Naturally Nihon

Most of today was taken up by a 700km train journey back to Tokyo, crossing The Seto Ohashi Bridge on the first leg... ...and then Shinkansen all the way from Okayama to Tokyo. Sadly, Mount Fuji was swathed in cloud, so we didn't get to see that iconic scene of the snow-capped volcano. Back in Tokyo, and staying very close to the Shibuya Scramble, that mad multi-way pedestrian crossing. I only took video footage, but here's a shot from a nearby street, just to give you some of the big city vibes...

It's not just in the UK that slightly inclement weather disrupts the railways. We woke this morning to a torrential downpour and decided to breakfast in the hotel to wait out the worst. It didn't really work. We got soggy feet wading back through Kenroku-en to a history museum on the other side. We experienced a moving exhibition about the Noto quake of 2024 . I don't think this hit the media in the UK, but it was obviously pretty harrowing for the local people with nearly 700 dead and over a thousand badly injured. I don't think I can properly understand the mindset of living with the enduring threat of this kind of calamity. The value of property ownership, at least, must be greatly diminished.  No photos from the museum, but back in Kenroku-en, this photo by Diana... Anyway, the Shinkansen (and other trains) are all disrupted today because of the rain, so instead of waiting for the one we've booked seats on, we've gone for a Hail Mary ...

The afternoon's excitement was our first experience of Japan's 'bullet train'. Because we bought JR Passes to cover our 3 weeks here, all we has to do yesterday was reserve seats. So yesterday we tried to use one of the machines to do just that and I'm sorry to say that we gave up and went to the ticket office instead. Pathetic tourists!  By hook or by crook, here we are waiting to board our 16:24 to Nagano... ...moments later, the platform was heaving with peeps! Another local train to Zenkojishito got us to within striking distance of our 'ryokan', a traditional Japanese Inn. We have tatami mats and futons. We have to switch to inn-provided slippers at the door, but it's all lovely and the owner couldn't be more friendly. OK, I can't resist. Here's another pylon...