Japan Day 16: On The Move

Our decision to visit Japan was made quickly and rather on impulse, which contributed to Roger's tardy arrival and a time crunch when planning. We asked a travel agent to book our accommodation, providing a budget, towns, and a brief to be near a train station. As a result, on moving day we usually know very little about the actual hotel we're moving to or the area in which it is. 

Today was no exception and involved quite a lot of time sitting on trains given that, having had a Tokyo hiatus to collect Roger, we were now catching up with the original plan by catching the shinkansen south to Mutsuyama.  We bought ekiben to add to the shinkansen experience,

A new challenge: using chopsticks on a moving train.

and got there early to indulge in a little shinkansen appreciation.

The viewsfrom the train were terrible, mainly due to smog made worse by smoke from the Imabari City wildfire which had been burning for some days and which we would pass close by later in the day. Roger got a brief glimpse of Mount Fuji off to the west, a shadowy shape in the smog. I commiserated, showing him photos to demonstrate how clearly I had seen the mountain only two weeks earlier.

Smog and a distant sea.

Excitement in Okayama.

We spent an hour in Okayama to stretch our legs before boarding the Limited Express bound for Matsuyama.The limited express was the slow cousin of the shinkansen, poking along at a measly 120 or so km/hour and stopping at more stations.

In short order we left the mainland and crossed to the island via the Seto Ohashi Bridge with spectacular views over the islands and busy shipping traffic on the waters of the Inland Sea.

From there we rumbled along on a narrow strip between bamboo-clad mountains and the sea,  popping in and out of tunnels. We passed shipping ports and areas of heavy industry; skirted the Imabari City fire, attended busily by a bevy of water bombing helicopters;

and watched a smoky sunset over the water.

In Mutsuyama we caught the tram, copying everyone else to know what to do, and still no doubt managing to make lots of mistakes. And then we arrived at our hotel to the delightful surprise that we were just over the road from Dogo Onsen, the oldest onsen in Japan and, if the crowds in the street were anything to go by, one of the busiest. Onsen-goers thronged the streets, the mall, the Lawson, all dressed up in their wooden clogs and onsen-wear on their way to the public baths. They queued in a long line to get inside, while another crowd stood outside with cameras photographing the building and taking selfies.

To be fair, it's a beautiful building especially with all the lanterns lit at night.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go find out how one behaves so as not to disgrace oneself at an Onsen.