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castershellwrites · 10 months

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Day 3 of EnHoEn Shark Week

@enhoenbigbang A mershark Keigo for Day 3, angel shark, caught in a net, and the coast.

Reader beware, there's smut in the water ;) Also this is totally unedited, so if you see any typos ... no you didn't. Comment if you get the Muppet Treasure Island reference ^_^

Enji Todoroki, newly divorced bachelor, took a long and solitary stroll along the beach. Burnin, Onima, and Kido had insisted he take a vacation, going so far as to book accommodations and shinkansen tickets with the company credit card. Not one to waste money, and being appreciative of their efforts even if he’d never let on to it, Enji took his vacation.

It had been years since he was truly alone. At home There had been Rei and the children, then just the children, then just Fuyumi because her brothers had rightfully fled as far away as possible from his bad parenting. Work was no better with his employees pestering him about his well being. Being the only sentient being around was … calming. There was just him and the sound of waves lapping and receding from the shore. The susurrus crash of water on sand, ground bits of shell rolling against each other.

Then Enji heard it, a strange rhythmic wet slapping sound.

He walked down the beach, past the tideline and detritus, and over the wet sand. There, being jostled by waves, was a horseshoe crab trapped on its back and flailing the long spine of its tail. Were they poisonous? It wouldn’t matter if it didn’t stab him. Enji carefully reached down, while keeping his distance, and tried to grab the poor thing. Little legs flailed and he drew his hand back. It looked so weird. No. No, the creature needed help.

Decisively, Enji scooped under the front of the shell and flipped the horseshoe crab right side up. It landed in an oncoming wave with a splash and instantly began crawling its way into the depths, bobbling in the undertow.

“You’re welcome,” Enji said, only slightly sarcastic. It was the first time he’d heard his own voice in hours. He almost hated ruining the beach’s natural beauty with evidence of himself. He looked down and the waves had washed away his most recent footprints. Hmmm.

He continued his beachside stroll nearer the waves, letting them wash away all trace of himself when they raced far enough up the sand to lick at his ankles. He only moved away from the water to avoid some foraging shorebirds, and later to stay far, far, away from some basking seals. They immediately took to the water once they noticed him. Just like everyone else, he thought with a bitter chuckle. But the salt air against his face felt too nice for him to wallow in self depreciation.

He lost track of time. He’d need to turn back soon if he wanted to make it to his rented beach house before nightfall. There was a spit of rocks extending into the sea just ahead, jutting out into the waves where the sandy dunes and cliffs turned to stone. Perhaps there was a tidepool. He’d try to see that before turning around.

The rhythmic sound of the ocean turned cacophonous as waves battered the uneven rocks, sloshing and sliding over peaks and through crevices. The exposed stone was slick beneath his boots; covered with algae and snagged seaweed. There were also bits of detritus. Enji wished he’d brought a pack with him to remove the trash. He picked up an empty water bottle, crushed it and jammed it deep into a pants pocket. Then he picked up a strand of netting. The rope was wet and rough against his hands. He hauled it up and grunted at the weight.

Damn, it was stuck.

He climbed higher on the rocks and yanked again. There was a sharp sound over the waves and something flailed.

There, below him in a tidepool, and tangled in netting was a …

What was that?

Enji was familiar enough with mythical creatures, the head of his youngest son’s school was a chimera. His eldest son worked at a tattoo parlor with a basilisk and vampire. But he’s never seen a mermaid—merman before. This was definitely a merman … maybe?

“Do you need help?” Enji asked. Most mythical creatures were sentient, even those that weren’t capable of speech.

“The fuck do you think?!” This one most definitely was.

“I’ll assume that means yes.” Enji carefully climbed down, only to slip and wince as cold seawater soaked his rolled up pants leg.

The creature hissed and coiled away from him. Right, Enji cautioned himself, sentient didn’t mean sapient. It was very possible this mer might bite the hand that saved him. Either way, it was the right thing to do. Enji took in the ensnared creature to work out a plan of attack.

The human part of it was, handsome really, with a round face and swept back blond hair. Lines of gills ran along the ribs under two toned arms. Large, thick, wing-like fins came out just above the mer’s hips. He didn’t have scales, but rather, rough skin like a shark that was a sandy shade of yellow just darker than his hair and covered in dark red spots in a feathers pattern. Two dorsal fins rose from mid tail and instead of delicate translucent skin between rays, like in traditional drawing of mermaids, this one’s ended in a thick shark-like fin.

Shark-like … this was a mershark.

Enji drew his hand back and gripped the net tightly. “You’re a shark,” he accused.

“I’m Hawks,” The mer married his eyes. “Are you going to help me or not?”

Right. Right, Enji, get it together. He carefully made his way closer, avoiding slick stones and sharp rocks that would shred his skin. The poor mershark—Hawks—hadn’t been so lucky. The red pigmentation was stained with more red blood. The water around him was thick with it. The intact skin was bruised. He looked like he’d lost a fight with, well, a trawler net. The ropes cut in deep and tore the edges of his gill slits and pinned his arms in awkward ways. He barely had control of his tail. It was a miracle he hadn’t been beaten to death by the waves against these stones.

Enji made quick work of untying and detangling the net as best he could. It was tough going since he didn’t have a knife. Hawks decided to help him.

“Can you just get some of that near my mouth?”

Enji glanced up away from rough skin and tangled bindings. Hawks clacked his teeth together twice, his jaws snapping shut in menacing fashion.

“Do. Not. Bite. Me.” He said each word slowly and bent the mer, who was surprisingly flexible, until one of the ropes on his tail was within reach. Working together they detangled and cut the net off. Even once Hawks’ arms were free he sat patiently in the tidepool waiting for Enji to finish. The last bit of netting was around his arm. Enji slipped it off, carefully, peeling it down the bloody skin like a glove and detangling the thinner nylon threads from each finger. Hawks skin was cold and clammy, but once the net was off he seemed to warm.

“Fuckers put iron in it. Illegal y’know. To intentionally fuck with mythicals. But they claim it just happens to be the best metal to weight the net and suddenly it’s fine.” Hawks rolled his eyes and slapped his tail down in the tide pool, wincing when it cut too easily through the water and hit stone.

“What were you doing near the nets if you knew it was dangerous?” Enji asked, forgetting he was still holding the hand of a very dangerous mythical creature.

“Taking care of my namesakes.” Hawks cocked his head and carefully removed his hand from Enji’s to brush hair out of his face. “Angel sharks get caught up in nets. The ones in these seas are particularly endangered. If I can get even one loose it’s worth it,” the boy declared. Enji liked his passion. He’d almost forgotten what it felt like.

“So you’re an angel shark?” Enji asked the obvious.

Hawks slithered down in the shallow water, pressing himself flat against the uneven stone bottom of the pool. “Yup.” He spread his ‘wings’ out and looked very much like a flattened ray-like shark with a human upper body. His gills flapped rhythmically and he sighed contentedly before bringing his head above water. “Can I ask one more favor?”

Enji nodded, entranced by the man’s beauty. “Name it.”

“Take me home?”

Enji blushed and fell backwards from his awkward crouch, soaking the seat of his pants. “Home?” He asked, incredulously.

“Yeah. The ocean. The big blue wet thing. Ya’ know it?” Hawks’ voice got more and more sarcastic with each biting comment.

Enji rolled his eyes and sighed, getting up and bracing himself to lift the mer and carry him away from the rocks without slipping and breaking either of their necks. He wasn’t sure how recovered Hawks was, so he opted to take them back to the beach rather than throw Hawks into the rocky waters that were closer.

Hawks clung to him, his teeth uncomfortably close to Enji’s jugular. For some reason Enji wasn’t afraid. The mer had said he owed him, and mythicals were usually true to their word. He waded, waist deep into the water (and why not, his pants were already ruined) and bent down until Hawks was supported by it. The mer twisted weightlessly in Enji’s arms, still clinging to him but now pressing against him; front to front.

“How can I thank you?” Hawks gripped Enji’s soaked shirt to keep from being dragged away by the waves.

“I don’t need anything. Enjoy your freedom, please.” Enji took Hawks’ wrists, lifted them away from his clothing, and released him.

Hawks sank like a stone before using his tail to kick back upwards. “But a debt …”

“You owe me nothing, little one. Farewell.” Enji waded, backwards, back to shore. Despite himself he couldn’t take his eyes off Hawks. The mershark was like nothing he’d ever seen before. Hawks floated, his human shaped top above the water, until Enji walked far enough down the beach, still going backwards, to lose sight of him.

The next morning Enji sat on the dock of his rental, reading a mass market pirate romance book. It was peaceful, like nothing he’d known in years. He could live like this forever.

The peace shattered with a loud wet slap.

Enji nearly dropped his book before catching it and staring at the dead fish laying at his feet. What. The. Fuck.

“Brought you breakfast big guy!” A mermaid, Hawks, waved from the sea.

“Did you follow me?!” Enji yelled out to him.

“Yup!” Hawks flipped around in the water. “You like it?”

Enji glanced between the bite marks on his alleged meal and his provider. “Uh …” he didn’t dare be rude, “Yes. Thank you.”

Hawks grinned and disappeared with a flick of his powerful tail.

Enji grilled his fish. And for dinner, was treated to yet more fish. In the morning there was seaweed ready for him in a woven basket at the end of the dock. Hawks kept leaving him little presents, and they weren’t limited to food. Enji had quickly acquired a growing collection of pretty shells, stones, and sea glass. His days were filled with the sight and sounds of an angel shark merman splashing in the near distance. They talked, albeit briefly, about everyday things occurring on land and sea. It was nice to have this strange companionship while being otherwise alone. The final day of his forced vacation arrived and he woke extra early to greet his provider, going out in his usual swim trunks and unbuttoned Hawaiian print shirt.

“Hawks!” he called out the second blond hair broke the waves.

Hawks ducked back down before swimming right up to the dock and hauling himself out in a feat of impressive strength. “Yes, oh handsome stranger who still hasn’t given me his name?”

Enji blushed, “I can’t give you my name…” He remembered that much about working with mythicals, they were very literal. “But you can call me Enji.”

“Enji-san. You still haven’t let me return the favor I owe you.” Hawks used his arms and shuffled his body forward like a seal. The elegant man was quite awkward on land. “Tell Hawks, what do you want?” He slipped a perfectly round orange-red stone into Enji’s hand.

“I don’t want to be alone,” He murmured. Hawks’ face split into a toothy grin; he opened his mouth of sharp teeth to speak.

“That’s why I wanted to tell you,” he rushed to say before Hawks could get too excited, “I’m leaving tomorrow.”

Hawks face fell. “Don’t go! I don’t want to be alone either. Please!” The mershark jumped, surprisingly agile given his previous movements, and pinned Enji to the rough wood of the dock. “Don’t leave me. I’ll give you anything.”

“I wish I could stay.” Enji carefully tried to ease his way out from under Hawks but only managed to drag the man along on top of him. He finally slipped free and made to back away only to feel sharp fingernails and teeth wrapping around his thigh. He froze. His leg was in a shark’s mouth. He’d hear stories of some merfolk being cannibals, or rather, eating humans. He’d almost forgotten Hawks was not like him. Even so, the teeth only rested there, pressing against his skin through his swim trunks. Hawks could have ended him, but didn’t.

The teeth released first. Then the fingers, one at a time. “Then stay. I’m the only one for days of swimming. I don’t have anyone to talk to because most humans would kill me or eat me. Please! Grant me one more favor, human—Enji! Grant me one more boon, Enji.” Hawks begged even as he collapsed on the dock, his chest heaving and gills struggling against the air.

He felt bad for the poor creature. “I … what can I give you?” Enji crouched down to lift the boy’s chin and ask. Golden eyes met his own blue, and how had he never noticed how bright they were before now, despite seeing the man nearly daily.

“Company,” Hawks breathed, hard, his face flushing as red as his scales. He slithered his way on top of Enji, and with his fins rolled them over until they fell off the docks into the shallow water. Enji coughed when the breath was knocked out of him by the landing, the water wasn’t that deep here. In an instant Hawks’ lips were on his blowing air into his mouth.

Enji lay there, stunned, while Hawks breathed for them both and gave him the kiss of life. It felt … good. IT had been years since someone was this close to him and—no! He tried to get away before Hawks felt the growing erection between his legs. He didn’t want to disturb the mer. Why was his body like this? Why was he like this?! Damnit Enji! He swore at himself and struggled until he was half ashore.

Hawks still clung to him like a leech. That muscular tail swung down and pushed Enji’s legs apart. “Don’t be embarrassed. I want you to like this Enji.”

“You want—” Enji gasped in disbelief but Hawks lips crashed into his once more.

“I want to breed with you. Enji. Please.” Hawks panted between kisses. He shoved Enji’s shirt off his shoulders and down his arms until they became entangled in wet linen and Enji was bound, helpless beneath him.

Hawks then set to work yanking Enji’s pants low enough for his cock to spring free. While he reared back to do so Enji saw Hawks had not one but two cocks. The wet pink appendages were flattened, with transverse ribs running down the central side, like they could clasp onto something and hold it tight. Claspers, the word came to Enji’s mind from the depths of nature documentaries put on in the background to fill the silence while he worked late into the night. Hawks claspers swayed in the air until Hawks crushed their bodies together.

Fuck!

Hawks’ claspers rubbed wetly against Enji’s cock. It wasn’t like some filthy quickie in the closet or a locker room. His own dick was encased in hot wet cock. “Fuck!” Enji shouted aloud.

“That’s the idea,” Hawks purred and continued grinding. Enji was glad the man was so eager to fuck he’d mostly left Enji’s pants on, he could feel the rough sharkskin draggin the fabric in way that meant the bare skin of his thighs would be shredded by now, never mind how long it took for Hawks to actually fuck him. “I’ve wanted this since the day you rescued me. The food, the stones, everything … courting gifts. Thank you Enji. Thank you!” Hawks screamed the last part because he’d angled his hips—or whatever the mershark equivalent was—and solved the slit his claspers had come out of over the head of Enji’s cock.

Enji groaned. IT felt too good for him to say anything else. He just held onto Hawks’ body, mindful of his gills, and enjoyed the ride. The waved rocked Hawks body, lifting him off. The apex of each one gave Hawks just enough water to involve his tail in slamming himself down. IT was hard, and rough, and fast. Enji was ashamed to say he didn’t last; spurting every ounce of himself into that welcoming wet heat as he came. The water between them became thick with Hawks’ own spend, shooting out from Hawks claspers as he clenched tightly around Enji, milking out every last drop. Enji fell backwards into the water, completely spent.

Hawks mouth was on his before the first wave hit him. Instead of drowning he felt like he was flying. His dick gave one final half-hearted twitch, and Hawks moaned into his mouth. Enji gave in and let his tongue explore the rows of sharp teeth his lover had. Fuck. Lover. How could he leave the man now.

After what felt like an eternity Hawks’ claspers retracted in, their softening length still took up space and pushed Enji out with a final squeeze. Enji whimpered at the overstimulation. Hawks lifted him, and with surprising strength swam until they were both hauled out ashore.

“Thank you, Enji,” he breathed softly against the damp skin of Enji’s cheek. “The young you gave me will help save my species.”

It took far too long for the implications to seep through Enji’s soggy mind. He felt like he was wading through waist deep water, or other more viscous fluids, to understand what … wait … young. Species. Gave … to Hawks. “You’re pregnant?!” Enji blurted out.

“Well, yeah, if everything worked out right. I’ve heard stories of cross species matings so this should take. I’m in my fertile period now so—”

“But you’re a man.” Enji wanted to bolt upright a shout, but he was too tired and had to settle for turning his head, getting sand stuck to his cheek.

Hawks laughed and brushed his skin clean as best he could with his own wet fingers, “Yeah, and? My species, everyone can get pregnant. Wouldn’t do to miss a connection when there’s so few of us.”

Enji’s brain slowly warmed up in between the blue sky and sun baked sand. “I’m staying then.”

Hawks jolted upright and his tail flicking splashed water over them both.”Really?!”

“I have to take responsibility,” Enji tried to say matter of factly. “I owe it to you.”

Suddenly he had a chest full of squirmy, happy, mershark. “Oh, Enji, you owe me nothing. This is the greatest gift I could ever get.”

#enhoen #enhoen shark week #merman Hawks #fantasy AU #my fanfiction #endhawks #hawksdeavor #enji todoroki #keigo takami

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urbandiaries-by-sofea · 2 years

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Blog Post #3: A Look into an Urbanized Japan

This week's readings and class discussions drew me to reflect upon my family trip to Japan in 2019, right before the Covid-19 pandemic. Given how efficient the transportation system in Japan is, we mostly commuted from one place to another by trains (Shinkansen and JR Trains) while we were there. We visited three different cities, namely Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. Japan is a place with such a fantastic culture and history, and it just amazes me how old and traditional Japanese cultures coexist harmoniously with the modernization in metro areas.

I was amazed to observe the codes of urban behaviors in Japan, which I believe is part of what defines city-living there. One striking observation I saw was how there is a distinct difference between regions regarding escalator etiquettes. In train stations especially, Japanese people stand on different sides of the escalator depending on which city the station is in. Commuters in Tokyo will stick to the left side while those in Osaka stand on the right side. However, it was a little different in Kyoto. I saw that there is no fixed side to stand on the escalators, and people tend to stand on both sides. Well, I believe most people there just follow what the people in front of them do. I had the chance to ask our Airbnb host about the inconsistent standing position in Kyoto. She said that the inconsistency might be due to the increasing number of foreign tourists in Kyoto, and some people might not be familiar with the local etiquette. Still, the difference in escalator etiquette in Japan struck me as a unique feature of the country since in other places like England, the golden rule to escalator etiquette is that the slow lane is on the right-hand side of an escalator, and this is quite consistent throughout the country, unlike Japan. The escalator etiquette is an example of an unwritten or informal rule that made coping in big cities so much easier, given that there are so many hurried people in these cities, particularly during peak hours. It symbolizes how courteous the people in Japan are in making way for those who are in a hurry by leaving one side of the escalator empty.

However, Japan's fast-paced city life is not all sunshine and rainbows. Another strong observation I saw in the cities I visited in Japan is the low visibility of the homeless on the streets. This was very surprising to me since I've witnessed way more homeless living on the streets in other big cities I've visited. However, the low visibility of homeless people on the street does not mean that homelessness isn't a social issue in Japan (It is just not as bad as other countries, with a low homeless population rate of about 0.003% in 2020). Most of the very few homeless I saw on the streets of Tokyo were older men. In fact, the average age of homeless people in Japan is 63.6 years old, and some have lived on the streets and at parks for decades. It might be difficult for these elderly homeless to reintegrate into the mainstream society, especially with the rising costs of living in metro areas like Tokyo. Based on my readings on the Internet, part of the reasons why the homeless people in Japan are less visible is due to the emphasis on politeness in the Japanese culture. The homeless tend to feel ashamed of themselves, so they try to stay out of the public's way. Panhandling is not a common sight in busy areas. The fact that we do not really see the homeless on the streets poses a challenge for those trying to reduce the number of homeless in Japan.

The observations I made in Japan prompted me to think of our discussions in class about how we behave in cities where unwritten rules govern urban behavior, the extent of homelessness, and even how homeless people behave in crowded areas of different cities. I see culture as a determining factor in people's behavior and interactions with strangers.

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h0llyw0lly · 6 years

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I decided to do a crossover with my favorite episode of Cardcaptor Sakura especially since Thomas Astruc has actually told us that Marinette is Adrien's Prince Charming and he her princess

#this is probably my one of my favorites that i've done for these requests #i laughed like...every 5 minutes while i drew this #(which i actually drew on the shinkansen from tokyo to kyoto btw)#(so that's doubly awesome)#i may eventually redo this digitally but who knows when lol #my art #holly draws #requests #ml #miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain-cheng #adrien agreste #cardcaptor sakura #ccs #crossover #fanart

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studiobeebo · 3 years

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IM SO GLAD I COULD CONVINCE U BC ITS FANTASTIC AND I HOPE MORE PPL GET INTO IT! and im literally the biggest slut for aquariums so ty ty and hope u enjoy 🤙🏽 @alibrick1

♡ Aquarium Date ♡

Soshiro Hoshina x Unspecified Gender! Reader

as always if y’all enjoy this please remember that reblogs are greatly appreciated!!

“What’s so funny?” You huffed, giddiness at the sight of the incredible creature in the tank in front of you quickly turning to suspicion upon turning away to look for where your boyfriend could have wandered off to, only to find him standing a few feet behind you, laughing.

“Nothin’.” He chuckled, a smile still on his face as he closed the distance between the two of you, though now his eyes were on the large whale shark that passed by behind you, which was arguably where his attention should have been considering the two of you didn’t go to the aquarium just stare at each other, but he couldn’t help his focus shifting to you more often than not.

Things at the base had been a bit hectic to say the least and being the vice captain, that chaos naturally landed right in his lap and he was expected to take a large part in getting things under control. That combined with the fact that you hadn’t exactly gotten off easy yourself meant that the two of you had been seeing very little of one another, which was generally expected due to your jobs and the fact that he was never really ‘off duty’ due to his position, but you’d barely had time to do anything aside from maybe eat lunch together and even that had become rare.

To be honest, he was arguably more put off by your lack of time together than you were, yet it was you who ended up finally requesting to get a weekend off with him.

While you decided to shoot high by asking your captain if her vice captain could be included in your time off, you were expecting her to draw the line at him considering the amount of work that had to be done, but to your surprise she agreed. It was something about how she knew good performance stemmed from a well rested mind, but all you heard was ‘you get a weekend off with your boyfriend’ and you were practically running down the hall ordering shinkansen tickets to Osaka and texting Soshiro simultaneously. He didn’t believe it at first, but he was more than happy to agree so here you were, at the Kaiyukan aquarium on a well deserved weekend off.

He himself was pretty impartial to aquariums and zoos, he dealt with insane creatures damn near everyday so there was never really anything about the attractions that really drew his attention. You, on the other hand, were someone who had become very good at drawing his attention and he’d caught himself staring a good handful of times throughout your day.

It was partially because of your looks, especially since you had gone all out considering the fact that you rarely got to do so, but mostly because this was the first time he had seen you looking excited and happy in a while. Usually when you saw one another, you were both exhausted and just about out of any energy you could muster, so seeing you looking into the various fish filled tanks with a wide smile playing on your lips and an extra pep in your step was more than enough to give him reason to stare.

He only laughed because he couldn’t believe himself for being so romantically cringey, plus it was funny seeing you practically smash your face against the glass to get a better look at the gentle giant that swam by every once in a while, but he was quick to act like he definitely-totally-100% wasn’t laughing at you.

“ ‘Nothin’ “, you mocked while gently elbowing him in the ribs before leaning into his side as he feigned dramatic pain. “You’re a shit liar, I can always tell when you’re laughing at me.”

“I don’t know what you mean.~” He hummed, this time letting out an actual ‘ow’ upon receiving a kick to his foot as he wrapped an arm around your waist. “Just in a good mood ‘s all.”

You hummed, shifting your eyes to look at him before looking back at the display before you. You liked to act like you didn’t care in retaliation to the amount of teasing you received from him, but you really did want him to have a fun weekend to relax a bit. You had been a tad bit worried that he might have wanted to spend his small slice of free time having time for himself, not that you would blame him, so you were relieved to see the lack of tense body language that you had been seeing in him as of late and a genuine smile on his face.

“In a good enough mood to buy me dinner?” You challenged with a raised brow, not wanting to dwell on being mushy for long as he let out a laugh of his own while giving a gentle squeeze to your waist.

“You’re not very good at being persuasive.”

“What do you want me to do, pose?”

“God no, that would be embarrassing and then I’d have to act like I don’t know who you are.”

You rolled your eyes and let out a faux huffy “Fine then.”, though when you went to pull away from him he was quick to tighten his grip, reflexes as fast as ever as he pulled you closer and muttered a resigned “Fine, fine.” against your skin while pressing a playful kiss on your temple.

“Gross, people are gonna think we’re dating or something.” You teased, this time actually wiggling out of his grasp to get a move on as your hunger began to creep up on you at the mention of dinner.

He simply smiled, moving to follow after you as he had done so many times before and would probably end up doing until the day he died.

“Yeah, well-“ He started, lacing his fingers with yours as he caught up. “Guess we’ll just have to tell them I got lucky.”

#bee writes #ill never stop kicking myself for not going to the osaka aquarium when I had the chance so im livin vicariously thru yn #kn8 #kaiju no. 8 #kn8 x reader #kaiju no. 8 x reader #soshiro hoshina #soshiro hoshina x reader

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kagayuzen · 3 years

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The 42nd Exhibition of Traditional Kaga-Yuzen Crafts

Visiting Dress "Shin-Kanazawa Dochu Emaki" by Katsuya Takata

On the fifth anniversary of the opening of the Shinkansen bullet train, I drew a picture of Kanazawa as it is today.I expressed the charm of Kanazawa, where buildings that have been handed down from generation to generation and new buildings are fused together.

#Kaga-Yuzen Dyeing #kimono

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chaletnz · 2 years

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Tohoku Region: Nikko

I was up early again for no reason other than I wanted to get a coffee before leaving Sendai. The trip was planned out with all the train departure times listed so I had to squeeze in my coffee before leaving Sendai or I might not get one at all. For this coffee I went on an adventure out to the airport. All my JR train travel is essentially free over these 5 days so I've spent loads of time sitting on trains, although I did pay 120 yen for the bus ride into the station this time since I was carrying my luggage. The Flat White Coffee Factory had one cafe in the airport and it had been good yesterday so I wanted to have it again today. Unfortunately the airport cafe didn't have scones, or lamingtons so I settled for a blueberry muffin with my flat white. It had a little too much foam again, but it was a coffee in Japan at 7.30am that was not from a conbini so you can't be too picky! On the ride back to Sendai I was the only person on the train, I guess because no one was leaving the airport at that time - no flights had arrived yet as far as I could tell. I booked my shinkansen tickets and then rode down to Utsunomiya, which only took about 45 minutes! There was just enough time to put my bags into a storage locker for the day, get a photo of the famed gyoza sculpture and pick up some omiyage sweets for Tomoko and Yuki when I meet them on Sunday. Utsunomiya is known for strawberries, they have huge ones that can be 60 grams each! I tried to find single strawberries for sale as I know you can get them, but everything available at the station souvenir shops was just stuff that included strawberries as an ingredient such as jam and cakes. I found a pack of 2 cakes that was ideal for the Tomoko and Yuki but sadly there was no giant strawberry that I could buy for myself! With my bags in storage I took the local train all the way out to Nikko National Park. From the station I took a bus part way up the main road just to help me make the most of my few hours there as I had booked my shinkansen for about 2 hours later hoping to walk the town circuit in that time. I began by walking out of town to a large fast flowing river that had rows of statues wearing little red hats down the path alongside it. There was a waterfall and the abyss which I couldn't quite pinpoint. As I walked the circuit further I saw some missing person posters about a French woman last seen in 2018, I made a note to look up later if she had been found... (she is still missing as of September 2021). I crossed a suspension bridge to return to the main part of town and then headed towards the main temples in the area. Again, it became quickly apparent that I wouldn't have enough time to see everything and get the train as planned. Since I couldn't see myself returning to Nikko for quite a while I decided to just skip that ticket and carry on with my sightseeing. First was a red bridge on the corner of the main roads which overlooked the mountains, they charged a fee for walking on the bridge (although the other end was closed) so I could take photos of it with no one standing on it!

I then climbed a very steep street, luckily shielded by tall trees, to a large temple area where I visited Sanbutsu-do temple, Toshogu Gojunoto (the five storey pagoda), and Nikkozan Rinnoji temple among other tori gates and shrines.

It was a beautiful temple complex and I like to get a fortune at the beautiful ones! I drew out a small packet with a fortune as well as a lucky charm. My fortune was good, also telling me this time to be patient! After spending some time here people watching I started to slowly make my way down the main street back to the station. There were many interesting shops and eateries, all quite busy today as it's the Japanese silver week so everyone is having a break! I stopped first for a custard taiyaki, except instead of being fish-shaped it was monkey-shaped. I'm guessing this keeps to the theme of Nikko! I had seen a few signs about being aware of monkeys as they can sometimes be quite territorial and attack apparently. A few doors down I stopped again to buy a Nikko egg tart which I got wrapped in a bag to takeaway and eat later. I picked up a few postcards from a craft store too, and was extremely tempted by the Nikko pudding shop with a line down the street (if there's a line it must be amazing, right?!) but managed to resist. One more quick stop into the tourist information centre to see some displays and then I was ready to take the local train to Utsunomiya, pick up my bags and then battle for an unreserved seat on the shinkansen to Tokyo. One more change to a train bound for Yokohama's Chinatown then a short walk and I was checked in to Chillulu Hostel. I could finally collapse into bed after a quick walk around the quiet Chinatown and a gigantic Taiwanese fried chicken that was absolutely delicious! It was 550 yen and they deep fried it fresh for me - it was so good, although unnecessary... the last little piece ended up dripping grease all over my hands and I had no napkins to wipe it. Chinatown also seemed to be the only area without any public toilets! I even tried a 7/11 but nope, no toilet. They did have a pack of laundry detergent sachets so I grabbed that and headed back to the hostel to do my laundry and wash my hands. Of course the cashier asked me if I wanted a bag for my tiny box of laundry detergent sachets... like c'mon man!

Upon adding up the regular price of all the bullet trains I took during my 5 day Tohoku pass period (not including the extra cost of local trains) I got a whopping ¥66,750 worth of shinkansen rides! My ¥20,000 pass definitely ended up paying off!

#Japan #Sendai #Nikko #Yokohama

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whatdoyouexpectthistime · 4 years

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MJS Aftermath - SIX FEET Part 3

While humble had never been easy for Miho, she had much bowing to do when she eventually went home to face Goto’s family. Though difficult, her apologies were sincere, for she had no desire to hurt them or compound their suffering, even if they did not agree with her point of view. A compromise was struck, and though she would not concede her belief that Goto was still alive, she accepted no accord would be met and did not pursue further attempts to convince them the whole funeral thing was a sham.

She resigned herself to being the most supporting daughter and sister she could be, though Issei seemed unsurprisingly angry at her still.

Shinichi, Seiji’s father, would have liked traditional Shinto customs observed, but the circumstances being what they were, there were several steps concerning the corpse that could simply not be performed as one might with a fully intact body.

Still, Miho returned to the Goto family residence out of Tokyo to help in the preparation of food offerings; her only real contribution that all offerings be made at a reasonably cool temperature, the way Seiji would have been able to eat it. But her resolve did not waver.

As the process proceeded toward the wake, she’d had several follow-up conversations with Liana, who had pledged to use her journalistic sources to investigate what current criminal organisations within Japan would have access to highly restricted flammables, despite knowing her husband would not be impressed if he found her meddling. So far, she had come up empty, though several organised crime groups had certainly been more active of late; Liana did not keep this from Miho or Jazz, the latter who was staying in accommodations nearby to continue offering Miho her support.

On the day of the wake, everyone visibly donned the darkness of their grief, and Miho robotically greeted mourners to accept their condolences.

She wanted to shout out how pointless all their words were, their tears, when Seiji was still alive somewhere – not a pile of bones awaiting further cremation – but she kept it buried behind a stoic, if tired mask.

Priests prayed and prayed and prayed, before mourners were fed, but Miho had no appetite. Under Subaru and Jazz’s watchful eyes, she remained quiet, while those who didn’t know her very well at all whispered about how strong the wife of a police officer had to be, how brave she was.

“This is normal, right?” Subaru whispered to Jazz as the pair observed Miho’s blank expression.

Her eyes were directed at the coffin, but there was nothing to see in her gaze at all.

“Miho’s never normal,” Jazz replied just as quietly. “And you know she’s only doing this for Goto’s family; she still won’t believe he’d dead.”

“I guess, maybe I can’t blame her, after that whole thing with her ex-husband’s faked death and all,” Subaru noted, but he was scowling – after all, this was difficult for him too. “But, how long do you think this will last?”

Jazz tilted her head a little as she considered her best friend, then looked up into Subaru’s face.

“I think you know her well enough now,” she said. “If she believes something, no one will sway her.”

“So, what do we do?” he scowled, as people began to line up to say their final farewells.

“We just be here for her, if she needs us,” Jazz shrugged, drawing in a deep breath and releasing it slowly. “For her, this isn’t nearly over.”

Shinichi first, Haruka then Issei, then it was Miho’s turn to stand before Goto’s coffin and bid farewell to the man she loved more than her own life.

It seemed silence fell, a thick blanket of tense expectation for those who knew how she felt; but when she spoke it was so softly only the closest ears could have overheard.

“I will never let you go,” she whispered, glaring at the coffin intensely. “And when I find you, I’m going to kick your ass for putting me and your family through this.”

That was his send off, and when all had passed and said their goodbye, the immediate family travelled to the crematorium.

It was ironic – Miho even wanted to laugh at the idea a man reduced to bone would be cooked all over again in the name of tradition – but she managed to hold it in.

Instead, she took some time alone before they all returned to the house, staring across the rows of headstones, of mausoleums.

“Not today,” she grated under her breath, jaw clenched as she was struck with an overwhelming pang of loneliness.

“Mrs. Goto,” Kaga said, clearing his throat. “I was going to congratulate you on whatever you said to unsettle Captain Ishigami,” he continued, his voice low. “But there will be more appropriate times for that.”

Miho hadn’t had as much to do with Kaga as she had Goto’s direct superior, but she knew the man was callous, or clumsy, or a mixture of the two – enough to not be offended by his awkward, misplaced dig at Ishigami.

“Tell me, Captain,” Miho said, her voice thick, her watery eyes fixed on the distance. “Do you believe it? What you’ve seen on your surveillance tapes? What you’ve heard, read in reports? Would Seiji be so incompetent as to fall prey to a death and make his wife a widow?”

For a man rarely at a loss for words, Kaga’s lips parted but no sound emerged. Unusually, he seemed to be thinking carefully before speaking.

“Would Lieutenant Goto intentionally put himself at undue risk?” he rephrased, but Miho intercepted his dodge.

“Not what I asked,” she snapped, inching a little closer to him.

“I am sure of what I observed, and am satisfied with the rigor of our forensic investigators,” he answered slowly, and Miho jumped on his hesitation.

“Damnit, Hyogo, you know what I’m asking!” she barked, giving his chest a bit of a shove, and Kaga snatched her wrist.

This caught the attention of Liana, who was standing nearby with a phone pressed to her ear.

“These are questions for Captain Ishigami,” Kaga told her, lowering his head and his tone.

“He was as slippery as you, and it’s suspicious,” Miho hissed.

“You’re grieving,” he asserted, trying to sound accommodating, maybe even sympathetic. “You’re raw and hurting and wanting all this to be a horrible nightmare, but…”

“I DISBELIEVE!” she snarled, shaking herself free, and several others looked over, including Issei.

“Captain Kaga,” Liana began amiably, as she approached to defuse a true blow-up of the situation.

She had since ended her phone call, and gave the pair her entire focus.

“Please, allow me,” she smiled warmly, slipping her hand into Miho’s.

Not quite with his tail between his legs, but certainly without reluctance, Kaga nodded and shifted away from the two women.

“You just saved him a black eye,” Miho hissed, scuffing her toes in the gravel irritably.

“Just a black eye?” Liana smirked cheekily, and this got Miho to smile wickedly.

“Yeah okay, he might have lost a little more; I’m fed up with getting chided for not being morose enough,” she muttered, allowing Liana to turn her away from the gathering at the shrine.

“Well, I just got off the phone with reliable source,” Liana explained quietly, “who said a known terrorist group on Public Safety’s watchlist called Kurai, had recently been planning a serious attack, but now the group is in chaos - something about an internal power struggle.”

“When?” Miho prompted, giving Liana her full attention.

“That’s what caught my attention,” Liana nodded. “According to my source, an attack targeting shinkansen lines was supposed to happen two days after Goto’s supposed death.”

Miho’s brows drew slowly down, but she wasn’t drawing any major conclusions yet, but the wheels were definitely turning. Liana’s acceptance of Miho’s belief in Goto’s survival was warming, a relief.

“No terrorists though,” Miho noted.

Any disruption to the train network would be big news – a case of terrorism, if it had occurred, would have been all over the news

“So their plans were disturbed,” Miho added, thinking aloud.

“I wasn’t able to get much in terms of specifics,” Liana admitted, “but,” she continued quickly, “Kurai is having a bit of a management crisis, which might explain why their plans fell through.”

“Seiji,” Miho exhaled. “This is totally his doing.”

“Entirely possible,” Liana smiled, but quickly her expression fell. “And if that’s the case, his death, could all be a part of the investigation.”

About that idea, Liana did not look at all impressed.

“I’m going to need to speak to your husband again,” Miho growled, and while Liana would defend Ishigami when he was in the right, she had no issue taking him to task when he was wrong.

“We’re staying here overnight,” Liana revealed. “I’ll give you the hotel address.”

“Spill it,” Miho charged, the moment Liana opened the door of her hotel room.

Stunned, Ishigami blinked at the instant onslaught, but Miho did not even allow him to draw breath.

“He’s not dead, and you’re going to tell me what the fuck is going on or…”

“Stop right there, Mrs. Goto,” Ishigami said, emerging from his stupor.

“I will not stop!” she snapped – in his face, teeth bared and savage. “Whatever this is? Terrorists? All of Japan, the world in peril? Because if it’s not, the bullshit you’re putting me, and Seiji’s family through it outrageous and I…”

“You need to calm down,” he tried to reason, but Liana could see the cracks forming in his demeanour.

“Would you? If I told you Liana was dead, tell me you wouldn’t be in my face demanding answers,” Miho pressed, finally stabbing a finger against his chest, and there Ishigami lost his cool.

“That is enough,” he snapped, and even Liana flinched.

Miho’s lips continued to move, but no sound emerged.

After a few tense seconds, Ishigami adjusted his glasses and exhaled a slow sigh.

“Kurai,” Miho prompted, more tempered in tone. “Seiji infiltrated them, didn’t he?”

Walking to the window, Ishigami sighed again.

“Yes,” Ishigami admitted, softly. “And… his death… is essential to not only the success of the operation, but to his survival because…”

Hanging off his every word, Miho leaned forward; Ishigami turned back to the room and pair of expectant gazes, his own serious.

“There is a mole in Public Safety.”

“Who?” Miho blurted.

“If I knew that, all this would not be necessary,” Ishigami grumbled, fiddling with his glasses again. “The only way to protect him and his contact within Kurai, is to convince everyone in Public Safety he is no longer in play.”

“So… who does know he’s alive?” Liana asked.

“Myself, Chief Namba, and now the two of you, against my better judgement,” he answered wearily. “Though I must say, I am immensely relieved to have brought your suffering to an end.”

“I’d still be livid if I didn’t know you genuinely did this to protect Seiji,” Miho nodded slowly. “But am still pissed off you didn’t think me capable of feigning grief.”

“This is a case of substantial import,” Ishigami insisted. “Telling anyone what you have learned could not only destroy our chances of bringing down Kurai, but lead to catastrophic infrastructure damage and death.”

“I got it,” Miho huffed, running her fingers through her hair in a frustrated manner, before reaffixing her gaze on him.

Softer.

Beseeching.

“Have you had contact with him?” she asked, voice so much smaller. “Is he injured?”

“Not… recently, no,” he admitted, motioning for her to sit.

She complied.

“But his last communication was directly to my private number informing me of his status – unharmed – a brief situational report, and his strong suspicion he and his contact had been compromised by a mole in Public Safety.”

It wasn’t until a cup of tea appeared before her, that Miho realised Liana had snuck away. With a small smile, Miho accepted the offering.

“So, what do you do now?” she frowned, before blowing softly against the rim of her mug.

“Well,” Ishigami began again, moving to also sit. “I will have to inform Chief Namba that you’re now aware of the situation. He will probably wish to speak to you himself.”

Though he was the Chief of Public Safety, when Miho followed Ishigami into Namba’s office, the broad-shouldered looked decidedly uncomfortable.

“So, where do you want it, Jin?” she dropped, flat and cold and staring daggers.

“Excuse me?” Namba blinked, looking from Miho to his subordinate.

“I believe she means to hit you,” Ishigami translated, and Namba’s brows twitched.

“Hit is the polite translation,” Miho snorted, pointing at him sharply. “I get your need for secrecy, but all this is bullshit – I should have been told.”

“Ah,” he nodded, shifting a little before his fingers knitted together before him.

“No doubt Captain Ishigami has now explained the seriousness of the situation?”

At this, it was Ishigami’s turn to squirm a little.

“I think we both know, Mrs. Goto is not one to let something go once she has sunk her teeth into it,” he said, then wished he’d used different phrasing when Miho bared her teeth.

“You knew marrying a skilled undercover agent could result in time apart,” Namba explained. “And that strict rules of confidentiality would prevent you from knowing the details of his missions.”

This was true, but in Miho’s mind, what they had done to her and the rest of Goto’s family was way beyond that.

“You killed me,” she asserted, tone low and dangerous as she leaned forward across his desk. “You carved out my heart, and you set it beside the heart of his mother, and father and brother…”

“For Lieutenant Goto’s safety,” Namba insisted.

“And that’s the only reason I haven’t crawled over this desk and ripped out your throat,” she growled, at which point, Ishigami did the brave thing and put a restraining hand on her shoulder.

“That is quite enough,” he told her firmly. “We are all sorry for the pain you have experienced, but as I said earlier, the greater good was, is served by the continuing secrecy of Goto’s mission.”

Surprisingly, Miho didn’t throw his hand off. In fact, she straightened and let out a long breath to balance herself before resettling her gaze on Namba.

“So, I suppose you want to get him home,” he then said, a sparkle lighting up his eyes. “And since you no doubt know most of what’s going on - if I’m right about your interrogation abilities – I have an idea of just how you can help do that.”

“Sir?” Ishigami frowned, but Namba held his hand up.

“If it was to become known in Public Safety circles, that you had received a missive from Lieutenant Goto prior to his death, and that you felt it necessary to take action upon that information…”

“That could draw the mole out to ensure what I fictionally know doesn’t reveal their identity,” Miho finished thoughtfully, already nodded.

Ishigami, meanwhile, was not.

“I am very much against this,” he declared. “Involving Mrs. Goto in this investigation is…”

“A brilliant idea,” Miho interrupted.

“Irresponsible,” Ishigami corrected. “A traitor in our midst willing to put the safety of the public and his or her colleagues at risk, in the firing line of the Kurai, is not someone against whom a civilian should be pitted. I should also think Lieutenant Goto would not want his wife put in undue danger.”

“Lieutenant Goto knows better than to tell me what I can and cannot do,” Miho sniffed, then flashed a nasty grin toward Namba. “Flush that son of a bitch in my direction, Chief.”

“Chief Namba,” Ishigami said, as serious as he may have ever been. “I will go on record with my disagreement; Mrs. Goto should not be any further involved in this!”

For a few seconds following the rise of his voice, the two others looked at him a little surprised.

“You don’t want me in danger, I get it,” Miho told him finally, her expression softening a little. “But Seiji can’t come home until the mole is revealed, and this will work. I doubt Chief Namba has a mind to strip me naked, tie a bow around my neck and shout-out to all potential traitors to come have a poke.”

Both men immediately blushed.

Like, fires of hell heat in their cheeks you could see in pitch black.

“For crying out loud, you’re both grown men,” she huffed. “The point is, I’m not signing up to die, but to be very well guarded bait. Do you have people who are above reproach? Kurosawa, surely,” Miho answered, before they could. “He idolises Seiji. There’s no way he would do anything to put him in danger.”

“Soma and Kaga,” Namba put in, though at the last name, Ishigami’s nose wrinkled.

“I’m not so sure about the last,” he declared.

“Leave him out then… Subaru… call Subaru in. He would never let anything happen to me.”

“He may well have a few things to say in opposition,” Ishigami added.

“Then he can stow it too,” Miho huffed. “Chief Namba, will you set this up?”

With only a few seconds hesitation, Namba nodded his assent, and Miho exhaled.

“I’ll wait for your instructions,” she sighed. “Whatever it is you need me to do, I will, don’t question that for a second.”

“I don’t think anyone would dare,” he noted, and there concluded the meeting.

Dun dun duuuun... the final part!

#voltage #voltage fanfiction #hlitf #her love in the force #her love in the force fanfiction #her love in the force angst #seiji goto #miho #kaga #namba #soma #kurosawa #shinonome #angst #drama

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tsunamijenn · 6 years

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While I chill on the shinkansen, I'm taking a break from my pilgrimage posts to show everyone this gorgeous drawing @crimson-chains made for my kitsune!Yuuri story My Love, My Kitsune 😍 I'm in love with how she drew Yuuri as a tenko!! Thank you CC!!

#kitsune #tenko #yuuri #katsuki yuuri #victor nikiforov #yuri on ice #fanfic #commissioned art #it's so amazing!

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crollalanzaa · 6 years

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Title: When Hell Froze Over Ship: IwaOi Characters: Iwaizumi, Oikawa, Hanamaki, Kageyama, Kyoutani, Kuroo Rating: Teen Word Count: 2k ish Tags: Hospitals, Injury, future fic, everyone in hqverse appears to play vb for the National team apart from Iwa-chan who’s a journalist. A/N: This is a fic for the BEAUTIFUL and TALENTED @amalasdraws who just draws the most beautiful Iwaizumi. A/A/N: first part of this story is inspired by a comic @viria drew where Oikawa catches a beetle. A/A/A/N: also the main part of this story is insipred by a Sports Fest Prompt by @naff-nuff-nice

'But god, I look at you and know. Hell is just another place I guess I'll go to keep you warm.'

Summary

In Hokkaido to cover a ski tournament, Hajime's night is interrupted by the worst possible news. The National team coach has been involved in a traffic accident, and Oikawa is badly injured. Getting to Tokyo through the snow is one problem, but the more insurmountable one might be the obstacles put in his way at the hospital and their policy of admitting family only.

Fic excerpt

Hajime is in Hokkaido when he hears the news. It’s cold, snow lying thick on the ground, and he’s stuck in a hotel room, with no intention of leaving for another three days.

But he’s watching the sports channel before turning in for the night, and of course they report on it. He sits, the remote in his hand, too stunned to think straight for a while.

It’s his phone that drags him from his atrophy. A harsh ring, jerking him to sense.

“Makki!” he practically yells in answer.

“You’ve heard?”

“Just now and only from the TV. Where is he?”

“Tokyo General.”

“And what are they saying?”

“Nothing. They won’t release details over the phone,” Makki’s voice hitches. “They think everyone calling’s Press.”

Which won't help me at all. “Yeah, got it. I’ll see what I can do and get back to you. Okay?”

“Sure. I’m going to go to Tokyo, anyway. What about you?”

He stares out of the window, at the snow still falling. . Hajime’s heard the term a blanket of snow so many times it makes his eyes roll, but outside is so white, it really is like a huge quilt has wrapped itself around the town leaving it featureless.

The airport is closed, the roads will be an ice trap. It’ll have to be the Shinkansen, but it could be booked up.

“I’ll get there,” he replies.

#iwaoi #iwaizumi hajime #oikawa tooru #amalasdraws #happy birthday amazing amalas #haikyuu!!

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ishigamiseptember · 2 years

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いちど有名な絵画のオマージュ的な絵を描いてみたかった。オディロンルドン先生の「瞳を閉じて」を元に描きました。E4系には他の新幹線にはない包容力優しさみたいなものを感じます。

I wanted to draw a homage to a famous painting.I drew it based on "Close your eyes" by Odilon Redon.I feel that the E4 series has the capacity and kindness that other Shinkansen trains do not have.

#E4系MAXとき #擬人化

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yjcorpbyline · 6 years

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Are Local Railways Truly Necessary? – It Is Time for Us to Consider the Next Stage for Railways

Tomohiko Nakamura, Professor of Economics, Kobe International University

The original Japanese article was published at 6:30 on November 17, 2017.

Photograph by author

　The Kurobe Gorge Railway is a small trolley train that threads its way through one of the most famous V-shaped gorges in Japan. It is well-known domestically as a tourist train line. On November 15, 2017, the railway applied for a fare hike. The reasons given were the decrease in passengers and the rise in costs to maintain and manage the aging facilities and railcars. We must ask ourselves, “Is this a problem unique to the Kurobe Gorge Railway?”

– Despite being a leading tourist train line in Japan …

　The Kurobe Gorge Railway applied to raise its fares by about 16%, which is anticipated to take effect in 2018 *1. The reasons the Kurobe Gorge Railway gave were the downward trend in the number of passengers, as well as the rise in costs to renew, maintain, and manage deteriorating bridges and railcars.　

*1 The original Japanese article was published in November 2017. The fare raise was applied on April 1, 2018.

　The Kurobe Gorge Railway line is one of Japan’s leading tourist destinations and is part of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (link in Japanese only). When the Hokuriku region attracted attention with the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen in 2015, the number of passengers riding the Kurobe Gorge Railway exceeded 800,000. In 2016, however, the number fell to about 700,000 and is expected to decrease further to around 680,000 in 2017. It is difficult to imagine that passengers will increase in the future. Apparently, the top management decided that there were limits to what could be done through their efforts alone, which resulted in the application for the fare hike.

– Costs to renew railroads and tunnels weigh heavily on management

　One of the reasons for raising the fare for the Kurobe Gorge Railway was the increased cost of maintaining and managing bridges and railcars, which is a serious problem for many other local railways as well. Those involved in managing local railways surely cannot dismiss the situation of the Kurobe Gorge Railway as a special case.

　In August 2016, JR Hokkaido submitted a request to the city of Yubari to discontinue service on the Sekisho Line between Shin-Yubari and Yubari. The fact that the mayor of Yubari readily agreed to the discontinuation, in contrast to the responses by many other local governments, drew considerable attention at the time. One of the reasons why JR Hokkaido and the city of Yubari reached an agreement was that the Sekisho Line has many tunnels and bridges built nearly 100 years ago, and upgrading them would be extremely costly.

– The exposure of issues long ignored

　One senior staff member at a local government agency that manages a local railway explains, “When we reviewed the situation, we discovered that the deterioration of structures such as bridges and tunnels was serious, and there was hardly any earthquake protection. Thinking of the safety of passengers, naturally we were worried.”

　Most local railways, private railways, and third-sector railways are 50 to 100 years old, just like the Sekisho Line. There has been no major upgrading work for many years, partly due to declining profitability.

　“JR lines are better off, but third-sector railways*2 and local railways have long suffered from a lack of funds. To be honest, we have been turning a blind eye to this issue.”

*2 The first sector refers to public companies managed by the state or local public entities, the second sector refers to private companies, and the third sector refers to other types of corporate bodies.

– Doomed if the train stops working

　Many third-sector railways were separated from the national railway and privatized after the privatization of the national railway in 1987. Around the same time, third-sector bodies throughout the country introduced virtually the same type of diesel multiple units. Since then, all third-sector lines have fared poorly, and aging railcars, including those introduced at the time, are still being used.

　“Local councils could be convinced to agree to covering deficits, but introducing new railcars, which cost tens to hundreds of millions of yen, would be a considerable burden on local governments along the railway line. Local councils are unlikely to readily agree to paying such costs,” says a member of another local government agency with a third-sector railway.

　In contrast to railcars in the days of the national railway, railcars manufactured after that time have short lifespans. “Currently, we cannot engage in drastic upgrading, and we are barely managing to operate the trains with stopgap measures. If one railcar breaks down and stops working, it would be difficult to maintain the timetable. We would be doomed,” a worker for a third-sector railway said frankly.

– Amidst the rapid population decline, is it necessary to protect railways?

　The impact of the falling population is becoming more profound every day. The government predicts that by 2020, the population in the 23 wards of Tokyo will also start to decrease, and the population will fall by around 500,000 each year.

　Even for tourist train lines that attract many foreign visitors, such as the Kurobe Gorge Railway, it will be increasingly difficult to manage financially. Elderly tourists, who currently shore up the demand at tourist sites, will rapidly decrease in the future, with the baby boomers already reaching 70 years of age. How much of that loss can be offset by foreign tourist demand will be a significant issue for tourist sites.

　As even popular tourist train lines suffer from such issues, local railways and third-sector railways in areas without major tourist attractions are expected to face even tougher conditions in the future. This leaves us with a major question. Amidst such a rapid population decline, is it truly necessary to protect these railways?

– Separating companies and introducing DMVs

　Calls to protect railways have subsided somewhat but there are still strong demands. One of the measures to save railways is to lighten the burden by separating the company that operates the railways from the company that owns the facilities such as the train tracks, station buildings, and railcars. However, this is just a matter of who takes responsibility for the deficit; separating the companies would not attract more passengers. In many cases, the cause of the deficit is forced on the new company created by investment from the local government; the debt itself has not disappeared.

　Another idea is to operate dual mode vehicles (DMVs), which are microbuses that have both tires and rail wheels. These were first developed by JR Hokkaido, and local governments from around the country made visits to observe the DMVs. Eventually, JR Hokkaido decided that DMVs were not profitable and withdrew from the business. Later, Tokushima Prefecture garnered much attention when they announced their plan to attract tourists by operating DMVs for about 10 km between Awa-Kainan Station on the Mugi Line and Kannoura Station of the Asa Kaigan Railway. However, this is how one government official describes the situation:

　“Most people marvel at the prototype DMV, which has the body of a small microbus with tires and small wheels. However, when people hear how much it costs, they usually wonder if it is necessary to go that far to make it a train. Why not use a bus? You could say it was shown so that people would abandon train lines.”

　DMVs are lightweight and vulnerable to strong winds blowing from below when crossing bridges. Additionally, the wheels have a small diameter, which makes the vehicle unfit for snowy areas. Above all, they are expensive to manufacture as mass-production is not possible, and as the government official mentioned above points out, “It is not a mature product, it breaks down frequently, and repair parts are likely to be costly.” Why should we go so far and insist on protecting railways? The government official explained that the intention was for us to consider this question as we examine DMVs.

　In fact, if Tokushima Prefecture is doing the right thing by using DMVs to attract tourists, DMVs will eventually be running throughout the country, and their value as a tourist resource will drop. It is probably appropriate to operate DMVs on the Asa Kaigan Railway, as the area is warm and never sees snow, there is potential as a tourist route, and they will run on tracks only for about 15 minutes. This is an opportunity for other local railways and third-sector lines to think about other lines that might meet these conditions.

– Disappearing from the map and psychological loss

　Those who insist on protecting railways often mention “disappearing from the map” or “strong psychological loss for residents.” In reality, such nostalgic reasons alone cannot protect something that is increasingly losing passengers and inflating cumulative deficits.

　Moreover, such concerns are gradually being alleviated, with bus systems recently being included in journey planning services on the Internet, as well as high-speed buses and intercity buses serving local areas, thanks to enhanced expressway networks.

　“High school students traveling to school was one of the main reasons for protecting railways. However, that rationale is also weakening, as schools are increasingly providing bus services to attract students, and the population of high school students along the railways is falling,” says a local government staff member. “An increasing number of residents are now saying that local governments should reconsider the necessity of railways that are becoming a heavy financial burden.”

– Can we protect railways by doing our best?

　When considering which lines should be maintained, including tourist train lines such as the Kurobe Gorge Railway that link tourist attractions with major stations, as well as lines needed for national security in times of emergency, we cannot avoid the unfortunate conclusion that some lines have already served their purpose.

　Saying “We shouldn’t waste what we have” and squandering huge amounts of money will only increase sunk costs and is not likely to benefit residents. In particular, for areas with good highways and expressways running parallel to the railways, it is better in the long term to let buses take the role of carrying passengers, in terms of maintaining public transport.

　Some people with a deep love for railways are trying hard to make their case and are greatly contributing to the revitalization of local areas. However, if they are serious about protecting these railways, it is necessary to not just temporarily continue with public fanfare, but also to realistically examine their profitability. If they want to maintain the railways despite the deficits, the situation will not be solved just by reacting emotionally to discussions on discontinuation. They also tend to portray the situation as a clash between local regions and large cities, but the problem is not that simple.

　The vast funds invested each year in maintaining railways may be important funds that should be invested elsewhere, for areas facing population aging and a declining birthrate. A considerable number of regions, while they still have the energy, should consider converting to other systems including the bus rapid transit (BRT) system that JR East introduced for the Kesennuma and Ofunato Lines. Before we know it, we will be left with deteriorating railcars and facilities, and lines will be discontinued due to huge cumulative deficits. When that happens, we will no longer be able to think about a vision for the future.

– The necessity to change our mindset

　I also love railways. I wish it were possible for local railways and third-sector railways to continue running lazily through beautiful scenery forever.

　I know that many people want the same thing, but when faced with the reality of local areas, and indeed the entire country, we cannot insist forever on protecting railways. Otherwise, we cannot be prepared to overcome the crisis that is approaching before our very eyes.

　In order to build a modern state, the Meiji Government scrambled to organize railway networks around the country. In the early Showa Period, Ichizo Kobayashi, who founded Hankyu, built a railway to the suburbs and created a residential district there. Thus, he succeeded in absorbing the rapidly-expanding urban population. In the past, development went hand-in-hand with railways, and railway stations were the best and only public transport institution. We surely experienced great successes in the past. However, it is evident from developments at private railways that such successful experiences are now of little value.

　There is much to learn from the examples of the Kurobe Gorge Railway and the city of Yubari, which offer food for thought. It is time for us to change our mindset, and to think about the next stage for railways.

#Japanese Local Railway #kurobe #keikoku #japan #railway #japanese railway

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indizombie · 7 years

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Looking at the front end of the Hitatchi-built Shinkansen bullet train that operates in Japan, you'd think the pointed front was all about speed – how else would a train achieve speeds of up to 320 kilometres per hour except by being extremely aerodynamic. In fact the design is more about Japan's strict train noise pollution laws. At such incredible speeds, trains tend to emerge from tunnels emitting a loud crash – because of the physics involved, the pocket of air pushed in front of a train down a tunnel expands rapidly when it exits ahead of the train, causing a mini sonic boom. Engineer Eiji Nakatsu, who was instrumental in the design, was a birdwatcher, and he became fascinated with the way kingfishers went effortlessly from a low-resistance to a high-resistance medium when they dive from the air into water to catch prey. The long, thin, pointed and streamlined beak causes the water to plane along the sides of the beak and body, causing near-seamless transition between the two media. In the 500-series Shinkansen, air is similarly sliced out of the way around the pointed nose rather than pushing a large block of it ahead to affect the environment when pressure changes outside the tunnel.

Drew Turney, 'When nature did it first: the art and science of biomimicry', BlueNotes

#BlueNotes #Drew Turney #Hitatchi #Shinkansen bullet train #Japan #speed #aerodynamics #train noise pollution #physics #sonic boom #Eiji Nakatsu

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nipponnomad · 7 years

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Translation: ONE-Sensei Young Sunday Interview :D

youtube

I did my best to summarize this hour-long interview with ONE-sensei, uploaded to YouTube by Young Sunday in March and uploaded to Tumblr by the lovely and talented @one-blog last week. Please note, while my Japanese is decently high-level, I typically translate written Japanese rather than spoken Japanese (which, by its very nature, is harder to translate), so there might be mistakes here or there. That said, I believe I captured the general gist of things. If you're fluent in Japanese and want to do a more comprehensive translation in the future, please feel free!

EDIT: Here are some more detailed translations of selected parts of the interview, based on Japanese transcripts that @isasm found. :)

ONE-SENSEI: YOUNG SUNDAY INTERVIEW

Things to note:

-I mostly focused on what ONE said, as the hosts talked a lot and tended to get off on tangents.

-ONE comes across quite shy in this interview, especially in comparison to the super-chatty hosts. There are times when the hosts start to ask him a question and he doesn't seem to know what to say. There are also a few times where it looks like ONE is honest-to-god dissociating. That said, it's a good interview that includes some pretty insightful commentary.

-ONE is forced to sit in the creakiest wooden chair known to man.

-Maybe this is common knowledge, but is ONE married? You can see what looks like a wedding ring in a lot of shots.

-Instead of “ONE-sensei,” the hosts refer to ONE as “ONE-kun” throughout. I'm not sure why. It's kind of cute though.

The Interview: ONE's Life Story

The hosts begin with small talk, chatting about a new album they've listened to, and introducing ONE-sensei and his work in general terms. ONE doesn't actually show up until about nine and a half minutes in. The hosts ask if he's seen their show before and he says he has, that he watched it after he was invited to appear on it. The hosts seem quite pleased and amused about that.

ONE is asked what sorts of activities he did in middle school and high school. He responds that he did tennis in middle school, but he wasn't at a super high level. Because ONE comes across pretty shy and self-effacing, the hosts joke that they can now understand where Mob Psycho came from. They then announce that they're going to do an abbreviated life history for ONE, who says he's nervous.

ONE says he was born on October 29th, 1986, and is a Scorpio. His birthday is next week or the week after next (from when this interview was filmed). The hosts remark on how he's relatively young.

ONE says he was born in Niigata but raised in Saitama Prefecture, where he's lived for 22 or 23 years. His hometown is near Kounosu (wherever that is). He specifies that his town shares a DMV with Kounosu, which is such a charmingly mundane detail. :P

The hosts ask what kind of kid he was. He says he was a normal kid, but “low tension” (i.e. low energy, quiet, laid back). The hosts say that that explains why his characters tend to be low tension as well. ONE agrees that might be the case. He says there are times when he gets more energetic, and the hosts tease him, implying that now is certainly not one of those times. ONE says he did get really energetic when the One Punch Man anime was announced.

How ONE Started Drawing Manga

The hosts ask how he felt when the One Punch Man anime was announced, and ONE says it was really awesome. The hosts remark that One Punch Man reminds them of American comics and is like a “Japanese Marvel.” ONE agrees that he has a similar image of One Punch Man and has always found its advent a little mysterious—like he doesn't quite know where it came from. ONE states that it's now been about three or four years since One Punch Man debuted in Ura Sunday and Shonen Jump.

ONE says that he started drawing manga in elementary school and can't remember exactly how he got started. He says he remembers reading Crayon Shin-chan on the shinkansen and stuff and trying to draw it (he specifies that he was very slow at drawing at the time). He says that Crayon Shin-Chan was an early influence on him, which the hosts find unusual.

The hosts ask about his upbringing and whether or not his parents were strict. It seems his family was a bit strict and he didn't show them his manga growing up—because he was embarrassed, but also because he expected he would be scolded for drawing manga instead of studying. So basically, he hid his manga hobby until he got to college. The hosts compare him to Kamuro from Mob Psycho, presumably because of the strict family.

The hosts ask if ONE ever submitted one of his comics for publication. ONE says he did submit to Shonen Jump when he was a first-year college student, but that it didn't go well because “it wasn't an interesting story.” He says the guy who reviewed his manga at Shonen Jump went through it really fast with a totally blank face and that ONE was sent packing pretty quickly.

Because the submission didn't go well, ONE started putting his comics on his personal blog. At the time, it was really hard to read the comic on your phone because you could basically only see one panel at a time and you had to go through all fifteen pages that way. Eventually, he started drawing manga on his computer and uploading it from there. He got really into the “pasokon manga” culture and bought himself a drawing tablet and downloaded Comic Studio.

He began uploading his work to a pasokon manga site where all the users were beginners or semi-professional. As far as I can tell, the site was called NEETsha, short for “NEET Shakai” or “NEET Society.” (Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on that one.) This was when he started drawing One Punch Man.

About One Punch Man

The hosts ask where the name One Punch Man (“Wanpanman”) came from. One host points out that it obviously sounds like Anpanman. Obviously it also sounds like One Piece (“Wanpiisu”), which is a sales juggernaut in Japan. ONE points out that actually “Wanpanman” outsells “Wanpiisu” overseas.

They ask what kind of character ONE was aiming for when he created Saitama. ONE says he always loved shonen manga and read a lot of it, and he thought about the final episode/battle, when the character was at their greatest strength. Basically, he thought it would be funny to start with a character who was already at the peak of their power and go from there, watching each successive villain get taken out in one hit.

Within the world of One Punch Man, the hosts note, Saitama is basically a regular person, he's laid back and flexible and his main concern is everyday stuff like going to special sales. They also note that Mob is similar, being a quiet type of guy who keeps a low profile until his percentage starts going up.

The hosts ask if One Punch Man immediately became popular after ONE posted it to NEETsha. ONE says it was pretty soon afterward, and that he enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts and comments and encouragement.

At this point, the hosts realize the interview is half over and they've totally forgotten about the personal history thing.

About Mob Psycho 100

As the hosts see it, there are three major themes in ONE's work: 1) What is power? 2) What should be done with power? 3) What is our true power, and how are we supposed to live with that power? We don't typically see the characters longing for more power; instead, we're dropped into the middle of the story and watch what they do after they've already become powerful. This is evident in Mob Psycho 100.

The hosts ask if the Mob Psycho manga has changed from when ONE put it online to when it was released in print. ONE says it hasn't really changed but it was worse reading it online because it was so small and hard to read on a cell phone screen. The hosts also ask if ONE has had assistants helping him to edit and fix things up, but ONE says they weren't there in the beginning.

The hosts look at some of the pages from Mob Psycho and comment on the art. When they compliment ONE's use of lines for emphasis in one picture, ONE says, in a self-deprecating sort of way, that he just did it using a tool in Comic Studio. The hosts also remark on the way Reigen holds a phone in one panel (you probably know which one) and laugh a lot. However, following this seeming criticism, one of the hosts keeps calling the art in Mob Psycho “punk” or “hip hop.” I had a hard time figuring out what he meant by that, but I think he's calling it a sort of indie, outsider art. He goes on to say that it's not like how everyone else draws and isn't imitating the prevailing manga style.

The same host states that there are two kinds of mangaka: 1) the “cover band” type that imitates others without really thinking for themselves, and 2) the type that doesn't imitate others and thinks for themselves. For example, many “cover band” mangaka imitate the battle scenes in Dragonball, whereas the ones in Mob Psycho look—if anything—more like battles in Akira. The hosts ask ONE if he was inspired by Akira. ONE says he likes Akira but doesn't really answer one way or another.

The hosts have been talking a lot, so they interrupt themselves to ask if ONE wants to correct them on anything. ONE has just one thing he wants to say: when he was drawing the picture of Reigen holding the cell phone, surprisingly enough, he drew it while looking at his own hand. This comment gets big laughs.

Themes in ONE's Work

The hosts discuss the issue of “leveling up,” comparing it to “geemu nou” (“game brain,” a type of dementia allegedly caused by playing too many video games). In English academic discourse, we would probably call this “gameification.” Basically, people who play a lot of games—as well as the protagonists in a lot of shonen manga—become obsessed with “reaching the next level” and don't focus on anything else. The hosts ask ONE if there's some sort of lesson in his work about the dangers of this type of single-mindedness.

ONE says that he's noticed this tendency in shonen manga. By contrast, he discusses the series he was influenced by as a child, Crayon Shin-chan—specifically, the movie version of Crayon Shin-chan. As a series about a normal family, Crayon Shin-chan was generally fairly peaceful and funny. However, in the movie, things got kind of serious. ONE believes that, when things get serious in a gag series, they hit extra hard.

He compares this to One Punch Man. Even though it's a gag manga, the world itself is pretty serious, with people being killed by monsters all the time and so on. Existence itself is like a gag in the world of One Punch Man, which ONE finds interesting.

Finally, the hosts show pages from the fight between the esper kids and Claw's 7th Division. They discuss the part where Mob very calmly and directly tells Gas Mask Ojiichan: “Having psychic powers won't make you popular.” Gas Mask Ojiichan then gets upset and yells: “EVEN SO, I SHOULD BE TREATED SPECIAL!” So basically, Claw is full of children who never managed to mature into adults and don't want to become “commoners.”

ONE then talks about “commoners,” average people who get up in the morning, get on the train to go to work, and do their best day after day. ONE thinks that this in itself—being a member of society—is difficult in its own way, and that's what Saitama and Mob are trying to do.

I feel like that's a really lovely way to end the interview. Sadly, they never finish the personal history and we never find out what ONE's favorite food, color, movie, manga, and type of woman are. :(

#ONE #one-sensei #one-blog #one punch man #mob psycho 100 #opm #mp100 #translation #interview

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