Travelling in Japan - it is not all Bullet trains

Wandering along the urban streets of Hiroshima I noticed what I initially thought was a municipal worker pushing a cart with a number of hard-hats sitting on top.  Probably a gardener I thought, about to tend the trees that are kept meticulously pruned in all of Japan's urban areas. But then I noticed the 'worker' was a young women, and she was accompanied by another young women who had a number of toddlers in tow. I say 'in tow' deliberately; the toddlers were walking single file, all holding onto a rope, with an adult leading. What we had stumbled upon was a kindergarten group taking a stroll to the local park, and the smallest ones were sitting in this trolley being pushed along.  What looked like hard-hats from a distance were their yellow sun-hats.  How inventive.  Of course at home the kindergarten would have ample grounds in which the children could play, but in space hungry Japan, they use the public spaces for fresh air and exercise.

Preschoolers on an excursion

The bullet train, the Shinkansen, is at the opposite end of the technology scale.  It is everything you hear about it - high tech, comfortable, clean, and fast.  Today we are travelling on the Thunderbird line to Kanazawa.  Generally the internet access is excellent, although the earlier trip this morning to Osaka took us through many tunnels and the connection dropped out regularly. Lack of Japanese is no problem - there are enough signs in English to make out what is happening.  And the stations are a delight when you arrive - lockers for luggage so you do not have to drag it around, and plenty of coffee shops if you have to wait for connections.  

While we are on luggage - they have this brilliant service where you can forward your luggage on.  For example today we are travelling quite a long way with connections and rather than drag along two cases we have sent one onto the next destination after this one - and it will be there when we arrive.  Excellent idea. 

They have Fondies n Japan too!

After the train, bicycles are clearly a favoured form of transport. I am always impressed by the female office workers who cycle along looking quite elegant in their suits and high heels.  Tom is aghast at the lack of helmets, and certainly here in Hiroshima they get along at a fast pace and if they took out a pedestrian it could be nasty.  For pedestrian, read oblivious tourist - Tom has had to pull me out of the way of an approaching cyclist quite a times now.  The funny thing about cyclists is that that just willfully disobey the rules not to cycle on the footpath.  The Japanese are naturally rule obiding in everything else but this one thing.  And they park their bikes anywhere, despite there being signs to only use designated parking spots or your bike will be towed away. Tom has been excitedly waiting to see a bike towed away but he has been disappointed to date, though we did see an inspector give a bike a parking ticket!  I kid you not - wrote a ticket and stuck it on the bike! Explain to me how that works? How do they track the bike owner?  Perhaps they are just honest and pay the fine anyway.

Rickshaw - another form of transport (mainly for tourists)

Hiroshima is difficult to write about: the museum is a gruelling visit and while the Peace Park is themed with a positive anti-nuclear weapon message that all can relate to, knowing you are standing at the site where so much devastation was reeked is harrowing.

The Atomic Dome