Our day was planned around riding the Hello Kitty train, which only runs once a day from eastern Japan to Shin-Osaka. Our planned arrival back in Okayama was to the minute and the transfer went smoothly. Long distance train travel feels close to magic in Japan. I timed one of the Shinkansen stops and there was only a minute and a half for people, with luggage, to get off and new ones get on. I expect this does leave people out. I don’t know what you’d do if you need mobility assistance or use a wheelchair.
The reserved car had restrained theming, so we wandered to find the all-out pink cars with photo props, souvenirs, and themed snacks. It was delightfully cheerful. I’m curious how these licensing deals are made, because pop-culture theming is all over the place. There was a Slowpoke (a Pokemon) themed ferry, and other JR trains have included Moomin, Sonic, and Evangelion (from Gundam). Imagine if Amtrak had Avengers or Minions or Donald Duck trains. We’d love it, but I can’t see it taking off in American culture.
Our Hello Kitty time ended in Himeji, where we put our bags in lockers and took the bus to the castle. The audio guide made by high schoolers was fun. I hadn’t researched this stop past “it’s the biggest castle” so it was a happy surprise to see the interior and climb the stairs to the top. It is massive. The timber-built construction is beautiful, and I’m curious how they transported and assembled the wood in the 1600s. The engineering team certainly knew what they were doing.
The time for our scheduled departure to Osaka was rapidly approaching, so we left many things unseen and grabbed a bento to eat on the train. I thought a three hour stop in Himeji would be generous but the bus and walking add up. (And we move slowly in the heat!)
Our hotel in Osaka is a block away from the bustling food area of Dotonbori. It’s a real change from island time. We are back to extreme building density and throngs of tourists. After cooling down in the room we went to check out a couple of the malls and eat soufflé pancakes, which we so fondly remember from Chicago. We ended with a little time in Dotonbori and the Tombori River. It is sensory overload.
(16 762 steps)
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