(no subject)
So finally, the last weekend in Hiroshima. I figured the trip would be depressing - and I was especially depressed even before departure when I hit the ticket counter. Exchange Rate:
The horror. The horror. 98 yen to the dollar. Lowest level since 1996. This time last year it was 125, when I arrived it was 114. Its back to instant curry for me. (sigh)
SO - bullet train ticket (I cringed at the price about 9,200 yen - but its only about 5% MORE then the 'Hikari' slow train - in order to actually save I have to take the LOCAL with about 1k stops and I would arrive sometime in April)
Leaving Shin-Kobe they again gave me a ticket for a train arriving 30 seconds later. This time, though, by stupid luck it the Shinkansen Nozumi (Supermegaexpress) 500 Series (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/500_Series_Shinkansen) My own picture this time:
Its the fastest train..... uh..... period... anywhere... ever. (Okay - except the crazy nutty Maglev thing from the Shanghai Airport) TOTALLY worth it. At 300kph I pretty much blinked and arrived at Hiroshima station. Its absurd. Its only a 45 minute ride (Map courtesy of Lonely Planet - Kobe is JUST west of Osaka):
Seriously - if you want to see this country, bullet trains are the way to do it. Getting on is as easy and painless as the subway - its never full, and they run like clockwork every 15 minutes. I've never had such an easy time going between cities. The JR train system here is unbelievably extensive - they are absolutely EVERYWHERE. In addition to commuter areas and inter-city lines, JRs supplement the urban local metro systems - My commute every day is on the JR Yamanote ring line. On a tourist visa (which I don't have) you can get a train pass unlimited for all the JR trains in the country - which is great but its everything EXCEPT the Nozumi bullet trains. Just something to think about if you are coming in.
Hiroshima and Kobe station had their own interesting delights:
Okay, cool, Shinto gu........wait - is that a WHITE GUY? Also - highly ironic Scarlet Johansen ad (see Lost in Translation):
Now for Hiroshima (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshima). Apparently some have the idea thats its little more than a crater, but really its a modern, developed and very nice city. Its smaller and more Boston sized comparable to other places so far. There are no remaining environmental vestiges (apparent anyway) of what happened. Since this is where Japan gets REALLY mountainous its in a valley and has a harbor full of these sharp rocky islands, the likes of which I've never seen anywhere else (pictures will follow)
Anyway I got to Hiroshima and had to take the above ground trolley - Boston 'T' Style:
Except these ran quickly, perfectly on schedule, had a low energy efficient ceiling, and managed to be even MORE wheelchair accessible (quick auto ramp, and a tight clearance to the ground) without needing FREAKING stairs. Notice also - people in the middle have something to hold. The MBTA SERIOUSLY needs to take a lesson. So anyway (as with the Family Guy joke) I found a Comfort Inn - who knew.
Same day I went to the Peace Park which houses all of the history devoted to the bomb. I'm going to make a separate following entry with an lj-cut for that.
The horror. The horror. 98 yen to the dollar. Lowest level since 1996. This time last year it was 125, when I arrived it was 114. Its back to instant curry for me. (sigh)
SO - bullet train ticket (I cringed at the price about 9,200 yen - but its only about 5% MORE then the 'Hikari' slow train - in order to actually save I have to take the LOCAL with about 1k stops and I would arrive sometime in April)
Leaving Shin-Kobe they again gave me a ticket for a train arriving 30 seconds later. This time, though, by stupid luck it the Shinkansen Nozumi (Supermegaexpress) 500 Series (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/500_Series_Shinkansen) My own picture this time:
Its the fastest train..... uh..... period... anywhere... ever. (Okay - except the crazy nutty Maglev thing from the Shanghai Airport) TOTALLY worth it. At 300kph I pretty much blinked and arrived at Hiroshima station. Its absurd. Its only a 45 minute ride (Map courtesy of Lonely Planet - Kobe is JUST west of Osaka):
Seriously - if you want to see this country, bullet trains are the way to do it. Getting on is as easy and painless as the subway - its never full, and they run like clockwork every 15 minutes. I've never had such an easy time going between cities. The JR train system here is unbelievably extensive - they are absolutely EVERYWHERE. In addition to commuter areas and inter-city lines, JRs supplement the urban local metro systems - My commute every day is on the JR Yamanote ring line. On a tourist visa (which I don't have) you can get a train pass unlimited for all the JR trains in the country - which is great but its everything EXCEPT the Nozumi bullet trains. Just something to think about if you are coming in.
Hiroshima and Kobe station had their own interesting delights:
Okay, cool, Shinto gu........wait - is that a WHITE GUY? Also - highly ironic Scarlet Johansen ad (see Lost in Translation):
Now for Hiroshima (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshima). Apparently some have the idea thats its little more than a crater, but really its a modern, developed and very nice city. Its smaller and more Boston sized comparable to other places so far. There are no remaining environmental vestiges (apparent anyway) of what happened. Since this is where Japan gets REALLY mountainous its in a valley and has a harbor full of these sharp rocky islands, the likes of which I've never seen anywhere else (pictures will follow)
Anyway I got to Hiroshima and had to take the above ground trolley - Boston 'T' Style:
Except these ran quickly, perfectly on schedule, had a low energy efficient ceiling, and managed to be even MORE wheelchair accessible (quick auto ramp, and a tight clearance to the ground) without needing FREAKING stairs. Notice also - people in the middle have something to hold. The MBTA SERIOUSLY needs to take a lesson. So anyway (as with the Family Guy joke) I found a Comfort Inn - who knew.
Same day I went to the Peace Park which houses all of the history devoted to the bomb. I'm going to make a separate following entry with an lj-cut for that.