Day 5 – Bullet trains, bento boxes and the Beatles

Today was a travel day. We were leaving Tokyo 😦 and right on cue the rain came down in bucketloads. We purchased a “sun and rain” umbrella – which turned out to be an excellent strategic decision – and managed to only get moderately soaked as we made our way to Shinjuku station and on to Tokyo station to board the Shinkansen Nozomi (that’s the super super fast one) to Nagoya. The key phrases we have learned when you’re dragging luggage through packed train stations are go mena sai (sorry) and sumi ma sen (excuse me). We’ve got them on speed dial.

But first bento boxes had to be purchased. There were so many to choose from we were immobilised. But the train was waiting so we grabbed a couple and boarded.

Just a few of the elaborately packaged bento boxes (or Ekiben if you consume them on a train) on sale at Tokyo station.

My chosen ekiben. So pretty, so neat.

Look what’s inside!

The world went past in a blur of green and grey for the next two hours and suddenly we were in Nagoya. The plan was to base ourselves there while we went out for a day walk on the “ancient samurai walking trail” known as the Nakasendo.

To get to our hotel, the Dormy Inn we had to transfer to the subway which was even more packed than Tokyo. We missed one train because we simply couldn’t board. Eventually we made it to the right station and the walk to the hotel took us down this cool narrow underground passage lined on one side with bars and restaurants. The soundtrack playing all the way along was Let It Be by the Beatles. We soon discovered that they only ever played Beatles tracks – their entire catalogue on an endless loop. Which was just fine with me.

We checked in to our little 18 metres squared shoebox, snuck out for some local craft beer, some strange unidentifiable sushi and an early night. Tomorrow we follow in the footsteps of the samurai.