it's great this is the train we're going
to call home for the next 11 hours
pretty difficult having a shower on a
moving train
damn amazing not gonna lie it really
does look like a desert
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uh Tokyo an absolute Concrete Jungle and
a million miles away from the nearest
Desert or is it take a look at this
if I were to show you this photo where
would you think it is take a guess maybe
Egypt Dubai timizia is in fact here in
Japan that's right you've missed it the
entire time the great Japan desert just
south of Tokyo well no not quite it is
in fact a gigantic Sand Dune in the
prefecture of totori about 500 600
kilometers south of Tokyo now I've
always wanted to go to tottori but it's
not an easy place to get to there is no
bullet train there is a night bus but
that's a fate worse than death itself
however I've recently discovered that
there is in fact a sleeper train a Night
Train one of the last remaining night
trains in Japan and so I've got two
tickets one for me and one for Japan's
most eccentric man there are train
leaves in about two hours from Tokyo
Station so let's go and see if the sand
dunes of trattori live up to the hype
and if the sleeper train is actually any
good let's do it
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we'll see
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I've never been in tottori and I come
out hotel in train train in hotel which
wellnessky debates the powerful
philosophical question of whether it's a
train or a hotel I run off to stock up
on snacks for our 11 hour journey and
one that will take us from the heart of
Tokyo 600 kilometers West to the Sea of
Japan Coastline to the secluded region
of tottori a prefecture famous for being
the least populated in all of Japan in
recent years thanks to High-Speed Rail
links and low-cost Airline carriers
traveling Japan has never been quicker
cheaper or easier though sadly it means
the many sleeper trains that once roamed
the country have all but disappeared in
fact there are just two regular sleeper
trains remaining one of which is the one
we're riding tonight the sunrise Express
what a romantic name
this is it guys this is the train we're
going to call home for the next 11 hours
it arrives at about 9 30 a.m in tottori
looks really nice
you can see inside you can see the room
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look how smug he looks
he's boarding the Train That's can I
split off to our separate cabins as I
put my feet up in the comfort of my
spacious twin room
well guys here we are my twin room uh
natsuki there's no nasty in sight
thankfully he's got his own special room
and I say special he's got a deluxe room
natsuki decided to Splash big because
he's treating us like a whole holiday
I'm still gonna go and see now to get a
minute he keeps rubbing it in my face
that he's got the good room and in fact
he's actually above me he's upstairs on
the higher floor so we're going to see
him in a minute but first things first
it's a cool room even though the rooms
are fairly close together I can't hear
anybody else at all because the noise
the train sort of drowning it out like
the sound of the train is really
relaxing it's kind of like an ASMR
experience like I think if I lay down I
could probably fall asleep pretty
quickly so here we have the panel as
you'd get in any hotel room by your bed
right light controls and things so I've
got lights here one two listen to the
radio
copyright claim uh and uh heater as well
which I strongly advise you not to use
because the room is already like a mini
sauna it's very very hot and that's my
only criticism of the rim so far it's
pretty pretty unpleasantly hot there is
a fan going but it's doing absolutely
up you get better results if you
just face the warm blue against it
apparently there's also showers on board
the train which I'm going to test out in
a minute but first things first let's go
and see natsuki in his luxury Deluxe
fantastic accommodation I know he's
going to rub it in my face bastard
everything
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oh
what is going on relax time this room's
massive
King Nest Palace king natsuki's Palace
and only
have you've got beer you've got ham and
a beer this is what the one percent
looks like you're lucky boy oh thank you
yes please
look
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magic in the water
only land hunger not
work thank you why is that good because
don't fall down
a nice idea
yeah strong well that's your cheers
makes it have him in your Deluxe
palatial room wow very nice
delicious night why are you sitting by
the window enjoying his ham and beer
please ham it to you thank you so all
good Journeys demand a snack and before
we go on the train I spent probably a
hundred dollars but about 10 000 Yen on
snacks for that skin right me for you
okay good for me good mate
there's a there's a place called the
Japan Rail Cafe the Tokyo Station and
there you can buy loads of kind of local
dishes interesting Foods as well as get
help in English if you need it if you
ever get lost or you don't know what
you're doing or you want some advice on
traveling around Japan Japan Rail Cafe
but I've got various things first things
first send Bay crackers crackers yeah I
think the same way what are they yeah
this is like a namah is kind of like a
creepy God of Akita prefix they use it
to scare kids it's great the thing I'm
most excited about
this basically sausages made out of cow
tongue I like it and it's won an awards
so it must be good
you've got 10 kinds of rice crackers and
finally we've got sadachi mummy edamame
rice crackers
all these kind of Local Foods
get those sausages out now
thank you
what's that salami stick but better
quality hasn't got that kind of oily
taste to it very good really lean meat
extra salami
I like pizza
all fueled up on sausages and beer we
leave a sleepy King natsuki to his
luxury room will I return to my standard
twin room for a Bento and an evening
shower
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there's something kind of romantic about
going on a sleeper train like my
favorite James Bond film From Russia
with Love half of the film is set on a
train and um I think I've done it in
about 10 years but I know just the the
sound of the train moving the scenery
going by it's just not as a platform
it's kind of creepy being below the
platform but I know there's something
quite Pleasant about it Unfortunately
they are going out of fashion in Japan
they used to be a sleeper train that
went from Tokyo to Hokkaido but they got
rid of it in favor of a bullet train
because you can do it much quicker I
think it's probably only a matter of
time before this one goes as well so if
you come to Japan and you want to ride a
sleeper train do it while you can
obviously the the cost there is
depending on the size of the river like
natsuki's big spender room is about 140
whereas this one I think it's more like
80 or 90. but if you've got the JL Rail
Pass you can actually ride this train
for free and just kind of stay in the
communal area uh where there's lots of
free beds that you can go in
um kind of like almost a bit like a dorm
I guess so pretty good value for money
the comfort of a business hotel and the
excitement of being on a train I'm gonna
finish this Bento and then it's time for
a shower on a train something I don't
think I've ever done before how is this
going to work
it's not gonna lie it's pretty difficult
having a shower on a moving train like
everything just keeps shaking
it's like some sort of roller coaster
ride but the shower works so the clock
is tipping it's got about four minutes
remaining so I better make it count
I'd have to say that a shower exceeded
all expectations
apart from the fact that I know he broke
my leg three times it's rather good
recommend
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thank you
oh
good morning how are you
good sleep yeah
um holiday sleep holiday sleep the best
kind of sleep yeah look at the scenery
surely looks super relaxed super relaxed
it's good isn't it this morning whoa how
did you sleep on a scale of uh one to
ten natsuki
actually
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um but the train every time it stops at
a station there's a big announcement
it's like
good morning
it's amazing it's a guy and it happens
every five to ten minutes
and it's really annoying so just as I'm
falling asleep again that happens and it
uh it woke me up not a problem no
Japanese people are so good at sleeping
yeah and they have earphones that'll be
why
[Music]
man in Royal
so many empty rooms yeah it's Roman
names Solo solo runs hello everyone
two little size
foreign
oh just
oh nice it's nice yeah
sorry open window oh it's a good view
good view yeah maybe many stuff at night
it's great Alaska made a good point from
these kind of smaller rooms you can
actually look up at the stars and at
night it's probably a really nice view
but in fact just during the daytime The
View itself is pretty stunning like I
like the way they put the scenery front
and center in the train another one
it's pretty cool going to sleep in Tokyo
and waking up in the middle of the
Japanese Countryside one of the most
remote places in Japan with just the
most incredible scenery seriously the
rice fields the Luscious forests
traditional houses it's a beautiful
place it really is well guys it's 902
and the train arrives at 903 so I better
get going but thoughts on the train in
terms of how I actually slept I probably
had three or four hours sleep yeah and
we better go and God this is our stop
but yeah thoughts love the train didn't
sleep that well would I do it again yes
now let's go look at some sand dunes
quickly
as we wave the sunrise Express goodbye
at yonagor station in totori neither
netskin or I'm prepared for the
impressive site that awaits us along the
prefectures coastline
[Music]
foreign
bloody hell I have to say they are
pretty damn big this is 50 meters high
this Andrew and I don't think the camera
can really do it justice nor the Drone
but it is quite damn big what do you
think that's gigs let's
go
let's go it's cool like my there's
expectations reality a lot of um
Japanese attractions often they look a
lot better in the photos than they
really are but this is one of the few
places that I've seen photos of and come
to and actually felt like it's the real
deal it's really quite impressive one to
ten
10 10. nice Japan Park
our 50 meters high and stretching 16
kilometers along the coastline tottori
is naturally occurring sand dunes take
thousands of years to form although
Nature's work is being undone as the
sand dunes are shrinking as a result of
tsunami sea walls that have gone up
along the coastline affecting the very
sea currents that have deposited the
sand still for now the dunes remain a
towering presence and having recently
rode a horse on journey across Japan
natsuki set his sights on another form
of four-legged transport well come on
Camel come on oh my god wow
[Music]
yeah amazing
Silk Road Silk Road
I experience
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well guys we've seen the sleeper train
we've seen the totori sand dunes I have
to say I think they live up to their
reputation they are pretty damn
impressive like it is bigger than I
thought it would be and I'd love to come
back here and make like a parody film
natsky of Arabia or something yeah
it's the film that you either need nor
want nor deserve but what was your
highlight of the trip now let's give us
your favorite memory from the sleeper
train to the sand dunes yeah only six
minutes shower time the six minute
shower more sure I wanted more show up
what is that your favorite memory and
not tell you had no towel I forget
[Music]
oh my God so a six minute shower and
then no towel how did you dry yourself
oh
with his hands oh my God on that note
ladies and gentlemen I think we'll end
it thank you as always watching abroad
in Japan check out the Royal Japan
patreon for more behind the scenes stuff
but for now back to Tokyo let's go let's
go
bye everyone
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and ask you very bravely or very
stupidly decided to go down the sand
dune
taken in like half an hour to get back
up now
five SEC five seconds to run down it
and half an hour to get back up
come on ask you to do it
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