6 November 2017
The turn for home
Riding the Shinkansen from Kobe to Gifu
Now I am in Gifu, which means I have stopped heading West and am now heading back East towards Tokyo. A sad day indeed.
I have never been here before, as mentioned earlier, it is a satellite city to Nagoya. It seems very clean and organised, thats all I know so far, my hotel is very close to the station.
Before coming here, I had a bit more time to wander around Kobe this morning, and found Motomachi, a very very long shopping street that basically connected where I was staying with Sannomiya, it started off old and run down but got pretty modern 2km later at the end.
To get from Kobe to Gifu took 4 trains, Suburban Kobe train, Sannomiya to Shin-Osaka, Shin Osaka to Nagoya Shinkansen, Nagoya to Gifu.
I didnt really make any plans as to how to make that happen, you dont really need to in Japan, theres always 20 options to get anywhere.
The train wasnt as bad as the others, with just one person keeping time with their coughs, but I think they were lung cancer rather than swine flu coughs, also I think he had tourrettes or some sort of OCD.
Cough cough 1, 2, 3, 4, cough cough 1, 2, 3, 4. I could keep time to this for the hour or so on the Shinkansen.
My room here in Gifu is a Daiwa Roynet, I like this chain, you check in at a machine, which prints you a personalised RFID room key with your name and room number on it, and you pay at the machine with your credit card. No need to ever talk to anyone in Japan. Its very hard to talk because of the face mask situation, no one can hear you.
My early morning wander around Kobe first came to this dilapidated semi abandoned area. I was looking for Motomachi and thought this was it, it was not.
Remember, in Japan, no rubbish bins, just piles and piles of rubbish bags, everywhere.
Not sure what this old building was, lots of security guards in cars surrounding it. Maybe Trump is staying there.
This is the ubiquitous roadworks sign. I like that they have a little picture of a man doing the apology bow.
Motomachi. Miles long, snakes around a bit, starts off old, gets newer, full of cyclists trying to kill me at this time despite the no bikes signs up everywhere. Rebels.
Almost forgot, I only found the Kobe Chinatown this morning. Quite large, seemed legit. Lots of dumplings and congee for sale for breakfast.
I am staying in Yokohama after Gifu, which has an even larger Chinatown. I will speak Chinese there and get strange looks.
Heres a bit more Chinatown, there were many such gates. You know you are in Chinatown when stores are getting fresh bean shoots delivered daily.
The last bit of my walk, between the tracks, miles and miles of closed garage doors. I dont know how many of them still have shops behind them or if they are closed permanently these days.
And now, Gifu station area. Complete with gold samurai statue, holding a gun. He's doing it wrong.
Sky here is less polluted, good news!
And heres my room, its very large, I am considering sub letting one of the corners to someone.