Koide (Niigata). It has escaped "rationalisation", because heavy winter snowfall closes the only road alternative.

Born in Kanagawa in 1973, Matsumoto Tadashi took an arts degree from Tohoku University, before pursuing a career in illustration. He specialises in the railway scene, and his work has appeared both in specialist train magazines and general travel literature. He combines attention to engineering detail with a warm evocation of rural charm.

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A Yanoman puzzle: 500 pieces; 38 x 53 cm (15" x 21")
Code: Y05915 (05-915 on box)
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© Matsumoto Tadashi

300: Following wind (Matsumoto)

A peaceful summer scene, as the train passes through the gentle landscape around Lake Inawashiro. This is the West Ban'etsu line running east-west across northern Honshu, and principally serving the historic town of Aizu Wakamatsu.

Born in Kanagawa in 1973, Matsumoto Tadashi took an arts degree from Tohoku University, before pursuing a career in illustration. He specialises in the railway scene, and his work has appeared both in specialist train magazines and general travel literature. He combines attention to engineering detail with a warm evocation of rural charm.

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© Epoch

1500: Springtime under steam

A steam locomotive captured among the cherry blossoms, on the Mōka line in Tochigi. Passing through a traditional cotton-growing area, this line has never been electrified, and on weekends and holidays the usual diesel railcars are replaced by this steam train.

This puzzle has smaller pieces than the standard size.

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© Epoch

1000: Shinkansen below Mount Fuji

The iconic shot of modern Japan: the "bullet train" passing below Mount Fuji. This is the N700, the version introduced in 2007, cutting the journey time between Tokyo and Osaka to under two-and-a-half hours.

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© Yanoman

1000: Cherry blossom tunnel

Steam trains still run on the Oikawa line, a private railway running from the Pacific coast mainline up into the foothills of the Southern Alps. This one is called Sakura ('Cherry'), appropriately enough, since the line is famous for the cherry trees planted on either side to form a "tunnel".

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© Epoch

1000: Norokko sightseeing train

This tourist train ambles through the lavender fields of Hokkaido, its speed kept deliberately low. The name is a meld of noro-noro ("dawdling") and torokko, meaning a simple open-top wagon; the nameplate is written in deliberately imitative characters, so it looks rather like "Joyo" — but this probably doesn't mean anything!

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An Epoch puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
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© Tajima Tsuneo

1000: Memories of steam

A historical shot of the C62 class locomotive number 47 pulling the Yuzuru express on the Joban line on 2nd August, 1966. This is the east coast main line north from Tokyo, in the brief interval when only the section north of Iwaki had not yet been electrified.

This is a lightly colorised version of a photograph taken by Tajima when still a schooboy.

Original photograph on photographer's website

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© Masaaki Horimachi

1000: Sunflowers on the Furano line

This scenic line, right in the middle of Hokkaido, extends from Asahikawa through Biei to Furano, and the area is famous for its varied colourful fields of flowers. Here a diesel multiple unit passes a sea of golden sunflowers...

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© Ebihara Mikio

450: Old-time steam journey (Yamaguchi)

This steam locomotive is number one of the C57 type, which has acquired the nickname of Kifujin, or "Lady", runs a nostalgic service on the Yamaguchi line across western Honshu.

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© Yanoman

300: Alps express

In the Meiji era (late 19th century) Japan decided on a narrow gauge rail system, because this allows tighter curves in the difficult mountain terrain. Now the Shinkansen ("Bullet train") network is progressively replacing the old lumbering trains - "expresses" by name only, since the lines are too tortuous to achieve high speed. This 183-series in its smart red and cream livery passing below Mt. Yatsugatake is a nostalgic sight, as it was phased out in December 2002. The train bears its name "Kaiji" on the front; it is an L tokkyû: a "limited (i.e. faster) express", though no-one seems to be sure what the "L" stands for.

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