Koborebanashi

Trivia, Tidbits and Tales about Japan

Category: Uncategorized

  • Guardians of the Waters

    You’ve probably heard of a chocolate teapot, as in the phrase ‘as useless as a chocolate teapot’.

    But what about a concrete ship? This might sound as crazy as a chocolate teapot, but in fact, concrete ships — that is, ships built out of concrete — did actually exist.

    What’s more, two of them still do exist, and are recognisable as ships. They can be found in Hiroshima Prefecture, in Yasuura, Kure City. They’re called Dai-ichi Takechi Maru (第一武智丸) and Dai-ni Takechi Maru (第二武智丸), but in this article, I’ll call them Takechi Maru 1 and 2 respectively.

    (more…)

  • Newspaper Bins: Now, Just Heritage Items

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    At stations on JR West (and, I think, other JR areas), it’s quite common to see rubbish bins for newspapers and magazines.

    Now, given how many people spend all their time on the train using their smartphones (and by extension, not reading newspapers or magazines), I wonder how many people actually use those bins these days. I mean, there must be some, but you just don’t generally see people reading on the train so much these days.

    It’s nice that stations still have these bins, but in fact, it’s just harking back to an age that’s basically disappeared now. It’s a shame, really.

  • The Shocking Habit of Makeup on Trains in Japan

    Here’s something I don’t think I’ll ever understand about Japan.
    Why do so many young women use the train as a place to put on their makeup? First of all, is makeup really something you should be doing where anyone can see? Wouldn’t some privacy be preferable?
    And secondly, is a train (or a bus, for that matter) really the best place to be putting on makeup? After all, even a train is not that smooth, not really. Just think about it: one bump at the wrong time, and you could be putting mascara on your eyeball, rather than your eyelashes!

  • The History of Genbaku Domu-Mae Tram Stop

    In Hiroshima, there’s a tram stop called ‘Genbaku Domu-Mae’. The name means ‘Atomic Bomb Dome’, and the stop is situated (appropriately enough) right by the Dome.

    Which begs the question: given that the tram stop is named after the ruin created by the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, what was it called before August 1945?

    Well, actually the tram stop had several names. When it opened in December 1912, it was called ‘Yagura-Shita’, referring to its location close to where one of the turrets of Hiroshima Castle stood. Then around 1929, it was renamed to Aioi-Bashi (Aioi Bridge), again referring to its location close to the bridge of the same name.

    Surprisingly, the tram stop wasn’t renamed a third time, to ‘Genbaku Domu-Mae’, until 1974!

  • Challenges with Mobily Days Payment Service for Hiroshima Transit

    Anyone in the Hiroshima area using the Mobily Days payment service for trams and buses? What are your opinions?

    Personally, I find it incredible (and immensely irritating) that almost every time I open the app, it requires me to log in again. Definitely not good when I need to get off a tram in a few seconds, and I’m scrambling to re-enter my password.

    Wasn’t the app tested before release?