7 November 2016
Last stop
A quick trip to the Sendai castle on foot
Now I am back in Tokyo, hark the heralds. I will be here for 3 nights. Then I will be on a plane overnight, then I will be home on Friday.
More precisely, I am in Ueno, which is very near the Tokyo station, but more of a city than the Tokyo station area itself, but less so than Shibuya and Shinjuku, its probably equal #3 for neoness with Ikebekurrooroerioro.
Thats the geography lesson, now the weather.
Perfect clear blue skies the whole way, no cloud sightings at all.
Thats the weather down, now the journey.
The train situation was actually very confusing! I suspect they did what they do in Australia when airlines dont have enough passengers and combined 2 trains.
This did not only confuse me, I saw people, Japanese people, running about asking the staff.
A train was supposed to come at 12:26, Hayabusa for Tokyo, which was slower and stopped at more stations, not my train.
Then at 12:30, same platform, another train, Yambiko, which stops at less stations was supposed to come, my train.
The info boards showed both, and then the 12:26 train disappeared from the board. Now suggesting the Yambiko was soon. Did my train overtake the other one?
Everyone is looking at their tickets. A train is arriving, I squint to read the digital LED windows flying past, Hayabusa, not my train, people shuffle in the queue some more.
Except then the blue green colored train has a pink red colored train attached to it as the second half, that says Yambiko. People were audibly confused now.
I decided to get on it anyway and go to my assigned seat, train was absolutely full, and the overhead shelf thing would not fit my bag, even though every other train has done so easily.
So I wedged my bag at the back of the carriage, took my seat, had no idea what train I was on, but no one else claimed my seat and it went to Ueno so I guess they combined 2 trains and confused all of Japan.
Maybe the Hayabusa broke down and the Yambiko pushed it along?
The train was a bit later today, so I had time for a morning jog / then sprint because I ran out of time suffering from leaf hysteria, to go to the castle ruins of Sendai.
First I crossed a bridge, note the blue sky.
This is the castle moat. No fishing allowed.
Todays color. Such color, so wonderment.
The castle ruins have some impressively high walls, Not Kanazawa high, but still quite high. High enough that if you had to climb them in samurai gear you would find them high, and then people higher than you would shoot flaming arrows at you from a higher height and you would plummet to your death in the moat far below the high walls of the Sendai castle.
Todays word of the day, high. Also this castle was the main one of the Date clan.
The ruins. Surely they plan to rebuild it out of reinforced concrete?
Good view from the top, thats Sendai. At this point I questioned how much time I had left to get back to my hotel, pack my bags, and go to the station for my train.
Nice Buddha statue, had not noticed that before coming up here. Also that mountain just left of centre, thats where I was yesterday. View from there would have been good on a clear day.
Wander around the grounds a bit and make yourself late and you can find this view. I declare it, PHOTO OF THE DAY.
The Date clan had a thing for eagles, perhaps because they were aligned to the nazis.
Todays random photo from a moving train. Today I had a view, and the guy next to me slept and did not care about the blind being up. Refreshing behaviour.
Fukushima. I pressed my scrotum against the window to irradiate it so I remain sterile forever to protect the environment by not having any children. Wheres my tax rebate?
Now I am in Ueno. I like Ueno. It has alleyways like this, lots of them. Refer to my last visit, first page.
Ueno skyline, well, the station bit, the main bit is behind me from here.
Very strange choice of car for Lego to feature a set on. Very rare Caterham. Its a bit like Lego globally releasing a lego set featuring A Holden Kingswood.
And here is my Ueno hotel room. I stayed here before, liked it, so booked it again. Last time I was near death from swine flu.