Nihonryokō 2: Liminal Spaces
Sep. 2nd, 2025 11:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jamesqThe thing about Calgary is, it's Westjet's hub. So couple #1 (S & G) had to travel from Vancouver to Calgary to catch the flight to Japan, and couple #2 (Y & T) had to travel from Edmonton. We were all on the same flight. Though that almost didn't happen because S didn't book the flight they thought they had (it was for the next day – they were tipped off by the over 24 hour layover in Calgary). An hour on the phone with Westjet managed to fix it.
We were all in the Premium Economy section. Couple #2 and I both just booked those seats. Couple #1 managed to upgrade at the last minute.
Boarding was easy, but there was a tiny amount of drama when a family of four (parents, two young kids) came on and had not chosen their seats, so they were spread throughout the cabin. I was asked to move to... a seat beside couple #1.
We landed in Japan and immediately went through the bureaucracy. The whole arrivals area was lines and brutalist architecture. We spent a fair amount of time waiting for luggage, and also took the opportunity to get transit cards, though I suspect if we'd gone for regular Suica cards, instead of Welcome Suica cards it would have taken a lot less time. But we did get them, so everyone's transit was taken care of. We also dealt with our phone's SIM cards. The Apple phones all just worked, but the Androids did not (reading the instructions helped with that the next day. I just needed to tell the Android phones to look for Japanese access points and after that everything worked for the rest of the trip).
Finally we transferred to a local hotel. We were all pretty bagged and our internal clocks were wrecked.
Now the plan was for us to spend the night in Narita, then catch a Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto, where we'd then take a bus into the middle of nowhere for the farm that Y had booked. I'd spend two nights there and then come back to Kyoto.
The next day, I wasn't sure if I'd dreamt all that. Thankfully the confirmation email was in my inbox.
The Narita hotel room was western style (i.e. huge, two queen beds, full bath) and only differed in that Japan has no concept of water conservation. Every flush of the toilet used about half a swimming pool's worth of water. This would contrast sharply with the other rooms I'd have for the trip.
That morning, we enjoyed the hotel's buffet. It was a mix of western and asian dishes. I tried natto, just to say I did. It wasn't as revolting as I'd been led to believe, but did have a bitter taste I wasn't fond of.
[Plush lobsters at the front of our restaurant]
After supper I threw myself onto the concierge's merci to have my luggage shipped to the hotel I'd be staying in Kyoto in two days. This service is available all through Japan's hotels, and I ended up using it twice. It meant navigating busy train stations with only a moderately sized backpack with my electronics and a change of clothing. Highly recommended, but you do need a clear idea of where to send it, and a native Japanese speaker to fill out the forms for you.
[Yamato Transport's awesome logo]
We made our way back to the airport and took the Narita Express into central Tokyo. There we boarded our Shinkansen and had a pleasant ride into Kyoto. I was in a different car from the others, so I mostly just grooved on the passing scenery. Note, when reserving tickets, you can request to be on the side of the train facing Mount Fuji.
[Mount Fuji, from the Shinkansen]
Side note: We used an online service to book our train tickets. If you're travelling outside of rush hour, this is probably unnecessary, the ticket kiosks are pretty easy to use. Also, reserve seats only cost a few bucks more so it's often worth it. If you're worried about missing your train, your tickets will still be good for the next train (they just stop being reserve tickets and you have to use an unreserved seat). Apparently they're good the whole day, in case you have major delays.
We arrived in Kyoto station and I hung out with the farmers while they waited for their 90 minute bus trip out to Keihoku. Then I wandered off to find my hotel on the south side of Kyoto station.
I was now in Kyoto for the next six days.
We were all in the Premium Economy section. Couple #2 and I both just booked those seats. Couple #1 managed to upgrade at the last minute.
Boarding was easy, but there was a tiny amount of drama when a family of four (parents, two young kids) came on and had not chosen their seats, so they were spread throughout the cabin. I was asked to move to... a seat beside couple #1.
“I'm not sure I want to be seated next to these obvious ruffians.”My seat has otherwise the same topography so I was fine with it. The flight was uneventful and comfortable. But good deeds do not go unpunished – Across the aisle from me was a guy who spent the whole flight unmasked and coughing his lungs out. I hoped he was just a chronic smoker. Nope – three days later I was coughing my lungs out. I suspect he gave me Covid, but lacking a positive test it could have been some other lung crud. Out of our party, T also caught it. I even spent the majority of the flight masked.
“Pbbt”
We landed in Japan and immediately went through the bureaucracy. The whole arrivals area was lines and brutalist architecture. We spent a fair amount of time waiting for luggage, and also took the opportunity to get transit cards, though I suspect if we'd gone for regular Suica cards, instead of Welcome Suica cards it would have taken a lot less time. But we did get them, so everyone's transit was taken care of. We also dealt with our phone's SIM cards. The Apple phones all just worked, but the Androids did not (reading the instructions helped with that the next day. I just needed to tell the Android phones to look for Japanese access points and after that everything worked for the rest of the trip).
Finally we transferred to a local hotel. We were all pretty bagged and our internal clocks were wrecked.
Now the plan was for us to spend the night in Narita, then catch a Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto, where we'd then take a bus into the middle of nowhere for the farm that Y had booked. I'd spend two nights there and then come back to Kyoto.
“Hey Y, thanks for letting our host know about having a fifthYeah, turns out that never happened, and I wasn't sure where I was going to be spending the next two nights. I ended up, in my delerious, sleep-deprived state, booking a room for two nights in Kyoto. This was a different hotel from the next four nights in Kyoto.wheelperson. What do I owe you for my share?” “What?”
The next day, I wasn't sure if I'd dreamt all that. Thankfully the confirmation email was in my inbox.
The Narita hotel room was western style (i.e. huge, two queen beds, full bath) and only differed in that Japan has no concept of water conservation. Every flush of the toilet used about half a swimming pool's worth of water. This would contrast sharply with the other rooms I'd have for the trip.
That morning, we enjoyed the hotel's buffet. It was a mix of western and asian dishes. I tried natto, just to say I did. It wasn't as revolting as I'd been led to believe, but did have a bitter taste I wasn't fond of.
[Plush lobsters at the front of our restaurant]
After supper I threw myself onto the concierge's merci to have my luggage shipped to the hotel I'd be staying in Kyoto in two days. This service is available all through Japan's hotels, and I ended up using it twice. It meant navigating busy train stations with only a moderately sized backpack with my electronics and a change of clothing. Highly recommended, but you do need a clear idea of where to send it, and a native Japanese speaker to fill out the forms for you.
[Yamato Transport's awesome logo]
We made our way back to the airport and took the Narita Express into central Tokyo. There we boarded our Shinkansen and had a pleasant ride into Kyoto. I was in a different car from the others, so I mostly just grooved on the passing scenery. Note, when reserving tickets, you can request to be on the side of the train facing Mount Fuji.
[Mount Fuji, from the Shinkansen]
Side note: We used an online service to book our train tickets. If you're travelling outside of rush hour, this is probably unnecessary, the ticket kiosks are pretty easy to use. Also, reserve seats only cost a few bucks more so it's often worth it. If you're worried about missing your train, your tickets will still be good for the next train (they just stop being reserve tickets and you have to use an unreserved seat). Apparently they're good the whole day, in case you have major delays.
We arrived in Kyoto station and I hung out with the farmers while they waited for their 90 minute bus trip out to Keihoku. Then I wandered off to find my hotel on the south side of Kyoto station.
I was now in Kyoto for the next six days.
