"There were two missions today:

1 - Get Andrew the tatoo he’s been wanting to get

2 - Get from Tokyo to Hiroshima

 

Mission 1 was relatively easy.  We wandered the streets of Shinjuku for 25minutes and finally came across the shop Andrew had found on line.  More pictures to follow once his arm has healed... it was a sweet sentimental moment as Andrew had Marla and Andrew’s monogram inked into his right forearm.

 

Mission 2 was all about traveling from Toyko to Hiroshima ala the bullet train or Shinkansen. There are two types of Shinkansen: the Nozumi and the Hikari. The Nozumi are the super bullet train traveling faster with less stops and the Hikari are for mere mortals such as ourselves. The stops the Hikari make are still minimal and if you’re not on the train within two minutes...it leaves without you. These trains are on time and they keep a rigid schedule.

 

The ride was smooth and the legroom was ample, far more than what you would get on a jet plane making this our favorite form of travel so far. Marla and I both agreed that if bullet trains were in California and they went to Mammoth Mountain, we’d be skiing every weekend that we could. Small carts of food and drink come by every so often and serve everything from crunchy snacks to cans of beer. The latter of which I partook of quite frequently as I’ve gotten quite addicted to Asahi beer.

At speeds of around 200 mph, we speed past small townships and cities that are a mix of traditional and modern buildings. But the landscape is lush and hilly and reminds me of the hills of West Virginia where my mother grew up and I would visit as a child. We even passed Mt. Fuji, a place that we couldn’t go to this time due to weather and climbing conditions. It was beautiful nonetheless.

 

We changed trains in Shin-Osaka with an hour layover. We got some snacks and hung out enjoying the coffee drinks we get from the vending machines.

 

Pictures: