Part 2 Day 2 The train
Part 2 Day 2 The train 
I knew for a fact that the train sucks. I use to take it once a week to get back to Tokyo. The trip is long, and you need to switch trains a couple of times along the way. In the morning Odakyu line is one of the main lines into the city from the country side, so I can imagine it will be very crowded with little chance of sitting, and this is a line you will be on for the bulk of the trip.
When I got to Iwanami station I saw they had a IC card reader and thinking that this a JR line the reader must be Suica capable. I pressed my phone against it and it made that reassuring beep. Augh technology.
When I rode the Gotemba line up to Shin-Matsuda I did note that the scenery is very nice and provides a s good view of rural Japan.
At Matsuda there was no IC reader "Doh!" so I paid for my ticket in cash and tried to get on the next train. Now my IC chip in my phone was blocked from use because I had not checked it out "Doh!" so I went to the ticket counter and wasted 5 minutes waiting in line and explaining what happened. The cleared my IC chip and I was able to use it to get on the Odakyu line, but I missed the train that I wanted to take and ended up taking the next express train. This set me back 15 minutes on my already very tight schedule. I thought for sure I would not make it to work.
The train itself was pretty crowded for a holiday at 715 in the morning. I was able to get a seat the whole way but it was not very comfortable and working on my laptop was next to impossible. The trip seemed to take forever and when we did arrive in Shimokitazawa I bolted from the train that by this time had become packed. I do not want to see what it would look like on a Monday morning.
I made it to my office with only a few minutes to spare but I was still on time. Started in on some of the things I needed to get done.
I ate my lunch outside in the park next to my office and had 1 beer with it. Worked some more but the beer and travelling dragged me down and I could not complete too much.
To get back I decided to see if I could get the bus route back right this time. I did not want to take the train even though the purpose of my experiment was to try all routes there and back. I know the train sucks, I have taken it enough to know that and did not see a point in practicing to be miserable. But in order to make the bus there was no time to eat. I bought a Chuhi and a snack got to the bus.
The bus trip back was surprisingly comfortable and I almost fell asleep. I made it home at 2010, gave Anna a bath and then passed out putting her to bed.
As in my initial assumption the train sucks, although it is more reliable then the bus and costs about the same amount.
Train
Cost 1,470 yen Distance:105.0 km Time 133 minutes
0525 Woke up
0600 Left the house
0605 Arrived at Iwanami eki (SUICA like machine)
0622 On the train
0856 get to work (gi di gi di safe)
1810 got out of work
1835 got to Shinjirigaoka
1845 got on Tome Highway Bus
2010 arrived at Gotemba Tome Intersection
2025 Got home and gave the Babu-Chan a bath
2130 In bed
I knew for a fact that the train sucks. I use to take it once a week to get back to Tokyo. The trip is long, and you need to switch trains a couple of times along the way. In the morning Odakyu line is one of the main lines into the city from the country side, so I can imagine it will be very crowded with little chance of sitting, and this is a line you will be on for the bulk of the trip.
When I got to Iwanami station I saw they had a IC card reader and thinking that this a JR line the reader must be Suica capable. I pressed my phone against it and it made that reassuring beep. Augh technology.
When I rode the Gotemba line up to Shin-Matsuda I did note that the scenery is very nice and provides a s good view of rural Japan.
At Matsuda there was no IC reader "Doh!" so I paid for my ticket in cash and tried to get on the next train. Now my IC chip in my phone was blocked from use because I had not checked it out "Doh!" so I went to the ticket counter and wasted 5 minutes waiting in line and explaining what happened. The cleared my IC chip and I was able to use it to get on the Odakyu line, but I missed the train that I wanted to take and ended up taking the next express train. This set me back 15 minutes on my already very tight schedule. I thought for sure I would not make it to work.
The train itself was pretty crowded for a holiday at 715 in the morning. I was able to get a seat the whole way but it was not very comfortable and working on my laptop was next to impossible. The trip seemed to take forever and when we did arrive in Shimokitazawa I bolted from the train that by this time had become packed. I do not want to see what it would look like on a Monday morning.
I made it to my office with only a few minutes to spare but I was still on time. Started in on some of the things I needed to get done.
I ate my lunch outside in the park next to my office and had 1 beer with it. Worked some more but the beer and travelling dragged me down and I could not complete too much.
To get back I decided to see if I could get the bus route back right this time. I did not want to take the train even though the purpose of my experiment was to try all routes there and back. I know the train sucks, I have taken it enough to know that and did not see a point in practicing to be miserable. But in order to make the bus there was no time to eat. I bought a Chuhi and a snack got to the bus.
The bus trip back was surprisingly comfortable and I almost fell asleep. I made it home at 2010, gave Anna a bath and then passed out putting her to bed.
As in my initial assumption the train sucks, although it is more reliable then the bus and costs about the same amount.
Train
Cost 1,470 yen Distance:105.0 km Time 133 minutes
0525 Woke up
0600 Left the house
0605 Arrived at Iwanami eki (SUICA like machine)
0622 On the train
0710 Off at Matsuda to change for Odakyu line had to pay
0716 Miss the train cause of Suica SNAFU
0729 On the next Express train Got a seat w/o having to hipcheck any old ladies for it .... but just barely
0835 Arrived at Shimokitazawa
0850 Arrived at Shibuya 0835 Arrived at Shimokitazawa
0856 get to work (gi di gi di safe)
1810 got out of work
1835 got to Shinjirigaoka
1845 got on Tome Highway Bus
2010 arrived at Gotemba Tome Intersection
2025 Got home and gave the Babu-Chan a bath
2130 In bed