Trains are Universal

We found out on a fluke that there was a big event just a half an hour away at a big train yard that brought all of the Shinkansan (bullet trains, pronounced SHIN-KAN-SIN- rhymes with Wisconsin.) trains from all over Japan there, to check out and admire, for kids (boys)of all ages. So, on Saturday July 26 we traveled by train to go to the the Shinkansen festival. We knew we were on the right train as there were hundreds of 4-6 year old boys and their parents on board.  Zack is a particularly big admirer of trains, so nothing made him happier than being able to get underneath the train and check out the mechanics of the enormous vehicle. These trains are more like spaceships than trains- they move at over 200 miles per hour.  We went with some friends from work, and their little girl, Serena, half japanese, half caucasian, who was too cute for words, and learned that when posing for pictures, it is appropriate to wink like Minnie Mouse. 

So moral of the story, no matter if you are, In America, Japan, or wherever, boys like trains and girls like Minnie Mouse, Hello Kitty and Barbie.