Sunday, July 20, 2025 - Travel Day to Different Locations

 We traveled to the Hiroshima central train station,  a very modern and inviting site, learned our track number and had a few minutes to grab a sandwich to eat on the train. Once we passed the ticket screening machine a ticket popped up and on which was our train car number and seat number. Kenji had again had again o line purchased our tickets and reserved our seats and had that information sent our Suica cards.  Amazing technology and knowledgeable and skilled users!

We rode the full bullet train two and a half hours, transfered to another train with Mishima as the destination for another hour and a half. Noteworthy was the smooth and very fast, 181 mph, journey.  Also notable was the observation that every station stop at least one crew member walked through the car a d turned and bowed before entering the next car. 

We had time to look around the station, chat and find three travelers who were also attending the school nurse international (sni) conference. We breathed a sigh of relief, chatted, and saw a person holding an sni welcome sign, confirming our relief sigh. I hugged my family wished them a happy week at Tokyo Disneyland and joined my three new friends on the waiting bus. The thirty minute ride uphill, passing rice fields and houses which looked larger and a bit more distant from one another was a new sight.

The Kogen Hotel, site of the conference is spacious with a lounge area in the lobby. On the second floor I deposited my luggage and lucked my name lanyard and registration material and conference bag. I confirmed that the shutt.e bus tomy hotel would pick  up me and others staying at the Rembrandt Style Hotel at 9 pm and that the welcome ceremony and buffet di ner would begin at 5 pm.

So, I spent the waiting time meeting and talking with other school nurses,  a good use of time. Conversations were happy, lively, and friendly. At the appointed time the banquet doors opened and we were welcomed to a large and quite ornate banquet hall filled with round tables. In the center of the room we're long tables filled with buffet items. From marinated salmon and shrimp chili to chicken fricase and fruit and green salad and tiny dessert baked and yelled we were well satisfied. Welcome speeches delivered in Japanese and translated into English were given by several persons. Then we were treated with Taiko drummers who mesmerized me. A jazz singer and accompanying band also performed. A video message from  an American conference planning  leadership team, a nation by nation welcome,  and a total group photo ended the evening at 8 pm. It was indeed festive and welcoming.

Waiting for the 9 pm bus wasn't fun, but we learned there were 10 of us going to the Rembrandt hotel, so we talked some more. It was a ten minute ride to the hotel, registration was quick, and we were soon in our single rooms. My room is clean and modern, and I have enough space, more than I expected, and we learned that we had already paid for breakfast.  I fell asleep watching a symphony co cert on TV. It was a great day



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