鉄道博物館、すごく立派な博物館だった！
これは外国人観光客も含め本気で集客して、観光地にしよう！という意気込みが感じられるものでした。古い電車や機関車の展示、歴史や、昔の駅員さんが使っていた帽子やらライトやら。信号機や車線変更をできる仕組みもかいせつされていて、とにかく盛りだくさん！ジオラマやプラレールも大規模に飾られていて、子供が大喜びすること間違いなし！鉄道好きさんも、外国人の方も、子供たちも、思い思いに楽しんでいました。それを遠目から眺める… ここだけ見ると、少子化とは？？ってなりますが。
扇形の車庫がおもしろかった。扇型の車庫には機関車が何台も配置されて、その中央に、回転式のレールがあるので、そこのレールに乗せれば、車庫の中のどの機関車も自由に動かせる。メンテとか、少ないスペースでしやすいだろうなと思いました。
それにしても暑かったーーー、蒸し暑さ半端ない。9月になったから涼しくなるはずだ、という思い込みは一旦捨てよう…。そうしよ…。京都は夏日（30℃超え）が平均70日もあるらしいし（京都検定情報）。70日というのは過去30年の平均なので、過去10年で見たらもっと多いはず…ということは三ヶ月は夏日。長期戦覚悟でのぞむべきですね…。
The Railway Museum was impressive! You could really feel their determination to make it a proper tourist attraction, including drawing in foreign visitors. The museum featured old trains and locomotives, displays on the history of railways and items like hats and lanterns that station staff used to use. There were also explanations about the signaling system and how track switching works. It was packed with so much to see! They even had large-scale dioramas and Plarail exhibits that were sure to make kids exhilerated. Train enthusiasts, foreign visitors, and children of all nationalities were all enjoying themselves in their own way. Watching this from a distance, it really made you think, "Wait, does Japan really have a declining birthrate?"
The fan-shaped trainhouse was fascinating. Several locomotives were arranged in a fan shape, and in the center, there was a rotating rail. Once a locomotive was placed on the rotating rail, you could move it forward in and out of the roundhouse. It must make maintenance easier and more efficient with limited space.
But wow, it was SO hot. The humidity was intense. I must let go of the assumption that September means cooler weather… I must! Kyoto apparently has over 70 days of 'summer days' (above 30°C) on average (according to the "Kyoto Exam" textbook). And that’s the average over the past 30 years, so it must be even more in the last decade. So basically, three months of summer heat. We really need to prepare for the long haul…
It was so hot that my brain wasn’t really working. Normally, I’m a fast walker, but the friend I was with was walking briskly ahead. I should’ve just said, “Hey, can you slow down a bit?” But of course, my "conflict avoidance syndrome" kicked in again. It wasn’t even something that would’ve caused an argument, but I just didn’t know how to say it calmly.
Instead of saying “Why are you walking so fast!?” or “Why are you being so inconsiderate, walking at your own pace and not thinking of me?” I could’ve just said, “Could you slow down a little?” Most likely, he simply didn’t realize that he was walking so fast. I need to stay calm and approach things like, “It would make me happy if you could do this...” That is my problem, not theirs. It's something to work on...
トワイライトエクスプレス、大阪から札幌までの寝台特急列車。23時間かかっていたらしい…ひえーー腰痛くなりそう。そして酔う人にはこたえますね。。
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