JR Tokyo Station & Day Trips

JR Tokyo Station is where Shinkansen runs.  The main station for day trips to other parts of Japan.  

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I took the Shinkansen south to Osaka and Kyoto.  The Shinkansen also runs north to Sendai.  To be honest, I’m a huge fan of trains and subways.  It truly makes life easier when living in a big city.   The Japanese has its subway and train stations down like New York City; however, Japan’s system is much more complex than NYC.   The Shinkansen does simplify the process of getting to other parts of Japan.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to put my red cape and blue suit on then fly away.  It would have been too much of a distraction.

However, Shinkansen has different trains with different speeds.  I was kicked off the Nozomi train (i.e., fastest train) cause my rail pass could only be used for the Hikari.  I didn’t go without putting up a fight and yelling “Godzilla ain’t got sh*t on me, son!  Who’s coming with me?!?”   But…no one came with me.  The woman next to me acted like she didn’t know me as she put her hand over her face then slowly sank deeper into her seat.  These girls ain’t loyal.

The JR Tokyo station is fairly easy to navigate.  The signs are in English, Japanese and Chinese.  I know this is a hard concept for some but you have to look at the platform number on your ticket then match it with the signs.  I know.  It’s pretty hard to comprehend.  Like I said, the Japanese system is a lot more complex.

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Furthermore, Japanese stations have pretty much everything a person could want.  There are restaurants, shops, trains, and buses.  The ticket staff are all nice and they speak English.  I didn’t get any of the “stupid” American condescending look.  Don’t blame me. Blame Trump!  If this was a few years ago, I would have said, “Blame Obama”.

Lastly, Tokyo station is pretty much like other Japanese stations.  It’s clean, efficient, and easy to use.  I highly recommend taking the Shinkansen for day trips to Japanese cities north or south.  It’s a lot cheaper than booking a room at one of the hotels.  Trust me.  I don’t like spending money unless I can brag about it on social media.

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