Ticket machines rejecting 500 yen coins

Right: the new 500 yen coin.

Last year, the Japan Mint issued a new 500 yen coin. This is the third 500 yen coin in the Japanese history. The size and weight are almost equivalent to those of the second 500 yen coin, but the new coin features a bi-metallic three-layer structure to make counterfeiting even more difficult. The new coins have been in circulation since 1 November 2021.

More than a year has passed since the circulation began, but not all railway operators made their ticket machines compatible with the new coins. JR East's machines mostly accept the new ones, but others like Tokyu still have considerable number of machines that only accept the old ones. Not a few other machines such as vending machines selling bottled beverages reject the new coins either. This is frankly strange, as Japanese business owners usually adapt this kind of changes swiftly. Why is it so sluggish this time?

*Partly retouched in accordance with the 1895 Act on Control of Imitation of Currency and Securities.

The answer is quite simple: because it is not wise to take action now. The Ministry of Finance is going to introduce new banknotes (1000, 5000 and 10000 yen), and they are due to be in circulation from 2024. Therefore, not a few business owners considered that it would be better to deal with new notes and coins at the same time. The business sector recently received samples of new notes from the National Printing Bureau, and currently tests of new machines are carried out, as Nikkei reported.

Another reason is that Japanese people have gradually shifted to cashless payment. Japan has been infamous for being a cash society, but not a few people are familiar with other means of payment, not only credit/debit cards but also other contactless cards and QR code. Since not as many coins as we had seen before are necessary in these days, the replacement of the 500 yen coins has not been so quick.

Furthermore, there is no reason for the government to dispose of the old coins so urgently this time. When the second 500 yen coin was minted in 2000, the government had to replace the first 500 yen coin (minted in 1982-1999) as quickly as possible, since too many counterfeit coins were found in vending machines. The most common case was 500 South Korean Won coins, which were precisely the same size and made of the same material but worth 170 yen at that time. No such cases are reported today so far.

As not a few ticket machines are incompatible with the new 500 yen coins, Mizushima Rinkai Railway in Okayama Prefecture has been taking quite a unique approach. They resumed selling old-fashioned paper-based tickets by hand. This type of ticket has been uncommon since the 1990s due to introduction of automatic printing systems (not least ticket machines). The Railway reintroduced this old type of ticket, which is often called "soft ticket" in Japanese, as the company cannot afford replacing their ticket machines. However, not a few railway enthusiasts ask for one as a collectable, and probably contributing a little to the business.

Trams in Kyoto, when formed of two cars

Kyoto was once very well known for trams. Kyoto City Tram opened in 1895 as the very first electric railway in Japan, but all lines were closed by 1978 amid heavy traffic jams. However, there are a few trams in the ancient capital, one of which is Keifuku (also known as Randen). Keifuku has two lines: Arashiyama Main Line and Kitano Line. Both lines are used by commuters, students and tourists.

Services are generally formed of a single tramcar, but a few during rush hours are formed of two. Furthermore, when the city is crowded by tourists, all services consist of two cars at the weekend. November is the best season for watching autumn foliage so that many people from nearby cities and prefectures visit Arashiyama area.

In such a case, a rare train can be seen. Keifuku's trains have been painted purple since 2010 (with few exceptions), but this one is still painted dark ivory and dark green, the traditional livery dating back to 1936. No. 301 is the only operational car that still keeps its original livery, and it usually runs only during rush hours.

Arashiyama is famous for magnificent views from Sagano Scenic Railway. Kyoto is an ancient capital, but also a place where railway trip brings you a lot of fun.

As Class 315 retires

A farewell event of Class 315 is held today. The Class 315 was built in 1980-81 and has been used in London and nearby regions for more than 40 years. It has been observed often on Great Eastern Main Line in the past few years.

It is said that very few Class 315 services remain even after the farewell railtour, possibly until 9 December, though they might be affected by nationwide industrial action.

The last regular services of the Class have been those between Liverpool Street and Shenfield. When I lived in London in 2018-19, the 315s were used by London Overground and TfL Rail, and the services on the GEML were provided by the latter one. Even after Crossrail opened in May 2022, the 315s remained in service. But unsurprisingly, all 315s will leave the mainline at last.

A Class 315 train arriving at Seven Sisters. In spite of its appearance, this train was apparently Overground service. In 2019, an ex-TfL Rail unit 315858 was transferred to Lea Valley Lines as another unit operated by Overground broke down. Do you remember?

As the Class 315 is withdrawn, I realised that there are only a few electric multiple units built by British Rail (before the privatisation) remain in London today. The following BR EMUs in the capital retired since the pandemic began:

Class	Operator	Retired in
317	LO	Apr 2020
315	LO	Oct 2020
365	GN	May 2021
456	SW	Jan 2022
455	SN	May 2022
317	LE	Jul 2022
322	LE	Aug 2022
315	XR	Nov 2022

If I have not made any mistake, there are only Class 321 (Greater Anglia), Class 455 (South Western Railway) and Class 465 & 466 (Southeastern). The first two trains are due to be replaced with new Aventra trains, so they might retire next year or so.

Keisei Derailment 2022 - what we know so far?

京成線、隣の電車が脱線してたけどあと少し手前に来てたら巻き添え食らってたかも… pic.twitter.com/VQswlpkyFC

— ガセッティ (@gasettist) November 17, 2022

At 10:21 am on Thursday 17 November, a train derailed at a depot near Keisei-Takasago station in the east of Tokyo. According to a document issued by Keisei, the derailed train was empty coaching stock that was supposed to terminate at the very depot (i.e. no passenger onboard). It blocked tracks of Keisei Main Line and Hokuso Line for more than ten hours, and thus resulted in part suspension of service that lasted until 8:49 pm. Nobody injured according to the Police Agency.

Skyliner approaching Keisei-Takasago station

Keisei-Takasago is a hub station, as there is a depot nearby and Hokuso Line branches off. All Skyliner services that connect Narita Airport and Ueno, and major commuter trains to and from Ueno and Toei Asakusa Line (underground) run. All of these services have been cancelled due to the derailment, and the accident severely affected not only local residents but also businesspeople and tourists (including those from abroad).

ジャッキ外れて車両が落ちたよ😨
みんな怪我無くてよかった。#京成線 #高砂 #脱線 pic.twitter.com/lA1glqWwpl

— J (@beikoku_tanmou) November 17, 2022

It took longer than initially expected to resume services, as workers struggled to reinstate the train to the track. As the video shows, even jacking the train up was not always easy for them. The train was stored eight hours after the derailment, and now awaiting investigation conducted by both the company and the authorities.

The train derailed exactly at a point (or "railroad switch" in American English). According to mass media (such as TBS News), the driver reversed the train without authorisation as the train entered to a wrong track. If this description is correct, it is possible that the driver also overlooked a signal, as points and signals are generally interconnected.

Needless to say, train reversal without authorisation is a material breach of rules. He should have reported the mistake to the control room before going back. If the train had been on further, the train could have completely blocked mainline tracks and thus caused a major crash with other passenger services, or hit a person or a vehicle at a level crossing nearby. The investigation is still at an early stage, but it is highly likely that the driver involved will face a punishment if not criminal.

Keisei 3700 series

The derailed train was unit No. 3788 of Keisei 3700 series, which was registered for mainline use on 1 March 1996. The unit will certainly be taken out of service and stored for months whilst investigation is carried out. Since it is nearly 27 years old (and thus not new at all), and the crucial front carriage was severely damaged, it is not certain whether the company will repair the train and reinstate it to services or send them for scrap.

Two Rinkai lines

If you have been on a train in Tokyo, you might have heard of Rinkai line at least once. JR East's onboard English announcement calls it "Tokyo Rinkai Kosoku Tetsudo Rinkai Line", which is merely a transliteration of the official Japanese name. This is frankly absurd, as there is an official English name, Tokyo Waterfront Railway. Anyway, there is a railway called Rinkai Line.

However, there is another Rinkai line in Tokyo, which is officially called Tokyo Rinkai Shin-Kotsu Rinkai Line. Aren't they the same? No, they aren't. Are they operated by the same company? No, they aren't. Do they serve the same area? Yes, they do. What a confusing story it is!

Tokyo Waterfront Railway Rinkai Line – which I would call it the "genuine Rinkai Line" - is, however, not registered on public documents. Its official name is "Rinkai Fukutoshin Line" (lit. Waterfront Subcentre Line). The line was called as such when it opened in 1996, but it has been called Rinkai Line since 2000 (otherwise it must be extremely confusing especially after Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line was opened in 2008). Rinkai Line connects Osaki (an interchange station with JR Yamanote Line) and Shin-Kiba (an interchange station with JR Keiyo and Tokyo Metro Yurakucho lines). As the word "waterfront" suggests, trains run newly developed areas very close to Tokyo Bay.

More than 99% of the entire population have never heard of Tokyo Rinkai Shin-Kotsu Rinkai Line (lit. "Tokyo Waterfront New Transit Rinkai Line"), but not a few people know its nickname: Yurikamome. It is an automated guided transit, perhaps the most famous one in Japan. Yurikamome opened in 1995, about five months earlier than TWR Rinkai Line (the "genuine" one). Today, Yurikamome connects Shimbashi and Toyosu, and many foreign tourists have also visited the area before the pandemic.

Are these two lines lie closely? They do. Yurikamome steps across TWR Rinkai Line twice near Daiba and Ariake stations. They run parallel for nearly a mile, though they cannot see each other as TWR Rinkai Line is mostly underground. Ariake station on Yurikamome and Kokusai-tenjijo station on TWR Rinkai Line are the closest interchange, as there are less than 300 yards.

Finally, isn't there a risk of confusion. Mostly no, as 999 out of 1,000 people would not call Yurikamome's official name. In most cases, "Rinkai Line" refers to TWR, not the automated guided transit.