Episode 17 The Travel Show

It's 50 years old this year and showing no signs of slowing down. On this week's Travel Show,

we say happy birthday to Japan's high-speed Shinkansen.

Coming up on the programme -

I am racing against the clock on one of Tokyo's bullet trains.

I'm sure I'm taking a lot more than three minutes!

Ade hitches a lift back in time to find out what people in York

think of the city's new signature scent.

Can I say it out loud?

And global guru Simon Calder

has top tips for getting the best rate when you exchange currency.

And we have got the story of one traveller who got a bit too

close for comfort to one of Australia's crocs.

Hello and welcome to the Travel Show,

coming to you this week from Tokyo.

Well, this is the city's vast Central Station where every day,

roughly 500,000 commuters begin and end their journey.

It is also where, back in 1964,

a record-breaking high-speed revolution began.

It was the year of the Tokyo Olympics

and Japan was the first country in the world to build dedicated

railway lines for high-speed travel.

Nicknamed the "bullet train",

the Tokaido Shinkansen wowed the world with its speed and efficiency,

cutting the journey time from Tokyo to Osaka by roughly one third.

Today's Shinkansen network carries more than 150 million passengers

a year, making it one of the world's busiest high-speed rail lines.

The entire network is now operated by four Japan Railways Group companies,

spanning almost 2,500km of track,

with a maximum speed reaching 320km per hour.

And whether you are a railway buff or a wide-eyed child,

you can't help but be in awe.

And what's truly amazing is that over its 50-year history,

carrying more than ten billion commuters and tourists,

there has not been one passenger fatality due to derailments

or collisions, despite frequent earthquakes and typhoons.

So, what's the secret to maintaining safety?

Apparently, it's the people.

If you stand on the platform,

you will see these tireless rail employees

working with almost military precision.

From immaculately dressed conductors,

right down to these worker-bee cleaning crews.

Each day, a total of 336 bullet trains pull in

and depart from this station with average intervals of three minutes.

Each team of 55 cleaners works on around 120 trains a day.

As well as cleaning away rubbish,

they have got to turn roughly 100 seats to a forward-facing direction.

Wipe down tabletops, brush off the seats

and replace the white covers on the seat backs.

All done in less than ten minutes. Sometimes, in as little as seven.

It's amazing how quickly these cleaners work,

but it's not just about cleaning.

If they take longer than their allotted time,

this train could be late.

And believe me, that is not an option here in Japan.

The Shinkansen's average delay from schedule,

if you could call it that, was just 0.06 minutes last year.

It is an impressive record and it's a challenge I'm keen to take up.

So, the staff here have agreed to let me be a cleaner for the day.

Let's see if I make the grade.

At the Shinkansen training centre,

I'm shown how it's done in this mock cabin.

25 seats in less than three minutes.

So, this is the start of my training

and this lady is going to teach me all about cleaning a Shinkansen.

Let's start by putting on some gloves.

-Konichiwa.

-Konichiwa.

SHE SPEAKS JAPANESE

So, when the train arrives, we must bow.

SPEAKS JAPANESE

I can't change the order. Must do right to left. Hai, hai. OK.

Got to do it with flair, like this!

How am I going for time?

-Hai. I can't pat it?

-No.

-No.

Right. Now, this is not any ordinary brush. This brush detects moisture.

Moisture on seats. OK.

-So if the light goes off, like that...

-BEEP

you have to replace the seat.

Oh, I have got to start this end...

Wrong end. OK, start here.

One, two, three, four, five, six...

This is such a process but I think I'm getting into the rhythm of it.

I'm sure I'm taking a lot longer than three minutes!

SPEAKS JAPANESE

Oh, six minutes! Almost six minutes. Oh, dear. OK.

It's probably a good thing I didn't make the cut.

I'm told it can take up to three years of training

to fully master the cleaning process.

And hundreds more cleaners will need to be trained to make sure

Japan's rapidly expanding rail network is maintained.

There are several new Shinkansen lines planned for the next

couple of years and construction on a super-speed Maglev train line begins this year.

It will be capable of speeds topping 580km per hour.

Well, of course, in addition to the Shinkansen,

there are plenty more iconic train trips to take around the world.

So, here is the Travel Show rundown of some of our favourites.

If you prefer journeys slow and scenic,

head to Switzerland for a ride on the Glacier Express.

Snaking through the Alps at an average speed of 39km per hour.

That is just 25mph.

This train has earned itself a reputation as the slowest

express train in the world.

The full journey from St Moritz to Zermatt last seven and a half hours.

Trains depart up to four times a day in the summer.

Spanning two continents, eight time zones and more than 9,000km,

or 6,000 miles,

the Trans-Siberian Railway is the longest railroad in the world.

It takes seven days to cover the distance between Moscow

and Vladivostok, where Russia meets the Pacific Ocean.

If you want to stop along the way,

you have to purchase separate tickets

for each leg of your journey.

To see South Africa in style,

take the Blue Train from Cape Town to Victoria.

The route passes river valleys

and vast plains and a personal butler service is available

throughout the 27-hour journey.

Of course, a trip on this luxury locomotive isn't cheap.

If you would rather save the cash,

there are also long-distance passenger trains that

operate along much the same route for a fraction of the price.

For a journey back in time,

try the heritage steam trains of northern England.

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is an 18-mile track, or 30km,

from the market town of Pickering to the village of Grosmont.

It has been featured in several films and on television,

including Harry Potter movies and the Sherlock Holmes series.

Next up, more of your animated travel tales.

This one is from Sheena Parsfield in Andorra.

Taking a break from life in high-octane Hong Kong,

my husband and I ventured to the Northern Territory of Australia for a couple of weeks.

No-one can visit the Northern Territory without

hearing about all the horrible nasty beasties which appear

to lurk in every dark corner or patch of water.

But the most fearsome are the crocs,

a creature left over from the dinosaurs.

It hides, it swims, it stalks, it jumps, it kills people!

Everyone we talked to said it is imperative to stay well away

from the water's edge.

We decided to try our hand at a remote four-wheel-drive track

across the Outback, looking for a bit of an adventure.

Eventually, the track brought us to a narrow river, with quite steep banks.

The crossing point was a shallow billabong surrounded by gum trees.

Instead of stopping the car to discuss our next move,

my husband took us at quite a speed into the water.

Which was far deeper than we thought.

Our little Jeep did not like it one bit. And we stalled.

Now, we are stuck in the car, miles from anywhere, without any

form of communication in the middle of a billabong that in all likelihood

contained a man-eating croc, and who knew how many of his mates!

Even if we could make a break for it

and climb into the nearest gum tree, the croc could jump.

This was scary. Maybe even life-threatening.

After sitting in the car for a while contemplating death-by-croc

or dehydration, we decided to have another go at trying to get out.

We turned the key and waited. Turned the key, waited.

Finally, thankfully, the Jeep started.

We revved the car back and forth, finally getting some grip

and exited the billabong at top speed,

totally soaked by the spray and covered in clouds of red dust.

For the route home, we decided to stick to well-charted roads.

Returning to our hotel, our appearance understandably got

a few funny looks from the other guests.

We also discovered that the billabong

had claimed one victim from our adventure - our Jeep's numberplate.

And now for your weekly travel update.

Getting a new UK passport

seems to be taking longer than usual for many travellers.

As the holidays approach, MPs have voiced concerns that delays

could cause people to miss out on their summer plans.

The Passport Office says demand is at a 12-year high, although

it denies that there is a backlog in processing the applications.

We've all heard with a heavy heart that the weight of love this week

proved a bit too much for one of Paris's famous bridges.

A section of railing on the world-famous Pont des Arts

collapsed under the weight of the love locks

left by tourists to the city of love.

Couples write their initials on the padlocks

and throw the key into the river below as a sign of everlasting love.

But campaigners are now calling for the practice to be ended.

European travellers faced transport chaos this week

as taxi strikes brought disruption to several major cities.

Cabbies in cities including Madrid, London and Berlin went on strike

and blocked roads, causing severe delays.

# No surrender... #

They were protesting against what they regard

as a lack of regulation of rival mobile service Uber.

And finally, if you are in Brazil for the World Cup, you will be

pleased to know that the Metro is now running again in Sao Paulo

following a two-day strike on the eve of the event earlier this week.

Strike threats from transport workers in cities around the country

have caused concern about whether Brazil's airports and bus systems

will be able to handle the influx of tourists.

Still to come here on the Travel Show,

we find out what fruity Viking aroma is making Ade's face do this.

So don't go away.

Welcome to the slice of the show where you set the agenda

and I try to unravel travel.

First, Richard from Hertfordshire tweeted with a simple question...

Richard, Spain's southern islands

comprise ideal territory for a young family.

The flight time from your local airports, Luton and Stansted,

is just four hours

and even the budget properties in the Canaries offer good, safe standards.

For price, choose a cheap package to Playa de Las Americus in Tenerife

which also has the most diversity to offer

if you're keen to explore an island in a rental car.

But if you simply want rest,

head for the quieter island of Lanzarote.

The resort of Puerto Del Carmen

is close to, but not too near, the island's airport

with a low-key ambience and plenty of places to eat and drink.

In terms of timing, avoid July and August

when high prices coincide with high temperatures.

September onwards is perfect.

Next, Owain Jenkin from Sussex is off to Dubrovnik in Croatia.

The worst strategy would be to convert the dollars into sterling

and then into the Croatian currency, the kuna.

You'd lose two margins on the transaction.

So wait until you get to Croatia which has flourishing competition

between bureaux de change.

Just shop around for the best rate when you arrive.

But if you're planning to revisit America any time soon

and you have a cash cushion,

you could be better off changing sterling for kuna

and keeping the dollars for your next American adventure.

Talking of American adventures, Julian Burnell has a sorry tale

we hear far too often on the BBC Travel Show.

Sadly, no.

But hopefully this incident will remind viewers not to be taken in.

Most visitors to the US need to apply online

through Electronic System for Travel Authorization, ESTA for short.

The fee is 14, but if you tap something like "Esta application"

into a search engine, at the top of the list you'll see

a couple of websites run by commercial firms

that charge more than this,

in your daughter's case ten times as much.

These companies' conditions are tightly written

and she will have agreed, perhaps inadvertently,

to pay for an application service,

so it's unlikely any claim for a refund would succeed.

So, the official site you need is...

Carol App tweeted @bbctravelshow to say...

I'd never recommend collecting fake border crossing stamps in a passport,

even for a country like the German Democratic Republic

that ceased to exist 25 years ago.

The genuine articles can cause plenty of problems as it is.

I've been thrown out of Honduras because my passport

contained a Cuban stamp.

Apparent evidence of travel to some sensitive destinations

can increase the curiosity of immigration officials

in various parts of the world,

but I contacted the Department of Immigration and Border Protection

in Canberra on your behalf, and I was told...

That's all for now, but if you've got a travel question

I'm here to help. Just e-mail and I'll do my very best

to find you an answer.

From me, Simon Calder, the Global Guru, bye for now. See you next time.

Right, you might need a peg on your nose for our last film this week,

because, in England, one northern city is trying to attract us there

to smell what it thinks is its unique aroma.

If you're thinking flowers and perfume,

then I'm afraid you're barking up the wrong tree entirely.

Ade's been trying out York's new smelly guidebook.

Now, it's short on actual information,

but this guidebook has one little trick up its sleeve - it smells.

Now, you might think it's a little bit gimmicky,

but this city has some pretty distinctive stinks.

Lavender.

Chocolate. Freshly cut grass.

These are all the things the tourist board reckons

tell the story of York.

All very nice,

but turn to the back of the book

and there, you'll encounter the smell of ghosts.

This, they say,

is the most haunted city in the world,

and this man's made a living by scaring the wits out of tourists

on his nightly walks.

He was asked to provide a spectral smell.

-Ooh.

-Take a good smell.

-It's something from the past, isn't it?

-Yes, it's old.

It's an old-y smell.

It's a bit sooty, sulphur and there's a kind of a nice perfume as well

-sometimes.

-Do all ghosts smell the same?

No, no.

There's different people have different experiences,

-but that's a kind of...

-That's a general ghost smell?

-Yeah.

-Roses, a little tint of.

-Ah!

-Yeah.

How do you know what a ghost smells like?

I ask people. When they've had that experience,

I ask them, and sometimes they can't remember,

but now they do think,

"Oh, yeah, sometimes I got the scent of tobacco,

"sometimes I got a scent of perfume."

This isn't exactly new.

For exactly 30 years, the Jorvik Museum has been revolting tourists

and school trips with fruity aromas Vikings might've made

when they settled here in the 9th century.

By the way, just to be absolutely clear,

those smells aren't always nice.

So, how do you know how the Vikings smell?

On this ride you get to smell all the different components.

You get to know the market smells, the rubbish on the floor smells.

Then if you combine those with the cooking smells and the

production smells of making tools and iron smelting and wood smoke,

and this one we're coming into which is the smell of wild boar cooking,

you end up with the Jorvik smell because although those smells mingle

in the room and make that combination.

This is that meaty smell.

Yes, it is really meaty, because we're in the butcher's at the moment

and they're cooking wild boar.

Ruth has, at her fingertips, the means to make pretty much any

fragrance that you need, including some odours used in the museum that

I would really rather not put my nose in.

You need to be careful with this one.

This is someone sitting on the toilet!

All right, I'll do it.

Ohhhhhhhh!

HE COUGHS

That is really, really nasty.

It is nasty, but it is the one that gets all the children talking.

How does it make you feel to know that you're selling York

-on bad smells?

-I feel it enhances

the experience and makes people remember.

Smells are linked really powerfully with emotions.

So, if we smell something while we're listening to something,

or a piece of music or words, or history,

we're more likely to remember that.

In case you want to smell like a real Viking,

now you've got the chance.

In this little canister of Norse power,

they've recreated the smell of old York.

They've used ingredients such as mead, smoke, sea water, human sweat

and animal meats amongst other things.

It is perfect for a night out

and it is your chance to smell like a real man.

HE COUGHS

Yeah(!)

-What smell comes across to you?

-It kind of smells like cow.

To be fair, it does actually smell like me after I've finished work.

Seriously?

After a 13-hour shift in a hot sweaty kitchen, it smells like me.

Ohhhh. That's horrible.

What's left in a locker or something at the gym.

That's pretty funky.

Hotels and shops have been using smells to bring

the money in for years now.

We think this may be the first time a whole city has tried it.

It is interesting, but choking back the smell of human sweat

might not be everyone's idea of an idyllic weekend break.

Ade Adepitan sampling some signature scents in Yorkshire.

I think I might give that one a miss...

Thanks for joining us on our travels this week.

Coming up on the programme next week...

Henry goes back to his Iban tribal roots in Borneo

to find out if indigenous tourism is a one-sided deal

or whether it can be of mutual benefit.

I just realised going around with my uncle

that food is literally everywhere.

You just have to know how to get it

and then know what types of plants you can actually eat.

He is just a whole book of knowledge.

I'll catch up with him.

Join us for that if you can.

Don't forget you can follow us on our journeys in real-time

on our social media feeds. The details are on screen now.

In the meantime, from me, Carmen Roberts

and the rest of the Travel Show team here in Tokyo, it's goodbye.