WE LEAVE HOKKAIDO IN STYLE. ON A SHINKANSEN

16.12.2024

Left the ReSol Hotel around 9.00am and made our way to the Hakodate Fish Market. Mami really wants to have seafood for breakfast. It was only a five minute walk from the hotel so we took the small luggage bags and sent the large suitcase to the hotel we will be staying at in Tokyo.

The seafood was really good and Mami ordered me some tempura pawns which were also very good. Breakfast done and dusted we did the short walk  of about 100m to the station which has a Tully’s there.

I got us a seat and looked after our luggage while Mami went and bought our Shinkansen tickets. Hokkaido and Honshu are linked by an underground and undersea tunnel. On my first trip to Japan I told Mami I really wanted to see the Seikan Tunnel. This was in 2005 and at that stage only Densha, suburban trains, could go through the tunnel. It was still a wonderful experience and in some ways better than going by Shinkansen.

Back then the Densha used to stop in the middle of the tunnel so the passengers could, if they wished, get out of the train and tour a small museum which held charts and photos of the construction and even some of the machinery which was used to dig the tunnel.

One of the downsides of the upgrade to the track, is the densha line has been closed and so visits to the mid-tunnel museum are no longer allowed, which is a pity but I’m glad I had the chance to see it.

A few facts about the tunnel:

• Work on the tunnel began 1971
• It is 53.8km long, with 23.3km of that distance being undersea, making it the second longest tunnel of its type in the world.
• The first and last stretches of the tunnel are underground on land not under the sea 
• At it’s deepest point the tunnel is 100m under the seabed and 240 metres below sea level. 

That’s enough about the Seikan Tunnel, the reason we are going to Sendai is to see Hiromi, who was Mami’s best friend in Senior High School. She was also Mami’s brides maid at our wedding, 

Hiromi stayed on for a year after the wedding and it was great company for Mami to have her stay with us, as Mami adjusted to being a permanent resident in Australia. They have a great friendship which is obvious to everyone and is so heartwarming.

Hiromi’s husband, Kohei and their 4 year old daughter Sumika, picked us up at the station then drove us to meet Hiromi at a nearby restaurant where, despite Mami’s protests, they shouted us dinner. It was fun chatting over dinner and finding out what each other had been doing. Kohei is still a lecturer at a University and the university’s European Handball coach. Hiromi is still the school nurse at a primary school where she gives medical and counselling aid to students. Sumika is an only child and is full of life and although only four years old she is learning English.

After dinner Hiromi and Kohei took us back to their new home which is  just over one year old. It is really nice but I was surprised at how much it cost to build, $800,000. Kohei said the house prices in the city are increasing due to demand whereas rural and smaller towns are still quite cheap compared to Australia.

The night was filled with joy and laughter and went too quickly, especially for Hiromi and Mami. Hiromi dropped us back at our hotel and even though she was illegally parked, she got out of the car to give both Mami and I a big hug. She was crying as she drove off and it was nice to see the depth of friendship between the two of them.

It was nearly 11.00pm when we reached our room at the Comfort Inn ($70 with breakfast) and we were both feeling very tired. Mami’s tiredness is due to emotion whereas mine is old age!