Brown Motion

So begins any trip onboard Japan's high speed trains when a soft female voice announces that you are now part of a Shinkansen (train) experience.  The narration is quickly followed by a long Japanese translation about the destination, stops to be made and so on.  I actually debated titling this episode - Pop goes the Weasel - but then decided it was too cheesy to - even for the blog. Reason being that or another really funky nursery rhyme is the sound you hear on a Xylophone rendition, over the PA system when a Shinkansen is about to appear. In the post WWII era Japan expanded its industrial production in all spheres and the rails were no exception.  Called 'Shinkansen' which literally translates to 'New Rail Line' was a project that Japan undertook in its modernization spree starting in the sixties. They built dedicated and custom engineered rail lines for allowing high speed trains to service the most busy corridors on the main island of Honshu, ...

Ever since the Wrights spoiled the party on the ground by taking to the skies the humans have kept wanting to improve the experience. After over 100 years let me announce this... We really have NOT! We flew Singapore Air - the staff at least does not yell back at you (certain stateside airlines will also give you free attitude and no peanuts) but its still hopeless. One good thing going for the brothers Orville and Wilbur was that they tried to experiment on a beach in the Carolinas... clean fresh air and a short flight. Bathroom breaks at will etc. Modern flights - this one going from San Fran to some point in Asia - 14 plus hours depending on the point. In something they call COACH. Not the fancy accouterment the ladies carry - although now that I think about it the trip sure felt like I was sitting in one. Cramped - barely able to sleep. Some have counseled that the way to do these long haul pressurized, smelly, sort of compressed and almost tasteless food journeys is to ...