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I was trying to book the new Shinkansen Suprem Class and ... I failed. Discover it there : https://global.jr-central.co.jp/en/supremeclass/index.html Let me just give you some hints. Prerequiste: you must create an smarEX account (https://smart-ex.jp/en/index.php) with a registered card such as Mastercard (I know that some Visa cards doesn"t work properly). This is not possible to purchase at ticket office (for the time being) Go to You can not book more than one month ahead With such a parameter you have only the right Shinkansen Then you select to access and book but when it's gray ... everything is booked So that why did I failied despite I tried to book one month ahead sharp .. First of all, despite the japanese website is open from 05:30 AM Tokyo time ... reservation for the Shinkansen Sumpreme Class is open from 10:00 AM Tokyo time. So that, for me in Paris 03/00 AM. Thus I connect at 03:00 AM sharp and believe me, the time I made step 1 to 5 all cabin car 10 were booked. I clicked on the remaining Cabin car 7 and the time to process, someone booked faster than me. Everything was booked in less than 3 mn .... at 03:03 AM the screen was gray. If you want to do it, connect at 09:55 AM Tokyo time, fill step 1 to 5 and wait 10:00 AM Tokyo to click then run run run .... it's probably the sole chance you'll have. I failed because I've connected at 10:00 AM Tokyo and I loose 1 minute to fill the search + I was not rushing enough. Anyway ... It'll not disapppear in the next yea

Nice to follow your Korean trip.

Shame they’re not Torroko style wagons although easy to fashion them. Im glad Plum continue to produce HO kits.

Welcome @BelugaBailout glad you found us. It will be fun to watch the layout evolve! There use to be a great little auto reversing circuit, the RU 9-1, with up to 5 stop positions as well. It used ir resistors and was great. It used a microcontroller that registered the ambient light when powered on to gauge the room lighting. Sadly long oop but keep hoping someone will develop an arduino clone of it. cheers jeff

Forgot about posting this one, I got a brochure from Yoichiro-san with my latest YFS order about Vehicle Miniature Gallery JAPAN in Yokohama. Three-tiered diorama with themes around the Shinkansen, Tokyo Skytree, Shonan and Kamakura, Taiwan, Switzerland, Germany and others. ¥ 500 cash admission. https://maps.app.goo.gl/jmdhTbGmAXVq3hNz6 のりものミニチュアギャラリー Japan, 〒232-0055 Kanagawa, Yokohama, Minami Ward, Nakajimacho, 4 Chome−81 内田ビル

I've been getting into N scale in earnest for the past year, heavily motivated by the displays I saw posted by the Sakatsu gallery. I kept ending up on this site, which has been a fantastic resource. After dabbling in micro layouts and a temporary setup, I've finally settled on what I want to build. It's going to be a heavily Ghibli inspired fantastical layout. The Oliver Electric Railway exists in a sort of time-skip version of Showa era Hokkaido, where a strange mineral with electric properties was discovered. Having harnessed this new form of energy, it was found to also alter the flow of time... The layout will run from one end of my office to the other, as pictured below. The track plan itself is simple, with the longest run being an out and back. The central feature will be a tram, with the left side of the layout a kind of terraced mountain with increasingly tight radius track one atop the other. The middle layer with a small radius Tomix oval will run a B train or pocket series, and the topmost layer will be a custom 6" radius, for one of the absurdly small trains from Sakatsu Gallery. I've also included a very small out & back industrial run, basically only big enough for the Kato pocket line. For rails, I'm using mostly brown Tomix, as it's what I have. Long term goals are to automate the out & back using first an arduino, then a rasbpi to allow for departure announcements and station sounds. I don't want to get into DCC so the controls will be via proximity sensors

Sorry for the delay guys. Too much traveling! 😄 Here are some pictures of my power pack. I purchased it back in October of last year, along with the black SX controller, from Models IMON in Shibuya. Some immediate differences are the model number and the 2.2A output that are different from @RS18U's power pack that he purchased earlier this year. Interesting that there is such a huge difference in amperage, 1.5A vs. 2.2A. But looking at the box and instructions that came with the controller, it says the output to the tracks is 1.2A. So where does the 2.2A go? It looks like to the accessories terminal for lights, turnouts, sound box, etc. Looks like even with the increased in amperage, only 1.2A gets through to the tracks. The back of the power pack box shows where all the power goes. As for the DC barrel connector, the outside diameter is 5.5mm, the inside diameter is about 2.5mm. I say about because it hard to measure it with my calipers. The barrel connector has a plastic "collar" that makes it hard, and gives false measurements, for my caliper arms to get in. Measuring the stub on the controller side was hard too as the stub is recessed too far to get my caliper arms in. What I did was use a pair of dividers to "measure" the diameter of the stub and then transfer that to a ruler and it's about 2.5mm. Not precise but close enough. 5.5mm/2.5mm is a common DC barrel connector size.

There are two parts as I understand it. You can catch any Tobu local or rapid train anywhere between Shimo-Imaichi and Tobu-Nikko or Kinugawa-onsen, which I think includes intermediate stations like Tobu World Square. The second part for limited express trains (from the Nikko end) is they need to be running through to JR at the Tokyo end and you need to travel into JR territory, I imagine the booking system will enforce this anyway. For the trip from Aizu-Wakamatsu JR (either) has you covered to Nishi-Wakamatsu and then you’d need a ticket from there to Kinugawa-onsen where the JR East Pass would kick in again for local trains. You can buy a local train through ticket from the vending machine at Aizu-Wakamatsu station, but probably the staff can sell you a ticket from Nishi-Wakamatsu to eliminate the Y200 overlap, or even do bookings on the limited express trains ex Aizu-Tajima. My experience is that some of these trains are not possible to book on the Tobu English language site. You have a chance to check all that out on your first visit there.

This is slightly off topic as it’s not a Kei truck, but still interesting I think. A few suburbs away from me I saw this little truck parked in the front yard of a plumbing business. Even from a distance I could tell immediately that it was Japanese. It’s a 1971 Mazda E2000. But what I learned later is that only seven examples of this model were ever imported to Australia. So I think I was very lucky to have seen this. Cheers, Mark.

Plum are seeking preorders for a twin pack of 4w open wagons, looks like they may use the same underframe as the "trolley train" open coaches. Due for release in November, definitely want at least one pack (more if they include different numbers rather than having everything preprinted). I have a couple of the diesels awaiting power bogies, unfortunately the sheer number of kits using the Tenshodo 26P means they sell out in hours and take ages to be restocked! I am going to have to paint them to hide the joints I think, didn't bother on the trolley train cars as they have printed graphics on the sides.

Looks like a fun bar, but it's a bit far to navigate back after a few to my hotel byTokyo Station... Any bar recommendations with train theme or a jazz kissa near the Tokyo Station?

Thanks for the recommendation! Looks like they've gone slightly upscale? I hope to check it out next time I'm in Tokyo (Oct 13-16, and 19-21).