Twelve hours or so after I set off from my hotel in Shibuya, I pull into Sapporo station. It’s been a heck of a journey.

Would I do it again? Possibly. I’m glad I did it. Travelling this sort of distance with the landscape rolling by the window, not far below in the clouds, is almost magical. It feels grounded and real, the miles rolling under you, the destination moving steadily toward you, but also panoramic, a personal movie playing out and scrolling along outside.

Still twelve hours is twelve hours and I’m pretty tired, but I have a rough idea of the geography and increasing confidence in Google Maps to just work on my phone wherever I am. The challenge now is to make way to the (in)famous Susukino entertainment district where my hotel is; in theory, if I can find it, I can now walk underground in comfort and warmth for twenty minutes using the Chi-Ka-Ho, the lengthy heated underground walkway that runs from the station all the way there.

Goodwood, UK

Riding the Tōhoku Shinkansen

An introduction, of sorts.