Now loading the video.... December 23rd, 2023 Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan Shinjuku is the busiest commercial district in Tokyo Before today's train travel, let's have dinner in Shinjuku I came to Sushiro, which is the largest conveyor belt sushi chain in Japan But this Sushiro branch in Shinjuku is so unique Sushi plates are moving on the virtual conveyor velt on the screen! The world has changed You can change language settings and even conveyor belt designs! Cute But of course, we get real sushi plates The whole idea of this is to prevent customers from touching or spitting on sushi on the belt In Japan, it's been a social issue that the young touch sushi with dirty hands to make viral videos on TikTok Nowadays, most conveyor belt sushi chains have stopped moving sushi on belts, and this restaurant invented this virtual conveyor belt instead It makes sense It's 8:50PM in Marunouchi, Tokyo Today we are traveling on Sunrise Express, the only sleeper train in Japan that runs every day from Tokyo to Kotohira via Okayama and Takamatsu Traveling 848.7 km/427.3 mi in 10 hours and 43 mins For the travel, we use the cheapest accomodation on the train, which is "Nobi Nobi Seat", costing "11,730JPY/82.1USD" from Tokyo to Kotohira As a side note, train has shower rooms on board but provide no towel, so it's advised to bring one You can buy a towel at a convenience store in the station They don't have any on-board sales so you should also buy food and drinks beforehand Onigiri, bento, sandwiches, bread, and so many more are sold hehe Sunrise Express departs at 9:50PM from Track 9 Train arrives 25 mins early before departure Nice to see you again Sunrise Express! Sunrise consists of two trains with different destinations; the front 7 cars out of 14 cars go to Kotohira via Takamatsu and the back 7 cars go to Izumoshi The two coupled trains go together until Okayama and split there Let's get on board Here is a Nobi Nobi Seat cabin, the cheapest class of the train It's double decked and like a "capsule hotel" I have once tried the upper deck but this time, lower deck Lower deck looks a little more cramped As the hallway is so narrow, you have to put your luggage on your bed Oh, I almost forgot about getting a "shower card", as they limit the number of people who can use the shower rooms... Go to "Car 3" as soon as possible Ah, already there is a line for shower cards... I hope it's not yet sold out Thanks god! still available Costs 330JPY/2.3USD one shower card One card for one person Don't forget to go get a shower card on Car 3 The Nobi Nobi Seat provides a face cover blanket gargling cup light reading light blind curtain adjustable a.c. vents curtain only this part minimum separation better than nothing If you have large luggage, you may not be able to sleep with relaxed legs Car 3 has a lounge space that can fit only 6 people Let's drink Asahi beer Potato chips and dried squid I like it 9:50PM, departing on time Random people on the platform are saying goodbye to us! Heartwarming As it will be a dark ride for the most part, we don't get many things to see from the windows We are expected to arrive at Okayama at 6:27AM, Takamatsu 7:27AM, and Kotohira terminal 8:39AM tomorrow In Japan, dried squid is a popular appetizer for beer Bouillon-flavor chips the best of the best chips flavor in Japan Everyone drinks and talk, nice Very near the lounge are trash cans and a vending machine selling energy drinks, coca cola, light-sugar coffee, green tea and 285ml/9.6oz water bottles at 100JPY/0.7USD Sunrise Express is a very popular train so there are not many vacant seats everyday The cheapest private accomodation on the train is "Solo" I have onced tried "Solo", so please check the video out if you are interested! All cars of Sunrise Express are double decked In some cabins, you see a staircase, hallway, and doors like this I say it's a moving hotel The most expensive class is "Single Deluxe" Single Deluxe is "17,280JPY" more expensive than Nobi Nobi Seat It's extremely hard to book and I have still failed in booking one Let's go check the restrooms Sink with curtains and extra space Power outlet Quality hand soap Hot water is available thanks It has an accessible restroom on board Small sink Seat cleaner Baby rest Diaper changing table Sensored flushing Nobi Nobi Seat offers a shared power outlet in the hallway There are only two so we should be considerate By the way, Sunrise Express was designed by a Japanese house maker, Misawa Home So, as you see, it has a "house interior" vibe Time to take a shower Occupied now At 10:50PM, the shower card sales have already ended Waited around 20 mins Shower room is actually spacious enough for one person It don't look spacious through camera lens though Hair dryer is free to use Insert your shower card here Then you can start taking a shower What you have is only 6 mins and after 6 mins passes, it automatically stops (What's your average shower time go) Body soap and shampoo are here Time instantly starts counting down after you push "START" But rejoice You can stop the shower and time counting down So you actually have plenty of time to shower Water pressure is good enough Easy peasy After taking a shower, push the "Shower Room Clean" Brace yourself BRACE YOURSELF Aaaaaaaaaaaaa i always hate this!!!!!! They don't also provide a toothbrush so you should bring yours I used the blanket as a mattress as the Nobi Nobi seat itself is too hard to sleep on for me There is not much privacy here so you should be especially careful about your wallet and stuff even though it's in Japan Good night! I actually slept well We are now approaching Okayama At Okayama Station, the two different trains split and go to each destination 6:27AM, Okayama Here, many people head for the coupling part of the train The two trains will now be separated Separation of the Sunrise Express trains can be seen only at Okayama Station and one time a day this time So, a lot of rail fans gather around and try take a good shot of the train separation as it's quite rare Cool motion Oh, if you are a Sunrise Express passenger, do not forget to go back to the train as the trains departs very soon after the separation! According to JR, some passengers get left stranded while filming the separation a few times a year Sesame barley tea for those who have high blood pressure Soft bread with Napolitan spaghetti I didn't like this very much what a bad start of the day Going through the vast fields of the countryside The morning glow in the distance is so beautiful After Okayama, we cross the Seto Ohashi Bridge to Shikoku Island the smallest of Japan’s major islands with 4 prefectures We cross a 12.3 km/40354.3 ft long bridge on the Seto Inland Sea It's the most scenic section on this Sunrise Express route (Tokyo - Takamatsu and Kotohira) Seto Inland Sea is a calm sea and said to be a Japanese Mediterranean Sea The sea includes over 3,000 islands and has beautiful landscapes Thanks to the calm climate, the sea is very congested with small ships and ferries to the extent that it's said a ferry sailing is difficult during daytime We were on the bridge for about 6 mins Entering Shikoku Island We got in Kagawa Prefecture and are heading for its capital city, Takamatsu Kagawa is quite famous for Udon noodles and said "Udon Prefecture" Okay, let's eat Udon noodles during this travel 7:27AM, Takamatsu Usually, this train terminates at Takamatsu but only for a busy season, they extend the operation to Kotohira We run more 1 hour and 12 mins to Kotohira which means we can stay on this sleeper train for more time Most people got off at Takamatsu so the cabin was comfortable between Takamatsu and Kotohira Train runs on a scenic route in the countryside We are soon arriving at Kotohira terminal Kotohira has 8,004 residents and is especially famous for Kotohiragu Shrine with thousands of worshippers from around Japan every year I'm reluctant to get off the train as I actually want to be on this train for more time haha Thank you so much Sunrise Express I'd like to see you again soon Maybe next time, I will try a different route which is Tokyo to Izumoshi and hopefully, "Single Deluxe"....? Kotohira Station with a historical building To Kotohiragu Shrine, you walk the streets lined up with souvenir shops and restaurants Firstly, this large Torii gate welcomes you Arriving early in the morning, we don't see many tourists yet in the town Enjoy the town walk on the apporach to the shrine entrance Kotohiragu Shrine is famous for having tons of stairs to the shrine's main hall May be harder than your usual aerobics Give coins to a random monk on the street Arrived at the shrine entrance Majestic You have to walk more steps from the entrance to the shrine's main hall "We are here" 477 steps 500 628 785 932 "1368" if you walk to the most upper shrine! Even to the main hall, it takes 785 steps Shrine of Stairs But the shrines are beautifully made and is definitely worth climing "the stairs" The path feels very spiritual and I feel like Gods surround us and give power Arrived at the shrine's main hall! Surrounded by trees, the presence feels so strong Many pilgrims drop out at 785 steps but I'll accomplish 1368 steps to the most upper shrine! I should have reduced the amount of stuff in my bag Much harder than I thought! More and more steps Finally The top What a long path! Here is the most upper shrine which stands at 421 m/1381 ft altitude The presence is modest but I feel the great power from it I did it! Only pilgrims who made "1385 stairs" get an opportunity to see... this high point of view of the town! It's unbelievable that I walked up to this altiude in about 1 hour and a half from the station Around noon, the streets get crowded with tourists The street is a good atomosphere with traditional houses and shops I stopped by a Manju shop, Kinokuniya They show the making of Manju Ishimatsu Manju, 100JPY/0.7USD Cake with a filling of sweet red bean paste This is my recommendation What you must try in Kotohira should be Udon noodles I visited the best Udon restaurant in Kotohira by Google, Konpira Udon Has been around here for over 65 years Soy sauce chicken tempura udon with soft-boiled egg, 820JPY/5.7USD The standard way of eating this restaurant's Udon is just pour soy sauce You can enjoy the taste and texture of the Udon noodles directly The noodles are soft and slippery Soy sauce complements the noodles What an amazing Udon The traditional vibe of the restaurant is very comfortable Dessert Is this another Udon noodles kind of thing? No, it's an "ice cream" This item is called "Bukkake Udon-like Soft-serve Ice cream", 500JPY/3.5USD So it can be mistaken for Udon noodles What's so unique is that they put soy sauce and a egg on the ice cream It tasted like nothing I've ever eaten but was so delicious The restaurant was awesome Walking the street, I ran into a public footbath "Free of charge" This is for free.. unbelievable Foot bathing warms our entire body even in winter This video will end here and thank you for watching Rock, Scissors, Paper 1 2 3 "Rock" See you soon in the next travel!
