Opening shot. “Hi everyone! Today we’re riding a very special train that travels through a SECRET TUNNEL underneath Tokyo!” Insert a Google Maps graphic with the route of this mysterious train drawn on top. Shot from inside the train: “We’re entering the tunnel!” Cut to Kamakura. Close-ups of hydrangeas. Shot of me in my purple dress. “Want to see more adventures in Japan? Like and follow!”
Yeah, I never actually made that video. I filmed some rough footage, discovered for the umpteenth time that I’m not a talking-to-the-camera kind of person, and decided to write this blog instead.
Some time ago, I came across this YouTube video about the Musashino Line. This railway line, which forms a large arc around Tokyo, also has a southern branch. This branch is normally used only by freight trains, and runs largely underground. I already knew that, to some extent. One day, François and I were walking home, about a twenty-minute walk from Musashi-Kosugi Station, when he told me there was a freight line running beneath our feet. I could hardly believe it; above ground, there isn’t a single clue. Or well… There is a building. An obscure little building, with no windows, surrounded by a fence. On the fence is a sign: JR (Japan Rail). Farther along is another one, mentioning the Musashino Line, and some numbers.
When we looked at the map later, it turned out that the tunnel runs directly behind our house. We never hear or notice anything from it. Or at least… Sometimes I hear a vibrating sound coming from the extractor hood. I always assumed it was the wind, but is it really?
Anyway, I was watching that YouTube video when I came across this comment: “Occasionally, limited express trains carrying passengers also run through that tunnel.” Wait, what?! I did some Googling and found the Limited Express Kamakura. During hydrangea season (which is right now), this train runs every weekend from Yoshikawa-Minami Station along the Musashino Line, via Nishi-Kokubunji, through the tunnel, to Yokohama and Kamakura. We wanted to ride it!
Buying tickets turned out to be incredibly easy. We could simply use Ekinet, the app used to buy all JR East limited express tickets. So we bought tickets: Saturday morning, 8:38, departing from Nishi-Kokubunji. That meant François first had to travel quite a bit in the opposite direction. As for me, I decided to come from my little office in Hachioji – that way I could sleep in a bit longer.
The train that pulled into the station turned out to be a vintage one, complete with its original livery. We departed, and not much later we entered the tunnel. Twice, we briefly emerged above ground – just long enough for Google to update my location. Inside the tunnel itself, we had no signal. That meant we couldn’t see exactly when we zipped underneath our house, but not much later, just after Musashi-Kosugi, the train emerged above ground again. From that point on, there wasn’t really anything unusual about the journey. We continued along the Yokosuka Line to Kamakura, the final destination of the route.
And you know what? I don’t actually like Kamakura all that much. Sure, it has beautiful temples and shrines and all that, but it’s always so crowded. There were about thirty people waiting in line for the toilets at the station, for example – the kind of thing that immediately sends me into a mild panic. And the main street leading from the station to Tsurugaoka Hachimangū Shrine is packed with tourist traps. From engraved chopsticks to samurai swords, cat cafés, pig cafés, owl cafés… If you can think of it, you’ll probably find it there.
This time, we were there for the ajisai, the hydrangeas. But wait a minute… Since when do I even like hydrangeas? Sometimes it feels like everyone who goes to Japan takes the exact same photos of the exact same shrines, flowers, and picturesque scenes. It’s not that I think these things are ugly or anything. But would I go somewhere in the Netherlands specifically to look at hydrangeas? Hmm, probably not until I’m bouncing off the walls of a retirement home.
So instead, we ate at François’ favourite teppanyaki restaurant – admittedly a bit tourist-trappy too, but at least the food is good – and then decided to hop on a train to Ōfuna. Off to Book-Off.
Some people might consider that shallow, call me barbaric, or whatever. But for us, the train ride was the event. On top of that, I was dealing with quite a bit of sensory overload that day, and as I mentioned earlier, the crowds in Kamakura made me very uncomfortable. We had considered taking a ride on the Enoden (the old railway line between Kamakura, Enoshima, and Fujisawa), and then continuing from Enoshima to Ōfuna on the Shonan Monorail (the suspended one), but I decided to keep things simple. From Ōfuna, we travelled on to Haneda Airport, where we had booked a hotel with a view of the planes. We grabbed something to eat, watched a few planes land from the observation deck, and then turned in for the night.
The next morning, we would be heading out in a rental car. Via the Aqualine, the tunnel beneath Tokyo Bay with the artificial island Umihotaru in the middle, we made our way to Kisarazu on the other side. There, we visited four thrift stores while 80s and 90s hits blasted from the speakers, courtesy of a playlist I had put together myself.
I wanted to make a vlog about this. Or a series of reels. With a great clickbait title and a hook like the one in the opening paragraph of this story. But I’m not a vlogger, or a trendy influencer.
I’m a writer.
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Visitors #2: Riemer
In my previous post, I shared how my family came to Japan and how I flew from Osaka to Narita to pick up Riemer — because he was coming too! We had deliberately planned it so Riemer would overlap with my family for a few days, allowing us to go to Disneyland together.
Matsumoto, then and now
It was such a good idea to go a day early. Look, I’m not great at trips. I need time to adjust, prefer traveling alone, get overstimulated quickly, and sometimes turn into a bit of a monster because of it. Going a day earlier helps prevent most of that. I can arrive at my own pace, do my thing, rest – and the next day I’m just as fresh and cheerful as François, who (what a sweetheart!) got up at 6:30 that morning and then spent three hours on the train from Kawasaki to Matsumoto.
Japan 101 – From and to the airport
I regularly get asked whether I have tips for travelling in Japan. Specifically for autistic people, but also more generally. That’s why I created this blog series: to help you prepare for your trip to Japan with confidence. We’re starting with part 1: getting to Japan.
A sports car, a Dutchie on a Japanese mountain and a Frenchie next to a Dutch windmill
François never really liked driving. He loves cars, sure, but the act of driving itself always made him nervous. When we visited Sakaiminato last year—a remote town entirely themed around an old anime—he was already sweating before we’d even made it out of the rental car parking lot. But that short trip through the Japanese countryside gave him enough confidence to try again. Since then, we’ve driven in Tottori, Nagasaki, Shikoku, and even once right here in the city, with a giant Ikea package I’d mistakenly ordered, crammed into the back of the rental.
A different pilgrimage through Shikoku – Part 1
Those who walk the 四国八十八箇所 (Shikoku Hachijūhakkasho), or Shikoku Pilgrimage, visit 88 temples in honor of the Buddhist monk Kūkai, covering a route of about 1,200 kilometers. Originally, the pilgrimage was done on foot, wearing a white jacket and a woven conical hat. Nowadays, pilgrims also take the bus or train—though we still occasionally saw a die-hard walking along the highway. The journey takes pilgrims through the four prefectures of Shikoku: Tokushima, Kochi, Ehime, and Kagawa.
We were not doing this pilgrimage, and only visited temple 84: Yashima-ji. Though that was for another reason, which we’ll get to later. While pilgrims collect a stamp at each temple in their booklets, we were collecting something else: Starbucks medallions. In the meantime, we also visited strange, abandoned places, and a castle that wasn’t there.
A different pilgrimage through Shikoku – Part 2
Just like in Shimanto, I had booked two single rooms in Takamatsu. Not so much to recharge this time, but because most hotels near the station were expensive, and Toyoko Inn only had single rooms left. For smokers, no less. Luckily, when we checked in, it turned out that 1) this was a brand-new hotel that had only opened two months earlier, and 2) there were still two non-smoking rooms available, which they were happy to switch us to—especially for me, a loyal Toyoko Inn Club Card holder.
It was still too early to check in, but we were able to leave most of our luggage at the front desk, which let us head into the city a lot lighter. Our first stop was a udon restaurant. Udon is the local specialty in Takamatsu, after all. I had been to Takamatsu five years earlier too, and back then, I’d eaten udon at this very same restaurant.