Escape and Automobile (This week's Photo Hunt themes)

Late last month, I temporarily escaped from my usual Hong Kong routine by venturing to Japan for a too short -- but still fun-filled -- vacation. Over the course of my holiday, I took rides on a variety of vehicles.  For example, on my first full day of my recent Japan vacation, I not only rode on trains that ran above ground and as part of subway lines but also crossed the Edogawa (Edo River) on Yagiri no Watashi, Tokyo's last human-powered ferry ride.  And on a day trip to Hakone, I was transported around the area via Japan's oldest mountain railway, cablecar, ropeway and "pirate ship" as well as far more regular bus.

Furthermore, the day after my Hakone excursion, I took a ride on Tokyo's last remaining streetcar line. The Toden Arakawa Line operates for the most part outside of "touristy" areas and rides along its 12.2 kilometer long route offer up downtown neighborhood views of the Japanese capital city. 

As you can see when looking at the top two photos of this entry for Sandi's and Gattina's Photo Hunts, the streetcars themselves come in different "editions" -- with some looking more modern and others more vintage.  With regards to the second photo: can you also see the automobile in the background?  I sure hope so because, as funny as it may seem to some people, I actually didn't take all that many photos that have cars, vans or such other road-bound vehicles while traveling around in the land of Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi and co! 

Indeed, when looking this morning at the hundreds of photos I took on my recent Japan escape, I found a grand total of just three photos with automobiles in them -- and in none of them were they the focus of the shot! Instead, the focus in the two photos that feature automobiles that I've included in this blog entry have been on other modes of transportation that this public transportation enthusiast frankly finds more attractive and fascinating: in one case, a Toden Arakawa streetcar; and in the other, one of Tokyo's numerous railways -- some of which go right through the city's streets. 

Perhaps it's because I come from a country whose public transportation leaves a lot to be desired and also have moved about the world quite a bit.  But I cannot emphasize how much I really appreciate and love places with great public transportation systems.  So yes, it's not entirely coincidental that I now live in a part of the world with a great public transportation system (and network) -- and choose to have vacation escapes in places where it's also easy enough for people to get around without needing to use private automobiles, and even taxis! :b