That might seem like a hassle, but there was a Kodama about to depart, an eight car Shinkansen where six cars are non-reserved seats, so we dived downstairs, snaffled a couple of seats in a mostly empty Car Seven and arrived in Hiroshima a good hour earlier than planned.
Having been caught once, the first move when we arrived was to set in concrete the remaining unbooked sectors, and it was lucky we did. The final rail leg, a long haul from Kagoshima back to Osaka couldn't provide two adjoining seats, so we had to settle for either side of the aisle. That's not a major problem, but it's a timely reminder that window seats are highly prized, not so much for the view as for the presence of an electric outlet to recharge your laptop, iPad or whatever.
In any case, more than likely those window seats won't both be occupied for the entire duration of the haul from Kagoshima to Osaka.
With those details looked after we headed for the local line that would take us two stations past the ferry port that delivers passengers to the next day's destination, Miyajima, and alighted at Onoura, where a courtesy bus was waiting to deliver us to the onsen hotel where we were spending the night.
I don't know how I formed the impression but I was expecting a boutique operation, possibly with a handful of rooms and was slightly alarmed to note the presence of a tour bus in the car park.
Given the Japanese passion for communal hot bathing, I had visions of a packed hot water tub, full of purist connoisseurs of the onsen experience, something that's going to prove rather intimidatory to the average overweight and out of condition Westerner who's not totally up to speed on the correct rituals and protocols when it comes to mass bathing. But I'll return to that point in a minute.
As it turned out (and as I should have figured, given the proximity of Miyajima, a prime venue for flag bearer-led tour parties), the buses were there while the tour party was elsewhere and would shortly head off to collect the party from the pier.
Once we'd checked in we were shown to our room by a young girl who felt obliged to lug Hughesy's backpack and the Little Red Travelling pack while I looked after Madam's backpack. I tried to change the arrangements, but no, she seemed determined to do her duty, regardless of the fact that we'd arrived with a fair bit more luggage than the average Japanese tourist.
We were shown into our room, which had much the same configuration as the one in Unazuki, tatami mats across the floor, table in the middle, two cushions to sit on and a wooden section near the window with a table and two Western chairs, fridge et cetera.
The alcove at the entry provided just enough space to take off the shoes, spaces to stow them, room for a minimal luggage quotient and the toilet facility, with the regulation Washlet which you'd see as a key ingredient in keeping the onsen waters clear of claggy matter.
The Washlet, for those unfamiliar with the concept is the device that sprays water on your hindquarters after you've evacuated the bowel area.
In any case, since Madam's inquiries had revealed the onsen was unlikely to be heavily occupied until some time around five (and it was just after four) I headed off immediately to the enjoyable experience that I wasn't altogether looking forward to.