The Bullet

As a family we love trains. Actually more precisely, Julie HATES planes so wherever possible we stick to the ground and take trains. We know there are some great train journeys to be had, but as a train experience the Shinkansen (or the Bullet when I was a kid) has got to be amongst the best. I can't think of many modern trains I'm genuinely excited about travelling on. All the stuff you are told is true - they are super quick, they always arrive and leave on time, they are clean like everything else in Japan! It's the stuff that we found out for ourselves which really made it great....the fabulous Bento boxes for lunch (why don't we eat 'packed lunches' as adults in the West?), the incredibly genial guard who bows at either end of the carriage. The nice old lady who made Ophelia a paper swan (you can't make that stuff up!) and the variety of toilets and washing facilities. The phenomenal leg room....okay, that's for me....and of course the fabulous view of Japan and Mt Fuji. Isn't there some Zen saying about the journey being more important....