I think one of the hardest things to master in Japan (other than their bakeries) is the public transport system. Sure it’s easy enough to get from point A to point B, but with approximately 15 billion local, semi rapid, and express trains all traveling different routes and five other non-JR private railways to contend with, it can get a little confusing trying to find the route that will get you there quickest and without you running frantically from one platform to another trying to find your connecting train.

I think I’m finally getting the hang of it these days though, with the only stumbling block being the hideously expensive Kobe Dentetsu line I have to catch down onto the main JR trunk line at Kobe or Sannomiya. The Dentetsu trains are extremely expensive (It basically costs me as much for the 30 min trip down to Kobe as it does for the more than an hour trip from Kobe to Kyoto) primarily because they have to go up a huge fuck-off mountain and as such need special equipment. Well, that’s the story I’ve heard, not sure if there’s any truth to it or if it’s just spin by the company to justify charging so much for tickets.

Anyway, once you’ve got down to JR, you’re on easy street. If you catch a special rapid from Kobe station you can be in Osaka in just over 25 minutes, Kyoto in just over an hour and Himeji in about 45 minutes. Who needs the Shinkansen when you’ve got good old JR. My next mission is to work out whether I get to Hiroshima by normal trains in under five hours.

Posted in Japan on Friday February 13, 2004.

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