After being in Japan for over 6 months, Andrew and I thought that it was about time that we experienced some true Japanese culture. We felt that we had grown up a lot in 6 months. The number of all-nighters pulled in a week was in dramatic decline and we were starting to appreciate the finer things in Tokyo, we had once even come dangerously close to entering a museum. What better place to celebrate our new-found adulthood than the cultural capital of Japan, Kyoto.
Feeling incredibly proud of ourselves that we had managed to organise a holiday for two we met in Tokyo station at 11am on Tuesday. We were thrilled to be finally catching the much talked about Shinkansen or Bullet Train. This baby would arrive us in Kyoto a mere 3 hours later. Waiting for the train, our hearts filled with hope and adventure, we dubbed this trip our Journey of Self-Discovery. A quick inventory check: Hopes, ideals, maps, mobiles, clothing, accessories, credit cards, itinerary and 2 return Shinkansen tickets. On second thought we had a whole 3 hours on this thing. We better get a beer. Or two. Ok, get three. Yeah, may as well get four. So on we hopped with a six-pack each. It’s a holiday after all. We didn’t have to feel guilty about being drunk before lunch.
They were right, that train does go very fast. It’s a little bit blurry too.
Once in Kyoto we stepped off the train and fell over giggling before standing back up again and surprisingly finding our hotel, for the next two days we admired many temples and appreciated many bars. Probably more bars than temples actually.
On the fourth day of our journey of self-discovery I woke up unnaturally early with the distinct feeling that there was something missing in my life. A mental checklist revealed many things; morals, maturity, self-control, money, tact and 2 return Shinkansen tickets to Tokyo. After careful collaboration we came to the conclusion that we had misplaced many of these things in Kyoto in our drunken stupor.
Begging and fake crying at the train station ticket office provided no love. Our beloved Shinkansen tickets were not going to be re-issued. Our options were two; a) pay $120 each for new Shinkansen tickets or b) pay $60 each for an 8-hour bus ride back to Tokyo. A quick review of our financial situation found us racing for the bus stop. Determined to find positive in our hideous situation, we decided that the bus journey would give us ample opportunity to take a good hard look at ourselves. The 8 hours provided many realisations, but predominantly that perhaps we are not responsible enough to go on holiday, especially together.
For a more detailed account of our Kyoto trip, check out
Andrew's Blog.
