Japan Diary 28: Eight Minutes and Four Tickets

18 October 2026 · Kyoto – Tsuruga – Kanazawa

Anneliese and our luggage in the station hall.

Today we said goodbye to the Hyatt Regency in Kyoto. One last leisurely breakfast, then off to the station with all our luggage. A lovely, relaxed beginning. What followed was our first Japanese train adventure.

Even getting started was a challenge. Dropped off at the wrong station entrance, we first had to ask our way around and drag our suitcases through the station. Fortunately, people here are incredibly helpful. Again and again, someone helped us with our tickets and pointed us in the right direction.

On the platform came the next challenge: where would our carriage stop? Markings on the ground, different information on the display boards—it was a puzzle to us at first. So we walked forwards, then back again, with the luggage following along. Eventually, we actually found ourselves on the right train.

Made it. Or so we thought.

Our train did not go all the way to Kanazawa. We had to change in Tsuruga. Somehow, that had not featured in my personal travel plan. And we had just eight minutes to do it.

Out we got with the suitcases, up two escalators, and then: a ticket gate. Four tickets in hand, but how were we supposed to open the barrier? As someone explained, the tickets belonging together had to go through the machine together. Easy when you know how. More questions, more help, and onwards to the platform.

Just in time to watch our train leave.

Anneliese was despairing on the platform, and I had the luggage. So down we went again to ask for help. The good news: the next train would leave in fifteen minutes, directly from the opposite platform.

This time we got on. No longer in first class, but in second. By now, what mattered most was simply being on a train to Kanazawa. About an hour later, we finally arrived.

Another large station, another crowd. We joined the taxi queue, and the next driver took us practically around the corner to the Hyatt Centric.

A very lovely hotel, attractive design—and after a good lunch, the world looked quite different again.

Japan by train: fast and beautifully organised. We simply had to learn how the system worked. Today, we certainly learned a thing or two. Above all, how short eight minutes can be when you have lots of suitcases and four tickets.