In front of JR Yurakucho Station in the evening twilight, I got an up-close look at the Tokaido Shinkansen departing from nearby Tokyo Station as it ran along the elevated tracks. It was probably the last train bound for Hakata; the farthest destination one can reach riding one train on this line. It would be a five-hour trip to the island of Kyushu, 1,000 kilometers away. I realized that the mere sight of a high-speed train had somewhat stimulated my nearly-forgotten travel spirit. Soon, I’ll be on the Shinkansen again, too, watching Tokyo from the windows as it fades into the night.
夕闇のJR有楽町前で、隣の東京駅を出発した東海道新幹線が高架を走り抜ける姿を間近に見た。最も運行距離の長い、博多行きの最終列車だろう。ああ、この列車はこれから5時間かけて、1000キロメートル先の九州まで疾走するのか。高速列車を目にしただけで忘れかけていた自分の旅心が少し刺激されていることに気づく。私もすぐにこの新幹線に乗って、車窓から暮れゆく東京の姿を見るのだろう。
© K. K. Yam