Japan Train Trip: Episode 14

Today, we are scheduled to return to Tokyo. No, we don't have a return date yet, we're just going to live in the area. And this is going to be a very long journey for one day, and it's definitely worth using the JR Pass for one day. Because we have to travel across the island by Shinkansen. That is, we will take the Shinkansen from Fukuoka, which is on the island of Kyushu, and change to another train at Osaka to go to Tokyo, our final destination on the island of Honshu. It takes a total of 371 minutes, or about 6 hours. Yes, you read that right. The total distance is 1,174.90 kilometers. Without the JR Pass, we would have to pay 13,820 yen for the ticket, and if we reserve a seat, we would have to pay an additional 8,510 yen. Just one day is worth the price of the JR Pass. (How much is it? Try multiplying by 0.3, it's not a small amount)

We booked an early morning train due to the long journey of over 6 hours as mentioned. The train departed from Hakata Station at 6:59 AM as the SAKURA540 train and arrived at Shin-Osaka Station at 9:54 AM. We then transferred to the HIKARI516 train from Shin-Osaka Station, which departed at 10:16 AM and arrived at Tokyo Station at 1:10 PM. Breakfast was therefore prepared to be eaten on the train, which allowed ample time for consumption.

Due to early wake-up calls and extensive travel, often lasting several hours, we made the most of our time by resting our eyes. The initial journey took 3 hours and 20 minutes, and we woke up just before arriving at Shin-Osaka Station. Although we had a considerable amount of time to transfer to the next train, the chaotic scene at the Japanese train station, filled with people, luggage, and a constant flow of people rushing and dragging their suitcases, made finding the platform for the next train with only that amount of time a daunting task. The 20 minutes felt like only 5 minutes. Therefore, please do not ask for pictures of the train station. I was unable to capture any images because I was simply relieved to have made it onto the train.

The journey from Shin-Osaka Station to Tokyo Station takes another 3 hours and 20 minutes. The scenery along the way is so beautiful that you might get tired of looking at it. However, looking at it too much can make you dizzy because the train is running quite fast. Most of us therefore spend our time reading books and resting our eyes. In the end, we arrived at our destination, but we could not check into our accommodation until 3 pm. Therefore, there is nothing better than going sightseeing. Every minute counts.

The JR Pass allows us to ride the Yamanote Line, which circles the city. Therefore, we chose an easy destination, Ueno Park.

Upon arrival, we discovered that the cherry blossoms we had been searching for, the ones we longed to see in full bloom, were right here in Ueno Park. We happily strolled through the park, pulling our luggage behind us, admiring the cherry blossoms in full bloom. The atmosphere was filled with the sight of blooming cherry blossoms and the crowds of people who had come to admire them. Take a look at the photos I took to capture the atmosphere.

It wasn't until nearly three in the afternoon that we made our way to our Airbnb accommodation in the Ikebukuro district. Finding the place proved to be a bit of a challenge, and we were somewhat disappointed to discover that it was more cramped than we had anticipated. The bathroom lacked a place to hang clothes, and to top it off, we had to lug our luggage up to the second floor, which was rather inconvenient. However, we had no choice but to make do, as we were only staying for a few nights and wouldn't be spending much time at the accommodation anyway. As is often the case with travel, things don't always go according to plan.

Let's rest and recharge for our trip tomorrow.

Feel free to say hello to Piyai and Noolek at their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TravelWithPiyaiAndNoolek/