A lucky Shinkansen passsenger

  I have recently read about top 3 Japanese inventions.
  I may not remember the order of the list correctly but top 3 were Cup Noodle, Shinkansen and Walkman, respectively.
  Cup noodles are one of most my favorite meal. It is convenient, cheap and delicious. It is my favorite gift item also, noodles, noodle soups…many varieties as you can guess…They make me full and warm and happy.
  Big news is that there is a Cup Noodle Museum in Yokohama, it is close to Tokyo. That museum is on my list, I am going to visit and of course tell you about my visit. :) Probably in June.
  Walkman… I remember but I will pass on that there are so many inventions these days…
    And the final, the fastest, the most famous Shinkansen…
   It is a superfast train. Imagine 2 city centers you can use many transports but this train goes directly from a city center to a city center.
  Travel from Tokyo to Yokohama takes around 40 minutes by different train lines, it means that you have to change trains. If you take Shinkansen between Tokyo and Yokohama, is 10 minutes. Of course Shinkansen is designed for much longer distances. I traveled to Yokohama once on a ordinary train, it was a long journey. When I take the Shinkansen, Yokohama stop is almost just after I have taken my seat. That is very remarkable.
     Last March, I was in a hurry , I had to run to catch Shinkansen train and……
I got on the wrong Shinkansen… Imagine my fear, I was on a superfast train passing cities like city center stations. I could have found myself on a city that is far from Tokyo and also my destination. Luckily there is Yokohama close by, the train stopped and I got off. It took me 10 minutes to adjust and make sure I checked 3 or 4 times before I get on the correct Shinkansen. I got on that door…

  This became my Shinkansen note; do not rush to Shinkansen, don’t worry, there are many Shinkansen trains going to your destination in every 5-10 minutes. It is not a random train that you can just change in the next stop, next stop is another city….
    Let’s talk more about my Shinkansen experience. It was in my bucket list, I had to get on the Shinkansen…
Tickets are easy to buy from stores, stations, and also on the spot … Ticket windows, just in front of the entrance. On holidays, there are some lines to wait but that is all and worth it.
   There are 2 kinds of seating, reserved and non-reserved. Reserved seats are purchased in advance with seat number and so on… Non-reserved seat are for the tickets that you have bought on the last minute, first come, first served… But again you don’t have to worry because there are many Shinkansen trains going to your destination in every 5-10 minutes.
   I have never bought reserved seats yet. I think I didn’t need, maybe I am a bohemian…
      On my first travel, I only bought water. It seemed appropriate. It was appropriate of course.
Eating a bento or other things are also appropriate. I didn’t know so I was looking for something to eat. There are vending machines on Shinkansen. I started to walk to the wagon that has a vending machine. I had great expectations, chocolates, chips, coke…. I was walking to the opposite direction of the train. Ooo that was the time I realized how fast we were going. My brain and ears experienced some weird things, some force. And I was going to the opposite direction just for curiosity. And I got motion sickness... Nausea and headaches… I found the vending machine, there was only water. Bummer…
     After this, I decided that I wouldn’t walk the opposite direction of the Shinkansen. :) Been there, done that… :)
    And, I got back to my seat, drank water and look around. I saw a cart with coffee, and chips, and chocolate, sandwiches and alcoholic drinks, and many things that I prefer. Even if you don’t have anything to eat, you can still buy it from a snack trolley, just wait patiently, let  them to come to you.
    I was still having headache but it was worth it, I did all the things that I should do to discover the Shinkansen.
    Shinkansen has a place for all, clean toilets, and smoking rooms… Every need is thought and and provided for the comfort of the passengers.
    After I bought some snacks, I enjoyed the travel, looking outside…
     I saw temple roofs. It is really distinctive and artistic for my taste, all the roofs and the temples roof…
    Like many of us would do, I took my phone took a picture at the same time with a lightning. I know that many professionals wait for that timing. They dream about making that shot. I had that right timing with my phone. It was not a professional shot is was my iPhone 5… There is the shot.

 I was a lucky passenger. I was a lucky photo taker. I can’t call myself photographer.
These are my experiences about Shinkansen so far. Every time is an amazing experience.
Cheers,
Ece