Rest day

Blue skies and harmless, fluffy white clouds

Well, a lie-in, spending 6 hours on the train watching Japan go by in the sunshine and arriving at the best hotel yet is just about as good as it gets. Miyajima marked the southern- and westernmost part of our itinerary. Now it was time to retrace our steps back along the Shinkansen route as far as Nagoya and strike a path up north to the town of Takayama which nestles in the mountain region of Central Honshu.


Trucks stranded after being washed away by the flooded Kani River in Kani, Gifu Prefecture

What's more the weather had taken a decisive turn for the better. After the dousing of rain we'd had in recent days (with six people yesterday reported missing in the Gifu prefecture - which we passed through today - as a result of flash floods and landslides), several people had told us that summer was definitely on the way. The fluffy white clouds were as good an indication as any.


Shinkansen to Osaka

We left the hostel and breakfasted in the bakery before boarding the 11.12 local train to Hiroshima. Just over half an hour later we were on a packed bullet train speeding its way to Osaka. Next Monday is Marine Day in Japan, a public holiday, and many Japanese were taking the opportunity to make a getaway, hence the crowded trains. At Osaka, we changed to the Tokyo Shinkansen as far as Nagoya, where we boarded the diesel train (running on single track) all the way to Tokayama.


Changing to diesel at Nagoya

The 180-kilometre line to Takayama along the Hida-gawa river must be one of the most spectacular in the country. One downstream section of the river is known affectionately as the Nippon Rhine - it's supposed to resemble the Rhine gorge - but I failed to recognise any similarity. The Hida-gawa is one of the fastest flowing rivers in the country and upstream the river negotiates a number of rapids. The forested backdrop made for a pleasant change after the flat coastal plains.


Enjoying the break


The view from the train on the Takayama line


Arriving at Takayama

600 kilometres and 6 hours later, we arrived in Takoyama and checked in at the Rickshaw Inn, 5 minutes walk from the station. True, it was the most expensive hotel of the trip, but in terms of space, character, setting and comfort (Raph commented "these are the best beds we've slept in so far"), it made up for everything in quality.


"The best beds we've slept in so far"

After some downtime, we went round the corner for a meal (where the most notable event being our next door neighbour diner sinking four 0.5 litre glasses of beer in the space of 20 minutes). Later we made our way to a bookstore that the lady at tourist information had marked on the map for us. It was here that Raph was made happy by the purchase of new Shonen Jump, "hot off the press" as the bookseller told us (though not, you understand, in these exact words). And for anyone who doesn't know what Shonen Jump is (like me until an hour ago), click on the link here.


The lounge on the first floor of the Rickshaw Inn

Other musings on Japan

Litter:
Street litter does not exist in Japan because the Japanese carry it around with them all day long. At least that's the only conclusion I can draw based on the fact that we had to do so most of the time. This observation of mine was corroborated by Will from Leicester, a student staying at the Backpackers Hostel, who had independently reached the very same conclusion on his travels. Waste-bins, we agreed, are few and far between and only appear at major traffic interchanges like bus and train stations.

Vending machines:
You wonder how the Japanese would cope without vending machines and automatic ticketing machines. In any Japanese town or city, you're never more than a 100 metres from a drinks machine and - after overhead cables - they represent public eyesore number 2 in the country. Nevertheless, they have several things in their favour: they are open 24-hours a day, are invariably well-stocked, are refrigerated, accept almost any denomination of coin or banknote, never run out of change and, it goes without saying, always work.
The fascination for the ubiquitous ticketing machines is somewhat more curious however, and often defies common sense. For example, you can buy museum tickets from a machine, where someone is on hand to help out if anything goes wrong. Once you have collected your ticket you show it to another member of museum staff at the entrance to the museum. Rather than make savings by having a single person collecting money and issuing tickets manually, they actually seem to prefer this overabundance of personnel and machines.



Cyclists:
Despite a few blips, the Netherlands has just about got it right in terms of traffic circulation, with separate lanes for cars, cycles and pedestrians. In Japan, it's not that simple - dedicated cycle lanes do not exist. Any cyclist would be a fool to ride on the congested road system, so they are given the option of cycling on pavements too, which is what they unfailingly do. So, instead of motorised vehicles intimidating cyclists, the latter are left to terrorise pedestrians on the pavements, such is the vehicular pecking order here. It's a small wonder no one loses their temper on a crowded street as cyclists weave in and out, and pedestrians deftly sidestep every passing bike-rider.