pam

7 days across Japan

A week carried by morning trains.

a long soft line from south to north

this was the week I travelled in 2023 09.

JR day 1
Fukuoka to Himeji

20

.
.
The beginning was quiet and gentle

Morning in Fukuoka felt soft and slow.
The streets were gentle.
I walked into Hakata Station and exchanged my JR Pass.
It was a small moment, but it felt like the key to a long gentle week.

8:00
Fukuoka prefecture
9:00
Hakata
แลก Pass JR

Hakata – Kokura
09:23 → 09:38, 15 min
Sakura No.544 (Series N700) (For Shin-Osaka)
Platform 14

Kokura – Hiroshima
11:02 → 11:51, 49 min
Sakura No.548 (Series N700) (For Shin-Osaka)
Platform 13

Hiroshima – Fukuyama
14:33 → 14:56, 23 min
Sakura No.554 (Series N700) (For Shin-Osaka)
Platform 14
Fukuyama – Onomichi
15:00 → 15:19, 19 min
San-yo Line (For Mihara)

Onomichi – Fukuyama
17.35-17.55
San-yo Line (For Okayama)

Fukuyama – Okayama
18:16 → 18:32, 16 min
Sakura No.564 (Series N700) (For Shin-Osaka)

23:00 Himeji

Night fell in Himeji
the castle slept
I rested
my first day complete.

JR day 2
Atami to Aomori

21

The country stretched long the sky opened wide

Atami Ekimae Shotengai

Atami – Tokyo
06:25 → 07:06, 41 min
Kodama No.800 (Series N700) (For Tokyo)

Tokyo – Shin-Hakodate Hokuto
08:20 → 12:17, 3 hr 57 min
Hayabusa No.7 (Series E5/H5) (For Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto)
Hakodate city, Hokkaido prefecture
Shin-Hakodate Hokuto – Onumakoen
12:34 → 12:43, 9 min
JR Hokuto
Limited Express Train, Hokuto No.11 (For Sapporo), Reserved Seat

13.00

Shin-Hakodate Hokuto – Shin-Aomori
16:20 → 17:20, 1 hr
Hayabusa No.40 (Series E5/H5) (For Tokyo)
Shin-Aomori – Aomori
17:38 → 17:44, 6 min
JR, Ou Line (For Aomori)

18.00
check in Iroha Ryokan
18.30

Evening settled in Aomori
the sky turned blue grey
I checked in
I breathed
I slept.

JR day 3
Aomori to Sendai

22

The morning started before the sun

the city still dark
I walked to the station
Hayabusa No.4 carried me to Morioka
a quiet town with castle ruins and old stones.

5.30 check out

Aomori – Shin-Aomori
05:41 → 05:45, 4 min
Shin-Aomori – Morioka
06:18 → 07:10, 52 min
Hokkaido Shinkansen
Hayabusa No.4 (Series E5/H5) (For Tokyo)
Aomori prefecture
Morioka Castle Ruins
open 24hr
1.5 km, 22 min

Morioka – Akita
08:48 → 10:24, 1 hr 36 min
Akita Shinkansen
Komachi No.1 (For Akita)

Akita – Sendai
12:13 → 14:29, 2 hr 16 min
Akita Shinkansen
Komachi No.24 (For Tokyo)

  • Sendai City, Miyagi Perfecture

15:00 check in

16:00 walk 1.2km

the city glowed in the evening
I ended the day with quiet steps.

JR day 4
Sendai to Shirakawa

23

The day moved like a slow river

5.30
check out

Sendai – Fukushima
06:07 → 06:32, 25 min
Yamabiko No.202 (Series E5/H5) (For Tokyo)
Fukushima Inari Shrine
Mt. Shinobu Park
24 hr
1.7 km, 24 min

Koriyama – Shin-Shirakawa
19:00 → 19:13, 13 min
Yamabiko No.218 (Series E5/H5) (For Tokyo)
check-in
Shin-Shirakawa – Shirakawa
20:06 → 20:09, 3 min
JR
Tohoku Line (For Koriyama)
Shirakawa Komine Castle Ruins
24 hr, free
Shirakawa – Shin-Shirakawa
21:16 → 21:20, 4 min
JR
Tohoku Line (For Shin-Shirakawa)
Smile Hotel – Shirakawa

JR day 5
Shirakawa to Tokyo

24

5.30
check out

Shin-Shirakawa – Omiya
07:44 → 08:39, 55 min
Tohoku Shinkansen
30min
Yamabiko No.206 (Series E5/H5) (For Tokyo)
09:10 → 09:59, 49 min
Yamabiko No.50 (Series E5/H5) (For Tokyo)
Saitama Prefecture
16.00 check in
Omiya – Toro
08:41 → 08:44, 3 min
JR, Utsunomiya Line, Local Utsunomiya
Omiya Bonsai Village
Fuyoen
Omiya Park
Musashi Ichinomiya Hikawa Jinja
back 22min, walk
Toro – Omiya
10:08 → 10:11, 3 min
Shonan-Shinjuku Line (For Zushi)
10:19 → 10:22, 3 min
Utsunomiya Line (For Hiratsuka)

Omiya – Nagano
10:21 → 11:18, 57 min
Kagayaki No.523 (Series E7/W7) (For Kanazawa)
10:33 → 11:38, 1.05 hr
Zenkōji Nakamise Street
1.7 km, 26 min
Zenkō-ji

Nagano – Toyama
13:15 → 14:02, 47 min
Kagayaki No.527 (Series E7/W7) (For Kanazawa)
Toyama prefecture
Kansui Park
800 m, 11 min

Toyama – Kanazawa
15:17 → 15:40, 23 min
Ishikawa prefecture
Tsuzumi-mon Gate

Kanazawa – Takasaki
16:07 → 18:24, 2 hr 17 min
Hakutaka No.570 (Series E7/W7) (For Tokyo)
Takasaki Castle Site Park
850 m, 12 min
Takasaki Park
Ruins of Takasaki-jō Castle

Takasaki – Tokyo
20:09 → 20:56, 47 min
Toki No.344 (Series E7) (For Tokyo)
Louis Vuitton Daimaru Tokyo

JR day 6
Himeji to Kagoshima

25

Himeji Castle
Azumaoyashiki-ato park, free, 24 hr

Shin-Kobe – Kagoshimachuo
10:33 → 14:27, 3 hr 54 min
Sakura No.551 (Series N700) (For Kagoshimachuo)
Shiroyama Park
Shiroyama Park Observation Deck
to see Sakurajima
Statue of Okubo Toshimichi
Way of Kotsukigawa History Road Ishin Furusato
Ishibashi Memorial Park
Kagoshima City Aquarium
1,500 yen

JR day 7
Izumi to Fukuoka

26

6.00
check out

Izumi
walk 1.8km, 23min
7.00-10.00
Izumi City Public Samurai Residence, “Takezoe-tei”
Izumi-Fumoto Samurai Residences
Saijo-tei (Tax Residences)
Izumi no Ookusu (Big Camphor Tree of Izumi)
Tatebaba Park
Goman Stone Gutter Ruins
walk back 2km, 30min

Shin-Yatsushiro
Yatsushiro Station
Kagoshima Line
LocalYatsushiro
3min
Ryuo Shrine

19.00
Chikugo-Funagoya
Tsubame 316号(800系)(For Chikugo-Funagoya)
筑後広域公園 Park

Shin-Tosu
16.00-17.00
Asahiyama Park
650m, 10min

Kurume
Kurume Hyakunen Park
Nishitetsu-Kurume Station
Ishibashi Cultural Center
Shojiro Ishibashi Memorial Museum
charge a fee
The rose garden is open from 9:00 to 17:00, from May to September it is open until 19:00. There are 400 varieties of 2,600 plants
Suitengu
open 24hr
Higashimachi Park
Kogashiramachi Park

Hakata
Fukuoka prefecture

Evening returned me to Fukuoka
the circle closed
the journey ended
but the feeling stayed.

Day 8

27

6.00
Maizuru Park
Fukuoka Castle Ruins
Tenjin Central Park
Ohori Park
Nishi Park
Momochi Seaside Park

shot on my tiny cam