Saitama Train Museum

Last weekend Karl and I met up with some friends and visited the Railway museum in Saitama City.  I must admit, I wasn’t terribly excited or interested in seeing a bunch of trains, but it turned out to be well worth the trip and entrance fee. 

Imagine a gigantic room full of train cars. They had trains from as far back as the 1870’s.  The Emperor’s imperial coach train cars were on display.  There were train cars dating from WWII in which you were able to walk around inside and sit down.  There was the first generation of the Shinkansen-Japanese bullet train. 

 This was the cutest part of the whole museum. A baby Shinkansen in which you could take rides! Super cute.  

Plus, they had simulators.  You could “drive” a train yourself!  There were five different simulators from regular trains, to Shinkansen, to (the coolest one-I think) a steam locomotive. (You had to shovel the coal and everything!)  We watched some little boys in the steam locomotive.  They were just about hyperventilating from excitement.  

After our train museum adventures, we met another group of friends in Kumagaya to enjoy some nightlife.  The first place we went to was one of restaurants where you have to cook your own food.  It got a bit smoky from all the cooking meat, but it was still fun and definitely delicious.  The second place we went was an American themed bar that was inside an old train car.  We were apparently having a train themed day.  

The bar was called The Bourbon Club.  The train car had been separated into three different pieces and then reattached in a U shape.  We were all very excited because this place actually served Mexican food.  (It was the first place I have seen with Mexican food in Japan!)  It wasn’t the greatest, but it wasn’t too bad either.