It’s a walk in the park.
Well it would be if I wasn’t so Lark like. Does not open until 9am, it’s now 8:15.
Was saving a coffee for later, twixt hotel chuck out and train. In my quest to do all things Japanese you hit a bit of a quandary with the bean drink. Drinking coffee wasn’t really a thing, (basing this on the vast experience gathered in a one day walk in Kyoto, amidst all the tea shops and green tea tourist traps). But seeing as I am, down with the kids, or is that up with the kids? Anyway, found a coffee shop by the name of Tullys, must be a really old Japanese name, because you don’t hear it now. Croissant as well, who knew?
See, no Traditional Coffee House.
Shinjuku Gyeon National Garden
Really is a haven in the centre of Shinjuku.
What! No pictures of trains
Go on then. In the Academy of Shinkansen design, there was a competition for the longest nose, Carlo Collodi won. The other designers where really envious, so they painted it.
Even in the world of beauty, someone has to be last in the team pick
In this very short time that I have been here, as well as learning about tea rooms, I’ve noted how the Japanese love packaging. This is my take away lunch box called a Bento. At the stations they have lots of stores selling them.
Yes it’s all savoury, yes it was delicious, no I don’t what it all was.
Go West, what was he on about
Leaving Tokyo and heading across the island to Niigata. Shinkansen Max Toki, quite an old one, relatively, and double decker. The second, not so good looking one pictured. Same levels of service and comfort. As we head away from Tokyo the view on both sides is towards snow capped mountains. That might be the reason for the amount of ski bags noted on the platfoms.
Looking at the map, I’ve missed an opportunity, could have dropped in a Hitchcock reference. I won’t make the mistake again. There are lots of people on this carriage I don’t know, lots of them look crazy. Some look to have dodgy reputations. I’m going dizzy climbing all those stairs to my seat. Is the one behind me a reporter? He looks a clever clogs, I may have mistaken him. The woman behind me has suddenly disappeared. What a state those window coverings are in.
One hour and twenty minutes from Tokyo and the scenery has changed to this. Without much imagination a Brit named this range of mountains, he called them the Alps. Guess I’d better get used to it for the next few days minutes.
Niigata
Whilst out in a local hostelry I had a conversation with a local, called Haruto. Well, when I say conversation, it may have been a little more one sided than the word conversation actually means. When I say, one sided…
It went a little like this :-
Niigata is a lot like Hull
Hai
Except it’s not on the coast and doesn’t have a fishing fleet anymore
Hai
It does have ferries
Hai
And docks
Hai
By now I knew we where friends . So I went for the big connection.
Do you know, if I left Hull on a ferry, landed in Rotterdam and drove across Europe and Siberia, the next ferry I’d get would land in Niigata.
Hai
To prove how alike they are I showed him the pictures
Haruto, were you going? Haruto, Haruto
Haruto….
Trip to Japan 