Post by Ella
Osaka to Kagoshima, home of Mt. Sakurajima. 4 hrs 15 min. Not non stop but stops were brief. Be ready to get off (or on) the second the train stopped.
One thing about going so fast (up to 200mph), it’s hard to appreciate the scenery. Quite a bit of the time we were in tunnels or had high rails. Although we followed the southern coast and then the west coast, couldn’t see much of it.
I had booked reserved seats in an “ordinary car”, meaning not first class. First class cars are called “green” cars. Here, in ordinary class, it is spacious. Aisles are wide, leg room ample, the middle armrest wide enough to share, tray table, pop up cup holder, jacket hooks, clean bathrooms, luggage racks above the seats.
Shinkhansen stations are known for selling bento boxes for your eating pleasure during the journey. We didn’t get one. We’d bought a few snacks yesterday. I got a little package of smoked cheese and a package of crunchy edamame beans. Grubb picked up sweet potato chips, mixed nuts and a few other items.
There are plenty of announcements in Japanese and English about protocol and etiquette. “Set your mobile phones to silent”, make sure no sound “leaks” out of your headphones. Properly stow your luggage at your feet or in the luggage rack above. The space behind the seats at the rear are reserved for luggage only for the persons sitting in the rear seats.
The etiquette on all trains, subways and buses has been Be Quiet! Everyone stares at their phone or sleeps. No one talks on their phone on trains (or in restaurants). Although the eateries catering to the younger crowd may have moderately loud music and some hearty conversation, there is never a din like in most of our restaurants back home. You can have a quiet conversation in a restaurant and be able to hear each other. Should you desire to have a conversation with you partner.
And now we’ve made our way to our hotel in Kagoshima on the island of Kyushu. We splurged on a room with a view of the volcano.
30 minutes after we settled in, I heard a muffled roar, like an airplane. I look out the window…
Never fear. I have my “Safety Tips” app. No volcano eruption warnings…yet.