In about two hours, I'll be again boarding
one of the most famous train services in the entire world,
the Japanese bullet train,
the Shinkansen.
[music]
Hello again from Tokyo, Japan.
I'm here during the Olympics when rules are a little bit more strict.
Still, I'll try to share my experience getting the Shinkansen,
the super fast fail-proof train that connects the entire Japan.
I'm at the hotel just waiting for my transport.
These days, foreigners like me cannot use public transport here in Japan.
You have to arrange your own private service.
Arigato gozaimasu. [thank you in Japanese]
Oh, that's fine. That's okay.
- I'm your driver. - Konnichiwa.
- Konnichiwa. [hello in Japanese]
Tokyo Station? - Tokyo Station.
[music]
Tokyo Station is the main intercity rail terminal in Tokyo
and the busiest station in Japan.
Every day, half a million people circulate here,
and more than 4,000 trains from local to high speed,
arrive and depart.
Today I'll board one of them,
not just any train, but the Shinkansen,
the famous Japanese bullet train.
This is the Komachi 32.
[music]
This car is reserved to the Olympics delegations,
and I'm the first one to get in.
There's free Wi-Fi.
[music]
There are nine Shinkansen lines in Japan,
most of them depart from Tokyo
and take you in different directions around the country.
Look at that!
How beautiful!
The most popular is the Tokaido Shinkansen
which connects Tokyo to Kyoto and Osaka via Nagoya.
Exactly the one we took last time we were here.
We cannot talk here. - Shh.
- We have to be quiet. - Shh.
Now with only foreigners in the car,
it was not as quiet most of the time.
Today I'm heading north.
It's a short trip between Tokyo and Sendai via the Akita line.
There's one interesting difference between this line
and the other line we took last time, the Tokaido Shinkansen.
Here in the Akita line, all seats in the Komachi trains require reservation.
Remember that we bought non-reserved seats
because they were cheaper?
Let's go non-reserved.
It's cheaper non-reserved.
You don't have this option here.
The Akita line is the branch of the Tohoku Shinkansen line
connecting Tokyo and Akita.
There's only one type of train in this line, the Komachi.
It is an E6 series, also known as the Super Komachi.
There are only two stops here, Ueno and Omiya.
Ueno is where they have that beautiful and very popular park,
still in Tokyo, famous for the cherry blossoms.
Today this might be the most popular city park in the entire country.
And this now is Omiya.
[music]
The Komachi train reaches 320 kilometers an hour.
Just a shame that I couldn't buy any bento box.
Right now, all of us foreigners are being escorted into the trains
here in Japan,
and we cannot go inside any shop.
It's a measure to protect the Japanese people against the virus.
Last time we ended up getting one of the most famous bento boxes in Japan,
totally by chance.
This was selling like water there.
They even had it on top of the counter
and everybody was arriving and buying it,
so I got one, too.
Ta-da! Beautiful!
Everything is very tasty here.
Look at how long it would take to drive,
compared to getting the train.
Look at this.
To go from Tokyo to Sendai in Miyagi,
almost five hours if you want to drive.
PA: We will soon make a brief stop at Sendai
Passengers changing to Senseki Line,
Senzan Line, Joban Line,
Senseki Tohoku Line, Sendai Airport Access Line,
and the Sendai subway Namboku and Tozai lines
please transfer at this station
- You want help there?
- There you go.
-Oh, thank you so much.
Thank you.
So here is downtown Sendai?
- Yes. - Okay.
- It's downtown Sendai. - Okay
It's a big city, too, huh?
- It's a big city. - Yeah.
- One million people. - Really? Wow!
Thank you very much for your help
- Renata-san, thank you very much.
- Arigato gozaimasu. [thank you in Japanese]
- Please enjoy. - Yes, yes, I will.
- I'm loving, I'm loving to be here.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
Hello from Sendai!
I'm already in the hotel.
And, wow, what a difference compared to previous trips.
The Japanese are being really cautious about all the foreigners arriving here.
I'll share my experience,
but first, let me show you this room here.
It is really nice, really big.
This is The Westin Sendai Hotel.
Finally, a hotel that thinks about people with long hair.
Fancy.
It's a shaving foam.
Comb, bath salt.
And look at this, Onsen in your room.
Three options according to three different regions of Japan.
Here there is no English translation.
Ah!
So this flushes.
Wow, look at this view!
It's like being in an observation tower.
This is the 31st floor.
So, the bullet train.
The train has a dedicated car, only for the teams,
and for people working at the organization, like me,
so that we don't mix with the Japanese people.
Don't put them at risk.
We cannot go to shops or roam around the stations.
And we were told that actually even if someone came to our car
selling stuff, we could not buy.
So, unfortunately, I couldn't try the food, you know,
not only the ekiben that I wanted so much,
but also I heard that there are some really good places to eat,
both at Tokyo Station and at Sendai Station.
Oh, my God, this is a perfume to help you sleep better.
It says here, "Roll onto temples and wrists
before bedtime to faster sound sleep."
Hmm.
About the train, what can I say?
It's amazing.
An hour and a half between Tokyo and Sendai,
That's 367 kilometers (228 miles)
The ride is smooth. You can relax.
It's quiet for the most part.
It gets a little noisier when you are at full speed, you know.
And that's what's really amazing because you cannot tell
that you're going that fast,
almost 320 kilometers an hour.
When you come to Japan, go visit other cities also,
outside of Tokyo, and get the Shinkansen.
Don't fly. That's a really unique experience.
[music]