I'm very scared to ask how much it was considering how hesitant he was...
From jrailpass.com:
The trip from Tokyo to Aomori City takes approximately three hours and costs ¥26,360 – ¥9,870 for the train fare, and an additional ¥16,490 to upgrade to Gran Class seating.
So... roughly between $250 and $400. That ain't bad - you'd probably pay the same for an aeroplane ticket but with way less comfort.
New Aomori Station...Let's see...Since I'm bothering to take a bullet train from Aomori, maybe I'll live a bit of a dream...But I don't have that kind of money...And yet I want to experience it at least once...
Aargh!!
GranBlue
Fantasy
Incredible...This is like First Class on an airplane...It's all-you-can-drink!?
Click
Not that I've ever flown First Class...
Taking the Plunge
Literally, "dive off the Kiyomizu stage", a historically based idiom for making a leap in the dark or a leap of faith.