Japan: The Bullet Train

June 8, 2018 -

I think today’s activities will be the highlight of the trip for me.  We plan to take the bullet train, or what the Japanese call “Shinkansen,” down to Hiroshima.  There we plan to take in the Peace Museum and see another other sights from the Aug 6, 1945 atomic bomb dropping.

A screen capture of my iPhone while riding the bullet train.

It took some time in deciphering how to get tickets and departure times.  It was a little more expensive than we expected.  But we are in Japan so we were determined to do it.

We get on board and it’s reminiscent of an airplane.  And very clean.  Unfortunately, and especially for Jack who always wants to sit, there were no seats.  We took a spot to stand next to the smoking booths.  Yes you read that correct.  Smoking booths.  My mom and dad would have loved this.  They have special booths where people can smoke on the train.  They must have had very good ventilation systems inside of those as I never smelled any second hand smoke.

The train rode incredibly smooth.  You would get some bumps and movement when it would accelerate or turn, but for the most part, very smooth.  I’ve had more turbulence on an airplane.

We disembarked from the shinkansen and hailed a cab to take us to the Peace Park and Museum.  I sat in the front seat of the very small cab.  The driver drove in a very odd fashion.  We would come to a stop and he’d put the car in neutral and pull the parking brake.  When the light would change, he’d put it in drive and release the break.  He kept doing this all the time.  He might save a yen’s worth of fuel, but it will cost thousands of yen for the repair to the wear and tear on the transmission.

The taxis are very clean here in Japan.  Taxi drivers wear dark, conservative suits with white gloves.  A far cry from what kind of cab ride you’d get in downtown Chicago.

The park and museum were well worth the trip I thought.  Of course with our luck, the main building of the museum was closed for renovations.  Still, I enjoyed the visit.  It is all located pretty much to ground zero where the bomb detonated.  I had joked that I wish I had a geiger-counter to check on radiation.  One building in particular is called A-Bomb Dome.  It was a dome building that partially withstood the blast.  I’m sure some reinforcement was in order, but was allowed to be kept standing to show the aftermath of the bomb’s dropping.

Inside the museum was a room that gave the effect as if you were walking the streets of Hiroshima right after the explosion.  Also in the room was a lighted display of the entire area, displaying an arial view of Hiroshima before, during and after the dropping of the a-bomb.  The museum also showcased artifacts found in the rubble and the aftermath.

I found Hiroshima to be cleaner and more modern than Kobe.  Granted it was rebuilt after 1945, but still.  This is another observation I’ve had with Japan.  The road and train infrastructure is very good.  But then I look at the buildings and many of then just appear to be run down.  The roofs look to be old; dirt or rust streaks run down the sides of the walls.  Ben was explaining something earlier regarding the way they value buildings here.  I didn’t totally understand, but it was something to the effect buildings will depreciate within 20-30 years depending upon what building it is.  Then it is only worth what the land is worth.  I find it hard to believe market prices don’t dictate this.  

The A-Bomb Dome.

Our plans that evening was to meet with some friends of Ben and Sam, at what I believed was going to be their apartment.  This will be interesting, I thought.  Japanese residences are not very big.  I was already getting tired of small, cramp restaurants and places.  We were getting ready to leave the hotel to meet with Ben at the train station.  Unbeknownst to me, Sam was to take a red suitcase along with him to drop off with these friends of theirs.  Sam had to run back to the room to get this.  “What does he have to get?” I inquire.

Dennis explained that it was a suitcase full of bibles that they brought over from the US for these people.  “What?” I thought, also picturing a bunch of hot Gidian bibles from hotel rooms in a suitcase.  So now I’m sizing up the situation: meeting some people in a small apartment to hand off a pile of bibles which will likely turn out, they don’t drink, have no alcohol, it’s hot in the room and serving questionable food items.  My immediate future does not bode well for me.

It turned out we met them at an un-authentic Hawaiian restaurant for dinner.  Though small, it was not hot, they served beer and I ordered the surf & turf.  The owner had a little dog in the restaurant (and I haven’t seen too may pets here) wearing a blue Hawaiian shirt.  The company of Ben and Sam’s friends was very nice and we all had a good time.  At the end of the night, the owner was playing his ukulele with their kids.  I never did find out what the bibles were for.  Not sure I want to know.

Now it was back to the Crowne Plaza to binge watch some more of "The 100" on Netflix... and drink beer.