A piece of London in Japan

[craftsman]

Famed British bus to find new home in Shimonoseki

The residents of Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, might soon be driven to thinking they are in the heart of central London.

The coastal city will take possession of a distinctive red double-decker Routemaster bus that used to travel the streets of London and is considered a design icon.

more if the story here


And here is the distinctive entrance/exit of the routemaster. They used to be marvellous for running and jumping on while moving or for slipping off at a traffic light when and where you liked. And of course you could lean out and dodge dispatch riders while hanging on to that pole.



Sadly missed from London's streets but hats off to Shimonoseki's mayor who knows style when he sees it.

[made of stone]

Thanks for posting that craftsman, very interesting.

A sweet and sour story though...nice for the Japanese city involved, but very sad those old buses aren't seen in London anymore.

[nurizeko]

cool buses, but maybe this will give the world a chance to descover theres more to London then the typical international view, God knows Londoners are so rich and narccisistic now that they yearn to be recognised as the city of high culture that they fancy they have made it.

[made of stone]

Originally Posted by nurizeko

cool buses, but maybe this will give the world a chance to descover theres more to London then the typical international view, God knows Londoners are so rich and narccisistic now that they yearn to be recognised as the city of high culture that they fancy they have made it.

You are quite right that there is (and always will be) a great concentration of wealth in the capital, and that it's an international centre of the Arts, and has been for hundreds of years (if not more); both those facts are undisputable.

But have you been to London recently? The poor areas continue to deteriorate, the problems of crime, drugs and lawlessness are near breaking-point, imho. Many areas are approaching third-world in terms of services and the danger on the streets. We have floods of poor immigrants (both legal and illegal), many hundreds of thousands every year, who put a strain on the resources that will have repercussions for many years to come (and btw, I in no way blame those immigrants, but the sytem and the government who enact failed policies, and don't even properly put into practice the ones they have at their disposal which might work.)

[Taiko666]

Originally Posted by nurizeko

cool buses...

Yes they were cool buses, but very easy to fall out of after a jar or two...

Originally Posted by nurizeko

God knows Londoners are so rich and narccisistic now that they yearn to be recognised as the city of high culture that they fancy they have made it.

I'm amazed... what make you think this is the case?

Is somebody who lives in a council estate in Lambeth rich and narcissistic? London isn't just Mayfair and Knightsbridge...

And how should we define a Londoner? Someone who was born and raised there (like me- and I don't consider myself rich or narcissistic) or somebody who has moved there permanently (like millions of Brits and immigrants) or people who live there temporarily (like the thousands of antipodeans who liven the place up) ?

[nurizeko]

But have you been to London recently? The poor areas continue to deteriorate, the problems of crime, drugs and lawlessness are near breaking-point, imho. Many areas are approaching third-world in terms of services and the danger on the streets. We have floods of poor immigrants (both legal and illegal), many hundreds of thousands every year, who put a strain on the resources that will have repercussions for many years to come (and btw, I in no way blame those immigrants, but the sytem and the government who enact failed policies, and don't even properly put into practice the ones they have at their disposal which might work.)

Sounds like the rest of the UK on a normal day to me.

As for the Immigration issue, I didnt vote in Labour, so, its not my concern :/.....if Labour wants to launch the HMS Britain off of the waterfalls at the edge of the world, thats their choice, worst comes to worst I could jump ship, though I'm too lazy to particularily care about saving myself.

Even a poor Londoner fancies himself living at the centre of the universe.

I just wish foreigners, especially the Japanese, saw the UK as more then a red bus, Big Ben, and the queen.

To most it almost seems like the UK is just the big floating city of theme park London, or a nice place to escape one type of poverty to live in a completely different type of poverty. (I fail to see the appeal TBH).

Britain needs to lose all these little quirks the world mocks us by, its bad enough Labour is all but putting a bullet to the head of this country, we dont need the themey gimicky international image we carry neither.

[Vagante]

Originally Posted by made of stone

You are quite right that there is (and always will be) a great concentration of wealth in the capital, and that it's an international centre of the Arts, and has been for hundreds of years (if not more); both those facts are undisputable.
But have you been to London recently? The poor areas continue to deteriorate, the problems of crime, drugs and lawlessness are near breaking-point, imho. Many areas are approaching third-world in terms of services and the danger on the streets. We have floods of poor immigrants (both legal and illegal), many hundreds of thousands every year, who put a strain on the resources that will have repercussions for many years to come (and btw, I in no way blame those immigrants, but the sytem and the government who enact failed policies, and don't even properly put into practice the ones they have at their disposal which might work.)

Made of Stone hits the spot ... as usual. Follow his posts.

[Harry Gatto]

There is an old Routemaster bus in Izu Kogen, it is used as an extension to a cafe. Quite a surprise when I first saw it 7 years ago.

[Pepe]

Nice to look at those buses, but less headroom than in the Tokyo subway. I find it a pity that there was no real effort made to clearly link the new busses with the old design wise, like has been done with the traditional Black Cabs. The new Black Cabs, like the new Mini, still carry an air of nostalgia which positively adds to the culture of England, and not just for tourists.

Originally Posted by nurizeko

I just wish foreigners, especially the Japanese, saw the UK as more then a red bus, Big Ben, and the queen.

Not going to happen any time soon, because this is all that a foreigner ever gets to see from the comfort of their own hoe/library/school. And even when they do travel somewhere, many tours are structured to only hit the 'hot-spots' and avoid anything that may be detrimental to the image of an ideal tourist destination. Do you think people will still come in droves and leave tons of cash if they had a realistic impression of any place? It is in the interest of tourism to market ones good points. Also, this is not restricted to the Japanese: How many English tourist visit Japan thinking of more than Manga/Anime, sushi, girls in Sailor Moon school uniforms and VCRs that don't stop blinking '12:00'?

[EmperorHirohito]

Well done to Japan for importing a classic piece of British history.

As for London, was down there last month and dont really want to return for a long time, enough said.

[made of stone]

Originally Posted by Pepe

Also, this is not restricted to the Japanese: How many English tourist visit Japan thinking of more than Manga/Anime, sushi, girls in Sailor Moon school uniforms and VCRs that don't stop blinking '12:00'?

Lol, I lived in Japan for six years, and never thought of any of those except sushi before I left England for those far shores (though I did roughly know of Manga) and neither did my many friends and relatives who came to visit me in those years!!

[Kinsao]

Originally Posted by nurizeko

Even a poor Londoner fancies himself living at the centre of the universe.

everyone is the centre of his/her own universe.

Britain needs to lose all these little quirks the world mocks us by

geez no! o.o imo we would be poorer without em!
okay it's annoying to be viewed through the lens of another's stereotype, but that can't be avoided in any country; if we tried to get rid of anything that might be perceived as/turned into a stereotype about our country, we'd be left with no individuality and not much else either.