Japan Day 13 - Homeward Bound

I was so afraid I might oversleep, I set 2 alarms and asked for a wake up call! I just couldn't afford a repeat of my last day in Tokyo.

I had pretty well packed the night before so I wasn't rushed at all. Since I knew exactly where to go, I found my 'standing spot' easily.

The train system in Japan runs incredibly efficiently. There are markings on the floor that tell you where to stand for your car number. A screen above tells you which train is coming and the exact time it will leave.

They literally stop for about 60 seconds before shutting the door - no time to dilly dally.

I caught the Nozomi train, the fastest in the fleet. Despite it being a thanksgiving type of holiday in Japan, there were empty seats.

The scenery goes by very fast at 300 k/h! We went through a lot of small cities and towns. I don't know what classifies as a town or city though.

I heard a city of 400,000 referred to as a town. Not where I come from haha! I dozed off for awhile which is a good thing. 

It was recommended that I change trains at Shinagwa Station instead of Tokyo and now I know why. Hardly anyone else got off there and I was practically alone on the platform! Then it took only 2 or 3 minutes to find where to catch my next train! Smooth indeed. It was called the Narita Express bound for the international airport. It took about an hour. I paid dearly for the convenience and speed of the trains but it was worth every penny to me. 

Terminal 1 of the Tokyo Airport is huge!

I had a few yen left so I visited several shops to see what to spend it on. I found some green tea matcha, Japanese socks, fake sushi key chains, a small wooden Kimmidoll and some wasabi flavoured KitKat bars! 

How amazing to wake up in Kyoto and go to bed in Alberta in the same day! I will miss the beautiful fall leaves, the nicer temperatures, and warm Japanese toilet seats!!