"Execuse me, can I get to Sapporro from there?" I pointed at the station name on the timetable.
"Yes," the counter clerk replied. Without further explanation, she understood my situation. She quickly operated the console and printed out a journey that departed at 9am and arrived in Sapporo at 6pm for me.
It was the second day of the trip from Sapporo in the western Hokkaido to Nemuro in the eastern Hokkaido. I had checked out the hostel and was going to Nemuro. Suddenly all trains between Sapporo and Nemuro due to the rain. I was stuck in the middle.
The only train still in operation was leaving in 30 minutes for Abashiro in the north. All the other northbound trains would be suspended after this rapid train. It was a "rapid" train, but as slow as the commuter train. It was a single-carriage train that took 3 hours to go through the mountains. Then, I would need to take two westbound trains for 6 hours to get back to Sapporo.
It would be literally a giant U-turn, but I had no choice other than sitting in the train all day long.
