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— By Maggie Downs —
The melodic chime floated via Tokyo Station simply as our Shinkansen slid into view, silent and impossibly easy, prefer it was gliding on air. My 10-year-old son, Everest, stood frozen in awe, eyes tracing the modern white bullet practice because it stretched far past both finish of the platform.
“It seems to be like a spaceship,” he whispered.
I felt it too. Standing there with my husband, swept into the tide of brisk-footed commuters and vacationers with rolling suitcases, buzzing lights overhead with the scent of fried meals and brewed tea within the air. I stared at this gleaming marvel of engineering — and for a second, it did really really feel like we have been about to launch into one other world.
Moments later, we have been hurtling via the Japanese countryside at almost 200 miles per hour, watching small cities and rice fields blur into watercolor smears whereas Everest demolished a Shinkansen-shaped sweet field from the snack cart. This wasn’t simply transportation; this was the stuff of childhood goals.
The Practice Turned the Journey
Earlier than our two-week household journey, which took us via Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka, I’d learn sensible guides about visiting Japan. Then I fastidiously mapped out temples, neighborhood sights, and udon outlets, assuming the practice would merely get us from one level to a different.
We reside within the California desert, the place we don’t have a superb system of public transportation, so I knew the rail system in Japan — famously quick and environment friendly — can be a novelty for us. However the true magic, I figured, would start as soon as we reached our locations.
I used to be unsuitable. The trains themselves shortly grew to become one of many journey’s largest highlights. They weren’t only a approach to journey, however a pleasure all their very own.
Kyoto / Picture by Maggie Downs
The Artwork of Easy Motion
At first look, Japan’s trains regarded like an intricate internet of timetables, transfers, and unstated guidelines. Frankly, I used to be intimidated. I fearful we’d be fumbling via stations, second-guessing indicators, and lacking connections.
However as soon as on the bottom, all of it clicked. Google Maps guided us with surprising accuracy. Coloration-coded indicators, English-language bulletins, and useful station employees saved us transferring with confidence.
After a couple of rides, we discovered our rhythm: Faucet the IC card (pay as you go sensible playing cards used for transportation and different funds), observe the arrows, board the correct automotive, and settle in. No site visitors, no trying to find parking in a overseas metropolis. Simply time collectively, watching the world go by.
Tip: Purchase rechargeable IC playing cards on the airport or a significant station. Youngsters beneath 6 journey free; older youngsters get discounted fares. If you happen to’re doing in depth journey, a Japan Rail Cross could be value it — use the fare calculator on the Japan Rail web site to see if the move will prevent cash.
Everest posing at Odawara Station / Phot by Maggie Downs
The place the Practice Is the Playground
The stations alone deserved a while within the itinerary. Tokyo Station felt nearly like a theme park, boasting capsule toy machines, anime-themed snacks, unimaginable bento shows, memento outlets with enjoyable characters, and bakery counters so attractive they regarded like artwork galleries.
Plus when a nationwide vacation shuttered most eating places in Kyoto, it was the station that saved us. We stumbled right into a conveyor-belt sushi spot nonetheless buzzing with life, turned dinner right into a recreation, and watched Everest mild up with each passing plate.
Tip: Don’t overlook practice stations as eating hubs. Many stations home total meals halls with choices from ramen to French pastries, and an important children’ meal is usually only a few steps away.
Signal at Tokyo Station / Picture by Maggie Downs
The Low Factors (and What We Realized)
After all, not each journey in Japan was great. We realized the laborious approach to keep away from rush hour after a white-knuckle expertise being squeezed right into a packed practice automotive by Tokyo’s notorious “practice pushers” — uniformed staff who bodily shove individuals into already full automobiles. I felt like scorching canine meat being pressured into the casing.
Within the crush of individuals, I teetered on the sting of a panic assault. However this additionally confirmed us the outstanding civility of Japanese commuters, who made room for Everest and even helped information us off the practice at our cease.
After that, we prevented the 7 to 9 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. home windows and located the trains blissfully spacious throughout off hours.
One other problem: the sheer measurement of main stations like Shinjuku or Ueno. What Google Maps referred to as a “five-minute switch” usually meant speed-walking via subterranean corridors that appeared to multiply as we moved. On one exhausting evening in Shinjuku, Everest almost fell asleep strolling. Spirits have been low till we noticed a merchandising machine stuffed with collectible practice toys. Our irritating detour instantly grew to become a treasure hunt.
Tip: Give your self buffer time for transfers in huge stations. They’ll take longer than anticipated, particularly with children. And embrace the merchandising machines; they’re in all places and stuffed with surprises.
Capsule toy machines in Japan / Picture by Maggie Downs
A Practice Designed for Pleasure
On day 5, we boarded the Romancecar from Shinjuku to Hakone. With its sweeping home windows and plush seating, it felt extra like a sightseeing lounge than public transit. Everest claimed the entrance seat like a junior conductor, narrating each tunnel and bridge we handed.
Even our shortest rides have been memorable. We squealed over themed trains, just like the Hi there Kitty Shinkansen, and stopped to admire each snack stand with regional specialties. Everest turned these snack breaks into tasting excursions. Curry buns, melon pan, chewy mochi, and different treats all grew to become a part of our journey story.
Tip: In case your baby loves trains, contemplate visiting the Kyoto Railway Museum or the Railway Museum in Saitama close to Tokyo. And don’t miss the themed trains. Test native rail strains for seasonal or character-branded rides.
Everest in Hakone / Picture by Maggie Downs
Discovering Our Household Movement
By the second week in Japan, we’d figured it out. We packed mild with carry-ons solely, since Japanese trains aren’t made for big curler luggage. We realized to ahead our baggage when wanted, so our suitcases awaited us on the subsequent lodge, as if by magic. We adopted Everest’s lead with IC card tapping and snack scouting. He even developed a soundtrack, buzzing the melodic departure chimes from completely different stations.
We didn’t want screens or telephones. The motion, the home windows, the trains themselves have been the leisure.
Tip: Baggage forwarding service (referred to as takkyubin) is broadly out there at many motels, airports, and comfort shops. It’s a lifesaver should you’re touring with giant luggage.
Osaka / Picture by Maggie Downs
Leaving Japan: A Journey We Didn’t Need to Finish
What shocked me most was how the trains slowed us down in the easiest manner. We had area to speak, to take a seat quietly collectively, to marvel on the surroundings as a substitute of simply making an attempt to succeed in the following cease. Everest requested huge questions. My husband, who’s Japanese-American, shared tales from his personal childhood. As we explored Japan, we weren’t simply sightseeing; we have been seeing one another.
Even the smallest moments — a fellow passenger providing Everest a sweet, a station employee waving as we boarded — grew to become little sparks of connection.
On our ultimate journey to Kansai Worldwide Airport, Everest pressed his face to the window and whispered, “I’m going to overlook the trains.”
So was I. As a result of someplace between Tokyo and Osaka, we’d found what journey is absolutely about. Not simply the place you go, however the way you get there, and all of the little joys that come alongside for the journey.
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