Shinkansen Ice Cream

While to many it’s but a simple cup of ice cream, the lore stretches to the early days of the Shinkansen, where the less-modern freezers and high-quality cream made for rock hard ice cream when purchased onboard the trains. Since food and drink sales onboard the trains have almost ceased, it’s getting harder to sample these. I missed my chance at the SCMaglev and Railway Park Canteen, but thankfully the Shinkansen Green Cars still has onboard mobile ordering, allowing me to enjoy this nostalgic rock-hard dessert.

Tiny Japan @ SCMaglev and Railway Park

SCMaglev and Railway Park

Probably my favourite place that I visited in Nagoya, the SCMaglev and Railway Park is a haven for train lovers. Everything about Japanese train history, from the steam locomotives to the avant-garde maglev trains, and everything in between from onboard refreshments, tickets, even the toilets were on full display! Whilst I’ve been in other train museums in Japan, this definitely blew the ones I’ve visited out of the water.

I regretted leaving this place as an afterthought when I visited for the first time, which left me with not enough time to explore the place before I had to rush back to the station to catch a bullet train to Tokyo. Visiting this place the second time was much less rushed and allowed me to explore even more of the place, but I still feel like there’s not enough time to look at everything – I didn’t have enough time to look at the special cafeteria nor the theatre sections. Given some of their exhibits rotate, I could probably make a case for visiting a third time. Maybe someday.

I did buy the comprehensive museum guidebook to tide me over until then.

Mount Fuji… Obstructed

Ok, I’m starting to slightly see why all the tourists are going crazy over a good shot of the mountain.

The Shinkansen Was Empty

Bullet Trains Parting at Morioka Station

Something weirdly cool about two trains separating by the tip…

Sneaker Shopping @ Omotesando

WHOOSH (Indonesian Shinkansen)

I never thought my home country would have not just a bullet train, but also the first bullet train in Southeast Asia. It’s amazing how a trip to the neighbouring city of Bandung went from a 3-hour car ride to just 1! Apart from the slight louder noise from other passengers and the super cringey way they end their onboard announcements, the experience is very similar to the Japanese Shinkansen.

Super proud of this achievement and I do encourage you to try it if you ever go to Jakarta and make a day trip to Bandung (a pretty cool city in itself). Tickets start at just $16 each way.

Ekiben

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