Barely been a week since I lcame back home to the US, but there was one particular part of this trip I really wanted to talk about. This will sound strange but it feels like I need to get it off my chest and out into the universe. Like… maybe some positive energy will come of it? I can't explain it so let me dive into the trip proper. I also want to preserve this for my own memories by writing it down.
This was my first ever visit to Japan and my first time abroad in general.
March 19th – I left the US (I live in the Southwest where I had to make connections to leave). The plane was delayed due to volcanic activity changing the route (maybe in Alaska?). A 12 hour trip turned into 16 when they had to divert to LAX to refuel. I remember thinking "man I am not gonna do this again for a while, no matter how this trip goes." Remember this for later lol
March 20th – I arrive in Tokyo at 6:30 PM. I mainly took the time to figure out trains and get to the place I was staying at. Also got a konbini dinner because I got too intimidated to order at the restaurants on the street. I stayed near Shiinamachi Station, which was very serene and quiet at night time. I stayed in a lovely traditional tatami room attached to a cafe.
March 21st – my unabashed shopping day in Ikebukuro. I'd planned to do Akihabara too but never made it there. Mainly went to Sunshine City, Parco, Animate, and the surrounding area. If you all recall the news in the past week, then you'll know a woman was killed at the Pokemon Center store in Sunshine City. I still think about how I probably saw her working the day I went. I contemplated going back to leave flowers around the end of my trip but decided they probably didn't want a foreign stranger hanging around there.
March 22nd – a day trip to Kawaguchiko by highway bus. The bus was a comfy experience and the first time I got to see the outside of the city. I'm from the flattest part of the US so it was amazing to me just how mountainous Japan is. Not a single flat piece of land, only towns built into the hillside and descending into the valley.
To be honest, this was probably the worst part of the experience. Oishi Park and the view of Fuji were spectacular, especially since it was a pretty clear day. However, the tourists were many and I felt badly for the workers having to wrangle people who didn't want to listen. It was crowded nearly everywhere I went. The town just felt like it was catered to tourists? Like it didn't feel authentic or natural. It honestly feels like it'd be a nightmare to live there. I did my first sento visit this night when I returned to Tokyo. It was really nice just being able to be vulnerable and relaxed in a way that doesn't exist in the USA.
March 23rd – I checked out of Tokyo, cried when leaving because the lady at the ryokan was so nice and charming and I didn't want to say goodbye to her. Took the Shinkansen to Osaka and went to Kirby Cafe for lunch. Almost cried again because it was a dream come true. Explored Daimaru, Shinsaibashisuji, Dotonburi, Hozen-ji Temple, and other nearby streets. After checking into the next ryokan, I explored the neighborhood on foot near Imazato Station. The area appeared to me to be pretty rundown, though it didn't bother me. I found another sento and a small ramen shop where the man cooking seemed impressed by my limited Japanese.
March 24th – daytrip to Kyoto, where I hit up several temples: Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kiyomizu-dera, Otani Hombyo Mausoleum of Shinran, Hokanji Temple and Yasaka Pagoda. It was more than I expected I'd be able to see! I also took a walk down Ninenzaka but the crowds were a bit much for me to hit up Sannenzaka, etc so I didn’t. This day was very straightforward. Made a pitstop at Kyoto Station for the Ekimaru a la Mode FFXIV collab store.
March 25th – daytrip to Hiroshima. Cried at the Peace Memorial, visited the atomic bomb dome and did the ferry to Miyajima Island to see Itsukushima Shrine. It was unfortunately rainy but it may have thinned the crowds a little. There was a group of schoolgirls (I want to say they said they were the equivalent of elementary or junior high) interviewing visitors in English. They asked for a picture so there's a classroom in Hiroshima with my face somewhere. The rain made it hard to take pictures but it really added to the vibe, I think. When I came back to Shin Osaka Station, I was finally brave enough to order from a restaurant there. I want to say it was Botejyu? I will never not be bitter about the train and station system in Japan, because they really do have everything– food, shops, cheap transportation all in one.
March 26th – the day I really wanted to talk about. I spent it walking Himeji Castle and Koko-en Gardens, and it's still weird to think about how that castle by itself is older than my country. How hundreds have lived and died in it and I can walk those same grounds. The US is very young so it feels like every corner of Japan has centuries old history attached to it.
But the most special part was when I took the train back to Osaka for the day on the Tokaido-Sanyo Line. There was an older woman who boarded at either the Nishi-Akashi Station or Akashi Station. I offered her my seat since the train was full, but she politely declined. She then noticed the doll/plush of my character I'd brought with me and was instantly taken by him. She thought he was so cute. She asked me if I made him, to which I said I paid someone else to do so, but that I did draw the design, and that I liked to draw in general.
Kumiko was her name, I think. Could've been Fumiko but 90% sure it was Kumiko. A woman in a bucket hat and light jacket (or maybe a puffy vest), carrying a light colored purse and small rolling suitcase. She was incredibly nice and really seemed to love the doll. We chatted over Google Translate (she seemed to know very little English), with her speaking into the phone and me typing my replies. Kumiko-san told me "even though we might not meet again, it made me really happy to meet you."
She left at Kobe Station after I told her my stop was in Osaka. Kumiko-san seemed very sad about it, like she was hoping I was leaving there too. I gave her a sticker of my character and she put it in her wallet, again looking at it wotj adoration. The last thing she told me was she was going to learn kintsugi and that she was starting now. I'm not sure if that meant she came to Kobe for a class. I regret ever since then that I didn't ask to visit with her. I was heading to Osaka but had time to spare that day. It wouldn't have been an issue to take another train. Perhaps we could have had lunch. I would have loved to have talked with her more. I seriously haven't stopped thinking about it.
I will forever remember you, Kumiko-san, and I hope your life is a happy and prosperous one. Maybe one day we'll meet again. I really wished I could've asked if you did online chat or Facebook or even handwritten letters. It physically hurts that I'll never see you again. You were the single kindest person I met on my trip.
March 27th – checked out of my place in Osaka, cried again because the man who checked me out was so polite and bowed back at me as I left. I was in no hurry so I visited the Tokyo National Museum, though I was too late to see the gardens. Seeing samurai swords in person was a neat experience and the museum was immaculately kept. I also took a trip around Ueno Park. Many were there enjoying the sakura. I wish I'd thought to bring my own blanket to sit on. It was a very casual, lowkey day, and I think the sadness of knowing it was my last day was starting to set in.
March 28th – my flight didn't leave till 5:30 PM so I took one last stroll through a random neighborhood. I walked along the Sumida River to Sensoji Temple, then walked to Tokyo Skytree and had lunch inside Tokyo Solamachi. All in all something casual and not too far off from Haneda Airport, since my Suica was low on funds by this point. I was able to explore Terminal 3, including the flight observation deck, before finally having to board the plane home.
I think I'm experiencing post trip depression, which I think is normal? Japan was what got me into art, my main hobby, and I've met so many friends and learned so much through it. This has been a dream since I was a lonely little girl in middle school. Now it feels like I've left a part of myself back there. I don't feel whole after having come home and all I want to do is go back again. I think I've cried every day since I've been back and I've lost the motivation for things. Some of it is jetlag probably lol
I have friends contemplating a trip in May 2027 and I think I'm crazy enough to consider visiting during Golden Week. I guess we'll see how this year ends up playing out. I've already been thinking of ways to make extra money to fund another trip.
Thank you for reading if you got this far. It was longer than I anticipated.
by Lurker_McNelly