The way up - to yamagata

Pictures from the trip as far as Yamagata.  Taking photos from moving trains is tricky, in addition to the movement there is reflection from inside lights and the windows themselves are often not so clean.  At least on this trip condensation wasn't a problem on the windows.

Tochigi but barely out of Tokyo - Utsunomiya is about 100km north

The north of Tochigi

By this stage it's starting to look more like countryside -
the Pacific side doesn't get much snow. It still felt like winter and
there was little evidence in the browned winter landscape
 of the coming spring.

 

Southern Fukushima

I shudder to think how often the food in here would
be replaced.... frozen food fast food on the train platform. 

Koriyama

Snow capped mountains in Fukushima - it was feeling much colder
at Koriyama than at Kuroiso.  It always seems that there is a
big temperature drop between the north of Tochigi and the south
of Fukushima

 

Change trains to go inland through Yamagata

Just enough time to get an over priced, not particularly appetizing
bento.  I bought it thinking it was a sesame red bean ball in it...
alas it was pumpkin... lucky I like pumpkin. Sometimes bento
are a lucky dips.

The serious snow started almost as soon as the train left Fukushima.
It was snowing in Fukushima as I boarded the Yamagata / Ou line.

The Shinkansen uses the same lines here.

Stations are in sheds in many places - there is too much
snow to be reasonably cleaned away without the shed.

I missed the Yonezawa sign... Yamagata and change for a train to
Shinjo

Houses near Yamagata station

 

 

A signboard poking out from the snow