Day 12: part 1 - Leaving Shizuoka

My friend and his family drove me to the nearest Shinkansen station. It took about 30 minutes to get to, which jives with everything else in this part of the country being a bit more remote. I tried to remember to snap a few photos of the family before we left, but I forgot. I also regretted that I didn't take any pictures of their home or the surroundings while I was there. I think I was a bit nervous about catching the train to Yokohama. He and his daughters did walk me to the train station, though, and that was nice. The younger daughter seemed ot be in a bit of a bad mood. It actually made me feel good that she might have missed me, but I think it is more likely that she was in a bad mood because it was so hot and uncomfortable.

They got me to the train station with enough time to relax before I caught the train. It surprised me that the train ride was scheduled to be 90 minutes long. From Osaka it was about 2 hours, and now another hour and a half just to get to Yokohama (not even Tokyo). This fact told me a little bit more about how nice and out of the way this part of Shizuoka is. It wsa certainly a pleasant and peaceful way to spend a day.