An away day with Cambridge - Jim on the job in Kyushu

Fukuoka cadre B1 & B2 Speaking examiners

 My apologies for not being 'at work' once or twice recently. I know it looks like I was only having fun ridinng the shinkansen, eating Hakata ramen or climbing hills looking for castles...the side-benefits to being asked to do a really important role for Cambridge Centre JP026 (Kawaijuku) which is to train English teachers to become speaking examiners.

In late August I was asked to train a group for B1:Preliminary & B2:First levels, with the number of candidates likely to rise significantly in Kita-Kyushu. The weekend was the culmination of months of recruiting. A group of teachers, some of whom had met in 2024 training for A2 Key, but also 60% 'new' teachers to the Cambridge team. Blending previous learnings with wide-eyed "what's this all about" is tricky, but fun...made all the easier by the ample preparations by JP026 and a proper interview & induction process avoiding unecessary disappointments or FAQs slowing us down.

Hakata headaches? A2 team

Needless to say, a lot of hard work involved by all participants, but a team we did construct after a follow up certification process on the Sunday. This group will be heading out to high schools in northern Kyushu later this autumn to deliver speaking tests cheerfully to nervous first-time exam takers, encouraging a lot of 'can do' and applying universal assessment criteria for valid, globally accepted results. I'm really looking forward to seeing this group of professionals in demonstrating their skills soon, and to welcoming their debuts in-person (yes, another weekend away - I know you won't miss me, as Kazumi will again be entertaining my students!). 

Postcard from Omiya, Saitama Pref., Japan

 Hi everyone at Luna, and fellow trainspotters & "anoraks"!

Hokuriku line - Asama

I was lucky enough to finally get the train to Sapporo for work - Cambridge speaking examiner training & certification - and thoroughly enjoyed the trip (although I stupidly left my tickets sitting on my desk in Matsumoto...another story some day?!). I have taken this Tokkaido line before, but only as far as Hachinohe. I've wanted to experience the whole extension to Hakodate & the Seikan Tunnel for absolutely ages.

I still cannot believe how quickly the shinkansen rolling stock for the Hokuriku line were replaced after 1/3 of the fleet were converted to submarines by flooding from Typhoon Hakibis = first leg of the bullet train love-in. Asama still smell new!

Shinkansen fans will love Omiya station (and its nearby railway museum - which I should visit...). Shinkansen constantly pulling in & departing (precisely on time, of course), of all sleek shapes & liveries.

Conjoined Shinkansen

There was a national panic recently when ONE coupling failed and the whole JR infrastructure was in danger of falling to pieces...NOT. Its the amazing safety record of these things that a single mishap shines the light on incredible maintenance & attention to detail! Such conjoined trains decouple further north to split onto different routes (as a passenger you do not notice - unless you're sitting in the wrong half of the train and end up in Yamagata...)

My Hayabusa whooshed out of Omiya & within an hour was pulling up at Sendai, smooth as silk. Frustratingly for work though, the wifi is really rubbish & I was in a middle seat without a power socket. The northern part of Honshu glowed green in late summer, with the approaching typhoon now 'behind' me. Diving into the Seikan Tunnel was prefaced with an announcement over the PA - and then darkness & loss of signal, pretty much like the dark side of the moon! A welcomely uneventful 58km of sensational engineering, 250m below the seabed!

Jewel in the crown - Hayabusa

Soon enough, detraining at the Shin-Hakodate terminus for a the rattler ride on to Sapporo, and the  contrast of  the local line to shinkansen construction work yonder; paused I've heard because the tunnel borer has got itself jammed into a tunnel & can't reverse out...might take a while then! 

Verdict = a lot more relaxing than flying, and not divorced from bags or having to check in & sit around with an over-priced coffee. An awesomely smooth journey!

Postcard from...Tsuruga, Fukui

Northern Japanese Alps, from Toyoshina station

I took a detour recently to knock off a couple of bucket list train trips.

Firstly, I wanted to ride the recently extended Hokuriku Shinkansen all the way around the north coast to its new terminus at Tsuruga...and ideally explore that corner of Fukui and the northern coast of Kyoto. Unfortunately, that part of the coastline will have to wait for another visit, I think by car, given the relative inaccessibility of the area & the less the less than easy to get to places I'd really like to explore, around Wakasa Bay, without having to rush to make connections.

The earliest Shinano from Matsumoto was a beautiful autumnal sunrise ride, the Northern Alps beyond Azumino to the left (west) before the Chikuma valley appeared after the tunnels either side of  sleepy  Omi/Hijiri-kogen. And what an appearance - spreading out to the north with Nagano city sprawled in the middle. A fairly unique train journey given the climb the line makes to cross from Shinshu to Chikuma (the two geographical & historical halves of modern Nagano prefecture).

If you want some anorak information about Shinano click here and for the route, here

JR East E7

From Nagano you won't get much of a view, as the line carves through a number of tunnels at light speed - this train really does get a shift on. Super smooth, and before you know it you're cutting the corner of Niigata prefecture and decelerating into Toyama with the Sea of Japan on your right already. Eyes left (south) for a stunning mountainscape. This part of the line, openned in 2015 is extremely swift!

Our shinkansen slows down after Kanazawa, dropping south through Ichikawa & Fukui prefectures with fewer and fewer passengers. This stretch of line only openned in March this year (2024); Tsuraga obviously not the final intended stop. I am sure, once the final leg is finished to Osaka (in another 20 years' time?) the route will open up the region - and not soon enough - the Noto peninsula desperately needs better transport access & investment to recover from the hammer blows of earthquake & typhoon damage this year.

Kagayaki: Tokyo–Tsuruga, limited-stop service, since 14 March 2015
Hakutaka: Tokyo–Tsuruga, mostly all-stations service, since 14 March 2015
Tsurugi: Toyama–Tsuruga, mostly all-stations shuttle service, since 14 March 2015
Asama: Tokyo–Nagano, mostly all-stations service, corresponding to existing Nagano Shinkansen service introduced in 1997

Follow the yellow (or blue!) brick road

And what of Tsuruga? No time to explore the town but just enough to find a nest of Thunderbirds, the aged limited express that used to service the line up to Kanazawa from Osaka/Kyoto, hugging the shore of Lake Biwa. The views of the lake are limited, unfortunately, especially if you are not sitting by the window & cannot keep the curtain up. My fellow foreign travellers glued to games on their phones/and ignoring the historic sites across the water. Really, really frustrating ignorance (and your enormous suitcases are even more annoying).


Familiar limited express rolling stock (JR-West 683-4000); comfy enough but looks & feels 'tired'...good enough for my needs and the relatively short trundle to Osaka - the non-shinkansen line from Kyoto taking a little more time, but divested of the tourons a chance to enjoy the suburban corridor. No rush!

Kissing Thuderbirds, Tsuruga station

I'm glad I made the effort to sweep around the "Hokuriku Arch" - an area begging to be discovered more slowly. There is a rail pass for this region that would be good value & allow travellers to stop over & linger for a whole week. Inner trainspotter satisfied!

A postcard from...Akasaka, Tokyo

C.E.M. greets the S.E. team

Thank you to all my students, who are zooming with me today because I 'needed' to be at Yamawaki Junior & Senior High School to conduct speaking exams for Young Learners...

As you can see, I am not alone; it is very hard to find teachers with "free time" on a Thursday morning (or be able to get back to work in time for classes after). So, I was delighted to meet a couple of new faces from Osaka, and familiar faces from Kobe & Yamagata, as well as Kanto 'locals'. Really grateful for the effort made to get here - overnight car drives through the snow, late night shinkansen sprints & early morning commutes - thank you guys!

I am proud also of the diversity in our team - today from South Africa, Singapore, Ireland, New Zealand, the Philippines, China, Syria, Japan, UK & USA. 

 

Enjoy Kyushu

 You think Kyushu is far from Matsumoto, don’t you? It’s true it’s a long way, but if you take a flight, it takes only an hour and a half from Matsumoto airport to Fukuoka, and from there to the Shinkansen station, Hakata, is only fifteen minutes. My plane took off from Matsumoto airport at 15:30, and I arrived in Kumamoto at 18:00. It is not far!

 

Kumamoto is a pleasant city, not too big, not too small; just right medium size. There is a beautiful castle in the center of city, nostalgic trams trundle around, and there are lots of green spaces even in the city centre.

 

JR Kyushu runs some interesting special trains services. These are completely different from regular trains. Most of these kinds of trains were designed by Etsuji Mitooka, who is a great industrial designer. These trains are eye-catching on the outside, and inside have amazing designs and original styling. One of them has a bar in the train car, another has sofas and bookshelves; there are also lovely mummy & kids’ chairs, wonderful viewing decks, etc.

The inside of "Aso-boy"

 

I experienced the journey from Kumamoto to Beppu aboard “Asoboy”. As a passenger, you can spoil yourself with original food, buy branded souvenirs and be treated to special service. In the train, there are some play spaces for children and lovely pair seats for children and parent. I enjoyed the panoramic view of Mount Aso from the high viewing seats. The friendly crew offered to take memorial photographs for travelers. It was an exciting, lovely experience. I enjoyed a lot.

 

On this trip I realized again how wonderful Kyushu is, especially abundant with beautiful waters. You can enjoy a wide variety of amazing hot springs, or “Onsen”, in places like Beppu, Yufuin and Kurokawa. You can explore unique cities and see abundant nature. Of course, the food is lovely. As I experienced, the people are calm and kind as well.

Teruki

 

 

Rukiya's quick guide to Japan

• This is the Tokyo Sky Tree. It is the tallest tower in Japan. It is new.
• This is the Japan Hayabusa E5. It is the fastest bullet train in Japan. It is new.
• This is a Japanese Black Bear. They live in the forest. They eat fish and small animals and honey. They are bigger than me. They have thick black fur and long claws.

Japanese icons

Nanako's page

In class last week, my brother and I studied about American icons, like the Hollywood sign and the Statue of Liberty. this was easy because we lived in America and we visited lots of places. We loved living in America, and going to school there. We have lots of friends in America.

Yuto's page

For homework we found some pictures of Japanese icons:

• Maiko
• Sensu
• Shamisen
• Kimono
• Sushi
• Sumo
• Shinkansen
• Samurai
• Ninja
• Kabuki

I think sushi is the most iconic symbol of Japan. What do you think?

Nanako (9)

Guest Blog: Tom & Damo's adventures (Part 1)

Skytree selfie

Hello all!

Just to introduce myself, my name’s Tom and I am Damo's friend from England. We became friends at university in the UK, and now although Damo is living 5713 miles away we still keep in touch!

I have been travelling in Asia the last couple of months including stops in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, all of which I had a fantastic time seeing some amazing things. Whilst I was in Asia I had to take the opportunity to go and see Japan, having never visited before.

I flew into Narita Airport, Tokyo, and was welcomed by Damo and his family. After being treated to a very traditional British beef roast dinner in the evening we made our way the following day on our adventures. First stop was Tokyo, and having only seen pictures of it on television, I was amazed by how busy it was and all the amazingly colourful lights everywhere. We stayed in a capsule hotel (something I think is unique to Japan!) which was a strange experience. We almost felt like cattle, having so many people staying in such a small space. We visited some temples in the city and went to the base of Tokyo Skytree. The evening was filled with good traditional Japanese food and many, many beers!

"Let's nick it!"

After a very hungover morning, we made our way to Tokyo station to get the Shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto. I was amazed how quickly they travel and how smooth the ride was. Trains in the UK are slow and always late, so this was a complete contrast! Arriving in Kyoto we picked up a rental car and after attempting to get used to an automatic (in the UK all cars are manual) we made out way around Kyoto. Visits included going to Kiyomizu-dera and Chion-in amongst others.

An okay view from Kiyomizu

On the outskirts of Kyoto we also visited one of the Onsens. This was to be my first of many Onsen visits during my stay. I loved the hot spring water, and after a long hard day visiting Kyoto's sights, was well needed. Sitting outside with a slight cool breeze, but with lovely hot water was the perfect balance.

Things to see & do in Japan

Mt. Fuji and Shinkansen (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In Japan, you can visit Tokyo Disneyland, Mount Fuji and Matsumoto Castle. They are famous places.

photo by Jim George

You can ride on bullet trains. Because it is very fast. You can eat sushi. It is very good. People like playing go and cards. You can buy kimono and models of Matsumoto Castle.

Nanako (7)

A very long journey to Disneyland and back - another Tale from Longpuddle!

Write about a peaceful long journey you made? 

Where were you going, and who with? 

Why were you travelling, and how did you feel about arriving?

I went to Tokyo Disneyland with my boy friend last month. It was a bus tour and should be for a day trip, but it was the most unforgettable and longest journey in my life.

Tokyo Disneyland was established thirty years ago and has served the anniversary events since last April to the end of this March. I’m same age as the park, so I wanted to go there within my thirty years old. It snowed, but we could go the park smoothly and we had believed that we would be able to go home without any serious issues.

The bus left the park at nine PM and stopped at a service area close to Hachioji junction. It snowed a lot and any cars could not move ahead to Yamanashi and Nagano prefecture. We had to stay two nights in the service area consequently. Fortunately, there were rest rooms and restaurant, but we could not take even the shower for three days.

Finally, we moved to Tokyo station by train and took Shinkansen to move to Nagano station next morning. Then, we transferred to Shinano express to back to Matsumoto station.

It was a long journey and very tired, but I was very happy that my kind boyfriend and people supported on several scenes.

Posted for Chinasa