Amagasaki (for Mar. 17)
Happy St. Patrick’s Day. It is a cool, windy, and cloudy day in Japan. Quite a change from what we are used to! We saw a forecast for today predicting a high of 15. Amagasaki is the suburb of Osaska where Carla and Tyler live.
An hour after takeoff from Singapore they fed us another snack. We both watched a movie, and then I napped for a couple of hours. Celeste watched another movie and hardly napped at all especially with the guy next to her asleep and infringing on her space. They fed us breakfast at 5:30 Japan time – another one hour change. By the time they cleaned up, we were ready to land (at 7). After clearing health inspection, immigration, and customs, we headed for Japan Rail and were just in time to catch the 8 AM train to Tokyo (1.5 hour trip) for the 10 AM connection to Osaka.
The plan was to call Carla to confirm our arrival, but everything was moving so fast, we never got an opportunity. I thought we would have time in Tokyo, but by the time we made our way through the maze to our train, we were again tight on time. I found a payphone, but it only took phone cards, which we hadn’t yet purchased, and would not accept a credit card. We tried a phone on the train, but it was the same story. I am pretty sure that Carla will go with the original plan without confirmation and meet us at the station. If not, we will have to give her a call from there.
The ride from Narita to Tokyo was on a conventional train beginning in a rural area that became more densely populated as we progressed. The plots of land are very small, maybe the size of a city lot at home. Many of them appear to be growing rice. I hope one farmer owns more than one plot or it would be hard to feed a family. Celeste managed about a half hour nap on this section but the thought of missing our connection in Tokyo was enough to keep me awake despite eyelids as heavy as lead.
The city was much like any other big city, except there was more of it and the architecture was sometimes different. Actually, the many high rise apartments were quite plain and ordinary. We didn’t notice a downtown core cluster because we were in a tunnel for much of the last part of the ride, but it was sure bustling when we got off to transfer. We navigated the maze and found the high speed train for the next leg. I am not sure how fast it goes, but it seems quite a bit faster than a car at highway speed – maybe 150 kmph. We had to sit in a smoking car to get two seats together. What a treat! The smoke wasn’t too bad, but I found it quite warm and stuffy. I don’t know how all those businessmen in suits tolerated it. We had some great views of Mt. Fuji, but we were on the wrong side of the train. I tried to get a picture from the doorway, but Fuji disappeared behind some nearby hills and there is always some other obstruction popping up. I guess we will have to try on the way back. It is quite impressive, dominating the landscape with its white cloak. Although much of the rest of the ride was through almost continuous city hugging the level land near the coast, there was a surprising amount of agricultural land and heavily wooded hills and small mountains.
One interesting observation is that they have many huge mesh tents as big as a large multi-story building. These are baseball parks and multi-level driving ranges squeezed into areas that otherwise could not accommodate them.
We arrived in Osaka right on time at 1 and made our way to the exit, but no Carla. With the help of the guy at the information kiosk, I found an ATM while Celeste stood guard over our bags, then purchased a phone card. I got a hold of Carla only to learn she was inside the station because she had ridden there on the train herself. We made our way to an entrance and there she was. After a round of hugs, we hopped the train back to her place – about 15 minutes. We dropped off our bags and got a tour of the apartment, then headed out for a short neighbourhood tour, picking up a few groceries and treats along the way.
Carla and Tyler have a very nice place. It is not as spacious as our houses at home, but it is far from cramped and quite comparable to apartments at home.
Carla had to leave for work after 4:30. While she was getting ready, Celeste fell asleep and I lapsed in and out of consciousness. Once she left, I was out. Tyler was supposed to be home sometime after 7, but we woke up at 8:30 and there was no sign of him. A few minutes later, the two of them walked in. We learned that Tyler had been home, but we were passed out and he didn’t want to disturb us so he went out again. Poor guy! His company kicks him out of his place before he even gets to say hello! We all headed out to a restaurant just around the corner and had a very nice dinner with a couple of drinks. We returned at 11:30 and were in bed by 12.
An hour after takeoff from Singapore they fed us another snack. We both watched a movie, and then I napped for a couple of hours. Celeste watched another movie and hardly napped at all especially with the guy next to her asleep and infringing on her space. They fed us breakfast at 5:30 Japan time – another one hour change. By the time they cleaned up, we were ready to land (at 7). After clearing health inspection, immigration, and customs, we headed for Japan Rail and were just in time to catch the 8 AM train to Tokyo (1.5 hour trip) for the 10 AM connection to Osaka.
The plan was to call Carla to confirm our arrival, but everything was moving so fast, we never got an opportunity. I thought we would have time in Tokyo, but by the time we made our way through the maze to our train, we were again tight on time. I found a payphone, but it only took phone cards, which we hadn’t yet purchased, and would not accept a credit card. We tried a phone on the train, but it was the same story. I am pretty sure that Carla will go with the original plan without confirmation and meet us at the station. If not, we will have to give her a call from there.
The ride from Narita to Tokyo was on a conventional train beginning in a rural area that became more densely populated as we progressed. The plots of land are very small, maybe the size of a city lot at home. Many of them appear to be growing rice. I hope one farmer owns more than one plot or it would be hard to feed a family. Celeste managed about a half hour nap on this section but the thought of missing our connection in Tokyo was enough to keep me awake despite eyelids as heavy as lead.
The city was much like any other big city, except there was more of it and the architecture was sometimes different. Actually, the many high rise apartments were quite plain and ordinary. We didn’t notice a downtown core cluster because we were in a tunnel for much of the last part of the ride, but it was sure bustling when we got off to transfer. We navigated the maze and found the high speed train for the next leg. I am not sure how fast it goes, but it seems quite a bit faster than a car at highway speed – maybe 150 kmph. We had to sit in a smoking car to get two seats together. What a treat! The smoke wasn’t too bad, but I found it quite warm and stuffy. I don’t know how all those businessmen in suits tolerated it. We had some great views of Mt. Fuji, but we were on the wrong side of the train. I tried to get a picture from the doorway, but Fuji disappeared behind some nearby hills and there is always some other obstruction popping up. I guess we will have to try on the way back. It is quite impressive, dominating the landscape with its white cloak. Although much of the rest of the ride was through almost continuous city hugging the level land near the coast, there was a surprising amount of agricultural land and heavily wooded hills and small mountains.
One interesting observation is that they have many huge mesh tents as big as a large multi-story building. These are baseball parks and multi-level driving ranges squeezed into areas that otherwise could not accommodate them.
We arrived in Osaka right on time at 1 and made our way to the exit, but no Carla. With the help of the guy at the information kiosk, I found an ATM while Celeste stood guard over our bags, then purchased a phone card. I got a hold of Carla only to learn she was inside the station because she had ridden there on the train herself. We made our way to an entrance and there she was. After a round of hugs, we hopped the train back to her place – about 15 minutes. We dropped off our bags and got a tour of the apartment, then headed out for a short neighbourhood tour, picking up a few groceries and treats along the way.
Carla and Tyler have a very nice place. It is not as spacious as our houses at home, but it is far from cramped and quite comparable to apartments at home.
Carla had to leave for work after 4:30. While she was getting ready, Celeste fell asleep and I lapsed in and out of consciousness. Once she left, I was out. Tyler was supposed to be home sometime after 7, but we woke up at 8:30 and there was no sign of him. A few minutes later, the two of them walked in. We learned that Tyler had been home, but we were passed out and he didn’t want to disturb us so he went out again. Poor guy! His company kicks him out of his place before he even gets to say hello! We all headed out to a restaurant just around the corner and had a very nice dinner with a couple of drinks. We returned at 11:30 and were in bed by 12.
posted by Celeste at
11:44 p.m.
1 Comments:
The Shinkansen actually travels at about twice that speed. It's hard to judge because the acceleration is so gradual and the ride is so smooth.
That train is awesome.
By
Carla, at 7:13 p.m.
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