Shinkansen to Osaka

Posted on March 25, 2019 by vanbraman

After a busy day in our Tokyo office on Monday I took the Shinkansen to Osaka.

Shinkansen, Tokyo, Osaka, Japan, high speed train

The Shinkansen is probably better know as the Bullet Train, and is a major mode of transportation in Japan. The system connects most major cities of Japan and is much faster than flying.

Shinkansen, Japan, Sign, Train, High Speed Train

Do I have the right train? I am at the right platform, so it should be.

Shin-Osaka, Shinkansen, Japan, High Speed Rail

OK, now I feel better, I see my train number and my destination.

Train seats, shinkansen, japan, high speed rail

There is plenty of legroom for the 2 hour and 23 minute trip to Osaka.

I was on an N700 Series Shinkansen which has a maximum speed of 300 km/h. For Americans, that is 186 mph. The train also tilts so that it can take curves faster.

The route between Tokyo and Osaka is very busy and you often hear a train pass in the opposite direction. Two 16 car trains pass by each other in just seconds.

Unfortunately it gets dark early and soon after departure I could no longwe see anything out the windows. But, then I was able to nap a bit 🙂

Bullet Train, Shinkansen, Japan Railway

I did not get a good shot of the nose of the train, but it is definitely designed to cut through the air.

When I arrived in Osaka I then had to figure out how to get to my hotel using the subway. Fortunately, it is easy to navigate the subway system as they have good English signage and instructions for the ticket vending machines.

Caution Sign, selfie stick, railway, electricity danger

I will close out this post with a warning sign that I saw. I am a bit curious as to whether this happened and they made the signs, or whether they just knew that it would be a possibility and were proactive.

In any case, I have seen a lot of selfie sticks so far on the trip.

Steven

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Recovery Day in Tokyo

Posted on March 24, 2019 by vanbraman

After a long flight it is important to have a recovery day before stepping into the classroom. You want to be as fresh as possible as you present to your students.

Camera, Japan, Colleague, Memories

I met up with one of my former Japanese colleagues who had retired several years ago. We shared some memories of the many years that we worked together as we visited some of the areas around my hotel.

Tokyo 2020, Olympic Stadium, Construction, Tokyo

We first walked by the office and then headed toward where the new Olympic Stadium for Tokyo 2020 was under construction. It is a massive stadium. I may have to write a separate post with more pictures of the stadium construction.

Ichiro Suzuki, Japan, Tokyo, Bus Stop, Baseball

I had some memories stream back when I saw this picture on a bus stop. I remember years ago visiting Nagoya and the engineer driving me past the house where Ichiro Suzuki grew up. Ichiro was in the news this week. The Mariners and A’s played their first two games of the season here in Japan, so Ichiro was able to play his last games close to home before retiring.

Cherry Trees, Cherry Blossoms, Shinjuku Gyoen, Park, Gardens

Our next stop was Shinjuku-gyoen which is a large park and garden dating from the Edo period.

The cherry blossoms were just beginning to appear and it was very colorful there. It was also a nice day and the park was full of people enjoying the cherry blossoms.

Cherry Blossoms, pond, Shinjuku-gyoen, japan

The park was absolutely beautiful and we really enjoyed walking around viewing the different trees and flowers. Someday I want to go there when the roses are blooming as they have a very large rose garden.

Shinjuku-gyoen, Japan, gardens, pond

This is one of my favorite pictures from the day. The view is through the fire box of a stone lantern.

This picture is so peaceful compared to what was going on around. It is hard to see in the picture above, but there are also several ducks in the picture.

I hope you enjoyed this tiny sampling of the hundreds of pictures that I took yesterday.

Now, off to the classroom.

Steven

Posted in Construction, Culture, Flowers, Japan, Nature, Seasons, Travel | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments