A Tremor in the Force

Nothing like getting a good shaking.

Courtesy of @earthquake_jp (Twitter):
26日21時12分頃 茨城県南部近辺(N36.1/E140)にて最大震度4(M5)の地震が発生。震源の深さは50km.

Magnitude 5 next door in Ibaraki. Shindo scale 4 here in Utsunomiya.

Modern Japanese Technology: Bullet Trains

A Tokaido Shinkansen pulls into Jr Utsunomiya Station on the southbound tracks (Track 4). This fellow got me to Tokyo (100km) in about 55 minutes. Not suuuuuper fast (Tokyo-Osaka Hikari goes much faster), but much faster than the local JR line that runs down below. These trains are probably one of my most favorite things about Japan.