I’m still testing out my new wide-angle lens. I haven’t quite figured out how to use it yet, and for now delete about ninety percent of the pictures I take. That being said, I think these two turned out just fine: the platform at the Honkawagoe terminal of the Seibu-Shinjuku Line and the interior of one of their newer trains.
I love riding trains in Japan. They’re clean, comfortable, on time, relatively inexpensive, and easy to use. And commuting to the city from Sayama is normally quite pleasant, because I live close enough to the terminal that I almost always find a place to sit. Depending on what type of train I take, the ride to Takadanobaba, where I normally get off to go to school, is anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes.
To pass the time during my commute, I do two things: read and listen to Japanese podcasts. Neither of these activities is especially rigorous, but they’re challenging enough to get my brain warmed up for the work I do in the library. Listening to the podcasts helps me keep my ear tuned to Japanese, and is also one way I keep my mind on issues related to Japanese pedagogy, since podcasts can provide good lessons in things that may or may not work in a classroom environment. As for reading material, I recently finished a collection of essays by Fukuzawa Yukichi, and haven’t chosen my next “train book” yet. Perhaps something a little more contemporary is in order this time around. I see a trip to a bookstore in my near future.
EDIT: Click on the photos for a much larger image.
Posts
