There were two Japanese breakfast selections and one Western. We both selected the same Japanese meal.
The grounds of Hanafubuki Ryokan are very well done and maintained.
We arrive at Izukogen Station with tickets from Kawazu to Tokyo. There is a translation device popular in Japan. At the station it comes in handy. CJ is able to exchange our tickets for an earlier rapid train, in the same class of service, and with the desired ocean side reserved seats.
Once again we are saved by a translation
device. With CJ speaking no Japanese and the station ticket agent speaking no
English, CJ manages to get the Kawazu to Tokyo ticket exchanged for the
shorter Izukogen to Tokyo in the same class of service, in the same car, and on
an earlier train. The nice agent even puts us on the ocean view side of the
train.
The Odoriko train is called a “rapid” train. It is an express train meaning it bypasses many stations. Once again we marvel at how mountainous Japan is. The train route is along the coast. Mountains reach to the sea. The train passes through a tunnel passes by a densely populated city nested in the area between mountains, and then the train enters another tunnel. This is repeated over and over. The only differences are the lengths of the tunnels and the size of the cities.
There is no way the US could have invaded
Japan and won the war. It would have gone on for years fought to a stalemate.
It would have made Vietnam look like a cake walk. All estimates of the number
of lives saved by dropping the two bombs is grossly underestimated.
A taxi delivers us from Tokyo Station to Haneda Airport. Even though we saw the hotel from the taxi, once inside the terminal we miss the sign to the Royal Hotel Haneda. After walking the length of the terminal, we’re informed that the hotel is on the opposite end, the end where we entered. Bugger.
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