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Usui Pass
The is a mountain pass that lies between Nagano and Gunma prefecture in Japan. It has served as one of the major transportation routes in central Japan since at least the eighth century. Road The pass on the ancient Tōsandō highway was described as early as the 8th century, in the '' Nihon Shoki,'' as Yamato Takeru went through the pass during his journey in eastern Japan. Later, the Nakasendō, one of the five routes of the Edo period maintained by the Tokugawa shogunate (and one of the two that connected Edo, modern-day Tokyo, to Kyoto) followed the route through the pass. The modern National Route 18, which goes through the pass, serves as a major link between the popular tourist spot Karuizawa and the Kantō plain (including Tokyo). A bypass and an expressway now make the trip faster and safer. The original road still exists as of 2013. The Usui Pass is the home course of drift racer Keiichi Tsuchiya. It was also featured in the racing manga '' Initial D'' as the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kantō Plain
The is the largest plain in Japan, and is located in the Kantō region of central Honshū. The total area of 17,000 km2 covers more than half of the region extending over Tokyo, Saitama Prefecture, Kanagawa Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture, Gunma Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture and Ibaraki Prefecture. Geography The northern limit borders on the Abukuma Highlands, Yamizo Mountain Range, Ashio Mountain Range, and a volcanic field associated with the Nasu Volcanic Belt. The western coincides with the Kantō Mountain Range and the southern edge is defined by the Bōsō Peninsula, the Miura Hills, Tokyo Bay, and Sagami Bay. The Kashima Sea and Kujūkuri Beach define the eastern end of the plain. Most of the rivers originate in the northern or western mountain ranges and flow east or southeast into the Pacific Ocean, Tokyo Bay, or Sagami Bay. In the central part of the plain is the Tone River; in the northern part the Watarase River, Kinu River, Kokai River, Naka River, and Kuj ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rail Wars!
is a Japanese light novel series written by Takumi Toyoda with illustrations by Vania 600. 13 volumes have been published by Sohgeisha under their Sohgeisha Clear Bunko imprint; the series moved to Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha starting with the 14th volume; the 20th and last volume of the original series was published in December 2020. A side story book with an added character was published on November 8, 2021. There is a new series with a different main character and a new illustrator, first printed in March 2021. The second new volume will come out on January 20, 2022. A manga adaptation titled ''Rail Wars! Nihon Kokuyū Tetsudō Kōantai The Revolver'' was serialized in Mag Garden's ''Blade Online'' from 2012 to 2015. An anime television series adaptation aired between July and September 2014. Plot The series takes place in an alternate version of Japan where the nationalized railway system was never privatized (the former Japanese National Railways was made private in 1987) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nagano Shinkansen
The is a high-speed Shinkansen railway line jointly operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West), connecting Tokyo with in the Hokuriku region of Japan. The first section, between and in Nagano Prefecture, opened on 1 October 1997, originally called the (Takasaki is linked to Tokyo by the Jōetsu Shinkansen). The extension to in Toyama Prefecture and in Ishikawa Prefecture opened on 14 March 2015. Construction of a further section onward to and in Fukui Prefecture commenced in 2012, with scheduled opening in Spring 2024. The route of the final section to Shin-Osaka was decided on 20 December 2016 as the Osaka–Kyoto route, with construction expected to begin in 2030 and take 15 years. Train names and service patterns Since March 2015, services on the line are split into four types, with train names as listed below. Trains operate over the Joetsu and Tohoku Shinkansen tracks between Tokyo and Takasaki. * ''Kagayaki'': Toky ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
JETRO
is an Independent Administrative Institution established by Japan Export Trade Research Organization as a nonprofit corporation in Osaka in February 1952, reorganized under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) in 1958 (later the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry or METI), and became an Independent Administrative Institution in 2003 to consolidate Japan's efforts in export promotion. The government has provided more than half of JETRO's annual operating budget. As of January 2020, JETRO maintained seventy-four offices in fifty-four countries, as well as forty-eight regional offices in Japan, with a total staff of 1,730 (998 domestic, 732 overseas). Its main office is located in the Ark Mori Building in Akasaka, Tokyo. Initially, JETRO's activities focused mainly on promoting exports to other countries. As exporters established themselves in world markets and the balance of trade turned from deficit to surplus, however, JETRO's role shifted to encompass more ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
JNR Class EF63
The is a class of 1,500 V DC electric locomotives formerly operating in Japan. History A total of 25 Class EF63 locomotives were built between 1962 and 1976 exclusively for use as bankers (U.S. "helpers" or "pushers") on the steeply-graded Usui Pass section of the Shinetsu Main Line between and . They replaced the Class ED42 electric locomotives previously used on the rack-and-pinion line between these two stations. The prototype, EF63 1, was produced in 1962 by Toshiba for testing before full production of the class started in 1963 spread between manufacturers Kawasaki, Mitsubishi and Toshiba. The class was equipped with a number of special safety features to cope with the unique conditions of operating on the 66.7‰, 6.67 % gradient of the Usui Pass. These included independent dynamic brakes on all six axles (hence the large louvres along the bodysides for heat dissipation), magnetic adhesion brakes operating directly on the rails, and mechanical locking brakes. Small whee ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rack-and-pinion Railway
A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with this rack rail. This allows the trains to operate on steep grades above 10%, which is the maximum for friction-based rail. Most rack railways are mountain railways, although a few are transit railways or tramways built to overcome a steep gradient in an urban environment. The first cog railway was the Middleton Railway between Middleton and Leeds in West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom, where the first commercially successful steam locomotive, ''Salamanca'', ran in 1812. This used a rack and pinion system designed and patented in 1811 by John Blenkinsop. The first mountain cog railway was the Mount Washington Cog Railway in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, which carried its first fare-paying passengers in 1868. The track was comple ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karuizawa Station
is a railway station in the town of Karuizawa, Nagano, Japan, operated jointly by the JR Group company East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and the third-sector railway operator Shinano Railway. Lines Karuizawa Station is served by the JR East Hokuriku Shinkansen high-speed line from Tokyo to via . On the Shinkansen line, it is located 146.8 kilometers from Tokyo Station. It is also a terminal station for the 65.1 kilometer Shinano Railway Line which operates between Karuizawa and Nagano. Station layout The JR portion of the station has two elevated island platforms, serving four tracks, with the station building underneath. The station has a ''Midori no Madoguchi'' staffed ticket office. The Shinano Railway portion of the station has one ground-level island platform serving two tracks, connected to the JR East portion of the station by a footbridge. JR East platforms Shinano Railway platforms History The station began service on December 1, 1888, as the terminal of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yokokawa Station
is a railway station in the city of Annaka, Gunma, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Yokokawa Station is a terminal station for its segment of the Shinetsu Main Line, and is located 29.7 kilometers from the starting point of the line at . Station layout The station has a two opposed side platforms connected to the station building by a footbridge. There is a third track in the middle for through traffic. Platforms History Yokokawa Station opened on October 15, 1885 as the terminus of the governmental railway between and Yokokawa. The station became an intermediate station of the railway connecting Takasaki and (later named the Shinetsu Main Line) when the Usui Pass section of the railway, connecting Yokokawa and , opened on April 1, 1893. The Usui Pass section of the railway closed on October 1, 1997. Yokokawa Station has been the terminus of the line since then. The former Yokokawa locomotive depot for bank engines used on the Usui Pass ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shin'etsu Main Line
The Shinetsu Main Line ( ja, 信越本線, ) is a railway line, consisting of three geographically separated sections, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan. It was originally one continuous line connecting and via . Since the opening and later extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, sections running in parallel have either been abandoned or transferred to Public–private partnership#Japan, third-sector railway companies. The name of the line refers to the old names for Nagano and Niigata prefectures, Shinano Province, Shinano ( ja, 信濃, links=no), and Echigo Province, Echigo ( ja, 越後, links=no). The abandoned section through the Usui Pass was famous for its steep 66.7Per mille, ‰ (6.67Percent sign, %) Grade (slope), gradient. Sections From 14 March 2015, the line consists of the following three sections. * – (29.7 km): in Gunma Prefecture * – (9.3 km): in Nagano Prefecture * – (136.3 km): in Niigata Prefecture ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Initial D
is a Japanese street racing manga series written and illustrated by Shuichi Shigeno. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Young Magazine'' from 1995 to 2013, with the chapters collected into 48 ''tankōbon'' volumes. The story focuses on the world of illegal Japanese street racing, where all the action is concentrated in the mountain passes and rarely in cities or urban areas, and with the drifting racing style emphasized in particular. Professional race car driver and pioneer of drifting Keiichi Tsuchiya helped with editorial supervision. The story is centered on the prefecture of Gunma, more specifically on several mountains in the Kantō region and in their surrounding cities and towns. Although some of the names of the locations the characters race in have been fictionalized, all of the locations in the series are based on actual locations in Japan. ''Initial D'' has been adapted into several anime television and original video ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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