Shinkansen and the Mountain trains



We were off to a flying start on the Shinkansen from Hakata to Kagoshima the next day. The train gobbled up the kms and we soon found ourselves at our destination. Enroute, we were fascinated by the station masters who all had the same ritual of a set of hand signals whenever the train left. We were thankful that they kept us safe, for there were Shinkansen trains whizzing by on the tracks every hour, sometimes 3 in an hour. Some of them went all the way from Kagoshima to Osaka.

After we dumped our luggage at our favorite hotel, Toyoko Inn, we turned around and took the train to Yoshimatsu. In my haste, I forgot that we should have waited to take the "Hayato no Kaze" a special historic train. Instead we got our first taste of a local train, chugging away on the rails and stopping at every station.

The lovely view of Kinko Bay and it's special live volcano was our reward. It was rather hazy that day, so Sakurajima wasn't as pretty as when I saw it in March this year.

It was at Hayato that we had to stop and transfer to the mountain train that took us past historic stations  and tourist onsen resorts like Kirishima and Kurino before we reached Yoshimatsu. We had 3 hours layover here, and we took a walk by the riverbank.

To our surprise, a red train, the "Kyushuoudan Kumagawa" appeared at 2.15pm and so did the "Kaze"

There was a flurry of activity as the Sunday trippers changed from one train to the other. Susan and I were also busy photgraphing the exteriors and interiors of these historic trains.

The ride to on the Oudan was most scenic. Our journey would have been enhanced had we understood the Japanese commentary. We "puffed" through tunnels and stopped at rural stations to change tracks as we climbed higher into the mountains. Soon we came to a spot where Yoshimatsu and the mountains ringing it could be seen far below us. Pity that it was a bit dark and hazy by this time.

At Hitoyoshi we changed to another train which passed through a beautiful gorge for the most part of the journey and through the steep mountainsides, we saw a glorious sunset (one of many on our trip). By the time we reached Shin Yatsushiro, it was dark and deserted and we had noodles at a lonely cafe, served by a quiet lady.