Originally Posted by
joejones
I took the slow train to Nikko seven years ago and it was a blast, almost as interesting as Nikko itself. It leaves Tokyo and goes through increasingly suburban areas until finally you find yourself out in the sticks meeting local yokels who haven't seen foreigners before. (My friends and I had schoolgirls giggling amongst themselves about our eyebrows, of all things.)
Quite a fun change of pace from the more cosmopolitan lifestyle many of us get used to in Japan...
Yes, about two stations from Nikko, the Tobu train dwindle down to 2-3 cars. Then more passengers got on the train and the station staff push passengers into the cars like in Tokyo during rush hour. This is in the middle of nowhere, the strangest thing I ever saw.