Little conductors

SV ended up quite lucky as her ticket was picked in a raffle. She got to go and try out the train guard simulator. The man running the simulator was very nice and let MV have a quick go as well. They both seemed to enjoy it, although SV definitely got more out of it. We stopped in for a Shinkansen themed lunch which was also quite tasty. Then finished off the day looking at the bus and the gift shop before catching the train back. The museum certainly gave us a greater appreciation for the complexity and evolution of the Shinkansen.

Shinkansen Museum continued

The girls got to dress up as train drivers and experience what it would have felt like being the captain of the original Shinkansen trains which were travelling over 200 kilometres per hour. It was pretty clear that SV took her duty more seriously than MV, but they both had fun, as did TV who checked out all of the controls too. We then explored some of the other interesting carriages including the dining cars, toilet areas and the Dr Yellow Shinkansen which checks tracks. The educational exhibits were also a hit with both the girls who seemed to enjoy the hands on learning.

Going to the train museum

We got up to a foggy morning and some of us compensated by wearing some bright shirts. After a quick breaky we got on the metro and headed to the museum. The museum we speak of is the Shinkansen Museum of course. We were all excited about it (KT maybe not quite as much initially). The museum is really well set up with historical trains, educational rail exhibits and fun experiences for train enthusiasts. It was pretty cool to see some of the fastest trains in the world (at their time) in one of the halls. The main hall had a really well set up display of the most interesting carriages, and we ended up walking through all of them.

Finishing up in Legoland

One of the last things we did was to get a tour of the factory. The tour talked about the history and how bricks are made. We got a unique brick each as a souvenir which was appreciated by some more than others. On the way out we stopped in the gift shop to see if they had some interesting and unique sets, which of course they did. The girls had fun with some of the merchandise and SV gave us a scare when she yelled from help inside the lion. After playing hard, we had a quick dinner with a great view. The girls were clearly tired because they fell asleep within seconds of hitting the pillow.

A bit more from Legoland

The great thing about Legoland is that the rides are quite interactive and different from other places we have been. As an example, SV and TV pulled themselves to the top of this tower and then let go to drop back to the ground. There are some good photo opportunities as well, despite the rain SV didn't want to pass up the airport scene without a photograph. By far one of our favourite rides was the submarine. It was a cool mix of Lego bricks and live fish, including sharks. Really cool. The kids gave the giant squid a cuddle for Uncle Richie before we went to the Duplo area which has a covered play area. 

More from Legoland

Lego has a very strong brand and as such Legoland is a fun experience where everything is related. The hot dogs and chips were brick shaped, luckily the hot dogs were not. We also saw a 4D movie for the first time, the 4th D was added elements like wind, water spray and heat. SV was also really excited because she got to drive a real go cart all on her own. MV was a bit sad because she wasn't quite old enough to drive herself, so the two of them found a different car to sit in. Then we explored the giant lego version of Japan. It was really impressive for it's detail including moving trains, cars, boats and even people. There were even parts that were activated by us for a bit more of an interactive experience.