Totsugi Okureta Kitsune ga Yome ni Kuru Hanashi - Ch. 98 - It Was Super Effective!

[nljm]

Yeah, I get the impression that outside of North America (and maybe Australia), people tend to look at driving long distances as 'weird'... in much the same way USA-ians look at actually functional mass land transit as 'weird'.

Tbf Amtrak exists, and they haul loads and loads of shit every single day, but yeah, passenger trains are definitely scarce if you're not in a big metropolitan area. Especially for a country that used to rely on loads of trains.
On a side note there's a pretty cool train museum down in Miami

 

[BlackAeronaut]

Yeah, I get the impression that outside of North America (and maybe Australia), people tend to look at driving long distances as 'weird'... in much the same way USA-ians look at actually functional mass land transit as 'weird'.

Yeah, it's mostly a distance issue. Places like the USA and Australia have huge amounts of sprawl where walking for even the simplest things - like grocery shopping - is impractical.

But in most European cities and towns, essentials like grocery stores are much closer. They also tend to be smaller, too, because they don't serve as many customers - they make up for that by having more locations closer together.

Japan is especially odd in comparison because they don't like to store food for very long. They're very big on food being fresh, so they tend to buy the food they're gonna cook that very day. About the only thing they'll keep a store of is rice. Which, so long as it stays dry and free of vermin, can last for years on end in dry storage.

Funny thing, though. For servicemen and women of the US Armed Forces, if they possess a valid driver's license from the USA, and their driving privileges are in good standing, then they just practically give you a Japanese driver's license. At least, that's how it was when I was last there as of 2011. They recognize that most Americans are pretty much Warriors of the Dao of the Road, so all we had to do was pass an exam to show we comprehended the local signage and rules of the road, and then a quick driving test to make sure we're not likely to drive on the wrong side of the road. No need for any driver's education courses, which are de rigueur for anyone else in Japan.

 

[BlackAeronaut]

Tbf Amtrak exists, and they haul loads and loads of shit every single day, but yeah, passenger trains are definitely scarce if you're not in a big metropolitan area. Especially for a country that used to rely on loads of trains.
On a side note there's a pretty cool train museum down in Miami

Neat thing about Amtrak.

If you're planning a big trip, it's actually cheaper to reserve a stateroom on a sleeper car than to pay for gas, food, and lodging on a road trip.

Staterooms not only give you a comfortable and isolated space to sleep and just generally chill out, but your meals are included, too. And, of course, you can spend as much time taking in the scenery as you like without dealing with the stress of driving.

 

[sarusa]

Neat thing about Amtrak.

If you're planning a big trip, it's actually cheaper to reserve a stateroom on a sleeper car than to pay for gas, food, and lodging on a road trip.

Yeah, I've done Amtrak a bunch of times. If you have the time, it's much nicer and cheaper than driving or (usually) flying, and nowhere near the hell of airport travel. You just show up at the station, drop your bags, get on the train, then look out the window and eat, sleep, and drink beer as you feel like it. Use the wifi or enjoy the view! Last time I took it was from San Diego to Vancouver, and got a two bunk sleeper room with my companion, quite nice.

Ironically, the speed really dropped after we passed the Canada border, apparently they haven't been maintaining their lines very well? But we did get there, grabbed our bags, went through customs, done.

OTOH, it's not something you can just do on a whim, like someone in Japan could just hop on a train to Tokyo from Kanagawa every half hour. It's still a pain in the ass getting to the station, for instance, unlike Japan with all its local rail / subways. And it's way slower than Japan's bullet trains. We have to treat it like a less annoying plane trip.

 

[nljm]

OTOH, it's not something you can just do on a whim, like someone in Japan could just hop on a train to Tokyo from Kanagawa every half hour. It's still a pain in the ass getting to the station, for instance, unlike Japan with all its local rail / subways. And it's way slower than Japan's bullet trains. We have to treat it like a less annoying plane trip.

Fair enough, I don't live in a big notable metropolitan area on the coasts, so the nearest station near me is a small, goofy bus stop without many amenities, so I'd rather go on a plane (or drive for close-proximity) for things

They recognize that most Americans are pretty much Warriors of the Dao of the Road

Imagine what they see when they visit New York City or Los Angeles...

 

[Karamru]

Also, on the 90 minute drive - I think the big thing is that for hopping from Kanagawa to Tokyo and back most Japanese would just hop on their fast, safe, cheap trains and be there in half an hour for 500 yen (each way). You could probably still even take the box of water on if you had security check it! Buuuut then the walk to the station in Kanagawa and then to Goro's apartment in Tokyo while lugging the box of water would be hell (water is heavy), so she drove. Of course there are people in Japan who will drive from Hokkaido (with ferry) to Hiroshima, you need to drive lots of places in Hokkaido, and you've got lots of long haul (for Japan) truck drivers, but for most Japanese it's 'zOMG why would you drive so far?'

Speaking of cities, but I might have missed it is it ever mentioned in what city Goro and Kogane live?

 

[sarusa]

Speaking of cities, but I might have missed it is it ever mentioned in what city Goro and Kogane live?

It's said they live in 穂原町 (Hobara-cho). However this is not something I can find any reference to existing at all with Google Maps or Kagi, so I think it's just a made up suburb of Tokyo. There are a couple 'Hobara's in other prefectures, like Fukushima and Mie, but they have different kanji.

 

[Kyuketsuki]

If Goro woke up during the cleaning session, I hope the intrusive thought of I am going to bury my face in her tail while she is distracted occurred with a failed saving throw to resist

 

[Ikariniku]

We have been told that living in the human world is hard for Kogane (and, by extension, all monster foxes). However, these past two chapters have really shown that in a meaningful way. With the curse backlash stripping away all the skills and abilities Kogane had honed to live in the human world, she is stuck in the apartment eating instant food. I'm a big fan of any time we see what a badass in her own right Kogane is, and by seeing her struggle here, we understand how effortless she makes it look at full power. BTW, we all know that Kogane is cleaning up that shed fur so Goro doesn't try and keep it all.
As for public transit in the US, I have to drive about an hour to reach the nearest train station, and I live in a heavily populated state. I would love to have more convenient mass transit, but it only ever gets less convenient.