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Maibara Station is a major transfer point for the Tokaido Line, Hokuriku Line, and shinkansen bullet train. From this station, you can go on to Kyoto (or Tokyo in the east) in the west or to Fukui, Kanazawa, and Toyama up north.
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Bus and taxi stops at Maibara Station's west exit. On this side of the station, you'll find Heiwado department store and the Maibara City Hall. MAP
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On the west side of Maibara Station is this long escalator to go down. The up escalator is inside the station building.
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Azai Sisters Expo poster.
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Maibara Station is Shiga's sole shinkansen bullet train station and transfer station for the Hokuriku region.
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Corridor going to the west side. Maibara Station was renovated during 2007-2009. Most parts of Maibara Station are new, and others are old. This is an old corridor.
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This old corridor gets a nice touch with artwork by local kids.
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Maibara festivals
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Mishima Pond
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Rainbow trout
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Mt. Ibuki
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Nabe Matsuri
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Maibara Station as seen from a train platform. The station's focal point is the huge window wall at the center.
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Window wall from the outside.
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Maibara Station's window wall, right outside the turnstile. This is the first thing you see when you give your ticket to go out.
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The interior is basically white.
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Lately, they have been using this window wall to show artwork. In spring 2013, a calligraphy club from a high school in Ibuki exhibited their work.
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This says "Tadaima" or "I'm home."
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This says, "Okaeri" or "Welcome home!" Perfect artwork for people returning to their hometown from the cities for spring vacation.
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Different artwork on the windows.
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Mt. Ibuki
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Corridor toward the east exit. White walls galore. There were plans for Hiro Yamagata, a famous artist from Maibara, to paint the walls here, but they never materialized due to the cost.
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Drawings by local children.
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East side of Maibara Station, still largely undeveloped.
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Escalators going to the east exit of Maibara Station.
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THe east exit has a nice, wooden, relief sculpture of Maibara's major sights. Made by woodcarvers in Kami-nyu in Samegai.
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Mt. Ibuki at the top.
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Maibara PR posters.
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Maibara Station's east exit has also been completely renovated.
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Maibara Station's east exit has a bus stop.
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Inside Maibara Station's east exit, just a large empty space.
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Next to Maibara Station's east exit is the Ohmi Railways Station. Otherwise, there's nothing much on the east side. For a shinkansen station, Maibara is pretty lonely.
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The new Ohmi Railways Maibara Station. This station is now closer to the JR Maibara Station, but still not integrated in Maibara Station. I thought it was a temporary structure.
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Incorrect English.
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Entrance to Ohmi Railways.
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The old Ohmi Railways Maibara Station. Torn down in 2007. It was slightly apart from the old Maibara Station. Now it's closer to Maibara Station.
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Inside the old Ohmi Railway Maibara Station. I liked this old building with remnants of the train line's golden age.
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Old Ohmi Railway Maibara Station.
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Shinkansen train. It takes about 2.5 hours from Tokyo to Maibara.
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1. Joining train cars on the Tokaido Line, Maibara Station.
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2. Joining train cars on the Tokaido Line, Maibara Station.
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3. Joining train cars on the Tokaido Line, Maibara Station.
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JR Biwako Line to Nagahama
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Inside Biwako Line train to Nagahama
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Changing the ads inside the train.
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Joining train cars on the Shirasagi express train, Maibara Station.
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On certain weekends, this steam locomotive runs between Maibara, Nagahama, and Kinomoto Stations in northern Shiga. Very popular attraction among adults and kids alike.
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Before the train departs, the passengers take pictures from the train platform.
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It's the real thing, belching thick black smoke and steam. Tickets can also be bought one month before departure at major JR train stations. The train ride between Maibara and Kinomoto Stations takes about an hour. The locomotive pulls five train car
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Locomotive nameplate "SL Kita-Biwako" (SL stands for steam locomotive.)
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Crowd gathers in front of the locomotive.
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Pile of coal
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Steam locomotive
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Checking the furnace
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The steam locomotive was built in 1939.
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Driver's cabin
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Almost departure time
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The smoke was all over the platform.
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Smoke from the train.
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The steam locomotive pulled modern-looking passenger cars.
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Inside a passenger car. Almost the same as an ordinary train. Should be a wooden floor...
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Rear end of train.
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Oyako (Parent-child) photo exhibition by Bruce Osborn held at Maibara Station's corridor from July 2011 to March 2012. The large window wall is now covered with his portraits.
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The city of Maibara has pursued a slogan of stressing "Kizuna" or human bonds. Bruce's longtime oyako project fits in well and he was invited to exhibit his parent-child photos in Maibara Station.
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About the exhibition. Architecturally, Maibara Station has nothing to boast about. But at least it now has something pretty.
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Bruce is a pro photographer based in Hayama, Kanagawa Prefecture. He has been taking celebrity parent-child portraits and publishing them in Mainichi Shimbun.
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Maibara Station's large window wall with Bruce Osborn's Oyako portraits.
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The Oyako photos are exhibited along most of the corridor space, mainly toward the east side.
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Besides celebrity parent-child portraits, there are four, large photo panels showing parent-child portraits taken in Maibara, seen on the left here.
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More Oyako photos in the corridor toward the east side. Maibara Station finally looks better with these photos.
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The Maibara oyako portraits are in four panels, one for each season.
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About the Maibara oyako portraits.
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The first Maibara oyako portrait panel is about spring. Photos of ordinary people in Maibara looking special.
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Spring in Maibara.
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The second Maibara oyako portrait panel is about summer. Photos of ordinary people in Maibara looking special.
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Summer in Maibara.
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The third Maibara oyako portrait panel is about fall. Photos of ordinary people in Maibara looking special.
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Fall in Maibara.
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The fourth Maibara oyako portrait panel is about winter. Photos of ordinary people in Maibara looking special. One photo was taken on snowy Mt. Ibuki.
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Winter in Maibara.
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More celebrity oyako photos with English captions.
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End of the corridor at the east side.
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Oyako photos taken by people with their cell phones.
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Tatoo artist parents.
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Singer Kayama Yuzo and dad.
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Yanmar's research facility is near Maibara Station.
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In front of Maibara City Hall on the west side of Maibara Station is an old snow-clearing train on display.
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Old Maibara Station on the west side.
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Old Maibara Station's shinkansen turnstile entrance.
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Old Maibara Station's shinkansen turnstile entrance.
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Old Maibara Station's waiting room.
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Old Maibara Station's comfortable waiting room was accessible by all. Now, only shinkansen passengers have a nice waiting room. The waiting room is near the shinkansen turnstile. It had a TV, noodle shop, vending machines, and air conditioning.
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Old Maibara Station corridor.
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Maibara Station renovation work.
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Old corridor of Maibara Station being dismantled in 2008.
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Old corridor of Maibara Station being dismantled.
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Old corridor of Maibara Station being dismantled.
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Waiting room on the platform. It had peeling paint.
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This air-conditioned waiting room for regular trains was renovated finally by 2011.
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The new Maibara Station building being built in late May 2007.
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The new Maibara Station building being built in late May 2007. On the left will be the main building.
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The new Maibara Station building being built in late May 2007.
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Rear view of the main Maibara Station building under construction.
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The old Maibara Station building on the left.
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