Chan's Gorgeous Travels

It is very much freezing at I dont know, about 4 to 7 degrees Celsius though as I said, I had a sigh of relief as I entered the Ryokan hostel.

The hostel was a bit small but has a very inviting atmosphere. Just in front of the information desk, there was a luggage area where different kinds of luggages were lugged. I thought I needed to secure my laptop inside my bag before I embark on my tour.

I sat down for a while in a two-seat sofa and grabbed some cool magazines stacked under the coffee table. I noticed that I enjoy browsing through local publications when I travel, and so I did.

I was pondering whether I should follow the set of temples instructed by the helper or I should revise my schedule for the day, when I saw this tall tan skinned man that looks like a latino. He was obviously looking at me and I thought maybe he was traveling solo and looking for company. I just smirked and was not really feeling friendly at the time because I was tired and somewhat hungry so I just focused on my notebook schedule.

I first plotted to see the Fushimi-Inari shrine for the day. Gahd I can see the clouds go down at street level. The weather is freezing and it is a bit cloudy. Good thing the tourists who flock the sites wore bright-colored puffer jackets, and that includes me. So that made the atmosphere a bit bearable. Plus, I think my face is glowing so who would'nt want that.

I would say that I found hopping on buses in Kyoto a bit of a challenge because most of the time, the speaker is not in English so you really have to pay attention whether it is your destination already or not yet. Though when it comes to Fushimi-Inari, there are always a crowd of tourists so basically you just have to go with the flow. The buses can be jampacked, too, so that means you could be standing up.

Just following the crowd makes sense since Fushimi-Inari is the most popular shrine in Kyoto I believe.

Beautiful Fushimi Inari

by Cristiane on 9:01 AM

It is very much freezing at I dont know, about 4 to 7 degrees Celsius though as I said, I had a sigh of relief as I entered the Ryokan hoste...

I would like to start my Japan diary from here because this is probably where the highlight of my Japan trip started.

I chose the Nozomi line which is the fastest of the three train types. The schedule was at 6 am. I intended to make it that early because I wanted to start exploring the city the whole day and not waste time, aside from the fact that I needed to first find where my boarding house is situated.

It was winter so it was chilly in Tokyo. My hotel is in Shinjuku, but the bullet train will be coming from Shinagawa station, apparently one subway ride from Shinjuku. So I woke up early I'm not sure anymore about the time but it was surely before 5 am -- I remember to have alloted enough time for walking up to the subway which is about 10 minutes walk from Nishitetsu Inn. I managed to walk while my ears were bitingly cold even while wearing a pair of earmuffs and a face mask. I really look and feel so weird.

I didn't expect that at 5 am, the station, Shinjuku station, which is one of the busiest of Tokyo's subway stations, will be that crowded. Anyway, I was able to find a seat but many people are standing up. The ride took me about 15 minutes, or maybe 20 minutes, to get to Shinagawa station. And I was looking for the correct platform which happen to be almost at the very end of the line, so I was hurrying up because it was almost 6 am and I was slowed down by my heavy baggage -- I have a medium-sized trolley and a huge bag full of quirky items I bought from Tokyo.

I was panting and felt warm in the cold winter which is good because it gave me a bit of a morning exercise, though I was honestly looking "hagard". I saw my platform number and immediately saw the train coming exactly at 6 am. It was on time. I took a picture using my smaller camera but didn't manage to capture a decent one since it is fast and I do not want to be left behind.

Riding Japan's Bullet Train from Tokyo to Kyoto

by Cristiane on 3:34 PM

I would like to start my Japan diary from here because this is probably where the highlight of my Japan trip started. I chose the No...

The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you, don't go back to sleep! - Rumi

It was just a short day for me at the office. I say short because it is usually overtimes and traffic jams. I go home, have a bit of chat with my aunt and my cousin whom I live with. Then where was I in that kdrama I'm watching for this week?

Life is that simple. But sometimes insomnia makes it a bit complicated. Because when you can't sleep at night, you are forced to think about things and stuff.

I have nothing much to say for now. But if you can't sleep too, just open you window and look up the stars and the moon.. let loose of your sense of wonder. Can you hear what the moon is whispering to you? :D