12.29 Monday

[***> Okayama 05:19 -> Shimonoseki 12:47 {Â¥6090}

Eat Fugu @ Shimonseki

[***> Shimonoseki 18:06 -> Hakata 19:41 {Â¥1430}

(latest we can leave Shimonoseki is 23:13)

[___] Hotel @ Hakata (Comfort Hotel Hakata) %%

12.30 Tuesday

[***> Hakata 06:00 -> Beppu 10:10 {Â¥3570}

Onsen @ Beppu

[***> Beppu 15:44 -> Aso 18:44 {Â¥2070}

(&& Last train && latest we can leave Beppu 17:39 -> Aso 20:59)

[___] Hotel @ Aso (民宿　あそ兵衛: 10 minutes from UCHINOMAKI eki) %%

12.31 Wednesday

View Mt. Aso caldera

[***> Aso 13:57 -> Nagasaki 21:17 {Â¥5040}

(&& Last train && latest we can leave Aso is 13:57)

[___] Hotel @ Nagasaki (Comfort Hotel Nagasaki) %%

01.01 Thursday

Nagasaki

[___] Hotel @ Nagasaki (Comfort Hotel Nagasaki) %%

01.02 Friday

[***> Nagasaki 07:12 -> Hakata 10:58 {Â¥2730}

(Nagasaki 13:01 -> Hakata 16:39)

(other options are Nagasaki 15:35 -> Hakata 19:39; last train 19:32)

Hakata

[___] Hotel @ Hakata (Comfort Hotel Hakata) %%

01.03 Saturday

Hakata

[***> Hakata 13:22 -> Okayama 21:29 {Â¥7290}

(Hakata 14:03 -> Okayama 23:05)

(last train Hakata 15:03 -> Okayama 00:11)

Total travel cost on local trains without Juhachi Kippu: ¥28220

So I took a trip to Mt. Fuji during Obon. I’ve wanted to climb this mountain since my first trip to Japan. It was too cold and inconvenient then. This time, I was ready and prepared. That didn’t stop me from getting really really sick. I wound up staying at the hospital in Yamanashi Prefecture during my Obon trip. Two days and nights with IV for fluids and IV antibiotics. My first real stay in a hospital. Trip: ruined.

I decide to try again. This time without a travel crew as I had to take some vacation days. I fuck up majorly and wind up blowing $120 on a taxi to complete the climb. But complete it I did. It was harder than I expected. There isn’t much oxygen up there and there was no time to get acclimated so it is pretty tough. And the distance is pretty great, vertically. Got some sunrise photos. The downhill was brutal on my knees. I couldn’t go fast. Love having trekking poles.

I took the local trains to Tokyo with Juhachi Kippu. Took 12 hours and I started just after 6am. Not as bad as I expected at all. Actually, it was a pretty nice trip. On the other hand, the body of the trip itself wasn’t very good. It was quite bad. One night in a capsule hotel. I wasn’t miserable but getting my shit in a locker was rough. Never want to do that again. 

There was of course no planning and no further places to stay booked. So one more night in a manga cafe and New Year’s in some damned foreigner bar then hauling a drunk guy around. Then catching the morning train home. Now that ride was rough. Really fucking rough. Not so much the ride itself but my condition and lack of bathing. 

Glad to be home. Travel alone might be best for me. 

I finally had a real trip to Osaka this weekend. I Ju Hachi Kippued out there early Saturday and wandered about. I found a 1000 yen haircut place but would not work up the motivation to find it again when I was ready for getting my head cut. Oh well. Next week.

I did accomplish my goals in Osaka: to find a cheap S-Video cable (400 yen), a cheap switch (5 port, baseTX, 1200 yen, could have gotten one for 1000 yen but decided against it for no good reason), cheap network cable (200 yen).

I was not able to complete a few other things. I did not get to eat takoyaki. I passed up chance at cheap takoyaki because I didn’t want to break a big bill. Next week. I was able to find one small camera shop but was not able to really find a large variety. Oh well. This effectively dashes my plan of a cheapish used long lens from Japan. It just isn’t worth the effort to look. Instead, the D3 beckons to me.

With the cheap switch, the S-Video cable and the network cable, I now have a mostly working network of 2 laptops, an external IEEE 1394/USB HD, a tv for video out and 2 unused wireless routers. The irony of coming so prepared. I could have bought a USB headset here cheap too.

Osaka is moving up to my favorite Japanese city. Not only do I like Den Den Town (electronics shopping district) but they have street parking. Unfuckingheard of in Japan.

So I did wind up in Kansai but not stationed out of Osaka. Brutally tiring. Lots of walking in crazy heat. It was somewhat affordable though so that is good.

I went to Kyoto the first day and saw some temples. Then I went to Nara and did some sightseeing. After that, Osaka for a short bit. Did not get to see nearly enough of it. I will have to go back.