We were up at 3 o'clock this morning. By 4:30 a.m., without any breakfast in our bellies, we were standing on the platform in Fussa with tickets in hand for the train to Tokyo. It was dark, cold, and raining. Our sleepiness was exceeded only by the excitement of what lay before us; the Shinkansen, Japan's famous bullet train. I was anxious to experience the feeling of zipping along the rails at 188 miles per hour on the way to Kyoto, 350 rail miles to the west through the Japanese countryside.
I "borrowed" the picture above.
At Tokyo the train station was remarkably busy even at 6:50 in the morning when we pulled out. The interior of the Shinkansen is spacious with lots of leg room. The seating is great. If only the airlines would duplicate these conditions flying would again be an enjoyable experience.
And what efficiency! The train is staffed with the most professional and congenial people; from the conductor to the gal that gathers the trash. As each enters or exits the coach he or she will face the passengers and bow. What wonderful etiquette. I will miss this formality when we get back to the rough and tumble U.S.A.
We pulled out of Tokyo at 6:50 a.m. and arrived in Kyoto at 9:11 a.m. The stop in Kyoto to get off the Shinkansen was two minutes long. As quickly as that, the train was gone.
Melba and I pose in front of the Golden Pavilion Temple in Kyoto. Is that real gold on the temple walls? Yes.
The grounds around the temple are picture-postcard beautiful.
This young lady was one of many uniformed bellhops in the Kyoto Hotel Okura. I could not let an opportunity to pose for a picture alongside her slip by.
This is the entrance to the Fushimi Inari Shrine. It is home to countless torii gates. It takes about two hours to walk along the whole trail. 
Leave Kyoto at 1:29 p.m., arrive at Hiroshima at 3:05 p.m.
