Heading Back to Mishima, with a Last Look at Kurashiki, Day 11

We started at the breakfast buffet again. A gentleman behind me asked where we were from, he's from Winnipeg, Canada. He's with a tour, although he and his family arrived in Tokyo early so they could go to Tokyo Disneyland. After this they only need to go to the newly opened Hong Kong Disney and they'll have been to all of them. We head upstairs, pack, check e-mail, and go check-out. Of course we get our morning dose of TV -- news, children's shows, etc. The announcers are ecstatic telling about Japan's win at the World Cup and advancement to the next round.

The hotel happily watches our luggage while we set out for a last look around Kurashiki. Behind the hotel across the street is the Ohashi House, built in 1796. It belonged to a very well-to-do rice merchant and is actually built in the style of a samurai house, a great honor for the Ohashi family. There is a tape that tells about the house, in Japanese, of course. So one of the ladies carefully explains some things in English (along with the sheet in English in the brochure). We take off our shoes so we can wander around the rooms of the house. It is very impressive. There is a lovely garden that can be seen from various parts of the house. The warehouse area is now a small museum with various artifacts. There are lots of photos.

It's a gray day, which at least means it's not as hot. We stop in one of the shops and find the elusive glass shop finally. Turns out it was near the beginning but because there was no glass in the front, we'd missed it. Besides buying a few things, I was able to take photos of some of the lovely and colorful pieces. By the time we leave it's started raining, but, as the guide book explains, this only adds to Kurashiki's tranquility. A family (grandparents, parents, and small child) are getting ready for a boat ride on the canal. The boat people give them lettuce to feed the swans, who oblige by coming right up to the boat.

Then it back to the hotel to get our luggage and a quick walk to the train station. We get the local to Okayama. We're surprised by the group of school girls (high school) who get in and chatter the whole trip. Not sure if they got a half day or what, but there were also a lot of school children at the Okayama station. We buy obento boxes and find the track for the Shinkansen heading to Tokyo (it is the Hikari Superexpress). This is about a 3-1/2 hour trip. At the Kyoto station, there are again lots of school children heading back to Tokyo. We notice the schedule shows the train as being "out-of-service" but for a group. Kate says she can't imagine schools in the US using trains to go on field trips (Amtrak anyone?) We were able to get seats in the unreserved car with no trouble, as Okayama was the start of the trip, but after stopping in Kyoto, the car is quite full. The Shinkansen is the next to the fastest train. The fastest is the Nozomi -- when they pass our train we shake; if you're standing on a train platform and one whizzes by, you really feel it. We're traveling with JR Rail Passes, which aren't good on the Nozumi, so we'll have to settle for traveling at about 120 mph, instead of the top speed of the Nozomi of 187 mph (300 kmph).

At every station there are large parking lots (or even, as in Kurashiki, parking garages) for bicycles. Bicycles are used for going to school, going to work, going to the store. Everyone rides from children to older folks (and don't ever get in the way of a little old lady on a bike -- she'll run you over). In addition to baskets, child seats, and umbrella holders, many women have "hand protectors" that go over the ends of the handlebars.

I took a lot of photos from the train. As we went through Shizuoka (capital of the prefecture and the stop before Mishima), we could faintly see Mt. Fuji through the haze. Unfortunately it didn't come out in the photos. Jeff and the boys did meet us at the station and drove us back to the apartment. Dinner was cooked by Jeff and was recognizable (fried fish fillets, potato pancakes, salad, and yellow watermelon for dessert). Yuko, Jonah, and I walked across the street to a Japanese sweet shop and brought home a variety of treats.

And here are today's photos.