trains

A blurry photograph of a bicycle parked in front of a rural train stop.

Looking down a derelict narrow-gauge railroad track that passes through a closed gate several meters away. A bicycle is parked at the gate.

Looking up a derelict narrow-gauge railroad track that disappears into a bamboo forest.

A bicycle covered in a waterproof bag, standing on its rear wheel behind a Shinkansen seat in front of the back wall of the carriage. The bicycle seat is showing through the top of the bag.

A 55-liter Patagonia duffle bag in the overhead rack of a Shinkansen carriage. A chequered cotton scarf is piled up to the left of the bag.

A Shinkansen ticket wedged into a fitting on the back of the seat in front. The ticket shows a date of March 21, 2024, for Nagoya to Tokyo on Hikari 630, in Carriage 13, Seat 1-E.

A plastic container filled with homemade potato salad, resting on a Shinkansen fold-down tray.

Glassed-in facade of a two-story station building, mounted with a sign reading (in translation): Kenkyūgakuen Station.

A narrow tunnel with a stonework arch through a stonework embankment. Beside the tunnel a sign reads: “Special caution: sexual assaults are common in this area!” この付近・チカン多発！！・特別警戒中 Above there is another sign reading “Protection zone” みまもりゾーン

A length of large industrial steel-cage trellis to support some kind of climbing plant, currently leafless and dormant before the onset of winter, with power lines and an electrified train track visible behind, and a Kirin sign and huge brewery further in the distance peeking over that horizon.