Continental Airlines from Austin, TX to Houston, TX to Tokyo, Japan. We were able to sleep at a decent hour and wake up early to finish the last leg of packing which wasn't much to begin with. We had restricted ourselves to one duffel bag each and one little extra bag to avoid struggling with the limited space rumored to be on the trains. After a short thirty nine minute flight to Houston, we boarded our flight to Tokyo. It’s been a while since I've seen so much space on a plane. TV screens are in the headrests of the seats in front of us with our choice of music, a few movies and even some games. We are definitely not in need of entertainment. I’ve been struggling through my limited knowledge of hiragana and katakana to make out the names and cities on the screen. My reading is still as slow as molasses and would impress no one.
The captain announced that we’ll be flying over Alaska and Russia. This announcement combined with all the provided entertainment will be to blame for my extreme jet lag. I’m about to lose all sense of time, but I’m okay with that.
13 Hours later, my backside is numb. Luckily we got a seat extra to stretch out on. Didn’t get much sleep though. Those little nozzles of slightly cool air were not available for adjustment. Not on this flight. Landing is in thirty minutes. I was able to catch a glimpse of the landscape as we were flying over Alaska but the passengers on the plane were sticklers for darkness so I felt rude when I opened my shade. I didn't do any more of that for the rest of the trip.
Fresh off the plane and I am in awe. I can already tell this country cares for itself. I have only had the chance to ride on the Shinkansen bullet train for three hours.
The two trains we took were painfully clean. I didn’t see one piece of trash anywhere. People don’t even talk on their cell phones. The train is exactly to the minute on time and always stops at the spot you need to get on, provided you are standing in the neatly marked lines that indicate the car number.
Everyone here dresses well. The businessmen are a given, but the train station guards, the school kids, the construction workers, fast food workers, etc.. And yes, Japanese school girls do wear the stereo typical outfit for the most part. We found ourselves searching for our Ryokan after we got to Kyoto, but it was in vain. Strangely enough, I never felt threatened while walking down those streets in the dark with only Valerie, a full duffel bag and the silence to keep me company. We were clearly out of place but no one gawked or stared. The only indimidating factor was not being able to read the signs. This was my first experience in a completely foreign country where I had no nearby resources to translate or break the language barrier. People passed us by on bikes and on foot but we couldn't just say "excuse me" and ask for directions easily. It was on those streets that I realized that this was one of a thousand experiences I've waited for my whole life. That feeling of being lost, free in a way.
That didn't last long because reality was that we were tired and we were hungry. We chose to travel straight from the Narita Airport to Kyoto which is the opposite of what most tourists in Japan do. Most tourists on our route chose to stay in Tokyo for a few days then on to Kyoto and most already had booked flights home from the Kansai airport near Kyoto. This seemed reasonable and what I wanted to lean toward, but I'm glad Valerie talked me into sight seeing in reverse order.
We finally took a taxi for 650 Yen/2 km and even the driver struggled with the directions as Valerie handed them to him on a piece of paper. This is how complicated all the little streets are weaving in a out of each other. So here we are at a small Ryokan on a small side street in a small room. This is never the less charming because I feel like I’m right in the middle of something important and crucial to finding myself.
We’ve laid out our futons and now it’s time for the long awaited sleep.
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