AARGH. It helps if I hit the POST button. Kind of a cranky day at first but what do you expect? I was trying to get across Japan when I’m used to taking the trains that go up and down. And it started out so well, with the breakfast at the hotel. The staff was unusually chatty and you didn’t have to do anything: they just asked you which of the four options you wanted and they just brought it to you. And like my first day, not that many people were there when the restaurant first opened. But then I tried to schedule my next days of travel. Today … Continue reading Japan 2022 Day 4 →

I slept a little better but towards the end I felt like I was just lying there awake. I think I got up at 4:30AM? Then I spent wasted a bunch of time screwing around on my computer, which is also what I’m doing right now. I started out by paying bills which happens twice a month on paydays. And I made it down to breakfast when the restaurant opened, at 6:30am. Unlike the restaurant in Tokyo, people were there early. I’m guessing it’s partially a country thing, and its partially because there were older people (older than me!), and mostly because there were lots of people on business trips. … Continue reading Japan 2022 Day 3 →

Today did not start out that well for me. I slept OK but I woke up several times with cramps and each time they got worse. Twice in one foot and once in the other plus both thighs. Each was a separate incident and each woke me up. The thigh cramps were the worst. I still felt OK when I got up. Breakfast wasn’t so bad. It was at the coffee shop downstairs and we got to pick one of the morning sets. I got there before they opened and waited. I think one of the people was fairly new. I got the scrambled eggs and it came with salad, … Continue reading Japan 2022 Day 2 →

Man, Tokyo is way too crowded for me. When I thought it was as crowded as it was going to get, I had to ride a train where we stuffed ourselves into the car. After watching three trains go by, you get to the front of the line and you push yourself in. It’s a mess. But back to Hoshino coffee and the crabby girl. I didn’t know what I was going to do today so I ran some errands first. I had to figure out how to get both me and my sister to Toyama from Narita airport tomorrow. First we have to get from Narita airport into town, … Continue reading Japan Day 58: Tokyo →

Well, I should probably plan some of this stuff better. I even tried really hard to sabotage my trip. I did start out OK with another breakfast at the Comfort Hotel. But jeez was the computer network bad there. I got to the station in plenty of time to catch my first train. Somehow, though, it was late to the transfer point. The next train was there but I misread the ticket and thought it left an hour later, not a minute later, and I missed it. I was stuck in a podunk little town that had nothing really going on. I did find the one museum in town that … Continue reading Japan Day 43: Tokushima →

I am tired. It was a lot further to the westernmost point of Japan than I thought, and I got back at 6pm. Imagine driving in Japanese rush-hour traffic with pedestrians going everywhere. And imagine that the GPS in your rental car is old and a little faulty. The day started off easy. The breakfast downstairs changes a bit from day-to-day and Route Inn, while expensive, does a good job. And then it was on to the Shinkansen for a whole half-hour trip to Hakata. I had no idea how big Fukuoka was. Turns out it’s the fifth largest city in Japan, population-wise. I got to the hotel and left … Continue reading Japan Day 37: Kouzakihana →

Fukuchiyama was a weird idea for me. I didn’t want to go to Kinosaki Onsen on a Saturday night, figuring I could find a room easier on a Sunday so I made an extra stop in Fukuchiyama. The Fukuchiyama Line is the train that took me from Osaka Station to Itami-city where I used to live so I figured there must be SOMETHING in Fukuchiyama. I started out the day walking to yet another different train station in Sabae. I thought it was closer and would be more fun. I’m an idiot. It was more fun, but it’s kind of raining and that just means it’s humid as f*ck. I … Continue reading Japan Day 25: Fukuchiyama →

Today was a travel day and really it’s just as well. I haven’t been feeling 100% and sitting on my ass all morning was pretty much what I needed. It would’ve been better if the chair on the Super Hokuto train was as nice as the chair on the Shinkansen, but whatever. I was asleep part of the time and I felt fine. It takes a while to pack up my stuff so I didn’t rush and took a taxi to Sapporo station. I found breakfast at the very same place I had breakfast on Monday on the way to the airport. I don’t have to show you the buzzer … Continue reading Japan Day 16: Aomori →

I made several poor decisions today. First, I thought I should leave the onsen early because WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING? I missed the mochi-making at 9AM because I had to get in a taxi at 8AM to catch my train. That means I had to get up at 6AM, start packing (the electronics take some time to pack), take another onsen bath, eat breakfast, and andiamo. Breakfast wasn’t inconsequential and I was a few minute late for the taxi. The driver was kinda surly so screw that guy. I slept most of the way on the train because I was tired. I got to Sapporo with not much … Continue reading Japan Day 10: Sapporo →

It was time to pack my bags in Hakodate and take the train to my first onsen of the trip in Noboribetsu. But first it was breakfast in the hotel. Yesterday I had the ramen. Today I went to the omelet bar. The trains in Hokkaido aren’t electric trains. They’re diesel. OK, technically they’re probably diesel-electric. In any case it does make it feel like we’re in the middle of nowhere. The train from Hakodate to Noboribetsu only took a couple of hours so I arrived around noon. I had to take a bus from the train station up into the mountains to get to the onsen. I think Google … Continue reading Japan Day 9: Noboribetsu →

I did my laundry yesterday, so I had had a free day in front of me. It was also going to be hot as hell so I didn’t want to do too much. Nevertheless, I knew I had to get out and about at least while the room was being cleaned. I had the exact same breakfast as yesterday but I figure I might even get it a third time since I don’t know when I’m making it back to Sendai to eat at this place again. Weirder things have happened. I went to the train ticket counter (a very tiny train ticket counter with only two windows) and got … Continue reading Japan Day 5: Sendai →

Well, I sure didn’t sleep well last night. It must be travel jitters or something. I had all sorts of weird dreams and I swear there was some reason I was supposed to sync up two of my programs or something. Yeesh. Well, I still got up at the same time and went to Hoshino Coffee again. I think the strong coffee is too strong sometimes! Maybe I’m just a wimp. After saying goodbye to the big celebrity at the hotel, it was time to pack everything into one bag since I mailed most of the gifts that were filling up my suitcase. If I buy any more crap I’ll … Continue reading Japan 2017 Day 4 →