tonight, anyway. I’m thrilled to be working at my own computer here at the Comfort Hotel in Nagoya. The name sort of bothered me, but it’s one of the Comfort Inn group. I have a slightly larger room, but it has a slightly larger bed, so my effective space is the same. The toilet (sorry about all the toilet talk) has some of the same features as the previous one, but when you turn the bathroom light on a little nozzle juts out from under the seat, then goes back in again. Scary stuff.
I took the fastest bullet train this morning, the Nozomi. It was pretty fast: one and a half hours from Tokyo. I don’t know the distance, but I’m less than a half hour from Kyoto. My bag was too bulky to go in the overhead bin so I had to sit with it between my legs. I had been hoping to play with the computer on the trip. My fantasy was that the train had wi-fi. I think it does, but there was no way I could get the computer out of the bag. People here use cell phones like computers and spend a lot of time looking at them, not talking. There is cell phone service in the subways.
I put my bags in a locker at the train station. There are lockers everywhere here, even in museums so you don’t have to carry your stuff around. I was planning to spend the day at Ise, the most important Shinto shrine. I changed my plans because it was gloomy and threatening, and went north to a park called Meiji Mura, an open air museum with more than 60 buildings, mostly from the Meiji era that have been re-erected and are open to visitors. The major draw for me was the recreation of the Imperial Hotel main entrance and lobby.
My trip involved a train and a bus, then another bus around the park. I thoroughly enjoyed the Imperial Hotel, and several of the other buildings I looked at.
But it began to rain in earnest and I was getting very wet, so I cut it short, never rode the old Kyoto streetcar that looked like fun, and took that bus and train back to Nagoya. If the rain stops, I’ll try to go to Ise tomorrow.
6 responses so far ↓
Alice // October 20, 2007 at 7:56 pm
I’m enjoying this trip with you, especially the toilet talk. The toilets do seem well planned, especially the raised shower stalls so the surrounding floors don’t get wet. My hubby mentioned the bullet train he rode when he used to visit Tokyo was called Shinkan Sen. He also said how nicely things are planned so that travelers can enjoy things like museums without having to carry their stuff around. It must feel different commenting online about your travel while you’re enroute. Do you feel a little bit like you have all us regular visitors right there with you?
raja // October 21, 2007 at 10:01 pm
I’m soooo impressed with what you are doing. I recall karen and I being in some of the same places–we went to Koyosan, which really impressed me, and stayed overnight in a temple. Thank God laptops and blogs weren’t even a consideration then, or we would have probably jumped off the mountain top!
london was wonderful, expensive but not to us, thanks to our $$$$$ friends. Saw some great art, etc.
Really enjoying reading about your trip. Thanks for doing this–I consider you a miracle worker.
foxhollowjewelry // October 22, 2007 at 12:44 am
I too, am loving the virtual trip to Japan…I am glad you are over the jet lag…took me a week in Singapore. Taking the bullet train sounds very interesting…would love to do that too….
ruthek // October 22, 2007 at 10:47 pm
Alice, The Nozomi is a faster version of the shinkansen. Amazing
Raja, I love having the laptop. It gives me something to do in the evening when I`m too tired to go out. TV is not an option
Pictures « Japan on my mind // October 25, 2007 at 11:40 pm
[...] October 25th, 2007 · 1 Comment Finally got around to posting some of the photos: Murasaki no ryo, Kyoto Station and that strange toilet, the ultimate symbol of male impertenance, which is here. [...]
Hotels « Japan on my mind // November 18, 2007 at 6:26 pm
[...] four nights in Tokyo I went to Nagoya and stayed at the Comfort Hotel, and, although part of the Comfort Inn chain, I had to make the [...]
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