Sushi to biiru to tomadachi
On Tuesday of this week, after a variety of morning meetings, I hopped on the shinkansen bound for Tokyo. I was accompanied by Anabuki-san (aka Buki), a postdoc in my Osaka U. group who was gracious enough to help an ignoramus like myself find his way to the SWG meeting. What I hadn't realized, and what several Japanese admit they also find odd, is that even though the bullet train runs as often as a subway (10 minute intervals for the nozomi express, and only a couple minutes between trains on any given part of the track), and despite the cost, it's always full of people. No one seems to know where all these people are going.
In any event, the trains go extremely fast, probably over 300 km/s (190 mph) at top speed on the Osaka-Tokyo (Tokaido) run. More interesting than that is since they have a dedicated track, they go at speed through urban areas and villages. It's a bit unnerving to see a cow go by at 200 mph.
I didn't take any pictures, alas, but here are some images of a shinkansen densha and some more info.
I in fact went to Machida, which is a district on the west side of Tokyo (like King of Prussia vs. Phliadelphia). Most of my waking hours were spent at the SWG meeting, and I will spare you the painful details of that. Suffice it to say that the satellite is working (except for the primary instrument, of course) and it will observe some things.
It was good to see Mark, Bev and Steve (all MITers) again, and we spent Thursday and Friday evenings at a sushi bar owned by good friends of Steve-san, who has been coming here for many years. So we provided the evening's entertainment for the regulars, and had some excellent food, and probably too much beer. And sake. And some sort of sweet potato vodka. And possibly some other things I can't remember. Steve has pictures, so I will get some and post them asap.
The other night we went to a "jazz club", another of Steve's regular haunts which is actually a whiskey bar where they play jazz records (as in vinyl LPs). There we entertained the only other patron, a very drunk Japanese business man who extolled to us the sonant virtues of Della Reese. I think. He wasn't extremely coherent in any language.
Today I found my way to Shin-Yokohama station and got on the Osaka-bound shinkansen. I believe I saw Mt. Fuji (aka Fuji-san) en route, shrouded in clouds. According to the TV news, he already has snow on his peak. The train passed through Nagoya and Kyoto, and arrived at Osaka in the rain.
In any event, the trains go extremely fast, probably over 300 km/s (190 mph) at top speed on the Osaka-Tokyo (Tokaido) run. More interesting than that is since they have a dedicated track, they go at speed through urban areas and villages. It's a bit unnerving to see a cow go by at 200 mph.
I didn't take any pictures, alas, but here are some images of a shinkansen densha and some more info.
I in fact went to Machida, which is a district on the west side of Tokyo (like King of Prussia vs. Phliadelphia). Most of my waking hours were spent at the SWG meeting, and I will spare you the painful details of that. Suffice it to say that the satellite is working (except for the primary instrument, of course) and it will observe some things.
It was good to see Mark, Bev and Steve (all MITers) again, and we spent Thursday and Friday evenings at a sushi bar owned by good friends of Steve-san, who has been coming here for many years. So we provided the evening's entertainment for the regulars, and had some excellent food, and probably too much beer. And sake. And some sort of sweet potato vodka. And possibly some other things I can't remember. Steve has pictures, so I will get some and post them asap.
The other night we went to a "jazz club", another of Steve's regular haunts which is actually a whiskey bar where they play jazz records (as in vinyl LPs). There we entertained the only other patron, a very drunk Japanese business man who extolled to us the sonant virtues of Della Reese. I think. He wasn't extremely coherent in any language.
Today I found my way to Shin-Yokohama station and got on the Osaka-bound shinkansen. I believe I saw Mt. Fuji (aka Fuji-san) en route, shrouded in clouds. According to the TV news, he already has snow on his peak. The train passed through Nagoya and Kyoto, and arrived at Osaka in the rain.
posted by Eric M. at 4:30 PM
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