On this westwardly journey, my window seat was on the left or south side of the car. Mt Fuji would be on the opposite side to the north. Whenever another bullet train passes, you will notice it as the cars are pushed outward from the forces in between the gap from the 2 trains. Then another jostling as the cars right themselves once they are clear of each other.
In the early portion of the excursion, the sea of Japan is visible from my point of view.
This is also where most of the tunnels are as well. A good 5 or 6 tunnels vary in length as you speed through the area. This portion of the route is hilly while the rest of it after Shizuoka tends to be flat and open.
When it does open up, you will see farms and factories as well as small cities, towns, and villages.
Every now and then you will see some area that has been built up with a large department store or mall and periphary shops like gas stations and car dealerships near its perimeter.
A few rivers cross our path along the way. Trestle bridges place a load on your reaction time as you try to catch a picture in between the diagonal support beams
Even some out of the way places like to have a ferris wheel seem to pop up out of nowhere. It could be a small amusement park. It could be a shopping center with and entertainment center. Your guess is as good as mine.
Arrival at JR Nagoya Station 2 hours later. Due to the speed and very limited number of stops, it makes the trip feel faster than the 2 hours that it took. An additiona 45 minutes will get you to Kyoto and Osaka is 15 minutes beyond that.
In front of the station is where you can catch the local loop bus that can take you to most of the tourist attractions around town. A single ride will cost you a few hundred yen, but the all day pass more than pays for itself if you plan to disembark more than twice during your stay.
First stop, Nagoya Castle. The all day pass will provide discounts to a number of the venues it will drop you off at. Here, presenting the pass will discount your admission by 100yen.
Its almost cherry blossom season in Japan. The sakura tend to bloom first in the western regions and the transformations move eastward to Tokyo and lastly to Hokkaido. Its been cold lately and the blossoms are reluctant to bloom but a few have come to life
Plum blossoms are often found to be blooming as well as the sakura. Their colors tend to be a much darker shade of pink
As I round the castle to the entryway, the door is a large edifice of metal with more metal cladding the doorway as one of the last lines of defense. The mulitple stories towering over anyone seeking to gain entry. Iinside, displays and exhibits illustrating what life was like when the castle was the heart and soul of the city in its hey day.
A 3D map shows what the castle town looked like during the feudal times. The moat surrounds the grounds, much of if is dried up from what I saw. With the castle being the highest point in the city, it gives the residents not only a spectacular view but the ability to see almost everything going on in town.
