Monad

            ひさしぶり。Everything here is beginning to settle in. I’m over a cold, have nearly got my bank stuff sorted out, and am starting to pick up on some sort of schedule. Yay for responsibilities!

Now where to start? I last left you all when I was in 弥富市(Yatomi). I’ve left you all in a murder mystery type of drama. So much has changed since leaving on the Kintetsu Line to Nagoya. I’ll begin with the journey to 神戸(Kobe):

I woke up at 4:30 AM on Sunday, October 2^nd (wow, was it really that long ago?) to a cool morning. I showered, dressed, and tidied up my packs. I said my goodbyes to Stephanie and left her my Kit Kat pumpkin cheesecake snacks as an appreciation gift, though I owe her so much more than that. I left her place at 5, and made my way to the 5:20 AM local train. The ride to Nagoya was simple enough since I’ve taken it a good amount of times to understand where I was going. I also had in my arsenal of knowledge enough Japanese to ask for a 新幹線            (Shinkansen, aka bullet train) ticket. The train wouldn’t leave till 6:20 or so, but I made my way up to the platform anyway. While waiting for the train, I had time to enjoy that which was a very quaint morning. I’ve always classified the day into four colors. The mental image I get of the morning is a sky blue one, much like the sky itself. It seemed everything in the station and the city of Nagoya were radiating this sky blue color. Again, quaint. Something you wouldn’t mind waiting on a train for.

The Shinkansen arrived, and I grabbed a window seat next to the exit. My huge blue suitcase demanded I be close to the exit! This ride on the Shinkansen was much more relaxing than my last. I looked less of a gaijin (foreigner in Japanese, somewhat of a racial slur, but also a joke amongst us gaijin). Because the Shinkansen is usually garnered to long journeys, the view becomes beautiful, for one sees much of Japanese landscape, varying as it is. From rice field to congested cities, bay to mountains, it was all pleasing to the eye.

I arrived in Shinosaka, and had 7 minutes to make my next train. This station was frustrating and I was unfamiliar with its layout, logistically mostly. Anywho, I got on the wrong train. I predicted I would, anyway. Just enjoying the adventure I suppose! Good news was that I knew the name of the main station in 神戸 and the one of the station I needed to be at. So in the end, I made it to 住吉駅(Sumiyoshi Station) in one, great big blue, gaijin piece!