I am riding a bullet train today. There is one leaving the station every few minutes. I can arrive and walk to the platform with absolutely no fuss. I am still in shock that for a small fee I will be in a city across the country in just a few hours. With a Japan rail pass (and a Suica card), there are aren’t many places that I can’t get to by train or bus. The possibilities seem endless because of Japanese transit systems. The trains are fast, safe, clean, and energy efficient.

Most Japanese towns and cities are connected with fast and reliable railway services that run multiple times a day and consequently, people use them. The timeliness, cleanliness, and efficiency seems miraculous. I feel like Americans are missing out. Why can’t this be my everyday reality?

Today we will travel from Tokyo to Kyoto, spend a whole day exploring, and travel back to Tokyo. It is not our first train trip in Japan, but it is our first Shinkansen bullet train. The ride will take about two hours (And also another half hour to take the bus and metro to Tokyo Station from the house). I think I will spend the travel time reading and looking at great views of Mount Fuji. Fyi, the highway drive time to the same destination was estimated at 11 hours. Why would anyone drive here?

The Shinkansen trains have a separate ticket turnstile system within Tokyo Station. We exit the metro train area and follow the signs to Shinkansen. Today, the entrance is very crowded and we are unsure what to do. There seem to be hundreds of people pushing into five ticket lanes. We aren’t even sure we are in the right place. Do we go through?How can we be sure? There aren’t departures boards visible to us? Do all turnstiles lead to all trains? We take a breath and enter the sea of people. When we get close to the turnstiles, I show my reservation to a man in uniform who waives us through.

Once inside the Shinkansen area, things calm down. The departures board is large and we are near our platform. There is a waiting room and a pastry shop. A croissant and coffee sounds nice. My husband is not a morning person so even coffee doesn’t make up for the fact that we have a half hour to spare (he could have been asleep) before we board.

I have a need to give myself a time cushion. Until this moment, I didn’t know where to go, or that trains leave every half hour, or that I could simply catch the next one…..Our seats have been pre-reserved, but if our plans change I am welcome to catch the next one. At least I think so, but we may have to stand or take a seat in an unreserved car. There is not a penalty. That relieves a bit of stress. With coffee in hand, the correct platform in sight, and the excitement of a new adventure, I am triumphant. Of course I am a morning person. Seven am is my best time of day.

Eventually we move toward the train and I decide that I need to get a few snacks from the interesting vending machines on the platform. They serve both hot and cold drinks from the same machine! There is ice-cream and ramen. I can buy cake or candy or a sandwich. Today, I decide on a lovely hot green tea. In about an hour, I want to be reading a book on my kindle while sipping warm tea and looking out the window at the mountains of Japan.

At the boarding area, we find our car number and wait in the lined marks on the platform. As trains come in, each station plays a cheery tune. Passengers learn to identify stations by the music. Once the train pulls in, an automatic gate opens and we are invited to board.

Once inside the train, our seats are easy to find. We have WiFi and even electrical outlets at each seat. There is a hook to hang our jackets and overhead racks for backpacks. The tray table allows me to arrange my personal items within easy reach. I am amazed at how much room I have. Why can’t the airlines figure this out?

Within minutes of getting settled, we are leaving the station. Soon the train gains speed and hurls itself toward Yokohama. It is hard to fathom how fast we are moving. I don’t notice until I try to count the telephone poles visible along the roadways. It makes me dizzy. They are rushing by so fast my eyes won’t register and it is completely disorienting. I decide to only watch things in the distance.

Before each new station, a pleasant tone announces our arrival and suggests passengers use the next few minutes to prepare to disembark. Passengers are quiet and polite. If new people board and are loud, they are almost always tourists. Sad, but true. The Japanese travelers are silent, efficient, and pleasant.

To break up the journey, I explore the train. The bathrooms are large and clean. The toilet has heated seats and bidet features with warm water. There is a sound machine you can play so people can’t hear you do your business. It is nicer than my bathroom at home. I notice people carry personal hand towels to use after washing up in the large sinks that sit in the corridor. This culture clearly values sustainability and personal responsibility.

If all this isn’t enough, a smiling young man comes down the aisle pushing a cart full of goodies. There are drinks and snacks. I brought my own, so I decline to purchase but promise myself that I will make a selection on the way home.

Thinking about food, I decide that my (now only slightly warm) tea would be a welcome addition to the Shinkansen experience. I open it and take a big gulp, ready for the warm comfort that a good breakfast tea always brings. Unfortunately, it tastes like grass. I don’t actually know what grass tastes like, but if cut grass smell had a taste it is currently in my mouth. Hmmm. I look at the bottle. It looks like green tea. Maybe Google can help. I open my camera and work to get the image to translate. I need to know what I am drinking.

It seems that I purchased barley water. Hot barley water. Perhaps it is not too late to flag down the nice young man with the snack cart. We still have an hour to Kyoto and I am not sure I can go that long with the unexpected taste of farm field in my mouth.

Eventually, I embrace the experience. I drink the grass water. I hum alone with the station chimes. I take a few selfies to remember the experience. And just like that, in less time than it would have taken to clear Tokyo traffic in a vehicle, I am standing in Kyoto station. Now we just need to figure out how to exit Shinkansen and find the Kyoto regional train to Nara. I have a mountain to climb and some temples to visit.