五反田駅

五反田駅
Originally uploaded by Danburg Murmur

A SHORT ESSAY ABOUT THE TRAINS OF JAPAN: LOOKING BACK AT THE TRAINS OF 50 YEARS AGO. Thanks to the photo by Danburg Murmur for the photo that inspired my recollections.

Almost 50 years have passed since I rode my last train in Japan, it seems like almost yesterday. While in Japan from 1961 until New Years Eve of 1963/64, I rode the trains between Sagami-Otsuga and Yokohama almost every weekend. Yes, I took the train to Tokyo too. There were many times when I simply got on a train and let it take me to wherever it was going, spending more than a few weekends simply riding the trains and transferring from one to another.

On a few occasions, I ended up in faraway towns and was unable to catch the train until the following morning, so I spent my layover in a local sake house. I was always treated friendly and made to feel quite welcome. My heart warms when I recall those days of youthful adventure; I recall the gentle smile of the older gentlemen whose memories were full of much more history than mine, yet they extended hands of friendship.

I am so thankful to my friends in Japan, though some I only saw once. For a young American who had grown up in the midwest of America, my time in Japan was a most fascinating experience and has left me with many golden memories as I reach my golden years. Throughout the years since my departure, I have kept up with all of the news from Japan and about Japan.

I have watched Japan grow into a great nation with great new cities. It is with much admiration that I recall how much progress Japan has made in the last fifty years. Someday, I hope to return and ride those trains again.

五反田駅
Waiting to take the Yamanote line (山手線) to work

Uploaded by Danburg Murmur on 6 Jun 07, 2.26AM PST.