Trains Across Japan

Japan’s trains are methodically choreographed in a rhythmic rail system. In the big cities, busy people join the rhythm. They rush on the train, look down, look out the window, and rush off as new units rush on.

As foreigners, my partner, Daniel and I were given easy access to this system with a rail pass, of which, we took full advantage. For three weeks, we traveled as if our rail passes would be taken from us if they were idle for too long.

We planned one night in Naruto, a city we picked to visit solely based on my love for the anime of the same name. Access to this city was by a small regional train. Daniel and I walked onto this train, passed several school children heading home for the day, and sat down in the only two available seats next to an elderly Japanese couple. We sat facing each other, Daniel next to the man, and I next to the woman.

Traveling to a small town like Naruto, I wrongly assumed no one would speak English let alone initiate a conversation. So it took me a second to realize that the woman was asking me a question. She spoke softly yet eagerly, forcing out small mouse-like noises between words.

We talked about where we were from and what our plans were. I asked, how many people live in Naruto? She wasn’t sure so asked her husband. At this point, I didn’t realize he knew English as well since he hadn’t looked up from his newspaper the whole time. She asked, and he responded in the classic old man way by yelling, a drawn out- “what?” with a puzzled look on his face.

He was the spitting image of Morla, the wise giant turtle from the movie, The Never Ending Story, as he pondered her question. “Hmm ... Yes. Let me see.” After scanning every row of wrinkles in his memory, he said matter of fact, “sixty thousand” and went back to reading his newspaper.

She asked us if we knew any Japanese, and I apologetically answered no.

At this point, still early in our travels, I hadn’t had a chance to converse with a Japanese citizen. We were able to make small talk as we passed through our accommodation and restaurants. But as the train jerked and twisted on the rails – so unlike the smooth big city trains – we talked to this couple about their own travels, the man’s old business in Korea, and about their son who was living in Vietnam.

We completed our Japan trip experiencing a multitude of sights and smells. What captivated me most, however, was the small train and the great conversation with the turtle grandpa and the mouse grandma.