We've found our groove with train travel, streamlined our process from packing to researching to buying tickets while walking to the train station to catch a Friday night train to our destination. For the first half our of year of living in Japan we had to purchase our train tickets by cash using a machine (and deciphering said machine) or wait in a sometimes long line to purchase from a clerk.
Then finally Japan rolled out a website to purchase tickets online! It still has some kinks to work out, but we can weave our way through the endless check boxes (yes I really am sure I want to buy these) to make our selection on the website and using our credit card. We've done this during our 10 minute walk to the station, while riding a train from one destination to a layover point (purchasing tickets for the next leg of our trip) and even standing outside the gate, exchanging ticket times for an earlier train that we are waiting to catch right now.
So this particular Friday night we hop on our first of two trains for the night and settle in with our snacks and podcasts and 4 hours later after we wake up from our snooze we're in Himeji! We wake up bright eyed Saturday morning ready to explore the town!
Then finally Japan rolled out a website to purchase tickets online! It still has some kinks to work out, but we can weave our way through the endless check boxes (yes I really am sure I want to buy these) to make our selection on the website and using our credit card. We've done this during our 10 minute walk to the station, while riding a train from one destination to a layover point (purchasing tickets for the next leg of our trip) and even standing outside the gate, exchanging ticket times for an earlier train that we are waiting to catch right now.
So this particular Friday night we hop on our first of two trains for the night and settle in with our snacks and podcasts and 4 hours later after we wake up from our snooze we're in Himeji! We wake up bright eyed Saturday morning ready to explore the town!
We had originally planned to wait and do this adventure in September after hopefully most of the hot hot hot humid weather had moved on from this area of the country. But the forecast showed stormy weather in Utsunomiya, so once again we followed the sunshine. So much sunshine and hot hot weather.
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While the real reason for this adventure was the most amazingest cocktail! We squeezed in a quick detour to Himeji-jo. One of Japan's three premier historic castles! Japan loves their lists of the Top 3 Best Castles, Gardens, Parks, Scenic Views...and we excited checked off visiting our 3rd of the Best Castles!
Armed with bottled water and our tiny towels to wipe our sweaty faces we set off to explore this famous castle. As we walk to the entrance a kind lady stops to let us know it's going to be hot inside. When a Japanese person stops to let you know it's gonna be hot, you brace for extraordinary heat. She suggests extra water and cautions us to go slowly.
We wander the grounds, admire all the tiny architectural details that were originally built in the 1600s. Heading inside we're handed plastic bags to carry our shoes in as we wander barefoot on ancient wood floors. We carefully navigate steep stairs higher and higher into the structure. This wooden beam, basically a tree. A very very big tree that goes from the basement, through 5 floors, anchoring to the base of the top floor providing centuries of structural support in Earthquake prone areas.
We wander the grounds, admire all the tiny architectural details that were originally built in the 1600s. Heading inside we're handed plastic bags to carry our shoes in as we wander barefoot on ancient wood floors. We carefully navigate steep stairs higher and higher into the structure. This wooden beam, basically a tree. A very very big tree that goes from the basement, through 5 floors, anchoring to the base of the top floor providing centuries of structural support in Earthquake prone areas.
One of my favorite things about visiting these ancient castles, shrines and temples is imagining all the folks who have stood in this place before us. The centuries of souls who have climbed up and down these stairs, on their way to sleep or to gather food or to fight battles. These beams and stone have bore witness to hundreds or years of life, watching its community grow and evolve from Medieval times through the isolationist period to opening up the country and the modernization to what it is today.
During WW2 this city was heavily firebombed. The community worked to conceal the specialness of the castle by painting her black to blend in with the surrounding area. She survived intact despite 60% of the surrounding area burning to the ground and a firebomb dropped right onto the roof (thank goodness for a bad detonator)
Wars are complex, I get that. Lots of fingerpointing and who's actions were the worst and how many lives were saved by strong retaliation. Lots of muddy waters and strong emotions and complicated thoughts. I'm just glad that some of these ancient structures survived and stand as a testament to a bygone era.
Wars are complex, I get that. Lots of fingerpointing and who's actions were the worst and how many lives were saved by strong retaliation. Lots of muddy waters and strong emotions and complicated thoughts. I'm just glad that some of these ancient structures survived and stand as a testament to a bygone era.
And when it's a bazillion degrees (but seriously the heat index was 110) outside and you come across a vending machine that sells ice cream it's a sign to rest in the shade and enjoy ice cream for breakfast.
We were in this area a few short months ago- with much different weather.
It's neat to see how much the deer (and their antlers) have grown!
It's neat to see how much the deer (and their antlers) have grown!
And to see these famous locations without the throngs of international tourists. Although we're getting the question more and more, 'where are you from' with an underlying tone of 'did you just bring your American germs to our country?!?!'
2 more trains to the Famous Bar!!! Then we start the 5 hour journey back home. We settle in for the middle section of our ride, the longest portion when suddenly the train slows down. We've been on enough train rides to know the rhythm of the train speeding up and slowing down. And this slow down was just passed a station, not the right time for another stop.
The conductor comes on the radio and begins making announcements in Japanese. I pull out google translate to test out the real time translation capabilities (spoiler: not good at translating radio announcements) but pick up enough to know that they're talking about something at a station. More googling and we learn a power line has fallen across the tracks. We settle in to wait and get started about 20 minutes later. Not a big deal, except our 25 minute stop at Tokyo Station has quickly evaporated. 25 minutes is plenty of time to change from one Shinkansen line to another, which involves climbing stairs to the main concourse, tapping out of gates, making ones way across the (hectic) station, tapping back into gates then going back down to the fast tracks.
We cross our fingers that our conductor can make up time on the way back and aim to be the first out the door when we pull into Tokyo Station. Our train pulls in with 8 minutes before our next train departs. It's gonna be close. Luckily we've followed this path a few times so we know where we're going. A dash up the escalator, jogging and weaving our way through the crowds, carefully running down the last set of stairs and we get to our train in time! Early in fact! So 'early' they haven't even opened the doors to let people on the train!
2 more trains to the Famous Bar!!! Then we start the 5 hour journey back home. We settle in for the middle section of our ride, the longest portion when suddenly the train slows down. We've been on enough train rides to know the rhythm of the train speeding up and slowing down. And this slow down was just passed a station, not the right time for another stop.
The conductor comes on the radio and begins making announcements in Japanese. I pull out google translate to test out the real time translation capabilities (spoiler: not good at translating radio announcements) but pick up enough to know that they're talking about something at a station. More googling and we learn a power line has fallen across the tracks. We settle in to wait and get started about 20 minutes later. Not a big deal, except our 25 minute stop at Tokyo Station has quickly evaporated. 25 minutes is plenty of time to change from one Shinkansen line to another, which involves climbing stairs to the main concourse, tapping out of gates, making ones way across the (hectic) station, tapping back into gates then going back down to the fast tracks.
We cross our fingers that our conductor can make up time on the way back and aim to be the first out the door when we pull into Tokyo Station. Our train pulls in with 8 minutes before our next train departs. It's gonna be close. Luckily we've followed this path a few times so we know where we're going. A dash up the escalator, jogging and weaving our way through the crowds, carefully running down the last set of stairs and we get to our train in time! Early in fact! So 'early' they haven't even opened the doors to let people on the train!
A 4 minute dash from train door to train door, the perfect way to cap off our last epic train adventure.