Travelling to Hakone

After 2 days in Tokyo we've become experts at the train system.

Here's some tips from old hands: 

1. Pay attention to the line name, 2-letter abbreviation and colour (up to 9 lines at the same station); station name and number (there are 882 stations in Tokyo); the platform number (up to 24 at the one station); the ideal train car number for a quick exit; and the gate name and number. 

2. Be prepared to navigate up to 12 levels and to walk a kilometre within the one station complex.

3. Use google maps which will tell you all of this information, but whatever you do, don't exit navigation underground - you won't get your GPS signal back again.

4. Pay attention to which side you're supposed to ride the escalator or walk the stairs this time, even at the same station. 

Keep all that in mind and you'll feel perfectly relaxed and get to where you're going (almost) every time.

But today we turbo-charged our Japanese train experience. 

Saying goodbye to our capsules and to Tokyo's 40 million residents, we boarded our first ever Shinkansen 🚄. (Thankfully the Japanese weren't silly enough to call them Very Fast Trains, like we've been talking about getting for as long as I can remember. Instead Shinkansen means something much cooler - 'new trunk line' - which I guess in 1964 was just as descriptive as the VFT is today, but even less exciting. 'Bullet train' is much better). 

What did we think? Very very fast and very very smooth. And much simpler than navigating Tokyo's trains - you just get in, go fast and get off. On our last leg we even changed from the very fast new trunk line train to the ultra fast new trunk line train (Nozomi). In 3 minutes we had got off the first train, walked along the platform from car 16 to car 5 and got on the next train - that's how fast and precise they are. 

But enough about getting from A to B. Where did we go today? 

One of the most popular day trips from Tokyo - Hakone. 

The highlights?

1. Reading and praying with Hamish about today's Psalm at 200km per hour.

2. The open air museum. Magnificent sculptures in a beautiful setting (plus a Picasso museum).

3. The volcanic sulphur fumes at the top of the mountain. 

4. Travelling over the magnificent mountain vegetation. 

5  The view of Mt Fuji.

Can you spot it? It looked similar from the Shinkansen, even though I'd booked a window seat in the right side. 

6. The cemetery?

bibs??

7. The cedar forrest.

8. The Shinto shrine on Lake Ashi.

7. The transport. (Sorry to go back on that track, but today we had 13 different legs: 1 Tokyo train, 3 Shinkansen, 2 local trains (1 going the wrong way and 1 coming back), 1 scenic train, 1 steep scenic train (2nd steepest in the world - is the Blue mountains scenic railway the steepest?), 1 even steeper cable car, 2 'ropeways' (gondolas), 1 pirate ship

 and 1 bus ride with a driver who took the  mountains curves like a formula 1 driver. And believe it or not, I didn't get sick!

Unfortunately it rained most of the afternoon and was terribly cold at the top. 

From past pictures the whole area is very beautiful when the sun shines. 

Finally arriving in Kyoto we admired the city centre 

and walked to our accommodation - a Ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) - complete with Japanese architecture, tatiami mats, futons and sleepwear. A great experience. 

So special to share all of this with my delightful son.