ÿþ<html> <head> <title>Diary, Nikki on echigonagaoka.com</title> <META NAME="author" CONTENT="echigonagaoka"> <META NAME="copyright" CONTENT="diary"> <META NAME="content-language" CONTENT="ja"> <META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="diary"> <META NAME="description" CONTENT="nikki"> <META NAME="robots" CONTENT="all"> </head> <!--COLOR--> <BODY BGCOLOR="white" TEXT ="black" LINK ="blue" ALINK ="green" VLINK ="blue"> <basefont size="4"> <a name="toptop"></a> <table width=800> <tr> <td> <font face="arial"> <span style='font-size:8.5pt'> <b> <a href="../../../index.html" target="_self">[HOME]</a> <a href="../../../nagaoka/sitemap.html" target="_self">[Site Map]</a> <a href="../../../nagaoka/links_in_english.html" target="_self">[Nagaoka Links]</a> <a href="../../../nagaoka/index.html" target="_self">[Nagaoka]</a> <a href="../../../turbot/link/index.html" target="_self">[Japan Guide]</a> <a href="../../../bomb/index.html" target="_self">[Air Raid]</a> <a href="../../../turbot/index.html" target="_self">[Islands]</a> <a href="../../../kobe/index.html" target="_self">[KOBE]</a> <a href="../../../books/index.html" target="_self">[Books]</a> <a href="../../../kobe/links.html" target="_self">[Links]</a> <a href="../../../lauranyro/index.html" target="_self">[Laura Nyro]</a> <a href="../../nikki.html" target="_self">[Diary]</a> </b> </span> </td> </tr> </table> <!--Title Image--> <table width="800" border="0" background="../../pic/seashore.JPG" cellpadding="10"> <tr height="140"> <td width="700" valign="top" cellpadding="10"> <a href="../../nikki.html" target="_self"> <font size="1" face="arial" color="white"> <span style='font-size:24.0pt;font-weight:bolder'> <font color="#E01170"> Diary <br> </font color> </font color> </span> </a> </td> <td width="100" valign="bottom" cellpadding="10"> <span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <b> <a href="../../nikki.html" target="_self">[RETURN]</a> </b> </span> </td> </tr> </table> <!-- Left Column --> <table width="800" border="0" cellpadding="10"> <tr> <td width="120" rowspan="2" valign="top" bgcolor="#D6EAFF"> <span style="font-size: 9pt;"> <font color="#E01170"> <b> Links inside "echigonagaoka.com" <br> </b> </font color> </span> <a href="../../../index.html" target="_self"> <img src="../../pic/echigonagaoka.JPG", width=100, height=69, alt="photo"> <span style='font-size:8pt'> <b> "echigonagaoka.com" </b> </span> </a> <br><br> <a href="../../../nagaoka/sitemap.html" target="_self"> <img src="../../pic/sitemap.JPG", width=100, height=69, alt="image JPG for link to sitemap"> <span style='font-size:8pt'> <b> "echigonagaoka.com" </b> </span> </a> <br><br> <a href="../../../turbot/index.html" target="_self"> <img src="../../pic/small_islands_in_japan.JPG", width=100, height=69, alt="photo"> <span style='font-size:8pt'> <b> "Small Islands in Japan" </b> </span> </a> <br><br> <a href="../../../turbot/link/index.html" target="_self"> <img src="../../pic/letsgoto_japan.JPG", width=100, height=69, alt="photo"> <span style='font-size:8pt'> <b> "Japan Guide" </b> </span> </a> <br><br> <a href="../../../turbot/phg/index.htm" target="_self"> <img src="../../pic/turbots_photo_gallery.JPG", width=100, height=69, alt="photo"> <span style='font-size:8pt'> <b> "Photo Gallery" </b> </span> </a> <br><br> <a href="../../../rose/index.html" target="_self"> <img src="../../pic/turbots_rose_garden.JPG", width=100, height=69, alt="photo"> <span style='font-size:8pt'> <b> "Rose Garden" </b> </span> </a> <br><br> <a href="../../../nagaoka/links_in_english.html" target="_self"> <img src="../../pic/nagaoka_links.JPG", width=100, height=69, alt="photo"> <span style='font-size:8pt'> <b> "Nagaoka Links" </b> </span> </a> </span> </FONT> </td> <!-- Main Column --> <td width="560" rowspan="2" align="left" valign="top" cellpadding="10"> <!--  % % DATE AND TITLE  % % --> <span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bolder'> <font color="#E01170"> <font face="georgia"> Friday, <a href="index.html" target="_self"> March </a> 20, 2009 <br> </font color> Is that enought reason to have National Holiday, if the daytime and night time are same? </span> <br><br> <span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:22.0px;font-weight:bolder'> <font color="black"> <font face="georgia"> <!--  % % WRITE HERE  % % --> <left> Today is a national holiday in Japan. Why today is one of holidays is that day time and night time have the same lengths. We call today's holiday "Shumbun-no-Hi", but I'd like to cut the explanation for the Chinese characters for the name of the holiday. If I could say about it, it would be that Shun means spring, Bun means division. </left> <br><br><br> <center> <img src="20/inside_zerokei_shinkansen_restaurant_car1.JPG" width="480" height="360" alt="inside zerokei shinkansen which was used to be a restaurant car"> </center> <br><br> <left> Zerokei Shinkansen or the oldest bullet trains cars are now disappearing from the Sanyo Shinkansen. I think the cars are heavier than newest N700 series shinkansen trains so that are not energy effective. Not only for that, Zero series shinkansen has already been out of date if you compare to those new one such as 700 series because Zero series are old, somewhat dirty, slow, shaking and noise are uncomfortable to passengers. In addition to those, since Zerokei Shinkansen stops every station, it takes much more hours to get to your destination. Sometimes Zerokei "Kodama" allows Fastest Nozomi and Second fastest Hikali to go ahead at one stop at a local Shinkansen Station platform. I guess it tales seven minutes or so. For this and that, most of passengers do not choose the "slow" bullet train "Zerokei Kodama". In order to facilitate people to get on Zerokei Kodama, JR-West Company has changed five seats in a row to four seats in the cars of Zerokei Kodama. I think it surely is a good idea. Since there were little passengers and wide seats, so I had enjoyed getting on that type of Zerokei Shinkansen in Sanyo Shinkansen Line many times when I had lived in that region of Japan. But anyway, it should be a time to say good-bye to the Zerokei Shinkansen Trains. <br><br><br> </left> <center> <img src="20/inside_zerokei_shinkansen_restaurant_car2.JPG" width="480" height="360" alt="inside zerokei shinkansen which was used to be a restaurant car"> </center> <br><br> <left> Could you imagine what the two photographs above show you? They were used to be a restaurant car. It looks that they are cleaned up, but no longer used. Why does JR West still let the restaurant car is connected in the carriages in their Kodama Shinkansen? I guess it cost more money to get rid of the car than to remain the car connected. By the way, in order to make you understand what the shinkansen is like, it is better to the show photographs how they look like from outside. The photo below is 500 kei Shinkansen, which is also disappearing from the bullet train lines Tokaido and San'yo Shinkansen. I like this type of Shinkansen, because it looks good, but I guess that its cylinder like cross section of the car might have raised fabrication costs. And a passengers on window seats have to care of their heads when standing up. </left> <center> <br><br><br> <img src="20/500kei_shinkansen.JPG" width="480" height="344" alt="500 kei shinkansen at Kokura Station"> </center> <br><br> <left> I will show you another type of shinkansen, which may be not running on Tokaido or San'yo Shinkansen, but on Joetsu Shinkansen which is one of five bullet train routes in JR East that has Joetsu, Nagano, Tohoku, Yamagata, and Akita. This type of shinkansen cars has two decks, upper and lower. I think if you make the train two story structures, I think that bogies are arranged like the high speed train in South Korea. One bogie between two cars are very good ideas because it could save the spaces for the two-story car. </left> <center> <br><br><br> <img src="20/jouetsushinkansen.JPG" width="480" height="344" alt="500 kei shinkansen at Kokura Station"> </center> <br><br> <left> Anyway high-speed railway Shinkansen is a splendid transportation system in Japan. Although it is sad that the oldest Zero Series Shinkansen will disappear, but technology should be endlessly evolved. But what looks like Zero Series Shinkansen may be keep on going more several years from now. See the photo. It looks like very similar, although the color is red. The map shows you the location of railway station of Hangzhou, China.<br> </left> <center> <br><br><br> <img src="20/zerokeishinkansen.JPG" width="480" height="360" alt="it looks like zerokeishinkansen"> </center> <br> <!--  % % THE END OF WRITING PART  % % --> </font face> </font color> </span> <a href="09.html" target="_self"> <img src="../../pic/previous.GIF" width="100" height="25" alt="link to previous page"> </a> <a href="22.html" target="_self"> <img src="../../pic/next.GIF" width="100" height="25" alt="link to next page"> </a> <a href="#toptop"> <img src="../../pic/top.GIF" width="100" height="25" alt="link to the top of current page"> </a> <a href="../../nikki.html" target="_self"> <img src="../../pic/diary.GIF" width="100" height="25" alt="link to next page"> </a> </td> <td width="120" valign="top" cellpadding="10" bgcolor="#D6EAFF"> <span style="font-size: 9pt;"> <font color="#E01170"> <b> CHAPTER II RENUNCIATION OF WAR <br> Article 9. <br> </b> </font color> </span> <a href="../../article9_Japan_constitution.html" target="_self"> <img src="../../pic/japan_peace.JPG" width="100" height="147" alt="Do not go to war. Resource should be used to make people's lives better"> </a> <br><br><br> <span style="font-size: 9pt;"> <font color="#E01170"> <b>Links to OUTSIDE</b> </font color> <br><br> <font color="black"> <b>Portal/Communication Site about JAPAN</b> </font color> <br><br> <a href="http://www.whynotjapan.com/" target="_blank">WHYNOTJAPAN - for Kansai (Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe)</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.jref.com/" target="_blank">Japan Reference</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.japan-guide.com/" target="_blank">japan-guide.com - Japan Travel and Living Guide</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.japan-zone.com/index.shtml" target="_blank">Japan-Zone.com - Japan Travel Guide, Japanese Pop Culture, History, Japanese Girls, Japanese Guys</a> <br><br> <a href="http://metropolis.co.jp/default.asp" target="_blank">Metropolis - Japan's Number 1 English Magazine</a> <br><br> <br> <font color="black"> <b>Forum about JAPAN</b> </font color> <br><br> <a href="http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&amp;sid=396545488" target="_blank">Japan - Yahoo! Answers</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quedisplay.html" target="_blank">japan-guide.com - Forum - Questions</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.jref.com/forum/" target="_blank">Japan Forum in Japan Reference</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.japanforum.com/" target="_blank">Japan Forum.com</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.japan-zone.com/forum/" target="_blank">Japan Forum in JAPAN ZONE</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.japantoday.com/forum/" target="_blank">Japan Today Forum</a> <br><br> <font color="black"> <b>News on JAPAN</b> </font color> <br><br> <a href="http://www.asahi.com/english/" target="_blank">asahi.comÿgåe°e^€>y ÿÿEnglishû0Ë0å0ü0¹0</a> <br><br> <a href="http://mdn.mainichi.jp/" target="_blank">The Mainichi Daily News</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/" target="_blank">The Japan Times Online: News on Japan, Business News, Opinion, Sports, Entertainment and More</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.newsonjapan.com/" target="_blank">News On Japan</a> <br><br> </span> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFD2E6" valign="top"> <span style="font-size: 9pt;"> <font color="#E01170"> <b>Links to Japanese blogs</b> </font color> <br><br> <font color="black"> <b>fc2</b> </font color> <br> <a href="http://azuryblue.blog72.fc2.com/" target="_blank">"Gazing at the Celestial Blue" by felis_azuri-san</a> <br><br> <a href="http://caprice.blog63.fc2.com/" target="_blank">"Kimagurena Hibi" by kojitaken-san</a> <br><br> <a href="http://koriume.blog43.fc2.com/" target="_blank">"Hansik Ilgi(Kanshoku Nikki)" by kQ0ul ÿ+ÿû0&ÿû0#ÿ</a> <br><br><br> <font color="black"> <b>Hatena::Diary</b> </font color> <br> <a href="http://d.hatena.ne.jp/Apeman/" target="_self">"Apes! Not Monkeys!" by Apeman-san</a> <br><br> <a href="http://d.hatena.ne.jp/claw/" target="_self">"CLick for Anti War" claw-san</a> <br><br><br> <font color="black"> <b>Excite Blog</b> </font color> <br> <a href="http://sekakata.exblog.jp/" target="_self">"Sekai no Katasumi de Nyu-su wo Yomu" by mahounofuefuki-san</a> <br><br><br> <font color="black"> <b>So-net Blog</b> </font color> <br> <a href="http://furuido.blog.so-net.ne.jp/" target="_self">"Shikou Sakugo" by furuido-san</a> <br><br><br> <font color="black"> <b>Rakuten Blog</b> </font color> <br> <a href="http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/intisol/diary/" target="_self">"inti-sol no burogu" by inti-sol-san</a> <br><br><br> <font color="black"> <b>Seesaa Blog</b> </font color> <br> <a href="http://uyotoubatsunin.seesaa.net/" target="_self">"Uyoku Toubatsu Iinkai" by uyotoubatsunin-san</a> <br><br><br> <font color="black"> <b>Cocolog Blog</b> </font color> <br> <a href="http://finalvent.cocolog-nifty.com/fareastblog/" target="_self">"Kyokutou Blog" by finalvent-san</a> <br><br><br> <br><br><br> <a href="http://febcjp.seesaa.net/" target="_self"> <img src="../../pic/flogo.png" width="127" height="47" alt="image for link to febc"> </a> <br><br><br> </td> </tr> </table> <table width="800"> <tr> <td> <span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <b> <a href="../../../index.html" target="_self">The Top Page of "echigonagaoka.com"</a> </b> </span> <span style='font-size:9.0pt'> Any compaints, or some, send them to <img src="../../../pic/address.GIF" alt="my e-mail address" width="155" height="15"> <br><br> </span> </td> </tr> </table> <!--LINE3--> <!--LINE4--> </body> </html>