BACK ON THE ROAD, SAD AND COLD

Kansai area is always fun, lots of stuff to do and family nearby. I stayed at my best friend Atsushi’s parent’s house in Ashiya near Kobe for a few days to rest up and regain some normality. It was perfect timing also because as soon as I arrived in Ashiya, the weather got crappy and cold. I was spoiled everyday with food and all the creature comforts I left behind back home. My cousin also lives nearby so I got to spend some time with her and my aunt and uncle…maybe not enough time. I always have a hard time leaving family behind in Japan. I wish we were all closer, but such is life.

On the day I was supposed to leave I woke up tired, tired of riding and tired of leaving behind everyone that I just finally had a chance to catch up with… l missed seeing Atsushi’s parents and my aunt, uncle, and cousin. Why was I doing this and wouldn’t I rather want to spend the time with people I love? Why am I leaving all these good things behind? I tried not to think about it as I ate and took my time getting ready. I planned on leaving later than usual to avoid the rain in the morning…it was forecasted to clear up in the afternoon. I started calling around Kyoto hostels but they were all full, I couldn’t find anything after making 15 calls or so. Eventually I decided to just stay at a business hotel for 6000 yen, way over my budget but it's Kyoto.

The ride was cold and I felt sad. Not much to talk about regarding the ride, it’s mostly towns so the ride was boring. I arrived to Kyoto late in the afternoon, frozen. The weather was getting warm and then all of a sudden back to cold. I guess this is what a real spring feels like. We got it so lucky in Los Angeles! I took a hot bath that helped me warm up my soul and my body, it also gave me enough energy to go out so I headed to Kyoto Station for some ramen. Before leaving, I was able to talk to my other cousin Mari who lives in Tokyo now. It was nice catching up with her and I can't wait till I see her in Tokyo!

They have several ramen shops on the 11th floor at Kyoto Station. I highly recommend checking it out to anyone staying in Kyoto, also there are light shows and places to people watch while drinking coffee…it’s a pretty cool station. Since it was the last week of spring break in Japan, everything was pretty packed. I picked the ramen shop with the shortest line...I was a bit apprehensive about this approach but the ramen did not disappoint. It was Miso Ramen, delicious! After I finished eating, I walked around the top floor where it was mostly couples making out...the view of the city was pretty nice from here. One girl though was crying over something. On the way back I bought some milk pudding and headed back to the hotel. The pudding was also good...I felt a lot better than I did this morning.