Hey, there is a plan to send him to Saitama!

Things about Saitama:

Koutsu Hakubutsukan (交通博物館, Transpiration Museum) which was located at midpoint between Ochanomizu station and Kanda station in Tokyo closed its door on 2006. It was heaven for a train geek like me. The museum has relocated and reopened as Tetsudou Hakubutsukan (鉄道博物館, Railway Museum) at Omiya, Saitama! Damn you Saitama! Took precious museum from Tokyo!

Record is that first airport in Japan was at Tokorozawa, Saitama. Today Tokyo Area Control Center is located at the exact place which used to be Tokorozawa Airport. Responsible for air traffic coming and out of HND and NRT. Without Tokyo Area Control Center there will be no flights in and out of HND and NRT.

Have to give Kawagoe (川越) and Chichibu (秩父), both accessible by Saibu Red Arrow Limited Express train. You know I am a train geek…

Let’s remember that Shinkansen, 新幹線 is Kansen, 幹線! Which means the service was meant for transport between major points between Japan and was not meant for local commute traffic, and still today JR does not consider focusing Shinkansen for local regional traffic between Shin Yokohama and Omiya.

Fare between Tokaido Shinkansen and Sanyo Shinkansen, Shin Osaka is transfer point, is calculated as through fare based on total distance traveled. This is because Tokaido Shinkansen and Sanyo Shinkansen were built back when JR was the government entity Kokutetsu and entire Kokutetsu system was one single system fares calculated entirely by distance throughout Japan.

Now with each JR companies operating on their own, fares to Tokyo – Kanazawa and Tokyo – Shin Hokuto Hakodate are calculated by sum of fare of each JR companies, not through distance based fare.

Which means even if Shinkansen through service exist at Tokyo, fare between Shin Yokohama – Omiya will be calculated as sum of fare by each JR companies. JR Tokai’s Shin Yokohama -Tokyo plus JR East’s Tokyo-Omiya.

Shinkansen Through service of Shin Yokohama – Omiya will be JR Tokai fare of 1360 yen plus JR East fare of 1620 yen, total of 2980 yen on non-reserve car. Fare will not the distance based through fare calculation which would have come out as 1935 yen.

One of a big reason local people who have a need to travel between Kanagawa and Saitama not taking Shinkansen (forget about if physical transfer is required at Tokyo or not) is the cost. Most people with such need will choose regional commuter trains for such trip than Shinkansen because of the cost. Shin Yokohama – Omiya fare by regional commuter train is 970 yen. Do you think local people will pay three time more 2980 yen if Shinkansen has through service at Tokyo without physical transfer?

Remember, typical middle class Japanese people living in Tokyo area are not like elitist FTers! Obvious, nobody at Japan forum has even mention about fare cost of such service.

Pretty much same for passengers arriving to Tokyo on Touhoku, Hokkaido, Akita, Yamagata, Jyouetsu, Nagano, and Hokuriku Shinkansen. Regardless of there is through service without train transfer at Tokyo or not, how many will pay extra 860 yen to ride Shinkansen to Shinagawa? When transferring to Yamanote, Keihin Tohoku, local Tokaido, or even Yokosuka line from deep underground station at Tokyo to get to Shinagawa will not accrue any extra on fare.

Some elitist FTers will do pay 860 yen for Shinkansen ride to Shinagawa but most local Japanese will not.