travelling allrite

Yesterday was amazing! We boarded the Resort Shirakami 2 at Aomori for a ride down one of Japan's most scenic rides. Rice paddies and apple orchards with snow-capped Mount Iwaki as the backdrop. At Goshogawara a couple of musicians boarded and treated us to a shamisen and traditional song performance. It was the perfect soundtrack as we rattled down the tracks. The Resort Shirakami has panoramic windows and lots of legroom. There are viewing areas up the front and a lot to look at as we cruised along the Northwest coastline of Honshu. When I rode the line before I wished we could stop and experience the scenic areas outside the train. This time I had a chance to do so. The train stopped at Senjojiki to allow passengers to stroll around the rocky shore. I should have like to stay longer and eat at the seaside restaurants, but we had to continue along. I love the lonely coastline where the long grass is whipped by the winds. The train slowed North of Fukaura...

Obama apologises for Hiroshima and the rubbish bins at the train stations are closed. Police are everywhere and he (and the other foreign dignitaries) aren't even in these cities. Once again fear trumps reason. No matter, we've got better things to do anyway, like sort out with the hotel that we're changing our booking and catching a train up to Aomori at the top of the main island. But the reservation desk doesn't open until 9:30 AM so it's off to Matsu-ben for a blend of Japanese and Western breakfast ordered from a machine. Sausage and egg and miso soup and rice. Unfortunately, I can't score window seats on the sleek green Hayabusa Shinkansen that whisks us North at over 300 kilometres an hour, not until after Morioka. We eat obento lunches purchased from the basement of the Daimaru department store near Tokyo station. Yum. The Shinkansen stops at Shin-Aomori and a second train is required to deliver us to the centre of the mariti...

I think it somewhat ironic and hopefully not portentous that I was watching London has fallen on this flight. Tomorrow is the first day of the G7 summit, being held in Japan this year, with seven major world leaders, including US president Obama in attendance. Fortunately, the summit is Ise Shima, nearer than Nagoya, while we are flying into Tokyo. I have no doubt that Air Force One is also more luxurious than the Jetstar Boeing 787-8 flight. Not that I'm fussed mind you. This is perfectly adequate, except that it's not hypersonic. To fly between Sydney and Tokyo in an hour or two would be a joy. Perhaps Alex can look forward to that when he’s my age. And yes some people (ie me) talk about teleports to Japan. As I type this part I can see the anvils of cumulonimbus and feel the odd bumps. But then there are always storms near Guam. Hopefully they and the high cloud will disappear again soon. I have no faith in the sky. I didn't sleep well last nigh...