Amazingly detailed history. This was fun to watch and the amount of work put in can be seen. This is the first time I'm learning that a section of the track was on water. This was definitely worth the wait.
Thanks, Tonami Playman. This episode was 14 weeks in the making. I knew at the start it was going to take much longer that the others, but I didn't want to rush it. When I first started researching I too didn't know about the section built on the water and remember thinking that can't be right as I tried to comprehend the present day Tokyo Bay shoreline in relation to the present day Yamanote line tracks.
I hear you, Otep Dxy. My very first experience of Tokyo was when I got off the train at Ueno Station. The sights and sounds were so overwhelming at that moment, but laid the foundation for an interest that lasts until this day. Can't wait for my next trip.
Sure it all comes down to planning, but with the new fleet of E235 in operation rolling stock upgrade is not scheduled for another 10 to 15 years. The Fukutoshin subway line was built to alleviate some pressure on the Yamanote Line's west side.
Thank you for posting this detailed and entertaining history. I became mesmerized by the Yamanote Line in the early 70's riding the 103 series trains. The color became my favorite color. And it was really thrilling to a little kindergardener when the Yamanote Line train I was riding in would "race" the blue Keihin-Tohoku Line train on the next track.
Wow, that's amazing I never got to see the 103 series in operation. The color is a unique green officially known as Uguisu green, named after a small Japanese bird species that lived in the area. Uguisudani Station is named after the same bird. I sure the train race would have been cool, multiple tracks headed in the same direction.
Just discovered your channel today and I pretty much binge watched all your content. I love the historical photos and diagrams. Your videos are really helping me piece together a better understanding of Tokyo's complex built environment. I have visited a few times but was always so disoriented and in awe of the complexity (which is a fun experience in its own right). Looking forward to visiting again with my newly found sense of spatial awareness and some fascinating knowledge about the development of the city. Keep up the good work!
Thanks, Russell. I'm glad you like it. That's exactly what I hope for this channel is to tell the story of some of the things we have come to see and love about Japan, specifically Tokyo. I too have wondered whilst walking around Tokyo, how did it get like this, kind of like chaotic order. That's what I hope to do with these videos is go back to the beginning. Talking about complexity, I once got lost in Shinjuku station for an hour looking for Shinjuku Sanchome exit, true story. I will be extending beyond railway in the next episode. Thanks for watching.
The Yamanote Line is a unique experience. For me it was the music and sounds that make the ride so special. Thank you for such amazing and detailed video!
Yeah for sure, I think for anyone who lives or visits Tokyo for a period of time will come to know and love the Yamanote Line. You're right about the sights and sounds of it. Hearing a station melody can bring back so many clear memories of good times.
Incredible video and information. I just subscribed, but I can't believe you don't have more subscribers. In 2015 I walked around the Yamanote Line stopping at every station. It took me 10 1/2 hours. It is by far my favorite line in Tokyo.
This great! Yamanote will forever be my favorite train line. When coming to Japan for the first time, when I could speak a word, the Yamanote was this green beacon of hope that got me everywhere I needed to be. Can you do some train history of other areas of Japan, like Kyushu or the northern aomori areas?
I hear ya. I remember my first time in Tokyo and the Yamanote line was my best friend. I would even take it to travel between Shinjuku and Akihabara Stations even through there are quicker options. Sure, I will definitely do other areas of Japan, but a few more in Tokyo area first.
Glad you liked it rubysp. Yeah, I'm hoping maybe March or April things might be starting to return to normal, so maybe my next trip will be mid next year. I was planning to go again at the end of this one, but things happen that are out of our control sometimes. thanks for watching.
Incredible video. Well worth the wait since your previous release. While your focus is on rail, your videos take us through Japanese history. Really fascinating. Many thanks again!
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Yolande. Yes, so far every video I've made has been rail focused, but the next video I'm going to do my first non-rail video. I'm not abandoning rail, just expanding on different subjects. Thanks for watching.
I just found your channel, and it looks like it was made for me. I’ll need to catch up on all your videos, but I wanted to request a History of Kyoto Station-from the little I know of it, it’s quite an interesting story. Glad to be a subscriber.
In 1987, a high school boy in Sydney is sick of catching the train to school, and can't wait to buy his own car. Then in 2013, the boy is now a man, and is mesmerised by the Japanese railway network on his first visit to the country (the first of several more trips to come). And now in 2020, stuck at home due to the Covid-19 crisis, he enjoys watching THE TIME TRAVELER, as he looks forward to better days.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, ljon Tichy. I remember my first trip to Japan in 2012, I was staying in Takasaki in Gunma Prefecture and caught the train to Tokyo for my very first day trip. The train terminated at Ueno Station and I inserted my train ticket into the machine and it kept it. I was told this ticket was a day pass and it was now gone. It was at that moment the true size of Tokyo hit me. We were planning a trip back there at Christmas, but yeah, that will have to wait for better days.
The closest I got to Takasaki was hiking on the peaks of Mt Akagi, and visiting the ruins of Kanayama castle. Both were enjoyable day trips that I did from Tokyo. I had planned a trip for this November, in order to explore the Chugoku region more thoroughly. Well, it is a privilege to be able to travel overseas, so I can patiently wait.
Yeah, I done that too, hiking Mt Akagi was amazing totally loved it, I think the climb from the lake to the top was about 400 metres elevation, but about 1,800 metres above sea level. I caught the Shinkansen to Hiroshima a few years ago, gee there is some history there to be seen, but that's about all of Chugoku region I've seen.
Yep, it was a pretty quick climb. Contrast with the 1470m of height gain hiking to the summit of Mt Kumotori from the bus stop (nearest train station = Okutama). Could barely walk the next day. What kind of idiot makes that a day trip from Tokyo!? Worth it, of course. If you're looking for a unique Japan hike, try the spiral path up Mt Kaimon, starting from Higashi-Kaimon station in Kagoshima prefecture. Lovely day trip from Kagoshima city.
Been waiting FOREVER for a new video from you, and you didn’t disappoint! Great video and love the information. Just hope to see more from you more often :) ! I recently bought an n scale Yamanote 235 Series set so this vid was nice accompaniment
Sorry it took so long, businessbuilding1. This episode took 14 weeks to make as opposed to the usual 4 to 5 weeks for my previous episodes. The next episodes will be shorter, but frequent. I'm sure the n scale E235 is a great addition to the collection.
Thank you, Sir. The Yamanote Line is indeed a legendary railway. I hope to do a video later in the year where I walk the eastern side from Shinagawa to Ueno looking for historical items of significance. Thanks for watching.
Excellent video! I loved riding the Yamanote Line--listening to the train station jingles, navigating the maze-like larger stations, getting a bottle of "miruku kohii" or a snack, watching the cityscape go by on the train, and dashing off to make a connection to go see something special or to meet with friends. Such an amazing experience. And it's great to learn more about the history of it. Thanks.
I love this story idreamofgenie. It reminds me of my experiences the only difference my coffee of choice is hot Georgia coffee from a platform vending machine in winter for 120 yen. I got lost in Shinjuku station for an hour on my first visit trying to change from the Yamanote line to Shinjuku Sanchome, nearly killed me.
What can I say, you got me. Yeah, by the time I realised that mix up the video was already fully edited and I just wanted it get it published. Please excuse me for mixing these two very important stations.
Some notes about the name of the line. "Yamanote" literally translates to "mountain's hand", although the kanji is written as just "Yamate" or "mountain hand". Yamanote should be written as 山の手 in Japanese, the middle character, pronounced "no", marks a possessive in Japanese. Some call it the Yamate line, like the sign on the sample series 101 rolling stock you showed at about 18:19. Use of Yamate peaked after World War II when the US military occupation command ordered all Japanese railroad signs translated intoo English. The name could mean Foothill Line, but I'm unfamiliar with the topography of Tokyo, so I'm not sure why they call it the Yamanote Line You do excellent work and I find it fascinating. Keep it up!
@Tom S Thank you for this wonderful history on the Yamanote Line name. This makes sense because I've heard the land on the western side of Tokyo where Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya and Ebisu is about 30 meters higher than the stations on the east side. I haven't verified this and I have never noticed a transition to higher ground, so it must be a gradual slop over kilometres or miles where it's less noticeable . 👍😀
@@JapaneseHistory Thanks. I looked it up. The highest point in the 23 special wards of Tokyo is Atago Shrine, which is a 1.2 km walk east of Shimbashi Station. Rapongi and Toranomon are also inside the southern loop of the Yamanote Line, so I suspect the foothills reference could come from there, too. Both of those neighborhoods have developments with "hills" in their names. This includes Toranomon Hills station on the Hibya Line, the newest station (as of October, 2020) which is accessible by a 375 meter underground passage from Toranomon Station on the Ginza line and the Toranomon Hills skyscraper, which is currently the tallest building in Tokyo.
I hear ya, Just a random Soviet officer with good Internet. I couldn't believe it when I first found this piece of research. And the photographs from the time are unbelievable.
I was so surprised that first Shinagawa staton looks like ‘Salthill&Monkstown station’ or other DART stations in Dublin. Because Shinagawa station now becomes one of the biggest stations in the world. Anyway, thank you for such a great video! I cannot find such a lucid one with nice materials even in Japanese!
Yes, the first Shinagawa Station was very simple. It is amazing to see what it has become today in only 150 years. I was surprised that it as built from land reclamation in the ocean. Thanks for watching.
I was there yesterday and fully inspected the building. I did realise that the whole building sits on rubber dampers and is designed to move 300mm in an earthquake. The building literally has a moat around the entire structure with crumple zones where pedestrian walk ways are.
LOL, yes sort of, same paet of the world. Thank you for the compliment, I'm glad you enjoyed it and thanks watching. Osaka Loop line will be out in about a month.
Another fantastic video. Would love to see one about Tokyo monorail and Yurikamome to name a few. ....and if you run out of topics, you can do one about how you make these videos. This is quality content and extensive research.
Wow! What an amazing video! I can’t imagine all the work that went into researching and producing this. I found this video after playing the new Densha De Go! Yamanote-sen game and wanting to soak-up more information on the line... definitely going to watch all the videos on the channel now 😂. Keep it up, man 👍
Thanks Mark Ranger. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I've heard of Debsha De Go, but never played it. The Yamanote Line is fascinating. It was the first line I went on when I first went to Tokyo, Ueno Station to be exact. This particular episode took about 16 weeks to research and produce. It was the longest by far and it nearly killed me at the end. I just wanted it over. But looking back on it I'm glad I done it. The Yamanote Line is a story worth telling and I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Maybe do a history of the JR suburban lines covering the neighboring prefectures considering the distance and how crowded it gets or the Keikyu and Keisei railways both serving the major airports and have through services with Toei Asakusa subway in between.
For sure the Toei Asakusa or maybe the Keisei line. Keisei has a long history I think back to the 1920s and extended all the way out to Narita before the airport was even a thought.
This is the content I have been waiting for. I am fascinated by the Japanese railways and have always wanted to know more about its history. This was very informative and detailed. Please keep it up with more stories on specific Japanese railway lined. I would love to know more about the Tobu Tojo Line for example of the Oedo subway line. Mind telling me where you get your source material from? I have been looking for english sources but they seem non existent.
Glad you enjoyed it! Like you I was fascinated by the history of Japanese railways and how they come to be among other things. For a long time I searched for English sources, but they were very light on or incomplete with there information. This was part of the inspiration for the creation of this channel to become a one stop shop source. Nearly all of the sources are in Japanese, using Japanese keyword searches, but so the Japanese sites also don't have a start to finish history sometimes. There will be more episodes like this coming soon, but these style take a long time to research and produce, for example the Yamanote Line took 14 weeks, it nearly broke me. That's why I'm going shorter 5 minute episodes at the moment. I'm working on the Marunouchi Line now, I expect it will be out in January or early Feb 2021. Tomorrow I hope to release a short 5 minute episode on the 1925 Tokyo Subway Plan. Thanks for watching.
@@JapaneseHistory Thanks for your reply. I can imagine what an effort it must have been to make this 28 minute video based on several incomplete sources. I really appreciate the effort and whether it be 5 or 30 minute videos I will definitely check them out. I will look forward to your future works. The Marunouchi line is so fascinating as well. I have always wondered why it goes above ground for a bit around Korakuen (if i remember correctly). Last time when I was in Japan I found an English language book called "Early Japanese Railways 1853-1914" by Dan Free. I bought it but haven't read it yet. This is the only English source I found thusfar. Maybe it's time for me to start learning Japanese so I can get access to the Japanese sources.
@D E I'm about halfway through the Marunouchi Line now. You are right, about 1.5 km or a mile of it is above ground. I answer why this is the case in the upcoming episode. But basically there is change in elevation of the ground of about 20 meters and also this section of line had no buildings on it after it was heavily bombed in WWII.
You do incredible work. As I've said before, it's hard to find good railfan-style documentaries with English narration. If you ever set up a Patreon, I'm in! Thanks!
Thanks, Jarred. I'm glad you enjoy them. I wish I could produce more faster. While the channel has been rail focused for the last year, I plan to expand into Japanese history and try a few different formats soon. Thanks for watching. Mike
A little fun fact, the 205 series rolling stock is now the major rolling stock in the Jakarta commuter line system which coincidentally is the world's second largest metropolitan area by population after Tokyo!
Your comment saying that most of the new E235 trains are constructed from refurbished E231 trains is not correct. Short answer: The E235’s were built new as a 10-car train, they then added car #10 from the E231 trains to make an 11-car E235 train. Long answer: Yamamote line trains are 11 carriages long. 48 of the 50 train sets were built brand new between 2015-2019 as 10-car sets, they then added car #10 from the E231 trains to make 11-car sets. The other 2 sets were built new as 11-car sets. Car #10 on the E231’s was only 10yo, much newer than the rest of the train. The reason for this is that some carriages on the E231’s initially had 6 sets of doors on each side of the carriage instead of 4, so in theory it could carry more passengers as well as lowering the time taken at each stop for people to board & alight. The 6-door cars were removed and replaced with newly constructed 4-door carriages in 1990-91 to enable construction of automatic platform gates. (P.S. I enjoyed the video, it certainly seems like it took a lot of research, well done! 🙂 )
Thanks for that, Ken. I must of miss understood that during translation. The chassis and upper body of the E235 and E231s must be very similar for them to be able to do this. Maybe there are some subtle differences. I remember reading that the E231's came out with 6 doors on each side of the carriage and they had seats that would fold up during the peak hours. I can just imagine these trains in the early 2000s must of crammed 5,000 plus passenger onboard. Crazy stuff.
THE TIME TRAVELER No problem. Given the amount of research you've had to do for this video, you've done a great job to have only one minor thing inaccurate, especially when it's something that 99% of people won't realise or care about! The 2 different carriage types are physically very similar with mostly just cosmetic changes needed such as changing the green stripe on the outside from horizontal to vertically and inside change the seat fabric, the straps you hang onto when standing, add extra LCD screens etc. Surprising to many is that 6-door carriages were still operating on the Chuo-Sobu Local line (yellow train) until earlier this year - they had 1 6-door carriage per train and were gradually phased out over the past few years.
@@kc3302 At 23:10, the second car of the E235 train has the same profile as the E231 train we see on the left. I think it's because this is precisely the ex-E231 refurbished car included in the new train.
Joris S Yes, you are correct :) Yamanote Line trains are 11 cars long, so depending which direction the train is operating, car #10 will be the 2nd car which is the refurbished E231 car.
The E235 series is now 5 years old in 2030 it will be 15 years old which is about the average lifespan for rolling stock in Tokyo. It's expected in the 2030s that a new generation train will become operational and fully automated with no driver.
Fun fact: Takanawa Gateway (高輪ゲートウェイ) is the only station that uses Katakana in its official name. Katakana is used for words imported from other languages into Japanese.
Some of the rolling stock have similar features as the Dublin DART, but I don't think they are the same. The E232 has some close similarities with the 8500 class.
Yeah I sure do. The photos I saw looked amazing. I really hope they preserve it and incorporate it into the new development. It would be great if they rebuild the connecting bridge between the stone walls and make it into some heritage walk. Another Tokyo gem unearthed.
@@JapaneseHistory So do I...it would be like a very very “meiji” spot with some “industrialisation” vibes. But... Did they not notice there was something hidden underneath the old tracks when they were planning on the redevelopment project? I dunno... JR east ( maybe someone else )probs preserves like part of it I guess. How did u get all this information? Did u go to the National library in Nagatacho?
@no sa that's a good question. The water around the old embankment simply got filled in and became land. This all happened around 120 years ago and I'm guessing that no one through it worth while to keep accurate records of this reclaimed area. But yeah someone I think someone must have known there was a good chance of unearthing the old Yamanote Line embankment as part of these construction works. I'm guessing it's all still there buried from Hamamatsucho to Shinagawa. I got all this information online. There was probably 50 different sources that I used. No single source had it all in the one place. It was line a story here and a story there and I joined it all up. To be honest, I didn't even know about the embankment before researching for this video. The Yamanote Line by far has taken the longest to research and produce.
Yes, I didn't really specify in the episode. Cheers. I would say that Tokyo Station and Shimbashi old station were European styles and Ueno and the first Shimbashi station of 1872 were American styles. Would you agree?
Did you know the first section of the Yamanote Line was built in the ocean?
Staying up till 1AM to watch this!
I hope it met your expectations.
Yeah
@@JapaneseHistory You sure did!
@陳梓俊3S02 CHAN TSZ CHUN JOSH It is possible.
Amazingly detailed history. This was fun to watch and the amount of work put in can be seen. This is the first time I'm learning that a section of the track was on water. This was definitely worth the wait.
Thanks, Tonami Playman. This episode was 14 weeks in the making. I knew at the start it was going to take much longer that the others, but I didn't want to rush it. When I first started researching I too didn't know about the section built on the water and remember thinking that can't be right as I tried to comprehend the present day Tokyo Bay shoreline in relation to the present day Yamanote line tracks.
Ah yes, Yamanote line. Nothing like rolling into Ueno station and experiencing for the first time the infamous train pushers during rush hour.
I hear you, Otep Dxy. My very first experience of Tokyo was when I got off the train at Ueno Station. The sights and sounds were so overwhelming at that moment, but laid the foundation for an interest that lasts until this day. Can't wait for my next trip.
The trians were packed tighter than sardine cans. It would really help to have wider rolling stock though.
Sure it all comes down to planning, but with the new fleet of E235 in operation rolling stock upgrade is not scheduled for another 10 to 15 years. The Fukutoshin subway line was built to alleviate some pressure on the Yamanote Line's west side.
yknow train pushers are not as common as people think.
Are they less common today as they once were.
Thank you for posting this detailed and entertaining history. I became mesmerized by the Yamanote Line in the early 70's riding the 103 series trains. The color became my favorite color. And it was really thrilling to a little kindergardener when the Yamanote Line train I was riding in would "race" the blue Keihin-Tohoku Line train on the next track.
Wow, that's amazing I never got to see the 103 series in operation. The color is a unique green officially known as Uguisu green, named after a small Japanese bird species that lived in the area. Uguisudani Station is named after the same bird. I sure the train race would have been cool, multiple tracks headed in the same direction.
I love these time skip segments that show the progression of history in front of our eyes, I hope this becomes a regular segment in future videos
Thanks for watching. It is a regular segment. Next episode will be the Osaka Loop Line in about a month.
Great summation of the ring. Still my favourite transport network in Japan.
Yes I agree. Over several visits I've walked nearly all the Yamanote Line. The only part I haven't is the section from Shinagawa to Ebisu.
Just discovered your channel today and I pretty much binge watched all your content. I love the historical photos and diagrams. Your videos are really helping me piece together a better understanding of Tokyo's complex built environment. I have visited a few times but was always so disoriented and in awe of the complexity (which is a fun experience in its own right). Looking forward to visiting again with my newly found sense of spatial awareness and some fascinating knowledge about the development of the city. Keep up the good work!
Thanks, Russell. I'm glad you like it. That's exactly what I hope for this channel is to tell the story of some of the things we have come to see and love about Japan, specifically Tokyo. I too have wondered whilst walking around Tokyo, how did it get like this, kind of like chaotic order. That's what I hope to do with these videos is go back to the beginning. Talking about complexity, I once got lost in Shinjuku station for an hour looking for Shinjuku Sanchome exit, true story.
I will be extending beyond railway in the next episode. Thanks for watching.
The Yamanote Line is a unique experience. For me it was the music and sounds that make the ride so special. Thank you for such amazing and detailed video!
Yeah for sure, I think for anyone who lives or visits Tokyo for a period of time will come to know and love the Yamanote Line. You're right about the sights and sounds of it. Hearing a station melody can bring back so many clear memories of good times.
Amazing. I love the enthusiasm of the narration. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it. I hope to publish an episode on the Midosuji Line in Osaka in the next month or do.
Incredible video and information. I just subscribed, but I can't believe you don't have more subscribers. In 2015 I walked around the Yamanote Line stopping at every station. It took me 10 1/2 hours. It is by far my favorite line in Tokyo.
Yes same. Love it can't wait to get back there. I also like the Ginza Line. I plan to walk it's route above ground next time I'm there.
@@JapaneseHistory I was curious where you are from?
Sydney, Australia
This great! Yamanote will forever be my favorite train line. When coming to Japan for the first time, when I could speak a word, the Yamanote was this green beacon of hope that got me everywhere I needed to be. Can you do some train history of other areas of Japan, like Kyushu or the northern aomori areas?
I hear ya. I remember my first time in Tokyo and the Yamanote line was my best friend. I would even take it to travel between Shinjuku and Akihabara Stations even through there are quicker options. Sure, I will definitely do other areas of Japan, but a few more in Tokyo area first.
Thanks for a great video on the Yamanote line especially the different series of passenger cars.
No problem, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Wow, these videos are fantastic. Really glad I stumbled upon this!
Glad you liked them, more coming soon.
Great video! I really enjoyed the history of Yamanote Line. Can't wait to visit Japan again after this pandemic and enjoy the Japanese rushour
Glad you liked it rubysp. Yeah, I'm hoping maybe March or April things might be starting to return to normal, so maybe my next trip will be mid next year. I was planning to go again at the end of this one, but things happen that are out of our control sometimes. thanks for watching.
Effing incredible video, mate. I'm so impressed and satisfied. In a world of fast food videos, this was a 3 course information meal. WOW! THANK YOU!
Thank you so much. Your comment made me happy. 😀
Incredible video. Well worth the wait since your previous release. While your focus is on rail, your videos take us through Japanese history. Really fascinating. Many thanks again!
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Yolande. Yes, so far every video I've made has been rail focused, but the next video I'm going to do my first non-rail video. I'm not abandoning rail, just expanding on different subjects. Thanks for watching.
as an aussie listening to an aussie pronounce japanese names, i found it very entertaining :) nice vid.
Thanks mate. It's a tough slog trying to pronounce some of those names. Thanks for watching.
I just found your channel, and it looks like it was made for me. I’ll need to catch up on all your videos, but I wanted to request a History of Kyoto Station-from the little I know of it, it’s quite an interesting story.
Glad to be a subscriber.
Thank you for watching. There will be infrequent episodes in the future.
In 1987, a high school boy in Sydney is sick of catching the train to school, and can't wait to buy his own car. Then in 2013, the boy is now a man, and is mesmerised by the Japanese railway network on his first visit to the country (the first of several more trips to come). And now in 2020, stuck at home due to the Covid-19 crisis, he enjoys watching THE TIME TRAVELER, as he looks forward to better days.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, ljon Tichy. I remember my first trip to Japan in 2012, I was staying in Takasaki in Gunma Prefecture and caught the train to Tokyo for my very first day trip. The train terminated at Ueno Station and I inserted my train ticket into the machine and it kept it. I was told this ticket was a day pass and it was now gone. It was at that moment the true size of Tokyo hit me.
We were planning a trip back there at Christmas, but yeah, that will have to wait for better days.
The closest I got to Takasaki was hiking on the peaks of Mt Akagi, and visiting the ruins of Kanayama castle. Both were enjoyable day trips that I did from Tokyo. I had planned a trip for this November, in order to explore the Chugoku region more thoroughly. Well, it is a privilege to be able to travel overseas, so I can patiently wait.
Yeah, I done that too, hiking Mt Akagi was amazing totally loved it, I think the climb from the lake to the top was about 400 metres elevation, but about 1,800 metres above sea level.
I caught the Shinkansen to Hiroshima a few years ago, gee there is some history there to be seen, but that's about all of Chugoku region I've seen.
Yep, it was a pretty quick climb. Contrast with the 1470m of height gain hiking to the summit of Mt Kumotori from the bus stop (nearest train station = Okutama). Could barely walk the next day. What kind of idiot makes that a day trip from Tokyo!? Worth it, of course. If you're looking for a unique Japan hike, try the spiral path up Mt Kaimon, starting from Higashi-Kaimon station in Kagoshima prefecture. Lovely day trip from Kagoshima city.
Been waiting FOREVER for a new video from you, and you didn’t disappoint! Great video and love the information. Just hope to see more from you more often :) ! I recently bought an n scale Yamanote 235 Series set so this vid was nice accompaniment
Sorry it took so long, businessbuilding1. This episode took 14 weeks to make as opposed to the usual 4 to 5 weeks for my previous episodes. The next episodes will be shorter, but frequent. I'm sure the n scale E235 is a great addition to the collection.
Incredible video! I’m a big fan of the Densha de GO! game series and wanted to learn more about the legendary railway.
Thank you, Sir. The Yamanote Line is indeed a legendary railway. I hope to do a video later in the year where I walk the eastern side from Shinagawa to Ueno looking for historical items of significance. Thanks for watching.
Hope there’s a plan to cover the Chuo Sobu Line!
The Chuo Sobu line will be covered. It played an integral part in bringing fast train services from the west parts of Tokyo to the east.
Oh yes the Chuo-Sobu Line Local Service, MY FAVE!!!!!
Excellent video! I loved riding the Yamanote Line--listening to the train station jingles, navigating the maze-like larger stations, getting a bottle of "miruku kohii" or a snack, watching the cityscape go by on the train, and dashing off to make a connection to go see something special or to meet with friends. Such an amazing experience. And it's great to learn more about the history of it. Thanks.
I love this story idreamofgenie. It reminds me of my experiences the only difference my coffee of choice is hot Georgia coffee from a platform vending machine in winter for 120 yen. I got lost in Shinjuku station for an hour on my first visit trying to change from the Yamanote line to Shinjuku Sanchome, nearly killed me.
Amazing video!
Thanks for stopping by. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. 👍
Thanks again for your amazing work! :)
My pleasure, Jonathan.
That fact you mixed up Shinjuku and Shibuya is crazy!
What can I say, you got me. Yeah, by the time I realised that mix up the video was already fully edited and I just wanted it get it published. Please excuse me for mixing these two very important stations.
Some notes about the name of the line. "Yamanote" literally translates to "mountain's hand", although the kanji is written as just "Yamate" or "mountain hand". Yamanote should be written as 山の手 in Japanese, the middle character, pronounced "no", marks a possessive in Japanese. Some call it the Yamate line, like the sign on the sample series 101 rolling stock you showed at about 18:19. Use of Yamate peaked after World War II when the US military occupation command ordered all Japanese railroad signs translated intoo English.
The name could mean Foothill Line, but I'm unfamiliar with the topography of Tokyo, so I'm not sure why they call it the Yamanote Line
You do excellent work and I find it fascinating. Keep it up!
@Tom S Thank you for this wonderful history on the Yamanote Line name. This makes sense because I've heard the land on the western side of Tokyo where Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya and Ebisu is about 30 meters higher than the stations on the east side. I haven't verified this and I have never noticed a transition to higher ground, so it must be a gradual slop over kilometres or miles where it's less noticeable . 👍😀
@@JapaneseHistory Thanks. I looked it up. The highest point in the 23 special wards of Tokyo is Atago Shrine, which is a 1.2 km walk east of Shimbashi Station. Rapongi and Toranomon are also inside the southern loop of the Yamanote Line, so I suspect the foothills reference could come from there, too. Both of those neighborhoods have developments with "hills" in their names. This includes Toranomon Hills station on the Hibya Line, the newest station (as of October, 2020) which is accessible by a 375 meter underground passage from Toranomon Station on the Ginza line and the Toranomon Hills skyscraper, which is currently the tallest building in Tokyo.
I'm a Japanese, live in country, but there were a lot of things I didn't know and it was very interesting!!!!
I'm glad you liked it and learnt from it. Thanks for watching.
Awesome video👏
Thank you for watching.
It's amazing how Shinagawa, a station once built near the sea, is now one of the major railway hubs in Japan, served with nearly 10 different lines.
I hear ya, Just a random Soviet officer with good Internet. I couldn't believe it when I first found this piece of research. And the photographs from the time are unbelievable.
You think you can name ALL ten lines that go to Shinagawa?
Great detail thanks 👍
Glad you liked it.
Fantastic mini docs
Thank you I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I was so surprised that first Shinagawa staton looks like ‘Salthill&Monkstown station’ or other DART stations in Dublin.
Because Shinagawa station now becomes one of the biggest stations in the world.
Anyway, thank you for such a great video! I cannot find such a lucid one with nice materials even in Japanese!
Yes, the first Shinagawa Station was very simple. It is amazing to see what it has become today in only 150 years. I was surprised that it as built from land reclamation in the ocean. Thanks for watching.
Loved it!
Thanks Crimdog.👍
21:06 I remember watching a documentation about the restoration in Japanology.
Yeah I k ow the episode your talking about. They went into great detail about the project.
I was there yesterday and fully inspected the building. I did realise that the whole building sits on rubber dampers and is designed to move 300mm in an earthquake.
The building literally has a moat around the entire structure with crumple zones where pedestrian walk ways are.
So well made! Thanks
Thank you. I glad you liked it.
This channel is like Steve Irwin became a Railway Fan. Keep uploading these amazing videos! 🙏
LOL, yes sort of, same paet of the world. Thank you for the compliment, I'm glad you enjoyed it and thanks watching. Osaka Loop line will be out in about a month.
Another fantastic video.
Would love to see one about Tokyo monorail and Yurikamome to name a few.
....and if you run out of topics, you can do one about how you make these videos. This is quality content and extensive research.
Thanks, qweqweqwe112233. Tokyo monorail is a great idea, I'll definitely put it on the list.
Great work!
Thank you, Mikhail Antonov.
Wow! What an amazing video! I can’t imagine all the work that went into researching and producing this.
I found this video after playing the new Densha De Go! Yamanote-sen game and wanting to soak-up more information on the line... definitely going to watch all the videos on the channel now 😂. Keep it up, man 👍
Thanks Mark Ranger. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I've heard of Debsha De Go, but never played it. The Yamanote Line is fascinating. It was the first line I went on when I first went to Tokyo, Ueno Station to be exact.
This particular episode took about 16 weeks to research and produce. It was the longest by far and it nearly killed me at the end. I just wanted it over. But looking back on it I'm glad I done it. The Yamanote Line is a story worth telling and I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Maybe do a history of the JR suburban lines covering the neighboring prefectures considering the distance and how crowded it gets or the Keikyu and Keisei railways both serving the major airports and have through services with Toei Asakusa subway in between.
For sure the Toei Asakusa or maybe the Keisei line. Keisei has a long history I think back to the 1920s and extended all the way out to Narita before the airport was even a thought.
When can the Keihin-Tohoku Line come out? It's my favourite railway line of the East Japan Railway Company.
JR山手線はまるで、大阪環状線を彷彿としました！
Yes I know, I travelled on both a few weeks ago. I like them both. Osaka Loop is a great line with interesting history.
This is the content I have been waiting for. I am fascinated by the Japanese railways and have always wanted to know more about its history. This was very informative and detailed. Please keep it up with more stories on specific Japanese railway lined. I would love to know more about the Tobu Tojo Line for example of the Oedo subway line. Mind telling me where you get your source material from? I have been looking for english sources but they seem non existent.
Glad you enjoyed it! Like you I was fascinated by the history of Japanese railways and how they come to be among other things. For a long time I searched for English sources, but they were very light on or incomplete with there information. This was part of the inspiration for the creation of this channel to become a one stop shop source. Nearly all of the sources are in Japanese, using Japanese keyword searches, but so the Japanese sites also don't have a start to finish history sometimes.
There will be more episodes like this coming soon, but these style take a long time to research and produce, for example the Yamanote Line took 14 weeks, it nearly broke me. That's why I'm going shorter 5 minute episodes at the moment. I'm working on the Marunouchi Line now, I expect it will be out in January or early Feb 2021.
Tomorrow I hope to release a short 5 minute episode on the 1925 Tokyo Subway Plan. Thanks for watching.
@@JapaneseHistory
Thanks for your reply. I can imagine what an effort it must have been to make this 28 minute video based on several incomplete sources. I really appreciate the effort and whether it be 5 or 30 minute videos I will definitely check them out. I will look forward to your future works.
The Marunouchi line is so fascinating as well. I have always wondered why it goes above ground for a bit around Korakuen (if i remember correctly).
Last time when I was in Japan I found an English language book called "Early Japanese Railways 1853-1914" by Dan Free. I bought it but haven't read it yet. This is the only English source I found thusfar. Maybe it's time for me to start learning Japanese so I can get access to the Japanese sources.
@D E I'm about halfway through the Marunouchi Line now. You are right, about 1.5 km or a mile of it is above ground. I answer why this is the case in the upcoming episode. But basically there is change in elevation of the ground of about 20 meters and also this section of line had no buildings on it after it was heavily bombed in WWII.
You do incredible work. As I've said before, it's hard to find good railfan-style documentaries with English narration. If you ever set up a Patreon, I'm in! Thanks!
Thanks, Jarred. I'm glad you enjoy them. I wish I could produce more faster. While the channel has been rail focused for the last year, I plan to expand into Japanese history and try a few different formats soon. Thanks for watching. Mike
While I was distracted by this video, the narrator stole my kangaroo and got into a drunken fistfight with it.
A little fun fact, the 205 series rolling stock is now the major rolling stock in the Jakarta commuter line system which coincidentally is the world's second largest metropolitan area by population after Tokyo!
That is a fun fact. There must be hundreds if not thousands of 205 series cars in service.
@@JapaneseHistory Yeah currently there's some 800ish cars in operation and it is still working wonders in moving some 800k people per day here
If you look closely, there are symbols in two tiles in Tokyo station, which indicates the spot were Hara and Hamaguchi were assaulted.
Yes the symbols are smallish about the size of a 500 yen coin.
Brilliant video
Cheers, David.
nice video ... Thankyou !!
Thanks Anthon.
@@JapaneseHistory , please make video History of Odaiba ... please .. thankyou
Sure, Odaiba is on the list.
Can you history of the Keio Line? (Including the Inokashira line)?
Yeah sure. I will get to the Keio Line. I've done an episode on the Keio Line Shinjuku Station, it was my first episode. Have you seen it?
Heck yeah!
When that vid come out I bet you it will get loads of views!
Oh yeah you already did Shibuya Station!
最高！
Arigatougozaimasu
Japanese history can you do seibu shinjuku line
I will see how it goes.
Bro the atos jingle in the beginning is from TKS midi video right?
I don't know, there are many videos out there with jingles for most lines.
Japanese History 101 actually that ATOS jingle is actually from TKS midi.
@@yzaabellanosa1405 Yep true
They are great jingles. I love them all.
@@JapaneseHistory same they are my child hood literally
Your comment saying that most of the new E235 trains are constructed from refurbished E231 trains is not correct.
Short answer: The E235’s were built new as a 10-car train, they then added car #10 from the E231 trains to make an 11-car E235 train.
Long answer:
Yamamote line trains are 11 carriages long. 48 of the 50 train sets were built brand new between 2015-2019 as 10-car sets, they then added car #10 from the E231 trains to make 11-car sets. The other 2 sets were built new as 11-car sets.
Car #10 on the E231’s was only 10yo, much newer than the rest of the train. The reason for this is that some carriages on the E231’s initially had 6 sets of doors on each side of the carriage instead of 4, so in theory it could carry more passengers as well as lowering the time taken at each stop for people to board & alight. The 6-door cars were removed and replaced with newly constructed 4-door carriages in 1990-91 to enable construction of automatic platform gates.
(P.S. I enjoyed the video, it certainly seems like it took a lot of research, well done! 🙂 )
Thanks for that, Ken. I must of miss understood that during translation. The chassis and upper body of the E235 and E231s must be very similar for them to be able to do this. Maybe there are some subtle differences.
I remember reading that the E231's came out with 6 doors on each side of the carriage and they had seats that would fold up during the peak hours. I can just imagine these trains in the early 2000s must of crammed 5,000 plus passenger onboard. Crazy stuff.
THE TIME TRAVELER No problem. Given the amount of research you've had to do for this video, you've done a great job to have only one minor thing inaccurate, especially when it's something that 99% of people won't realise or care about! The 2 different carriage types are physically very similar with mostly just cosmetic changes needed such as changing the green stripe on the outside from horizontal to vertically and inside change the seat fabric, the straps you hang onto when standing, add extra LCD screens etc.
Surprising to many is that 6-door carriages were still operating on the Chuo-Sobu Local line (yellow train) until earlier this year - they had 1 6-door carriage per train and were gradually phased out over the past few years.
If I'm not mistaken I think the Chou line is next to have all it's fleet replaced with E235s.
@@kc3302 At 23:10, the second car of the E235 train has the same profile as the E231 train we see on the left. I think it's because this is precisely the ex-E231 refurbished car included in the new train.
Joris S Yes, you are correct :) Yamanote Line trains are 11 cars long, so depending which direction the train is operating, car #10 will be the 2nd car which is the refurbished E231 car.
Is there was a new Train generation of the yamanote lines for 2030?
The E235 series is now 5 years old in 2030 it will be 15 years old which is about the average lifespan for rolling stock in Tokyo. It's expected in the 2030s that a new generation train will become operational and fully automated with no driver.
I used to live in Japan :D
Nice, VSE. what part of Japan did you live?
@@JapaneseHistory around about in ome kabe area
Very nice.
Fun fact: Takanawa Gateway (高輪ゲートウェイ) is the only station that uses Katakana in its official name. Katakana is used for words imported from other languages into Japanese.
I love it, Tom S. I didn't even realize. Just google Takanawa Gateway Station sign then and you're right.
That is same train that used on Dublin DART
Some of the rolling stock have similar features as the Dublin DART, but I don't think they are the same. The E232 has some close similarities with the 8500 class.
New station 2020 (station name is TAKANAWA GATEWAY station)
Thanks. My pronunciation needs work, I'm a little tone deaf also.👍
I’m from japan
I was in Tokyo on 2019 but our entire week in the day are only spent in a tourist bus 😭
Yeah the Yamanote Line will take you anywhere you want in Tokyo. It's my favourite line
@Japanese History The Keihin-Tohoku Line is my favourite JR East railway line. When can that come out?
字幕が途中から出なくなります。
I don't know why not.
i rode the yamanote line inn 2024 🚃🚇🚉
did you know the suburban trains are going crazy
I reckon u know that the old embankment between Hamamatsucho and Shinagawa was rediscovered last month wooo
Yeah I sure do. The photos I saw looked amazing. I really hope they preserve it and incorporate it into the new development. It would be great if they rebuild the connecting bridge between the stone walls and make it into some heritage walk. Another Tokyo gem unearthed.
@@JapaneseHistory So do I...it would be like a very very “meiji” spot with some “industrialisation” vibes. But... Did they not notice there was something hidden underneath the old tracks when they were planning on the redevelopment project? I dunno...
JR east ( maybe someone else )probs preserves like part of it I guess. How did u get all this information? Did u go to the National library in Nagatacho?
@no sa that's a good question. The water around the old embankment simply got filled in and became land. This all happened around 120 years ago and I'm guessing that no one through it worth while to keep accurate records of this reclaimed area. But yeah someone I think someone must have known there was a good chance of unearthing the old Yamanote Line embankment as part of these construction works. I'm guessing it's all still there buried from Hamamatsucho to Shinagawa.
I got all this information online. There was probably 50 different sources that I used. No single source had it all in the one place. It was line a story here and a story there and I joined it all up. To be honest, I didn't even know about the embankment before researching for this video.
The Yamanote Line by far has taken the longest to research and produce.
There are two kinds of western architecture, European, and American
Yes, I didn't really specify in the episode. Cheers. I would say that Tokyo Station and Shimbashi old station were European styles and Ueno and the first Shimbashi station of 1872 were American styles. Would you agree?
Next time,try chuo line
Yeah sure. It is a significant line with a deep history.
Wait aren’t there two of them? The Rapid service and Local service? Which one are you talking about @chah elaine?
@@brayand8022 I think the local service.
おおおおおお
ええええええええ
@@JapaneseHistory ローカルな図書館とか、結構ニッチなウェブサイトとかから情報引っ張り出してきてますか？detail yabaissu
色々なサイトで情報集めて、ビデオにまとめてます❗
Yamanote line is a circle jr line
Yes but technically it's 3 lines to make one. The Tohoku, Tokaido and the Yamanote Line on the west side.
Rip E231-500 series
Yes it served us well, 676 vehicles built since 2002.
I rode the osaka loop line first
Ah the loop what a joy. It's got a great history worth telling also.