TRAIN STORIES

You can set your watch by the Japanese train schedule, and expect an apology over the intercom if the train happens to be a minute late. This predictability, along with the usual cleanliness, has made the transportation part of our trip efficient and pleasant. And with a vast network of public and private rails, you can get almost anywhere in Japan if you are willing to make the connections.

So far, in addition to our experience with Tokyo's urban rail system, we have ridden through Hokkaido and Tohoku, the northern part of the main island of Honshu, using everything from a one-car train, local commuter trains, and the Limited Express trains, which are very fast (I'd guess around 200 kph) and smooth. Before leaving the U.S., we purchased a JR Rail Pass so for the next seven days we simply need to show the pass to get tickets on any JR system train.

One of the highlights was passing through the Seikan tunnel that connects the two islands. Seikan is the world's longest tunnel, and it took us 32 minutes at top speed to make the crossing 100 meters under the sea. You can't think about it too much as you move through the darkness - you can feel the train descend gradually and then a blue light lets you know that you've reached the deepest portion of the tube before the ascent.

The trains are also full of expressions of the typical Japanese politeness and consideration for those around them. The attendant assigned to our car bows upon entering and leaving the car. No one acknowledges it but it's a nice gesture. Use of cell phones is forbidden on subways and trains and, although the Japanese are way ahead of the U.S. in terms of their use of the little gizmos, they thankfully have avoided the annoying habit of gluing them to their ears while walking on the street, in restaurants or while driving.

Many times I wish I had had the gumption to whip out my camera when traditional and modern Japanese culture met on the train. One time a lady in full kimono regalia, including wooden clogs and foot mittens, sat across from us and spent the entire trip texting on her cell phone. Another time four giant Sumo wrestlers boarded wearing the traditional cotton robes and sandals, slicked back hair, and smelling of baby powder. Although I could tell they resisted as long as they could, they finally grabbed a handrail to keep from landing on a passenger's lap. The youngest fellow must have been about 14 or so, already developing the blubbery look.

Riding the rails has also presented us with a microcosm of Japan. We have ridden through the potato and cabbage farms of Hokkaido, rice fields ready to be harvested in Tohoku, through small fishing towns and large cities. The sea is never far away, nor are the mountains. It's a great way to travel and see the landscape. In a couple of days, we will experience the ultimate in rail travel, the Shinkansen bullet train, whose speed approaches 290 kph (about 200 mph but you do the math), which will take us from Hachinohe, where we are now, through Tokyo and on to meet Sawako in Osaka in about 5 hours.