japan railways

August 4, 2012

Chatting with Howard Permut, President of Metro-North Railroad

On Friday I had the pleasure of speaking with Howard Permut, President of Metro-North Railroad. Though there are many things one could ask the president of the railroad, admittedly I was interested in his unique perspective regarding the history of Metro-North. Mr. Permut has been with Metro-North since its inception in 1983, and prior to his position as president, served as as the Senior Vice President of Planning. Though most commuters today are likely unaware of it, Metro-North has improved in leaps and bounds over the years, starting out from the shambles left by Penn Central that were grudgingly operated...

A Visit to Shibuya Station: Hachiko the Loyal Dog & a Cat Cafe

Tokyo’s Shibuya Station is the fourth busiest commuter rail station in Japan, though it’s claim to fame is in canine form. Across the world many are familiar with the story of the loyal dog, Hachiko, who was a fixture at the station in the 1920’s. Hidesaburo Ueno, a Professor in Agriculture at Tokyo Imperial University used Shibuya Station to commute to work. His young Akita dog, Hachiko, would wait for him at the station every evening after work. In May of 1925 Ueno collapsed while giving a lecture, and died from a cerebral hemorrhage. Despite the fact that his master...

Cool Decorated Trains in Japan

There were a lot of cool trains that I got to ride in Japan. Some were amazingly fast, others had decorated outsides. I put together a little gallery of some of the cooler trains that I enjoyed riding, or seeing on the platform. Enjoy the photos! Train ID: Thomas the Tank Engine Train: Keihan Railways (I think), Kyoto, Japan World of Peter Rabbit Train: Japan Railways, Osaka, Japan Flowered Train: Nankai Railways, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan Universal Studios Train: Japan Railways, Osaka, Japan Purple Nature Motif Train: Japan Railways, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan Although these may be pretty on the outside, they...