@silverpop said:
thanks she was a smart and very pretty lady but she never lived long enough to see how her kids or the kids she helped as a high school teacher did in life her life came to a tragic end in 1992 at the age of 49 due to cancer
I have confident in GOD that she is in heaven right now with all her beauty, even more beautiful than angels.......
Japan's First Railway signifying the Opening of Japan to an Industrial World by Emperor Meiji
And a Visit to Tokyo's Meiji Jingu, the Shinto Shrine that was built to Honor Emperor Meiji and provide a place for the Emperor's and Empress's Spirits to Reside
The Japanese Emperor Meiji was personally in attendance and spoke at the Ceremony commemorating the opening of Japan's first railway which had a track laid from Yokohama to Tokyo's Shimbashi. The date was October 14,1872, a short four years after the 1868 beginning of the Meiji Era that marked the opening of Japan after centuries of self-imposed isolation. (The Emperor had been enthroned in 1867 and then came to power after the "Civil War" that toppled the Tokugawa Bakufu and its Samurais which fell to the Imperial Forces.)
The initial opening ceremony was held at the newly constructed Yokohama Train Station and it was followed by a ceremony at Shimbashi Train Station. Those also in attendance at the Yokohama ceremony included government officials, local leaders, and foreign dignitaries. Notably there were crowds of spectators as seen lining the nearby bridge. (As a side note there is even a reference to spectators after the ceremony fighting over the cushion covering upon which the Emperor sat to take home as a souvenir.). In the included drawing from a February 1873 French Magazine one can see the Emperor seated front and center.
And here is a train from that era as on display in the same building that housed our hotel, itself owned by the present-day Japanese Railway.
Another exhibit at the same location is this mechanical porter from the Meiji era which was capable of performing similar delivery tasks now entrusted to robots at some Japanese restaurants which will deliver items to your table.
Added exhibits include this 3-D depiction of the Yokohama Train Station in operation and Japanese coins from that time period:
The Meiji Emperor ruled into the first decade of the 1900s , dying in 1912. The Empress Shoken died two years later. (The Emperor had a number of children but they were from "hand-maidens" and not the Empress herself.)
They were both buried in Kyoto where their physical remains remain to this day. However, it is believed that their spirits are housed in Tokyo at what is known as the Meiji Jingu - a Shinto Shrine that was established that same decade in 1920 and it is surrounded by a forest containing 100,000 trees that were brought from all over Japan.
Encompasing some 170 acres in the middle of an urban city, the site is an oasis of solitude that attracts visitors from all over the world. It is the most visited religious site in Japan and at New Years sees up to 3 million persons, many of whom come to offer the first prayer of the New Year. During the Emperor's lifetime there was an iris garden in the area which the Emperor and Empress would personally visit and for this reason the site was chosen to build the shrine after their deaths. Today an iris garden has also been included along with a well that has been preserved that is said to be 400 years old.
This man-made forest and the Shrine remained until the fire bombing of World War II which destroyed both. One of the lone objects of significant size to survive the fire bombing was the Emperor's Horse-drawn Carriage. While we know it carried his remains after his death, initially I was curious as to whether it also took him from the Imperial Palace in Tokyo to the Yokohama Train Station for the opening ceremony of Japan's first railroad (One does note in the period photograph above that there is a horse-drawn carriage, but it is certainly not as ornate as the one that survived the fire bombing.) Doing further research I learned that the ornate carriage that survived the fire bombing was actually built later in England and first used by the Emperor in 1889 when it transported him and the Empress to the Aoyama Parade Grounds for a military review to celebrate Japan's new Constitution.
The Emperor's Carriage is of such historical importance that today it is housed on the second floor of the Meiji Jingu Museum built by 2020 located on the grounds. While photographs inside the museum are not allowed, I did have the opportunity to view and photograph it in 1974 while a summer law student at Jochi Daigaku (University) in Tokyo when I first visited Meiji Jingu at the invitation of a friend. At that time it was located in an open sided building similar to a shed.
Here are photos taken earlier this month of the Shrine itself as well as of the Tori gates that one passes under along the pathway through the forest leading to it. It is noteworthy that the below pictured Tori Gate is the largest of its type in the world.
These are words of good fortune that one can purchase and hang in the courtyard of the shrine. Notably words of good fortune from some of the Emperor's own poetry are included.
FWIW, here is one of Emperor Meiji's poems:
"Do as much as you are able through your natural powers
But then kneel down and thank and worship the Divine Wind of Ise
Which destroyed the Tartar's fleet."
Of note this parallels a belief held by some Christians that Divine help comes only after we exercise faith by doing all we can do first.
Finally, here is the above referenced Emperor's horse-drawn carriage both as I viewed it years ago and as it now is pictured in materials provided by the Meiji Jinju Museum today:
The Emperor's Carriage as it was displayed in the distant past:
The Emperor's Carriage as pictured today in photos provided by the Meiji Jingu Museum where it is now housed and no longer available to be photographed:
This is the Meiji Jungu Museum where the Emperor's Carriage is housed today as well as a notice regarding current temporary exhibit available to be seen in the museum relating to the Emperor's military role along side his trusted General Nogi. Taiwan became a province of Japan during the Meiji Period and there were military conflicts with China and Russia which led to Japan's influence over Korea as well. Permanent exhibits in the museum include, in addition to the Emperor's Carriage, his desk and even a pencil he sharpened.
And as one exits the Shrine itself and returns to the forest pathway, a caretaker is encountered who meticulously rakes the rock strewn walkway. When leaves fall special rakes are used made from bamboo which allow the leaves to be swept aside without disturbing the gravel.
Then there are the stacked barrels of imported wine symbolizing Emperor Meiji's welcoming of Western influence and the sake containers of religious significance:
Preceding immediate entrance to the Shrine itself one is offered water to cleanse and purify:
Texarkana in October.
I’ve been wanting to ask how many of you guys go camping.
Maybe an East Coast “camping and coins meeting ” or a thread to list travel plans.
We met these Germans who traveled from Cal on their TransAmerica Trail tour.
(I recently took this photo of the Car Transport roll on, roll off ship near Yokohama Bridge because it was from the same NYK line and a twin of the RORO ship that had transported my vehicle through the Panama Canal to the West Coast before departing on across the Pacific.)
The above pictured original Denali Car a/k/a The Harding Car completed its service in 1945 as World War II came to an end. Since Alaska's 1967 Centennial it has been preserved at Alaskaland (Now Pioneer Park) in Fairbanks, Alaska. This year marks the Centennial of the Alaska Railroad's Completion when 100 years ago President Harding, traveling in the Denali Car, came to Nenana, Alaska to drive in the Golden Spike marking that event.
In 1979 a successor Denali Car came to share that name. Both cars were originally manufactured by The Pullman Car Works of Chicago with the original leaving the factory in 1905 when the Pullman company was starting and the successor in 1930 as Pullman came to its end. Both cars were also acquired from The Great Northern Railroad.
The current Denali Car has a storied history of its own as well which included transporting troops during World War II. It went through a number of overhauls, the first of which was in 1939 when it was transformed from a standard Sleeper Car to a multi-bedroom car. In 1948 Great Northern Railroad acquired it and used it to transport tourists until 1957 when it was modernized for business service. As part of the 1957 modifications an additional nine feet were added to its center and its roof was lowered and rounded to look more like the modern lightweight streamlined cars of the new era. An observatory lounge, kitchen, dining room and open air observation platform were added.
1969 saw the end of the Great Northern Railroad via a merger and the Alaska Railroad acquired it in 1971 although for a period of time it remained in the continental United States where Alaska Railroad officials apparently used it as a hotel away from home. Once it arrived in Alaska it was used as an entertainment car for VIPs and politicians. In 1985 the observation lounge was expanded by removing a secretary's room. It continued service until 2002. In 2005 it was pulled out of storage and shipped to Colorado for yet another reimagining. This time it was modified into its present configuration. As it is today it has a one bedroom with an attached large bathroom and shower, a kitchen, and a combined dining and observation room which allows seating for 14 at a table and, when not at the table, posh lounge chairs for the same 14 - although by utilizing both up to 28 persons can be accommodated.
Alaska Railroad offers its Denali Car to non-profit organizations for charitable funding purposes. With 14 persons making $500 donations apiece the minimum required $7,000 can be generated for a charitable cause. This past weekend our Rotary Club took advantage to raise funds for the Scouts in our community.
Here pictured is the current Denali Car as we rode it from Anchorage to Seward, Alaska and back, a close to 5 hour journey each way. In Seward some of us took advantage of visiting the Alaska Sea Life Center there. (It was a four mile walk from the train depot to the center, but we took advantage of a shuttle for the return.)
Undoubtably several of the Alaska Governors whose signatures are affixed, as pictured below, have occupied the Denali Car at one time or another and most certainly Governor Sheffield who became the President of the Alaska Railroad held meetings in it. In a following photo he is seen with then Alaska Senator Ted Stevens in a ceremony commemorating the State of Alaska's purchase of the railroad from the Federal Government.
Views from the Denali Car's Observation Platform as the train travels from Anchorage to Seward:
And then there were the views when the train would come to a stop and one could look down to see fishermen along the tracks, fish in the waters at a culvert, and even the wildflowers at the side:
Arrived at Seward and a visit to its Sea Life Center:
The tank there into which Drew Barrymore donned scuba gear and swam with the seals for the movie "Big Miracle" although in post production the seals were digitized into whales:
Note the distant landslide which completely blocked the road. The individual pools are used to rehabilitate injured marine mammals and are not otherwise available for viewing:
Concluding views on the return (again from the observation platform at the rear of the Denali Car) as evening approaches
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17 years ago I sent my first coin to PCGS.....
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Camping on the Blue Ridge Parkway this week; Mt. Mitchell, highest elevation in the Eastern U.S.
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And you finally got it back..... well congratulations
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Where are you off to next?
Japan's First Railway signifying the Opening of Japan to an Industrial World by Emperor Meiji
And a Visit to Tokyo's Meiji Jingu, the Shinto Shrine that was built to Honor Emperor Meiji and provide a place for the Emperor's and Empress's Spirits to Reside
The Japanese Emperor Meiji was personally in attendance and spoke at the Ceremony commemorating the opening of Japan's first railway which had a track laid from Yokohama to Tokyo's Shimbashi. The date was October 14,1872, a short four years after the 1868 beginning of the Meiji Era that marked the opening of Japan after centuries of self-imposed isolation. (The Emperor had been enthroned in 1867 and then came to power after the "Civil War" that toppled the Tokugawa Bakufu and its Samurais which fell to the Imperial Forces.)
The initial opening ceremony was held at the newly constructed Yokohama Train Station and it was followed by a ceremony at Shimbashi Train Station. Those also in attendance at the Yokohama ceremony included government officials, local leaders, and foreign dignitaries. Notably there were crowds of spectators as seen lining the nearby bridge. (As a side note there is even a reference to spectators after the ceremony fighting over the cushion covering upon which the Emperor sat to take home as a souvenir.). In the included drawing from a February 1873 French Magazine one can see the Emperor seated front and center.
And here is a train from that era as on display in the same building that housed our hotel, itself owned by the present-day Japanese Railway.
Another exhibit at the same location is this mechanical porter from the Meiji era which was capable of performing similar delivery tasks now entrusted to robots at some Japanese restaurants which will deliver items to your table.
Added exhibits include this 3-D depiction of the Yokohama Train Station in operation and Japanese coins from that time period:
The Meiji Emperor ruled into the first decade of the 1900s , dying in 1912. The Empress Shoken died two years later. (The Emperor had a number of children but they were from "hand-maidens" and not the Empress herself.)
They were both buried in Kyoto where their physical remains remain to this day. However, it is believed that their spirits are housed in Tokyo at what is known as the Meiji Jingu - a Shinto Shrine that was established that same decade in 1920 and it is surrounded by a forest containing 100,000 trees that were brought from all over Japan.
Encompasing some 170 acres in the middle of an urban city, the site is an oasis of solitude that attracts visitors from all over the world. It is the most visited religious site in Japan and at New Years sees up to 3 million persons, many of whom come to offer the first prayer of the New Year. During the Emperor's lifetime there was an iris garden in the area which the Emperor and Empress would personally visit and for this reason the site was chosen to build the shrine after their deaths. Today an iris garden has also been included along with a well that has been preserved that is said to be 400 years old.
This man-made forest and the Shrine remained until the fire bombing of World War II which destroyed both. One of the lone objects of significant size to survive the fire bombing was the Emperor's Horse-drawn Carriage. While we know it carried his remains after his death, initially I was curious as to whether it also took him from the Imperial Palace in Tokyo to the Yokohama Train Station for the opening ceremony of Japan's first railroad (One does note in the period photograph above that there is a horse-drawn carriage, but it is certainly not as ornate as the one that survived the fire bombing.) Doing further research I learned that the ornate carriage that survived the fire bombing was actually built later in England and first used by the Emperor in 1889 when it transported him and the Empress to the Aoyama Parade Grounds for a military review to celebrate Japan's new Constitution.
The Emperor's Carriage is of such historical importance that today it is housed on the second floor of the Meiji Jingu Museum built by 2020 located on the grounds. While photographs inside the museum are not allowed, I did have the opportunity to view and photograph it in 1974 while a summer law student at Jochi Daigaku (University) in Tokyo when I first visited Meiji Jingu at the invitation of a friend. At that time it was located in an open sided building similar to a shed.
Here are photos taken earlier this month of the Shrine itself as well as of the Tori gates that one passes under along the pathway through the forest leading to it. It is noteworthy that the below pictured Tori Gate is the largest of its type in the world.
These are words of good fortune that one can purchase and hang in the courtyard of the shrine. Notably words of good fortune from some of the Emperor's own poetry are included.
FWIW, here is one of Emperor Meiji's poems:
"Do as much as you are able through your natural powers
But then kneel down and thank and worship the Divine Wind of Ise
Which destroyed the Tartar's fleet."
Of note this parallels a belief held by some Christians that Divine help comes only after we exercise faith by doing all we can do first.
Finally, here is the above referenced Emperor's horse-drawn carriage both as I viewed it years ago and as it now is pictured in materials provided by the Meiji Jinju Museum today:
The Emperor's Carriage as it was displayed in the distant past:
The Emperor's Carriage as pictured today in photos provided by the Meiji Jingu Museum where it is now housed and no longer available to be photographed:
This is the Meiji Jungu Museum where the Emperor's Carriage is housed today as well as a notice regarding current temporary exhibit available to be seen in the museum relating to the Emperor's military role along side his trusted General Nogi. Taiwan became a province of Japan during the Meiji Period and there were military conflicts with China and Russia which led to Japan's influence over Korea as well. Permanent exhibits in the museum include, in addition to the Emperor's Carriage, his desk and even a pencil he sharpened.
And as one exits the Shrine itself and returns to the forest pathway, a caretaker is encountered who meticulously rakes the rock strewn walkway. When leaves fall special rakes are used made from bamboo which allow the leaves to be swept aside without disturbing the gravel.
Then there are the stacked barrels of imported wine symbolizing Emperor Meiji's welcoming of Western influence and the sake containers of religious significance:
Preceding immediate entrance to the Shrine itself one is offered water to cleanse and purify:
OBX would be killer.
Texarkana in October.
I’ve been wanting to ask how many of you guys go camping.
Maybe an East Coast “camping and coins meeting ” or a thread to list travel plans.
We met these Germans who traveled from Cal on their TransAmerica Trail tour.
USN & USAF retired 1971-1993
Successful Transactions with more than 100 Members
USN & USAF retired 1971-1993
Successful Transactions with more than 100 Members
USN & USAF retired 1971-1993
Successful Transactions with more than 100 Members
USN & USAF retired 1971-1993
Successful Transactions with more than 100 Members
USN & USAF retired 1971-1993
Successful Transactions with more than 100 Members
Mondays catch
USN & USAF retired 1971-1993
Successful Transactions with more than 100 Members
USN & USAF retired 1971-1993
Successful Transactions with more than 100 Members
USN & USAF retired 1971-1993
Successful Transactions with more than 100 Members
USN & USAF retired 1971-1993
Successful Transactions with more than 100 Members
USN & USAF retired 1971-1993
Successful Transactions with more than 100 Members
L to R: 1948 Chevy Fleetmaster, 1940 Plymouth, 1948 Mercury.
Mercury, Plymouth, Chevy.
fka renman95, Sep 2005, 7,000 posts
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I rode in this yesterday. the Colebrookdale M-55 Motorcar (Doodlebug)
INYNWHWeTrust-TexasNationals,ajaan,blu62vette
coinJP, Outhaul ,illini420,MICHAELDIXON, Fade to Black,epcjimi1,19Lyds,SNMAN,JerseyJoe, bigjpst, DMWJR , lordmarcovan, Weiss,Mfriday4962,UtahCoin,Downtown1974,pitboss,RichieURich,Bullsitter,JDsCoins,toyz4geo,jshaulis, mustanggt, SNMAN, MWallace, ms71
Adding to the Bridges and Boats theme.
(I recently took this photo of the Car Transport roll on, roll off ship near Yokohama Bridge because it was from the same NYK line and a twin of the RORO ship that had transported my vehicle through the Panama Canal to the West Coast before departing on across the Pacific.)
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From a LCS 2 days ago.
Local Car Show not Local Coin Shop
Kobe rookie season and MJ
I got my sovereign back today!
They are very gleamy! Hard to photograph. PCGS did a GREAT job on this True-view!
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The above pictured original Denali Car a/k/a The Harding Car completed its service in 1945 as World War II came to an end. Since Alaska's 1967 Centennial it has been preserved at Alaskaland (Now Pioneer Park) in Fairbanks, Alaska. This year marks the Centennial of the Alaska Railroad's Completion when 100 years ago President Harding, traveling in the Denali Car, came to Nenana, Alaska to drive in the Golden Spike marking that event.
In 1979 a successor Denali Car came to share that name. Both cars were originally manufactured by The Pullman Car Works of Chicago with the original leaving the factory in 1905 when the Pullman company was starting and the successor in 1930 as Pullman came to its end. Both cars were also acquired from The Great Northern Railroad.
The current Denali Car has a storied history of its own as well which included transporting troops during World War II. It went through a number of overhauls, the first of which was in 1939 when it was transformed from a standard Sleeper Car to a multi-bedroom car. In 1948 Great Northern Railroad acquired it and used it to transport tourists until 1957 when it was modernized for business service. As part of the 1957 modifications an additional nine feet were added to its center and its roof was lowered and rounded to look more like the modern lightweight streamlined cars of the new era. An observatory lounge, kitchen, dining room and open air observation platform were added.
1969 saw the end of the Great Northern Railroad via a merger and the Alaska Railroad acquired it in 1971 although for a period of time it remained in the continental United States where Alaska Railroad officials apparently used it as a hotel away from home. Once it arrived in Alaska it was used as an entertainment car for VIPs and politicians. In 1985 the observation lounge was expanded by removing a secretary's room. It continued service until 2002. In 2005 it was pulled out of storage and shipped to Colorado for yet another reimagining. This time it was modified into its present configuration. As it is today it has a one bedroom with an attached large bathroom and shower, a kitchen, and a combined dining and observation room which allows seating for 14 at a table and, when not at the table, posh lounge chairs for the same 14 - although by utilizing both up to 28 persons can be accommodated.
Alaska Railroad offers its Denali Car to non-profit organizations for charitable funding purposes. With 14 persons making $500 donations apiece the minimum required $7,000 can be generated for a charitable cause. This past weekend our Rotary Club took advantage to raise funds for the Scouts in our community.
Here pictured is the current Denali Car as we rode it from Anchorage to Seward, Alaska and back, a close to 5 hour journey each way. In Seward some of us took advantage of visiting the Alaska Sea Life Center there. (It was a four mile walk from the train depot to the center, but we took advantage of a shuttle for the return.)
Undoubtably several of the Alaska Governors whose signatures are affixed, as pictured below, have occupied the Denali Car at one time or another and most certainly Governor Sheffield who became the President of the Alaska Railroad held meetings in it. In a following photo he is seen with then Alaska Senator Ted Stevens in a ceremony commemorating the State of Alaska's purchase of the railroad from the Federal Government.
Views from the Denali Car's Observation Platform as the train travels from Anchorage to Seward:
And then there were the views when the train would come to a stop and one could look down to see fishermen along the tracks, fish in the waters at a culvert, and even the wildflowers at the side:
Arrived at Seward and a visit to its Sea Life Center:
The tank there into which Drew Barrymore donned scuba gear and swam with the seals for the movie "Big Miracle" although in post production the seals were digitized into whales:
Note the distant landslide which completely blocked the road. The individual pools are used to rehabilitate injured marine mammals and are not otherwise available for viewing:
Concluding views on the return (again from the observation platform at the rear of the Denali Car) as evening approaches
24
fka renman95, Sep 2005, 7,000 posts
Culled down from a reduced album of 159 favorites. That said the Sea Life photos probably should have been a separate posting.
Anyway, thanks for viewing.
Stairs of death Huayna Picchu, in Peru
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