This day was to take us far to the north, to a rustic and rural region within sight of the Sea of Japan. The morning rush hour hadn't quite wrapped-up as we boarded the subway for Kyoto Station. Visiting Japan, it is easy to get the impression that, in general, the Japanese are polite, considerate and well-mannered. However, when you enter a railway station, the rules suddenly change. Running for trains becomes the national pastime and woe be to the poor tourist whose attention momentarily lags or you fail keep moving with the breakneck pace of the traffic.
Japanese commuters seem to have a sixth-sense when it comes to railway timetables.
It is not uncommon to see someone break into a full run when they step off one train, continue at full speed to a distant part of the station to arrive just in time to queue up for their connection on another line. This isn't limited to the dark-suited salarymen. It's the case with school children, shoppers and knowledgeable tourists with a strong sense of self-preservation. An commuter train approaches the station platform in Ayabe. We transferred to an older train that would take us far out of town to the city of Ayabe, far to the north where Kyoto prefecture meets the Sea of Japan.