I went to Japan from December 27, 1998, to January 3, 1999. This was my first trip there. I met up with two friends: Brett, who moved to Tokyo from southern California about a year ago, and Doan, who lives in California and was visiting Japan as well. I was there for six days, which is too short, of course.

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TRAINS

I got an unlimited use 7 day JR (Japan Railways) railpass for $250. This is an extraordinary deal if you like toodling around by train. And toodle we did (Doan had a railpass too.) We went to:

*Hiroshima and environs (southwest of Tokyo) from Osaka

*Nagano, site of the 1998 Winter Olypics, from Tokyo on a new Shinkansen (bullet train) line

*Morioka, north of Tokyo, on a new Shinkansen line

In addition, I commuted twice from Tokyo to Osaka on the Tokaido Shinkansen line.

Train service in Japan is extremely punctual--all but one train ride was within one minute of schedule, and the other one was no more than three minutes late. Careful timing is critical as JR interleaves a lot of trains frequently on many lines. For example, some Shinkansen runs make a seven minute stop to let two faster express trains go by on the main line. Longer distance trains are comfortable, with narrow seats but plenty of legroom. The fastest trains are pressurized; otherwise going through tunnels would be very painful on the ears. The newer trains are very quiet outside at speed compared to, for example, the French TGV fast trains. Nothing is really quiet at 160mph, but I was surprised that it wasn't bad. The fastest trains average over 160 mph between some stops on express lines. There are both reserved and unreserved train sections to most long distance trains-- so those who want to guarantee seats can do so while those who want to "show and go" can too. Fares without a railpass are not cheap--around $250 roundtrip from Tokyo to Osaka, about a 350 mile distance. The biggest hassle we encountered was the time of year we were there--New Year Holiday, a major one in Japan. This meant standing room only on some trains, to the point of almost crushed in on one ride.

To round off the train travel, I also traveled by bus, ferryboat, and taxi. The bus was not nearly as nice as the train and subject to Japan's terrible traffic. These buses do go to the smaller places missed by the train network, though.

Expressways are expensive and often jammed--we American's really don't know what bad traffic is. Many Japanese have in vehicle navigation systems in their cars to help compensate for this. On the other hand, Japan has some neat little screamer cars, such as the Subaru Impreza WRX that we don't get in the US.

JR500 Shinkansen train from Tokyo International Center
Shinkansen train from Tokyo International Center
Subaru Impreza Turbo (WRX) and another tiny convertible I can't ID
Shinkansen train at speed (probably going 140 mph)
JR500 fastest Shinkansen at speed
New Asami shinkansen; used to Nagano and other points
Tiny Suzuki wagon
The current Japan market Honda Accord wagon
Some variant of the Mitsubishi Eclipse (Evolution? I don't know.)
Another Shinkansen train at speed
Real time traffic map at Tokyo Narita Airport
Traffic delays listing at Tokyo Narita Airport

LAYOUT

Japan's natural environment is varied. A lot of it is hilly to mountainous with steep slopes. I saw plenty of coastline, lots of mountains, and snow in the higher country. The major cities are flatter. Many of the mountains were shrouded in clouds and snow while I was there even as the coast and cities remained dry.

The built environment is very dense. In the cities there are lots of multistory buildings but not that many really tall buildings. Inner suburbs are still very dense. When you get out a ways you see lots of individual houses, but they're on very small lots. No ranch style half acre spreads here. That which isn't built up or very steep is farmed intensely. Not one mile square type farming, but more like small plots intensely irrigated. Like most places, things are definitely quieter and not as intense once well away from the biggest cities--towns a couple hundred miles north of Tokyo felt much more relaxed than Tokyo.

Mt. Fuji from the train
Small coastside town from the train
Ginza shopping area on New Year's Day (missing the many crowds)
Tokyo street scene devoid of people because it's New Year's
Small town rooftops from the Shinkansen
Small fields again from the train
Snow covered small fields from the train
Mountains up north near Morioka
More fields and, yes, even trees up near Morioka
Downtown Osaka from the Westin Hotel
A Pachinko parlor, Japan's gambling craze; they're everywhere
Smaller town (Nakatsugawa) street scene
Another Nakatsugawa street scene (again it's New Year's so it's very quiet)
Downtown Yokohama from the water

FOOD

First: I didn't eat any sushi, not because I don't care for it (though I don't, really) but because neither friend I was with really wanted any. But I did eat mostly Japanese while there. A lot of it was in train stations, though. First and foremost, I had lots of ramen. And in some places it was really good--noodles, hearty broth, eggs, and pork for example. I also had Udon and other noodle dishes--all good. A few Yakotori chicken on a stick, at the Japanese equivalent of a local diner. Lots of eggs throughout. I enjoyed eating in Japan and found the food healthier if blander than the food on my China trip.

There are lots of yummy snacks there, especailly Pocky sticks which are like prezels dipped in chocolate. (They also seel Men's Pocky Sticks--I have no idea, they looked the same to me.) For drinks, there are vending machines everywhere--I tried almost all of the lemon/lime drinks and many are very good.

ATTRACTIONS

Sure I must have done more than ride fast trains and eat, you say? Well, not a whole lot. Hey, I only had about 6 days. Aside from rapid train riding, I spend most of the rest of the trip checking out modern Japan, from the heart of Tokyo to the smaller cities to the small towns hours away from the city. One nice aside in Nagano, however, was the town's local Buddhist temple--it was open for New Year's Eve visitors, and was very beautiful and peaceful in the light snowfall that evening.

Silly (tourist trap?) restaurant
Brett at Tokyo International Center
Inside Tokyo International Center
Inside Tokyo International Center at night
Brett on the lights at Tokyo Int'l Center
Outside Nagano temple at night
Nagano temple at night
The (my?) pirate shack of something, way up north
Me at a hotel I normally won't pay up for...
A tiny, by the side of the road Buddha with New Year's stuff
Graveyards are small and pop up everywhere