The trains (don't always) run on time

I have been enjoying the fact that the trains really do run to timetable here - well, mostly enjoying; we've missed a couple of connections because of change times that don't take account of the speed of kids, but that's life.

Today, however, we were on what might have been the only delayed train in Japan.

We're in Hiroshima (having canned the planned hiking/onsen trip due to difficult travel and bad walking weather) and wanted to head to Miyajima today.

We caught a train in the afternoon.

The man across the aisle from us spoke into a dictaphone shortly after sitting down. He checked his watch as he did so. He also looked kind of irritated. I imagine he keeps a diary of his movements. His entry from that train trip probably goes something like the following (NB: times and number of entries are approximate, as I was neither making a note of the times myself nor recording when/how many times he spoke into his dictaphone. I also have no real idea what the announcements said.):

"2014-7-7 16:54 Embarked upon train to Iwakuni. Found seat. Across the aisle is a strange and noisy gaijin group. Two kids! The little one made a lot of noise and the adults just seemed to encourage him! Train due to depart 16:56. This is 5 minutes late. I am not impressed."

"2014-7-7 16:56 Train has departed."

"2014-7-7 17:03 Train appears to be waiting at Yokagawa for longer than it should. This is what happens when trains are permitted to run late in the first place. Gaijin still loud and annoying. The older child is now being permitted to make her little brother scream. I am not impressed."

"2014-7-7 17:10 Train has stopped between Yokagawa and Nishihiroshima. The driver apologised for the delay. There is some mechanical problem with the train. They are persevering."

"2014-7-7 17:24 Train has finally crawled into Nishihiroshima. We have now been sitting here for some time."

"2014-7-7 17:58 Train has been crawling between stations and stopping for some time at each one. We have just left Miyauchi-Kushido. The gaijin disembarked at that stop but only after the train had waited at the station for some time. They are probably too stupid to read even the Romaji signs."

In other words, we got off a train about an hour after we got on it, two stops before our stop, to cross the tracks and get straight on a train headed back to Hiroshima. (A trip which took the appropriate 20 or so minutes.) However, at the station we were aiming for, we still would have needed to take a ferry and then walk to see the Itsukushina Shrine and Torii gate, our ultimate goal - and then do it all in reverse. And we had two tired and hungry kids and weren't sure whether it was just our train or something systemic. The experience made me think of Italy.

Nevertheless, it felt like a pointless couple of hours.

We'll try again tomorrow. On the tram.