11 December 2009

Waiting for the Shinkansen

I'm waiting for the Shinkansen. Waiting for the starched suited man to salute the driver. Waiting for the engine hum to dull. Waiting for the white glove to point at alignment. Waiting for the rush of cold from the opening door. Waiting to walk through the cloud of smoke and into the non-smoking cabin. Waiting to settle and tuck in to an ekibento. Waiting to be whisked off to somewhere exciting.

6 comments:

Sarah said...

Oh, this just made me SO nostalgic for Japan. Not even funny. ;)

shantiwallah said...

I'm not laughing. I'm right there with you! I sort of wish I'd filmed more things like this.

Niamh Griffin said...

It's the small daily things which make me homesick for a place too; usually the things you see every day and never think to record as you say. I've been bombing around on motorbike taxis in BKK this week which was a daily event but now is a treat!

shantiwallah said...

I agree Niamh, it's definitely the small things. I miss being able to grab an onigiri or some noodles from the shop on the way to work when I haven't got time to make my lunch.

But there's nothing like being a tourist in the place you've been living to liven things up. Once we'd packed up all our stuff and shipped it on to NZ, we had a week to just visit with people and hang out in Tokyo doing tourist things we hadn't done before. No work pressure, no routines, just pure travelling. In day to day life, it feels like work to communicate in the language, but when you are a tourist, suddenly it's fun!

Heather on her travels said...

That certainly looks a whole more futuristic than the tube in London - love those caps and white gloves - so smart. In London it's a red plastic bat that get's waved & their all in neon orange safety vests

shantiwallah said...

Oh yes, I've also commuted in London and although I can feel nostalgic for those days, the Tokyo transport is much cleaner and more efficient. This is the bullet train, however, and not really for everyday commuting so it's extra fancy:-)
Thanks for stopping by!