We probably averaged an hour per day riding on various trains ... which brings up the question: what do photographers do when they are bored (and have a camera in hand)?  The answer: "Take pictures!"

This first image was taken on a local train going from the Narita airport to the small village of Narita.  You can see how spanking clean it looks:

All the high-speed express trains had conductors and attendants on board.  I took this shot of one of them while waiting on the platform for our train to arrive.  

I was intrigued with "winter" dress of the people ... this girl was wearing these "cool" ear muffs and a fairly heavy jacket with hood. The day time temperatures were never lower than 60 degrees F:

I've seen people in China wearing masks , and I always thought it was to keep the wearer from catching a bug.  In Japan, though, I was told they were wearing them to keep from spreading their germs!  I think the sense of "community" is Japan is much higher than in most of the other places I've traveled... indeed, much higher than in the U.S.A.

These next two images make me beleive that much of our behavior is in the DNA!  Do you remember this little girl from my first Japan blog post?  She was the little girl who stuck her tongue out at me after her nap.  In this photo taken before the nap, she has taken her father's hat and placed it on her head:

Look at the position of the had and how she's bent the brim.  She isn't more than three or four years old and already exhibits a sense of style. Is it part of the DNA or is it learned behavior?  I vote for DNA!

The trains can be a place to socialize.  Here three woman who apparently know each other have a little impromptu discussion:

Sitting across the aisle from me was a well-dressed middle-aged woman.  I really liked her boots and too this photo.  The lighting worked out great!  Maybe I'll become a fashion photog!  :-)

On another tip, the young lady sitting in the row ahead of me started to put on her face ... 

So there you have it ... proof positive of what a bored photographer does while riding around Japan on a train.  Happy Easter!

Adam