Kitty Trail: Japan (2008), Lodgings at Nara

Kitty Trail: Japan 2008 -> Where I Stayed in Nara

May 17, '08 3:48 AM

For this, I was able to book a ryokan through http://www.itcj.jp/

Inns and budget accommodations can be accessed through members of the Welcome Inns which are collaborating with the Japan National Tourist Organization. Rates range from 8K Yen or less for a single room. No reservation fee is charged though you will be asked to input your credit card details as guarantee.

You have to sign up at the site to be able to choose from various locations and hotels. I tried at least 4 different hotels and ryokans listed in Kyoto but was turned down since they were already fully booked.
This is how I ended up getting a ryokan in Nara for May 9, 2008 visit which was hopefully more out of the way as tourists usually just took day trips to Nara, and Golden Week had also ended by that time.

Although it was written that if you are in a pinch you could always ask for help at Tourist Information Centers (TIC) which are usually found at the airports or train stations, normally I would not recommend it especially if it is peak season.

Aside from not knowing beforehand what or where the location would be for where you will end up, the other problem is that these offices close early. You can bet that most of these TICs are closed by 5 pm already, so unless you happen to be there early, you're stuck.


I stayed at Ryokan Seikan-so in Nara. Address is 29, Higashi-Kitsuji-cho, Nara City, Nara Pref. 630-8327.




Check out http://www.itcj.jp/hdb/529002.html if you can see their pictures.

Pictures posted here are my own. But though it may be an understatement isn't the garden nice and typical of ryokans?

I was disappointed I had not wrangled a room facing the garden but since I had arrived late afternoon and would be out most of the day the next day, I reasoned it was okay as long as I could take pictures of their garden, reputed to be one of the more beautiful ones of the Welcome Inns' member ryokans.

That and the fact that I was a bit tired so I only remembered about asking for a room facing the garden after all my things were settled on the tatami mats *sheepish grin*

I arrived in Nara May 8 at 5 pm, took Bus 1 and checked in to my room.
Left Nara on May 9, 2008 for Tokyo around 4 pm.

Nara Park is a bit too big and I underestimated it.

For my Nara pictures, check out these links:

http://cuh888.multiply.com/photos/album/156/NARrA-tion_Descanso_Seikan-so

http://cuh888.multiply.com/photos/album/159/NARrA-tion_The_Inner_Garden

http://cuh888.multiply.com/photos/album/157/My_Only_Night_at_Nara

http://cuh888.multiply.com/photos/album/158/NARrA-tion_The_Breakfast_Room

http://cuh888.multiply.com/photos/album/160/Neko_in_Japan_Nr_Prk 

Directions:
12 min. walk from Kintetsu Nara Sta. (half of it under arcades) or 25 min. walk from JR Nara Sta. 10 min. by No. 1 loop bus or taxi.

I don't think you should attempt to walk this if you come from JR Nara Line...as its pretty far..unless you don't have baggage at all.

Anyway, once you exit from JR Nara Station, cross the street to the other side where the buses are going towards your right when you face the street before crossing. That way you will only have 6 bus stops to pass through to reach Kitakyobate Bus stop. If you make a mistake, don't worry, as long as you get on the loop bus it just goes the longer way around.

When you step out of the bus, turn to your right and walk towards the traffic light but don't cross the street. When you reach the corner of that traffic light, turn to the left and walk 3 to 5 minutes. The ryokan is on the left side of the street. 

This street is very useful since if you follow it, it will lead you to more shops and restaurants and also to Nara Park. The design of Nara streets are laid out in a grid-like pattern so its easy to navigate...its just that the distance which will get you down if you are in a hurry while walking.

++++++++
Welcome Inn Reservation Center
Head Office (9:15-12:00/13:00-17:00, Closed on
Sat., Sun., national holidays and Dec. 29-Jan. 3)
Tel. +81-(0)3-3233-3303

Narita Intl. Airport Terminal 1 (8:00-20:00, daily)
Tel. +81-(0)476-30-3383

Narita Intl. Airport Terminal 2 (8:00-20:00, daily)
Tel. +81-(0)476-34-5878

Tokyo (9:00-12:00/13:00-17:00, closed on Jan.1)
Tel. +81-(0)3-3286-6611

Kyoto (10:00-13:00/14:00-18:00, Closed on
the 2nd and 4th Tue. of each month and Dec. 29-Jan.3)
Tel. +81-(0)75-343-4887

Kansai International Airport
(Apr.-Oct.: 8:30-20:30, daily, Nov.-Mar.: 9:00-20:30, daily)
Tel. +81-(0)72-456-6025

Japan (2008): Staying in Osaka

Cat at the front or Osaka Station

OSAKA

I finally managed to snag a reasonably-priced place to stay in this city where Yakuzas are found. Although it was terribly daunting to me at first thought. This would be my first train transfer in both JR station and local/subway, and the inn I was to stay at was a bit difficult to get to...plus my luggage suddenly got heavier due to some cakes I got at Nagasaki plus other pabaon from Benjie.

I chose this inn because Frommer's had listed it under "Inexpensive".(Between you and me I would think this term would apply for 4K Yen and below but it was more in this case).

My first choice, which was Hotel Il Monte had mistakenly said in another site that it was fully booked already, so when I tried the hotel's main site and they replied they had a room, it was already too late since I had booked elsewhere in my zeal to have a roof over my head.

The site for this in case you are interested is http://www.ilmonte.co.jp. There is an English translation page there somewhere. Its near to the Osaka station too.


The name of the hotel I ended up in was Family Inn Fifty's Edobori.
The address is 2-6-18 Edobori, Nishi-ku, Osaka 550-0002.

The con is that there was no closet (but there are hooks on the wall). But it was quite clean, had the usual bath and large containers for shampoos, rinses and body washes, had a double bed, wall-mounted TV, and air-conditioning. Toothbrush, toothpaste and slippers were provided.

Photo of my bathroom during my stay

To reach this place: you have two choices, take the bus from Osaka station or try the subway by changing subway lines in Osaka station.

I think Osaka has one of the more user-friendly train stations as it was easy for me to follow the color-coding to transfer from the Midosuji Line to the Honmachi Station, then transfer to the subway Chuo Line, getting off at Azawa Station.

I seriously doubt the 7 minute walk though, as I think it would be 10 minutes or more...plus since there is more than one exit, you have to be careful to orient yourself. It's location, though a bit far for some first timers is okay though, especially if you want to be nearer Universal Studios Japan and the Osaka Aquarium as it is near the bay area.

Another plus is there is an eat all-you-can continental breakfast (knowing me, can you doubt the deciding factor, regardless of whether it was difficult to travel to this place?) with all the pastries, breads, coffee, milk, juice, tea, jam, butter, eggs you can carry in your stomach. Sorry, but I have no pictures during my breakfast since I was all focused on stuffing myself for the long trek ahead.

Amenities include free use of computers in the lobby, and these have internet access. Be careful, you might end up with the one with Japanese characters keyboard hehehe!

Visit http://www.fiftys.com where they have undoubtedly better marketing material than what I have posted here. Aside from picking up this inn's name from the travel book, I also used http://travel.rakuten.co.jp/en/ to book my reservation for this hotel since it is Japan's largest online hotel reservation company for those on the lookout for budget and moderately-priced accommodations.

I did lose about 15 minutes of walking around before I could find this hotel. Armed with a map, I was able to navigate transferring from the JR line to the subway line running near this inn's vicinity...and I really thought I could make it with enough time to check in and go back to see a bunraku which was extended due to public demand and which had its last show at 4:30 pm.

Alas, by 4 pm I was still walking around the streets looking for this as the tall, fair and handsome policeman I came across could not speak English and could only point to the park which thankfully was on the map I had. Hmph...gwapo sana, walang English word naman.

Since I couldn't read the kanji for the high school building, hence my miss, but luckily with a look at the compass and a question to a lady passing by, I figured enough to find this..lucky too as it was starting to sprinkle little raindrops on my head. And with my extra bag slung over my already drooping shoulders I thankfully recognized the building by the picture I saw of it.

I finally managed to check in without too much difficulty (clerk again had not much English on hand), and they just had to take a photocopy of my passport, and off to my room I went.

I unpacked, washed, took a cat-nap and with darkening skies still ventured out to try my luck again.
Arrived in Osaka May 5, 2008 at 2:45 pm, left for Kyoto on May 6 at 1:30 pm.


*************************************************************
Directions & Transportation:

*From JR Osaka station
Take the bus No.88 to Tosabori-2choume (about 10 mins). 1 min. walk from the bus stop.

*From Higobashi station (subway Yotsuhashi-line)
10 mins. walk from the station

*From Awaza Station (subway Chuo Line)
7 mins. walk from the station.

*From JR Shin-Osaka station
Take the subway Midosuji Line to Honmachi Station.
Change to the subway Chuo Line and get off at Awaza Station. 7 mins. walk from the station.

*From Kansai Int'l Airport 
Take the Nankai Rapid Express Train to the last stop, Namba Station. Change to the subway Sennnichimae Line and get off at Awaza Station. 7 mins. walk from the station. The total travel time will be 65 mins.

*From Osaka Int'l Airport
Take the Airport bus to Osaka station. From the station, follow the direction above. The total travel time will be about 50 mins.


-May 17, '08 2:40 AM

A Funny Fine Flight

November 14, 2008
Up-in-the-air

I fly PAL, but its usually economy and I sometimes I wish I could afford to go business class especially on long-haul flights such as those from the Philippines to the US of A.

Great was my surprise when things turned out very well for this particular flight of mine.

One of my best buds from college works as a pilot for PAL, unfortunately he doesn't do the US trips though but those in Asia. He did text me that while he would not be handling the flight (hmmmph, he could have taken the one I was on to Japan though...grrrr) he would be wishing me well. Let's call this buddy of mine as Mr. N.

I had just sat down and ruefully thought that I should really try to either check in early or reserve through the phone for an early check-in so I could have one of the exit seats and have more leg room. Long legs wasn't that great on long flights!

I was nonplussed when a pretty stewardess with a warm smile asked me if I was Cat Herrera and if Mr. R was my cousin. I had met Mr. R but had no idea why he would be claiming me as his cousin.  So I just dazedly said the complete name of Mr. R and remarked that I knew he wasn't on this flight.

Lo and behold, the stewardess remarked to another steward passing by that I was Mr. R's cousin!  As I was about to open my mouth to say we were really not cousins (btw, Mr. R is actually Mr. N's cousin and I daresay if I had married into Mr. N's clan, I would be probably Mr. R's cousin hehehe...) I got pushed towards an empty 3-seats. I couldn't believe my good fortune! This is a first time for me and a far cry from how I was situated on my flight to Sanfo in 2007!

Wow, I could finally curl and sleep at last. I was so thankful for that, that it was enough for me if nothing else happened and I thanked her profusely if quietly. And I didn't correct her anymore about Mr. R being my cousin *grin*

My next favorite part of flights arrived - they served meals. I got extra attention from the steward earlier who asked if I was okay. I asked for more water. I got a whole  big bottle, and a wink and a "sssshhh!" ....Hmmm...strange but satisfying as I love to drink water during trips like this.

I finally curled up with one of my heavy tomes when the stewardess earlier dropped by and passed me a tray which was full of cheeses and fruits and crackers and what have you. Hmm..probably from business class, eh? I gave her a big smile and said thank you so much, I will really enjoy this..and promptly went to munching on it while all the others around me slept.

Before the next meal though, another stewardess passed by. She was older and though quite hospitable, I had noticed her earlier in the business class section and she looked quite strict. I got a shock of my life when she suddenly stopped by and asked if I was Cat Herrera. What the? Was this more of Mr. R's doing?

Well, I wanted to hear what it was all about before I could say yes, but then she said she was looking for me row to row (since I had apparently transferred seats). Breathing more easily I hesitantly admitted my identity.

So now the steward from earlier and this older stewardess were bunked by my seat. And while I blinked rapidly, the latter was smiling naughtily and said she was asked to pass on a message from the pilot, who got contacted by an air traffic controller who said to greet me.

When she asked if I knew who the guy was, I said I had a friend who was an ATC (I was still thinking of Che, its impossible it would be Loo, her also wacky half,  who would be handling this flight). I didn't voice out my surprise when she grinned and remarked in such a way that meant she thought I had a secret admirer.  EH??

I thought - well, maybe Che asked one of her male co-workers to do the greeting, that is why they said a guy was greeting me. I smiled and didn't elaborate anymore but made a mental note to thank Che and tell her to thank her co-worker.

Before we disembarked, a couple of more things happened.

I got a bag full of chocolate cake slices in a Duty Free bag from the stewardess earlier (this was a blessing as I had to be up really early to walk to the office in Cinci and didn't have time to get breakfast). I had also talked to the steward who gave me tips on where to go in Sanfo and other places.

Lastly, when I stepped out of the plane into the tube...the older stewardess grinned at me again and remarked on the ATC who was my friend, making it more obvious she really thought I had either an admirer or was dating an ATC. EH???

Before I came back to the Philippines, I continued my PM with Che. I thanked her and told her the tale, and all the while I thought she had asked a co-worker to do the greeting. We laughed heartily over it when she said it was her wacky self who talked to the pilot. She was mistaken for a guy! Tsk--tsk..she really needs to work on her bedroom voice then *wink*

And here I am now, trying to ask Mr. N to give me the number of his cousin Mr. R (who I met before, along with his wife in the birthday party of one of Mr. N's daughters) so I could tell him thank you and to tell the three stewards on that flight that they made me happy I had flown PAL that day. I had noted down their names...but my buddy is not responding..so I'm writing this blog instead. *yawn*

Yup, that was one of my memorable long-haul flights to grin over.

- Dec 5, '08 12:19 AM

A flurry of snow in Cinci

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

I did mention to some friends that upon my arrival in Cincinnati, Ohio my manager thoughtfully presented me with borrowed stuff from his wife - coat, gloves, scarves, hats...enough that I could make a fashion statement every day of my stay here.

One thing which amused me though was the mask-like thing he also had me borrow..this time it was his hat/mask - it could cover the ears, and at the same time, protect the mouth area as it had some anti-bacterial cloth one could pull up to cover one's mouth and nose. His daughters gave it to him when he had to dig through goodness knows how much of snow in this year's blizzard.

The drawback? It reminds me of a robber about to hijack a convenience store :-)

I don't have pictures of myself wearing the other stuff, but earlier this afternoon, I did go walking around Cinci in the cold and snow as I wanted to take pictures of the buildings I had seen. Unfortunately, it was a bit difficult to maneuver and juggle my camera and bags due to the gloves I had on. 

I was particularly thankful though that I had chosen my manager's hat to use today as snow suddenly came down, then a gust of wind every now and then completed the afternoon's weather offering.

As a mad thought, I took out my cell and took quick pics of myself, covered face and all...don't I look warm and toasty?

Last picture here was taken where I usually get my bagels and  milk for breakfast...at least last year that is what I did (I survived on this diet) - umandar yung pagka-thrifty ko and I used the balance of the money for food, buying something else....like...books...I want to go to Newport on the Levy all in a sudden din...tsk!

The temperature ranges (in Fahrenheit now) I experienced were approximately from 23 to 38 degrees. Brrrrrrr. 

No wonder most people seems to be obsessed about weather here...it can make life pretty difficult - you just don't worry about food, but about the cold which could freeze you to death. At least I can now say I've experienced fall/autumn and winter-like weather...wheeeee!

-          Nov 21, '08 10:22 AM

Japan (2008): Of Timely Trains & Forgotten Bags

Describing Tuesday (May 6, 2008) as a hectic day for one traveling cat would be an understatement.  On that day, I traveled between Osaka and Kyoto.

The good part? I had a guide with me, who helped ensure that I was able to visit some touristy spots in Osaka which would not make me unhappy with just a one (1) day stay in that bustling city.

At the end of Tuesday, I had at least 5 Kyoto shrines/temples, garden viewing, tea ceremony set and macha (green tea powder), free dinner, yummy strawberry cake and a Gion visit tucked under my obi (figuratively speaking as I wasn’t wearing a kimono).

Aside from a marathon visit to castle/temple in both aforementioned cities,  I was also  prepped with advance information so I could henceforth continue with my plan to visit the Kyoto Imperial Castle, geisha performances in a cultural show in Gion the next day and a trip to the manga museum, to name a few places.

The bad part?

I left one of my bags on the train going to Kyoto. I suppose since I had somebody with me I was a bit relaxed and only remembered the missing bag when I checked in the Kyoto hotel I had chosen.  The bag contained my tripod, leather jacket, castelle (Nagasaki cake) and some other food, and the brochures I had collected.

All of my available cash and credit cards were distributed among the other 2 locked bags and my usual purse so while I was dismayed at the idea of missing this other bag, at least I could continue on my trip without too much worry.

I didn't bring a lot of cash as I was dependent on credit cards. In a country where many of its people still bring cash along with them which they use instead of relying heavily on credit cards, it says a ton of things of how safe and reliable an environment Japan has.

I was assured by my new friend and Kyoto-frequent-visitor Calvin and the JR train officials - the former told me that the bag would be found and returned, the latter told me they would contact me or the New Miyako Hotel I was staying in for news. Since Calvin already had a prior experience of inadvertently leaving his wallet on the JR train, well...he may be justified in his statement.

I admit I was itsy-bitsy-teensy-weensy bit skeptical. On the other hand, I was also 50% more optimistic than I was cynical at the idea of my bag being found.

Guess what?  I did get the bag and all of its contents intact after 2 days.

The first day I inquired at the JR Information desk in Kyoto station, I had Calvin to translate and ask for help.

The next time I visited, even though different people manned the desks (volunteers who probably wanted to practice their English), they were quite helpful. With some lengthy exchange of English and Japanese sentences, I managed to get some good news (though I missed visiting some other sites and my Philosopher's Walk). I was amused by the elderly woman who attended to me...she smilingly told me that my Japanese was probably better than any English words spoken at the Lost and Found office when I asked how I could follow-up on my bag if I were just to venture by myself to that place.

How polite and sweet of her...but yes, they do not speak English that much at the Lost and Found - so a note of warning to future lost-bag owners.

I could say my Japan trip was a compleat travel experience in the sense that I had this kind of incident happening to me.

In all of my travels and trips both local and abroad, this was the first time I left a bag on a public transportation vehicle. I was lucky though, that it happened in Japan.

Although my liking for Japan was spawned by my anime/manga interest, there are also a few things about Japan and its culture which do not appeal to me. Considering all I've experienced both good and bad during this trip, a very favourable impression was stamped indelibly on my mind with how this all turned out in the end.

- Jul 3, '08 3:36 PM

Japan (2008): Staying in Nagasaki

One of the things I was concerned about was balancing the budget versus my dream of staying at a ryokan versus the availability of hotels and ryokans during Japan's Golden Week.

Golden Week is usually from April 29 to May 6..it is a national holiday week and this is not a good time to travel because everybody is doing the same thing. It is best to avoid this time  to travel as Japanese all tend to take their holidays between similar dates.

A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn. Usually they are two-storied wooden buildings and the very good ones are horribly expensive, i.e. 35K to 60K yen per night may be the price for the very good ones with marvelous gardens and personalized service.

However, most of the books I read said the same thing: try a ryokan at least for one night's stay. Of course, not all may like the idea of sleeping on the floor even if it is on tatami mats, and sharing a public bathroom (for the more moderately priced ryokans) but due to some good timing and luck (try practice in a real onsen hehehe!) I was all mentally ready to experience it.

Inevitably, I got stuck on the problem of the May 5 – 6, 2008 accommodations.

Where and which ryokan to stay in for those days which would not leave me penniless?
My next choice was a moderately expensive or business hotel to stay in but  I didn’t like the idea. I decided to change my strategy and opted for a ryokan in Nara instead of my first goal of experiencing it in Kyoto.

For Kyoto, since I didn't want to run myself ragged trying to get to the hotel when I knew I would be dog-tired at the end of the day (with all the Kyoto walking), I opted for a hotel near the Kyoto station.
One could go for a hostel, a capsule hotel, a business hotel or even a dormitory...but I was thankful enough to have an assortment of lodgings during my Japan trip.

These ranged from the very cute and lovable apartment in Nagasaki of my friend Benjie and her hubby Joy (who worked in Nagasaki for some time), to a moderately priced inn in Osaka, to a more expensively priced hotel in Kyoto, to a traditional ryokan in Nara, and finally to the comfy and cozy houses of my classmate's Sir Boboy's siblings Helene and Lisa in Tokyo (they kindly sheltered me from the rain and winds and tried to stuff me with food every minute or mealtime *grin*).
I could swear that I only gained weight in Nagasaki (where Benjie also tried to fatten me up) and Tokyo where the sisters probably thought I lost weight with all my running around.

NAGASAKI

Spectacles Bridge

(Above: one of the most photographed items connected with Nagasaki City 

is the Spectacles Bridge or Megane-bashi and you can "see" why)

My long-time friend and fellow Technologies Benjie and her hubby Joy stayed at a very charming apartment at Leo Palace 21.

I was amazed and fell in love at how the place was designed..and I loved going to sleep by climbing up a ladder to the room above the entryway....of course that meant I robbed Joy of the chance to sleep side by side with his wife as we could not fit in that place without some elbows and knees sticking to another :-)

Aside from the ubiquitous warm toilet seat with the bidet or whatever the term may be for the convenient splash of water from a pole which pops out after one pees or poos (excuse me), I at last again met a bathtub where I could soak my aches away (the last time I had an encounter with a bathtub was in Westin Cincinnati last year where I soaked for a good while since an officemate gave me bath salts from Japan).

Leo Palace seems to have built a name for itself in having all these chains of apartment houses all over Japan. They have the right idea.You can see  their name paraded on  baseball players' uniforms on television.
For my blogs or albums connected to this city, check out the following links (I may add more later as I complete my Japan travel series, so please just check those tagged as Japan travel in the other sections of my site).


http://cuh888.multiply.com/photos/album/106/Neko-chan_in_Japan_Nagasaki_-_Leo_Palace_and_Intro
http://cuh888.multiply.com/journal/item/45/Neko-chan_in_Japan_The_Tastes_of_Nagasaki
http://cuh888.multiply.com/photos/album/108/Neko-chan_in_Japan_Nagasaki_-_Glover_Garden



And also listed below are some of my friend Benjie's links for her Nagasaki visit:

http://eslogon17.multiply.com/photos/album/21/Nagasaki_City
http://eslogon17.multiply.com/photos/album/22/Showa_Hotel_and_Mt._Inasa
http://eslogon17.multiply.com/photos/album/23/Shakuji-tei_at_Shofukuji_Temple
http://eslogon17.multiply.com/photos/album/24/Peace_Park_and_Nagasaki_Atomic_Bomb_Museum
http://eslogon17.multiply.com/photos/album/25/Nagasaki_Tall_Ship_Feastival


Arrived in Fukuoka May 1, 2008 approximately 7:30 pm.
Left on a bus for Nagasaki  from Fukuoka  approximately 9:42 pm Japan time.
Arrived Nagasaki  past midnight of May 2, 2008.


How to get  from Fukuoka to Nagasaki by bus:

As I obviously didn't want to try for a taxi ride to the train station to get to Nagasaki (not to mention my JR pass was only good for 7 days, I chose the bus). I asked Joy for directions and luckily it was easy enough for me since the last stop of tbe bus is in Nagasaki so no fear of me overshooting my destination. I felt bad though as they had to stay up for me since my flight was delayed. But I wanted an adventure, so I told Joy not to fetch me from the airport anymore as it would be a waste of good yen.

Get a bus ticket from the machine dispenser near the stalls for the  bus and cellphone rentals. Ticket costs 2500 Yen if memory serves me right. Go out of the  airport exit and turn to your left.  Stop #2  will be the bus for Nagasaki, but wait for it to arrive by  the schedule printed on your ticket or else there will be another bus  bound for another place in that  area :-)

- May 17, '08 12:18 AM

Neko-chan in Japan: Fantastic Fukuoka!

May 1, 2008: Philippines -> Fukuoka -> Nagasaki 

Our flight through Philippine Airlines Manila to Fukuoka was delayed, We finally left Philippine airspace approximately 4:30 pm and I got through Fukuoka airport Immigration and Customs past 8 pm. I was seated next to a friendly and kind Japanese man. I first noticed him chuckling when I complained in the dialect to the stewardess that I was really hungry and my stomach was throwing embarrasing sounds. 

The stewardess was kind enough to offer me peanuts after takeoff. The Japanese guy had also called my attention to help give a warning when a woman in the lavatory didn't lock the door and people kept trying to get in. Three of us passengers seated near each other kept telling people not to get in the lavatory for the next 10 minutes. Wahaha! 

After our dinner, when the Japanese noticed I was perusing through my Lonely Planet Japanese phrasebook, we struck a conversation and he was giving me tips left and right which proved to be very useful to me later..especially the one about it being Golden Week and for me to make a reservation and exchange for my coupon as soon as I got to a JR Station. 

Working past midnight every night for the last 2 weeks had taken its toll and I snored the rest of the flight away, waking up just in time to pull the rented cellphone and queuing up for Immigration and Customs. 

In attempting to make a call, I found a problem. I was tired and mad and hungry, however I was in Japan at last. 

Link on getting your own phone and using it in Japan plus my phone problems at first in: 
http://cuh888.multiply.com/journal/item/44/Kitty_Trail_Japan_2008_-_Calls 

Carrying only some ensaymadas and cheese rolls from "Mary Grace" didn't put me in any trouble with Customs so I passed through easily enough, After pulling my bag (which was already kindly set on the floor instead of going around the carousel - how nice!), I proceeded to the Information Center, got some Nagasaki brochures, asked for the bus schedule (got pointed to the other stall) and then went to check their toilets. I also set my watch by 1 hour ahead since I was now officially on Japan time. 

Going to the JR Station was already a bit late and would require a taxi, plus I planned for only 7 days use of the JR Pass so bus was definitely the way to go. The bus departures schedule and stall was near the cellphone rentals stall. 

The bus journey from Fukuoka to Nagasaki would take more than 2.5 hours and would be departing from Fukuoka airport by 9:42 pm. The ticket cost 2500 Yen.That was the first breakup of my first 10K yen bill. The in-charge showed me how to push the bill through the machine, push the button for the amount and get the ticket and change. There! Easy as pie and my first introduction to how things work in Japan for tickets. This is how it usually is for bus and train ticket dispensers as well as vending machines. 

The bus stop stand would be #2, which was left of the usual exits from the airport terminal. I moved out of the arrival area through one of the numerous exit doors and stared at the vending machines. I was a bit hungry already but I could only see rows and rows of drinks. 

I called Joy, said a hi to Vanjie and told both of them that I was on the way to Nagasaki on the next bus and told him to please have some leftovers for me as I would probably be arriving past 12 midnight (Priorities you know).

Luckily the last stop of the bus would be in Nagasaki and I would be thrown out by that time even if I could not recognize the place or the characters announcing Nagasaki bus stop!

I went out and waited with a group of young men at the bus stop. I knew that Fukuoka also had nice places to visit but sadly I could only see it that night, since the next time I would be passing by would be on my way to Osaka, and I would probably have a few minutes only to make the train transfer. 

Your luggage will be hoisted over with some help by either the driver or one of the bus company's employees so don't worry about hauling it into the luggage area under the bus (although maybe they just do it for foreigners because I certainly didn't see them help put the luggage in for the other Japanese on the bus). 

The bus started off on time and after plugging my Ipod earphones, I alternated between snoozing fitfully and staring at the passing countryside on the way to Nagasaki. 

Places to check out if ever one has time to visit Fukuoka again: 

- Fukuoka Castle and Ohori Park - its location allows you to see views of Fukuoka 

- Shofukuji Temple - believed to be the oldest Zen temple in Japan 

- Tochoji Temple - on the second flooor is Japan's largest seated wooden Buddha 

- Kushida Shrine - Fukuoka's oldest shrine


Kodak V803 cam.