ATAMI, Japan — We hit the road — make that rails — today and headed to a seaside resort town to enjoy a little more of the country’s culture.

It’s a bit of a relief to seen the country outside of Tokyo. Now, don’t get me wrong; I think Tokyo is great. But, I wanted to see what small-town Japan was like, and I think a place like Atami was a great example.

We wound our way through the city’s streets, and I couldn’t help but think just how much different this place felt. There were fewer signs written in English and there was no neon to be seen. The town featured a covered marketplace where merchants sold their wares — from clothing to groceries to ready-to-eat food. We took a minute to enjoy a treat filled with edible sweet bean paste — definitely one of the better streets snacks in Japan.

For lunch, we headed over to a McDonald’s. Yes, I’ve come half way around the world to eat at McDonald’s — something I rarely do in the States. Interestingly, it was one of the items on my to-do list. So, to make the most of it, I didn’t order a Big Mac, though they offer a Mega Mac — essentially a Big Mac on steroids. It features four hamburger patties instead of two. Regardless, I opted for the Teriyaki sandwich — a delectable pork sandwich and Teriyaki sauce, not to mention the half bottle of mayonnaise they put on the sandwich. Somebody was a little heavy-handed with the condiment; I only wish that were the case with the soda machine. No free refills here.

Now, I opted to go with the medium size Extra Value Meal. Only after I sat down to eat my meal did I realize that a Japanese large is more on par with what Americans might consider to be a medium. No worries.

After McDonald’s, we headed back to the train station and back to Tokyo, though not before taking a moment to observe a small steam locomotive on display outside of the station. The Atami Railway S.L. No. 7 (presumably S.L. means Steam Locomotive) once ran between Atami and Odawara from 1907 until 1923. Traveling at a top speed of roughly 6 mph, the locomotive made the 16-mile trip in two hours and forty minutes.

I’m glad Japan has since introduced the Shinkansen.