Tokyo-Shinkansen-Wednesday-04.09.25

Today is the highlight, the Japanese bullet train, Shinkansen, from Kanazawa to Tokyo.

We plan to have breakfast at 7:00 AM on the hotel terrace. I'm feeling a bit better and I'm looking forward to it. We get a nice table by the window and can enjoy the Japanese buffet. The restaurant is comfortably busy and we can choose at our leisure, between eggs, fish, meat, miso soup, vegetable soup, fruit, muesli, desserts,...

Then we meet at 8:30 AM for a tour to the fish market. We stroll through the Oyama Shrine, through a very beautiful garden where many gardeners were already tending to the plants. At the fish market, there were various types of fish to admire, including giant tunas, crabs, pufferfish, ...

At 10:00 AM, we were driven by taxi to the station. Here, Kayoko assigned us our seats for the Shinkansen, and then we could go shopping for our provisions. (Bento boxes) The selection was abundant and incredibly good and creatively packaged. The eye buys as well. We got more than we could consume. Then we went to the platform, where we lined up properly in pairs. The train arrived on time at the platform and the doors opened at the designated gate. We boarded and went to our assigned seats. The car was fully booked. The ride started, speeding along the Japanese Sea, then through the mountains, past Nagano, through many tunnels to Tokyo. In between, we enjoyed our bento boxes and Japanese whiskey, which our tour guide, Kayoko, treated us to.

After about 2.5 hours, we arrived in Tokyo, in the Taito district, where Ueno Park is located. We dropped off our luggage and walked through the park, also filled with many cherry trees, to the National Museum of Japan. There, we admired the history of Japanese art on the second floor, including art prints, samurai armor, swords, and ceramics. After about 2 hours, we returned to Ueno Park and strolled with the 'Tokyoites' along the blooming paths. In the museum, I also purchased an art print of 'The Wave,' which I have always found very beautiful.

In the late afternoon, we took the subway back to our hotel. It was not as crowded as expected and we even got a seat. Upon arrival at the hotel, we checked in and got the same room as in the first days of the trip. After adjusting the heating in the room, we went out and looked for a soup kitchen, and after some searching, we found one. We went inside and first tried to figure out the ordering machine. You had to select and pay for a dish at the machine before choosing a table, then hand in the receipt. We both decided on ramen soup, with tofu and a salad each. Water was free anyway. The soup was excellent, hot and delicious, as was the tofu.

Then we got a beer at the 7/11 convenience store and headed back to the hotel.