Japan

The day before my departure to Japan, I had tried to check-in online, I even tried to download their app as it seemed that was the only way I could check-in, but no!  Nothing worked.  I’d previously received an email asking me to check the attachment to see if the flight was cancelled and if so there was a link provided for a refund.  There was no attachment so I presumed there was no cancellation for my flight.  A second similar email arrived the day of my departure.  Both times when I checked online it seemed my flight was still available and on time.  This kind of action doesn’t help my stress levels.  I have been trying to stop stressing about flying and just trust the Lord has it all under control. I decided all I could do was wait and check-in at the airport counter, trusting that the Lord was working things out.

Wednesday, my departure day had finally arrived.  The night before I had taken a Phenergan to help me sleep and woke at 4am to start the day. Throughout the morning I kept remembering things I needed to do and by 12 I was ready except for the things I had in the fridge to put into my lunch bag.  The Grab arrived a bit early which threw me into a panic as I rushed to get the food packed and not forget any of my bags.  I had one large backpack and two smaller ones for cabin luggage plus another bag with lunch and one for my cushion.  I had my hands full.  The leader of the Walk Japan had suggested I bring my own pillow as the guest houses usually had firm pillows made from millet husks.  That didn’t sound too comfortable for my liking so I’d brought a small cushion.  Josh spoke to the driver reassuring him I was about ready then bid me farewell.  Poor Josh wasn’t feeling very well having woken with a headache and sore throat. I kept my distance so as not to catch anything infectious.

At the airport I saw the flight was delayed two hours!  That didn’t give me much time to catch my connecting flight from Hanoi. Praise the Lord we didn’t leave as late as expected and I still had three hours in Hanoi waiting for my connection because that flight was also late!  Plus I had forgotten that Hanoi was one hour behind Bali.  During this wait I inquired about the free water fountains where I wanted to fill my water bottles but they were all out of order as were the ones in Bali.  So annoying as I desperately needed to rehydrate.  I had to succumb to buying a small ‘plastic’ bottle which is totally against my principles. Still I kept hold of it as a second water bottle. It cost me the equivalent of $1.55 but others I saw were as much as $4.60.  I have no idea how much they are in Aust but I was sure they would be cheaper in Vietnam than in Japan.

On my flight into Hanoi I had the whole row to myself, which I took advantage of and slept across all three seats.  Unfortunately I only slept about an hour of the 5 hr flight. The second leg of my journey I didn’t have this luxury.  I had taken a quarter of a sleeping tablet to help me sleep but it was such an awkward position, I kept waking with a ricked neck or as my head flopped around. I had a neck pillow plus my little cushion but that didn’t help either! I was relieved when we finally arrived in Osaka around 8:30am (an hour ahead of Bali).

I was in no hurry now that I had arrived.  I was unable to check-in till 3pm.  Is that normal?  It seems very late, especially if you arrive very early in the morning.  After immigration and customs I found an information desk where I inquired about several things.  First was where I could fill up my empty drink bottles, then where the toilets were, the ATM and what bus to catch to my hotel in Osaka.  I then filled my bottles and sat down to make my breakfast which I had brought with me.  My usual.  I had even frozen a small container of almond milk which had fitted nicely into my metal cup, hiding the fact that I was taking liquids onto the plane. I had put together a zip-lock bag of homemade muesli and a banana into my breakfast Tupperware.  Then over breakfast I let friends and family know I had arrived safely.  A lovely way to start the day.

I made my way to the bus stand where I could buy a ticket from the vending machine, praying someone would be able to help me.  Just as I pulled up to one of the machines, an official lady came out of the side door.  I asked if she could help me which she did.  I was so relieved. With bus ticket in hand I joined the queue where a gentleman was asking where passengers were going so he could label their bags.  I had no idea so asked another lady in the queue.  The Lord was definitely watching over me as this lady’s English was very good.  She looked up my hotel and said I would disembark the stop after hers, at the end of the line. She then sat with me on the bus and we chatted the whole 35mins into the city.  She said she had never met someone she was able to speak so freely with. I told her it was because I talk a lot and we laughed. She was also surprised to know I was one year younger than her and also retired.  She was returning from two weeks in France. She was also surprised that I had the LINE messaging app.  We connected on the LINE so that we could keep in touch.

At the end of the line I followed the GPS to my hotel, leaving my luggage there after trying to persuade them to give me my room earlier, but no go!  I was given a small map of where I could go to find a coffee and headed for the subway.  This was a very large complex of roads going in all directions below ground and along them where shops, mostly eateries.  I wandered around a bit but couldn’t find a coffee shop except for Starbucks where I don’t like their coffee. I found another little dessert place and thought I’d try their mochi.  I had to buy a set order which came with an ice black coffee so I asked for some milk with it.  Hmmm!  Not exactly what I was hoping for!  It came with a jug of syrup (no thanks) and a 5ml container of cream. The mochi wasn’t what I thought I was getting either, it was dense and stodgy not light and fluffy.  I asked for a take away cup so I could buy some milk to put in the coffee later but was told they don’t do take-aways.  The mother and daughter sitting at the next table tried to help as they spoke perfect English but to no avail.  In the end, not wanting to waste a good coffee, I drank my bottle of water and poured the coffee into the bottle.  I should have just stayed and relaxed here but no, I spent the next two hours wandering along all the roads looking at the food, none of which really tempted me.  I did find two proper coffee shops and thought I might visit them again another day but never did, as the hotel had free coffee from their vending machine and I had proper fresh milk which I bought, before returning to the hotel along with some fresh cut pineapple as there were no bananas.  I also bought a combination sushi dish to take back to the hotel as there was nowhere to sit at the Mall.  Very strange!  Walking back to the hotel I saw some very small parking bays where the cars were stacked one above the other. Built into the sidewalk was a big circular turn style onto which the cars was driven, this then turned the car to face the parking lift that then took it up into a parking space within the building.  An ingenious idea for small places.

Finally back at the hotel I was asked not to eat in the foyer and shown the little room out back where there was a microwave, coffee and ice machine and washing machines for the patrons. The sushi was delicious.  I returned to the foyer and waited half an hour hoping the staff would kindly show me to my room.  It didn’t happen.  In the end, right on 3pm I asked if I could please check-in.  Praise the Lord I had got the ball rolling.  I filled in the paperwork, they took a photo of my passport and handed me the key-card.  I could finally unpack, which I did and then when I was just about organised I thought I’d have a shower.  Well no, it wasn’t working.  There was water but the two way tap was not turning the shower on!  The girls at the reception were very apologetic.  They first thought it was because I didn’t understand how it worked then when the repair man arrived they decided yes it wasn’t working and I was asked to pack up and move to another room.   What!  There was a problem as it seemed I had more things now and couldn’t fit them into all my bags. Actually I just couldn’t be bothered repacking the way I had so asked if they had a trolley which they did, making the move far easier.  My new room was nearly twice the size and had a really fancy bidet; the previous room had a very normal toilet.  It seems all the public toilets here in Japan are bidets too. Thank you Lord for the upgrade.

The rest of the evening I caught up with my language studies and filled in these notes so I didn’t forget.  I also played a bit of my flute but was aware that it might be disturbing the neighbours so just had a short session.  I stayed up as long as I could, which was 8pm (9pm on Perth/Bali time).  I thought after a later night and lack of sleep the previous night I would sleep well but I woke at 2:30am and needed help to get back to sleep, waking again at 7am.  I had a very lazy morning, not eating my homemade breakfast till 9am, which set the day up behind the eight ball. I did all the usual routine, except the flute which I did later that morning after my walk. This time I went in the opposite direction to the previous day, looking for a local park. I got a bit lost but eventually found two so-called parks. I wasn’t impressed as they were basically outdoor smoking areas with dirt instead of grass and a few trees to give shade. I was very disappointed.  I did find a large supermarket where I bought fresh bananas, lemon mochi (which was delicious) and a mixed salad box because I was lacking greens.  I also strolled into a pharmacy where I found a waterproof, anti-smudge, long lasting eyebrow pencil. The colour was a bit dark but they were out of the lighter one.  It really made my face pop!

Wandering back to the hotel I passed an eatery which looked interesting, with a brown rice and salmon poki salad.  Unfortunately by the time I returned that afternoon, they had sold out. Instead I had fried chicken, and tofu with rice and pickled vegetables.  At least there were a few greens. I hadn’t had time to eat the ones I bought.

Meanwhile back in the hotel mid-morning I made up the left over coffee I had kept from the previous day, adding ice and more little packets of the creamy which turned out to be cream.  It was yummy so I decided to repeat it the following day to take with me on the train.  I had a quick flute practice then went out for my lunch.  Because there are so many zeros in the Yen, I get very confused with how much it converts to in Australian dollars.  My lunch turned out to be a whopping $80!  I’ve never paid that much for one small meal in my life!  I’d better start checking the conversion rate before I go buying anything.  Actually I made a similar mistake when withdrawing money from the ATM at the airport and finished up nearly draining my WISE account!  I’m now paying everything in cash instead of using the card!  I’ve never been good at maths, not in the slightest and this is where it really fails me. Too many zeros confuse me.

From there I returned to the supermarket to try a different mochi to take with me as a snack on the train before wandering the streets again taking in the atmosphere. Then back to the hotel to relax, play a bit of flute and practice Indonesian then start organising my things, to do the final pack in the morning.

I slept well again with my Phenergan, waking at 6am.  I was surprised at how much I was able to do before checking out at 9:30am. I was also surprised at being able to squeeze my flute case plus a load of other things into my large backpack.  It was now bulging at the seams. I had to be careful as the fabric had started to fray, coming away at the seam of the zip. I then strapped it all together, with a sturdy strap, taking the pressure off the zip.  Into the medium size backpack which is so narrow it doesn’t really hold much, I stuffed my little cushion and my Surface Pro computer, zip locking it into a plastic bag as there was rain predicted.  Into my faithful old small bag I put my three drinking containers, two with water and one with the ice coffee I’d just prepared. Then in a plastic bag I carried the bananas, mochi and salad.  I really don’t know how I fitted everything all in!

Check-out was easy as I had pre-paid on line. I knew my way to the underground where I could walk out of the now drizzling rain.  I didn’t get very wet. I had to ask many times which direction to get to the JR Osaka Railway Station.  It was all sign posted but still not that easy to read. There were left, right and straight-ahead, elevators (Praise the Lord) and up several stairs, not so easy with a heavy bag on wheels, across a raised walkway above all the traffic and busy streets below, then down the final flight of stairs to the entrance of JR station. Entering, I felt so overwhelmed with all the signs and different directions so called out for the Lord’s help.  Almost immediately a woman came to my rescue.  I was so relieved and grateful.  She knew a little English; the rest we communicated through my translation app.  This wonderful lady who’s nick name was ‘Green’ helped me buy a ticket on the Bullet Train to Tokyo which stopped in Nagoya ($71:80).  She then caught the local train with me to the next station where I needed to change.  She said she was on her way home and needed to take the train anyway.  What a blessing!  Thank you Jesus for all the helpful connections.  Before leaving me she made sure I knew where to catch the Bullet Train, platform 27.  We bid each other goodbye as I headed through the turnstiles and towards the signs for platform 27.  It wasn’t hard to find but although I asked someone who worked there (he was a train driver) if I was at the right place and if the next train was the one I had a ticket for, he looked puzzled, even when looking at my ticket which was in Japanese and English.  He then said yes it was this train as it pulled up.  This was the train he was the driver of.  I boarded and walked to my allocated seat.  Someone else was sitting in it and Praise God they were, as it turned out it was the WRONG train, mine was the next one leaving in nine minutes.  I just had time to disembark before it left the station.  Prior to this I had asked several people who obviously also couldn’t read the ticket, one thought I needed to be on the other side of the platform across the railway lines!  I’m glad I didn’t listen to him!   The trains have 16 carriages and each carriage has two gates, stationed along the railway platform where people waited.  Outside these gates there were signs with seat numbers so you could be sure you were waiting at the right carriage for your seat number.  Above the gates there were neon signs with the train number and time of departure.  I got to know all this after being told to board the wrong train.  At least I was at the correct gate.  When the train I had wrongly boarded left the station I noticed the sign above the gateway change to what as written on my ticket.  Praise the Lord I was waiting at the right place now.

What a relief to finally be seated in the right seat on the right train.  Between Osaka and Kyoto I didn’t see much of the countryside, just buildings all along the railway line.  From Kyoto and Nagoya the country started to look more rural with rice paddies and small industrial towns amongst the hills.  It was quite pretty in places although I couldn’t see much through the low cloud and mist.  From the day I flew into Japan there has been low cloud and misty weather as it is the rainy season with cool 27⁰ days.  It’s lovely weather, when it’s not raining, for walking.  By 11:30am we had arrived; it was only a 50 minute ride.  I was in no hurry as check-in at the hotel as, you guessed it, check-in time was 3:30pm.  Having drunk my coffee on the train, I was now desperately looking for the toilets.  When I found them there was a very long queue.  I really don’t understand why the women’s toilets have so few cubicals.  Wherever I go throughout the world there is the same problem.  If there were more women’s cubicals there wouldn’t need to be such long queues. Rarely have I seen queues outside the men’s toilets!

From here I followed the GPS, which kept jumping around due to it being overcast and raining, to my hotel.  The rain wasn’t heavy so I decided to try to walk without the umbrella.  That was a mistake as it was half an hour walk through drizzling rain.  I eventually gave in and popped the umbrella up holding it amongst the other bags I was carrying.

Arriving at the hotel I carried my big bag up one step at a time.  Why didn’t the escalator go up for guests instead of down?  I introduced myself at reception and was shown the locker room where I left my big case, taking my laptop out to catch up with these annotations and I finished off my mochi while I dried off. By 2:20pm I had remembered I should have found the information centre at the train station so walked back, this time with my umbrella. I also found the entrance to the subway tunnels back to the station which made it much quicker because I didn’t have to wait for the pedestrian lights to cross the roads plus it was dryer.  At the station I asked a lady if she knew where the information centre was and showed her a photo which our Walk Japan leader had sent me.  She took me to the station map then escorted me all the way to the spot.  I was so grateful.  Now that I knew where it was, I tried to find my way back through the subway passages, getting lost along the way.  I stopped to ask a station attendant whom I suspected was going home. I showed him the photo I had taken of EXIT 3.  He took me to another map. Then pointed to exit 3.  I nodded.  We were near exit 7 so he pointed follow to seven and keep going.  Once I went up the stairs I recognised the mall passageway and knew I was heading in the right direction. I must have gone too far underground in a different direction when I left the station.  I eventually came up the stairs at Exit 3, from here I knew where to go to the hotel.

Back at the hotel it was after 3pm with the escalators going up this time.  I was now able to book-in plus everyone who had been waiting in the lobby had gone.  I was given a room card and found my room on the 6^th floor.  This room was below the standard of the last hotel which had a built in air conditioner; this one had an air cooler.  I didn’t mind as I don’t usually use air conditioning anyway.  I did set it up after asking for help at the Lobby and turned it onto fan only to try to dry all my wet clothes. By this time it was after 4pm and I hadn’t bought anything to eat all day but I couldn’t be bothered looking for something so instead ate my salad.  I figured I’d eaten enough with the mochi and wasn’t really hungry.  I didn’t want to unpack too much either.  I needed some milk and more fruit for breakfast so put my wet clothes back on and headed just up the road to the supermarket. I was glad to spend the rest of the evening in my room.  The following day was going to be a busy morning, packing, breakfast, checking out, taxi to the station (I didn’t want to lug my bags along the streets again if it was raining) all by 9:30 before the rendezvous with the Walk Japan group at 10am.

Photos:  1. Hydrangea    2. Subway shopping mall    4. The Park     5. My expensive meal    6. Subway advertising    6. Green helping me at the Osaka JR Station    7. Bullet Train    8. Map of Osaka and Nagoya taken while I was still on the train.

Prayer & Praise Points:

Praise the Lord for all the flights connecting and my safe and timely arrival in Japan.

Praise the Lord for all the amazing connections along the way, helping me with directions and much more.

Praise the Lord for new friends I’ve met thus far on my travels.

Please pray for good weather and no rain while we are out in the elements during the Walk Japan trek.

Please pray for Jen and Ralf as they travel throughout Europe, may they be kept safe and enjoy their adventures too.

Continue to pray for world peace and countries dealing with major disasters, wars and the unbelievable hardships they cause.  Pray for all those caught up in the suffering these events have caused.  Pray that God’s peace may be known by all people especially for those who live with despair, that they will find hope in Christ Jesus.

Please keep my sisters, Tricia, Jen and Kat, in your prayers.  Pray that they will come to know the love of Jesus.