These two days i’m gonna merge together, because i just didn’t have the chance to write about them separately and right now, it’s a little bit stupid to write two different posts, when everything’s mixed together already.
I’m afraid there’s gonna be more merged posts, cause we don’t have any wi-fi at this host and there’s just one computer and around 15 wwoofers, so i’m almost sure, i’m not gonna be keep my blog updated daily, but i shall try and we’ll see how it goes!
So yesterday i left Hino... I got kinda soft and felt a bit upset after leaving it, because i really started to get used to things there and also because i attach to places and people. I love travelling and i do that a lot in fact, but i have this attachment thing, that actually ruins the fun, because i know i’m not gonna meet most of the people ever again, but still i wanna keep my hopes up and of course, i get disappointed most of the times, when the obvious happen - those people just drift apart. But is it wrong for me to want to keep nice people in my life? Or is it just too desperate?
Yesterday after leaving Hino i went to the embassy first and actually planned staying just for a couple of minutes, repack, leave and come back just before closing time to get my suitcase, but it ended up in me staying there for couple of hours and leaving before closing time, but without ever going out. Maybe it’s because i still feel one of them, maybe because i want to feel like them, besides it really brings the memories, so i feel nice being there. Just entering the Azabu-Juuban district makes my smile bigger. I never liked Tokyo too much, but i’d be lying if i said, i don’t feel nice there. It is nice to find familiar places, it’s nice to know where to go, and yes, i got attached to that place as well - i was living there for three months last year after all.
I am coming to Tokyo for the last 5 days of my trip this year and i’m already looking forward to it.
After visiting the embassy, i spent the evening with Adam! Even though we had to carry my baggage all around (one big backpack and one big suitcase), it was still fun. We went straight to Shinjuku, where my bus was leaving from, so we don’t have to change our spot too much anymore. It was weird sensation i got. At first i knew just approximately where to go, but with every second passing by and with every step we made, memories came back rushing to me and brought me to the point, where i knew exactly where i’m going and where i can find what. I didn’t spend too much time last year in Shinjuku, but the feeling of being in some kinda familiar place, made me feel at ease. It was nice of Adam to spend the whole evening with me, because if not him, i probably would be just sitting in Starbucks for 5 hours and waiting for my bus to come.
Instead, we did quite a few things until my departure time, but that time also came! I’ve never travelled by this night bus before, so it was a new experience for me. And now i know that i should recommend this way of travelling for everyone, who’s not afraid of spending the whole night in the bus. Of course, it’s not as fast as Shinkansen (the high speed train), but it’s also three times cheaper, so it’s a pretty good deal, i think. I left Shinjuku around 22:30 oclock and i was in Osaka at 7:00 oclock in
the morning. The seats were big and comfy, but i spend a great amount of time (basically the first half of the night) trying to figure out where to put my long european legs, because they were hurting a little bit, but after i found a way, i slept like a baby. Starting with Kyoto my eyes were wide open, looking at everything through the window, because everything was new and interesting. There were so many mountains - i was just impressed. I spent just couple of minutes in Osaka, but i already got the first impression of it. It is really different from Tokyo!!! Not just practical things like for example, in Tokyo you’re always standing at the left side of the escalators while leaving the right side free for people who’re in rush and just wanna go faster. But in Osaka, it’s opposite system. So i was blocking the traffic for a while. But i had my comfort in the fact, that i did that not because i’m a plain foreigner, but because i’m a Tokyo Foreigner so to say - was raised in Tokyo and adapted to that city. Anyhow, the city has this strange feeling that i cannot really describe. It was still an early morning, so everyone was rushing just like in Tokyo you might say, but they did that in their own manner, the whole city felt like its moving with passerby's pace, while Tokyo always holds his grounds and never moves. Its concrete is firm and unchangeable, while Osaka has this floating sensation, but then again - i was tired, it was all new and i had just 5 minutes there, so it might be very wrong what i write here. I will be able to explore the city some more in 15 days though, so i’m already excited about it!
I arrived in Sasayama with some kinda relieve. The mountainous view still continued to please me as i went on in the train to the very spot. At first i was just reading a book but the view impressed me so much, i put my book back into the bag without even noticing that and my eyes were just eating every single glimpse of that amazing view. Valleys and rivers between the mountains, greenery everywhere, some fluffy clouds at the summits of the mountains. I felt tears gathering in my eyes and i felt at ease... With every tunnel we went into, i pulled a long face, and when we got out for those couple of seconds i was ready to observe as much as possible. “How beautiful can a country be...” i was thinking. I was praying that the mountains stay with every station passing by and when i arrived to the last stop - Sasayamaguchi i was lucky and smiling, since the mountains were still there. I took a deep breathe and just enjoyed the view for a while without going through gates.
I had some time before i got picked up and i was surprised how quiet it is here! Probably i shouldn’t be surprised, since it’s a really small town and i knew it, but the realization that it might be SO quiet never visited me. I got my hope back that it can be better than Hino, but i’m a little bit worried about the work itself here. We have lots of people here and they seem really friendly, but some kinda strange system started working in me and i wanna back off a little bit - never really had that in this kinda situation. So i’m worried. The house is big and spacious, we have backyard and are gonna eat lots of fresh vegetables. The food isn’t too promising though, because we totally depend on what farmers give to us, so we’re gonna eat really simple things like rice, oats and vegetables, noodles every once in a while. “It might get boring” told me one girl, and normally i wouldn’t complain about it, because i prefer healthy simple food over the complex one, but since my anemia basically came back just before i left to Japan, i would really like to have raw fish every once in a while. Well, every host has his own rules.
The work sounds pretty tough. We start at 6 oclock in the morning and work until 10 oclock, then have 5 hours break and work for another 3 hours, so we have 7 hours working day and mostly we work in the farms and fields, so it is gonna be way more difficult than in Hino, but i hope i can pull it through, those 15 days. We have two days off and, oh boy am i lucky, our “weekend” is thursday and wednesday, so tomorrow and the day after. Today i also wasn’t working, because it my first day and i also felt a little bit bad after the night trip. I didn’t sleep that much after all, and after i took a nap in the afternoon i felt cold and dizzy, so i was just waiting until the dinner in the bed, because i didn’t wanna overdo on my first day. They have lots of mountains here and the roads are not too busy, so i might be able to do some sports finally! There is a waterfall nearby, so i’m all excited about exploring the realm here. The city is pretty far away, but i’ll be trying to go there on one of those days off, since it’s getting ready for a festival and i think it would be nice to make some pictures.
Days here are gonna end pretty soon, since we will have to wake up rather early, maybe at 5 oclock in the morning, so we will also be going to sleep not too late. I hope i can rest here mentally... There is one girl who also was in Hino, so we had lots to talk about! We were sharing our experiences with Kazuko and just telling each other about this and that. She is telling everyone not to go there by any means. Poor host-family on one hand, but on the other - it’s to be expected if you treat people like that.
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