On the 8th day of our trip, we left Kyoto early in the morning and in 15 minutes, we alighted from the shinkansen at Shin-Osaka Station where we dumped our bags in coin lockers (it was still too early to check in to our airbnb apartment in Osaka). Sans heavy bags, we then hopped on another train, the JR Sakura shinkansen, that would take us to Himeji in just half an hour.
I sat by the window, my friend by the aisle, and between us an elderly Japanese gentleman (probably in his 70s) in a jacket and black bucket hat and a hardside suitcase in front of him. I couldn't talk to my friend because that would mean talking over the man's head which was not only impossible but also impolite. How I wished I could speak Japanese so I could strike up a conversation with our seatmate. But language didn't matter to my seatmate, he struck up a conversation with me.
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A smattering of English, peppered with lots of Nihongo, and with the assistance of gestures, I was able to make sense of what he was saying (and, hopefully, vice versa). He told me he was on his way home to Okayama having just arrived from Thailand (thus the suitcase by his feet). What did he do in Thailand? Play golf with his friends. He asked where I was from. Cebu in the Philippines, I said. And he proudly told me he had been to Cebu years ago. And what did he do there? Golf! (Such a nice life he has!) He gave me his business card (what a shame, I didn't have a business card to give him in return), and I found out that Yamamoto-san (that's his name) is a historian. Again how I wished I could speak Japanese—I wanted to ask him about the places I have seen in the past few days.
Maybe it is time for me to learn Nihongo. So if and when I find myself in Okayama, I could give him a call and say something more than just moshi moshi.
Single Entry Tourist Visa for Japan
Roam Around Japan with a Swagger
From Tokyo to Hiroshima (2015)
10D/9N | Tokyo, Toyama, Kyoto, Hyogo, Osaka, Hiroshima
Tokyo Accommodation: Shinjuku Airbnb
Tokyo: Memorable Tokyo Eats
Tokyo: Odaiba
Tokyo: Doing Touristy Things in Tokyo
Toyama: A Hamlet Called Ainokura
Kyoto Accommodation: K's House Hostel Kyoto
Kyoto, Japanecdote: Wisdom from the Road: On exits #2
Kyoto: By the Thousands (Kyoto Imperial Palace, Sanjusangendo, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove)
Kyoto, Japanecdote: Turning Japanese
Kyoto: Braving the Crowds at these UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kyoto (Kiyomizu-dera, Nijo Castle, Kinkakuji)
Hyogo, Japanecdote: If Only I Could Speak Nihongo (you're here!)
Concentrate on Kansai (2016)
Kyoto Accommodations: Guesthouse Wind Villa, Shiori Yado
I sat by the window, my friend by the aisle, and between us an elderly Japanese gentleman (probably in his 70s) in a jacket and black bucket hat and a hardside suitcase in front of him. I couldn't talk to my friend because that would mean talking over the man's head which was not only impossible but also impolite. How I wished I could speak Japanese so I could strike up a conversation with our seatmate. But language didn't matter to my seatmate, he struck up a conversation with me.
A smattering of English, peppered with lots of Nihongo, and with the assistance of gestures, I was able to make sense of what he was saying (and, hopefully, vice versa). He told me he was on his way home to Okayama having just arrived from Thailand (thus the suitcase by his feet). What did he do in Thailand? Play golf with his friends. He asked where I was from. Cebu in the Philippines, I said. And he proudly told me he had been to Cebu years ago. And what did he do there? Golf! (Such a nice life he has!) He gave me his business card (what a shame, I didn't have a business card to give him in return), and I found out that Yamamoto-san (that's his name) is a historian. Again how I wished I could speak Japanese—I wanted to ask him about the places I have seen in the past few days.
Maybe it is time for me to learn Nihongo. So if and when I find myself in Okayama, I could give him a call and say something more than just moshi moshi.
Japan
Know Before You GoSingle Entry Tourist Visa for Japan
Roam Around Japan with a Swagger
From Tokyo to Hiroshima (2015)
10D/9N | Tokyo, Toyama, Kyoto, Hyogo, Osaka, Hiroshima
Tokyo Accommodation: Shinjuku Airbnb
Tokyo: Memorable Tokyo Eats
Tokyo: Odaiba
Tokyo: Doing Touristy Things in Tokyo
Toyama: A Hamlet Called Ainokura
Kyoto Accommodation: K's House Hostel Kyoto
Kyoto, Japanecdote: Wisdom from the Road: On exits #2
Kyoto: By the Thousands (Kyoto Imperial Palace, Sanjusangendo, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove)
Kyoto, Japanecdote: Turning Japanese
Kyoto: Braving the Crowds at these UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kyoto (Kiyomizu-dera, Nijo Castle, Kinkakuji)
Hyogo, Japanecdote: If Only I Could Speak Nihongo (you're here!)
Concentrate on Kansai (2016)
Kyoto Accommodations: Guesthouse Wind Villa, Shiori Yado