Michael: I think today was my favorite day in Japan.
Taylor: Really?! Why?
Michael: Because it wasn’t so bad… not like the other days.
……
My scarf blows in my face, obstructing my vision. It’s too cold to take my hands out of my pockets so I just wait for the gust to die down. My knees are aching from walking and walking and my morale is sinking lower and lower. The moody sky spits a few snowflakes while the weak winter sun slowly rises over this sprawling industrial area. I hope daylight will bring some relief from the biting cold, some boost to our spirits. We’re still a long away from our destination and the last 24 hours have been… challenging.
Weighed down by gear, it was an accomplishment just to get to our hotel (chosen for its complimentary luggage storage service)
We were clearly not blending into the crowd as backpackers at the train station
Two hours ago, at approximately 5:15 A.M. and in the middle of absolutely nowhere, our overnight bus announced an upcoming stop, the name of which I didn’t recognize. I had been asleep, but my intuitive flags said something was amiss. I asked the couple next to us where we were. They gave me a somewhat shy and yet indifferent look, conveying precisely zero helpful information; despite 10 years of mandatory English in the Japanese public schools, this couple, like almost all Japanese we encountered, doesn’t seem to speak a word. Our stop – Kyoto – is supposed to be the first stop at 5:45 A.M. Why are we stopping here? And where is here?
I sleepily staggered my way to the front of the bus and asked the driver when we would arrive in Kyoto. “Kyoto back” he said, and gruffly sat down in his seat. I repeated my question, hoping I misunderstood. “How far is Kyoto? Do we stop in Kyoto? Did we stop in Kyoto?” He stared blankly at me. I stared blankly back. “Train back. Kyoto back. Osaka next.” He eventually said, gesturing vaguely outside at some dim lights on a dark train track. Clearly we weren’t getting to Kyoto with this guy. Minutes later, Michael and I stood alone on the side of the road, in the dark wee hours of a cold morning, hastily putting on every layer of clothing we had. There wasn’t the faintest hint of train or human activity at the small, vacant train station, and the map posted on the wall was filled with only Japanese characters. Shelter was nonexistent. Presented with no better options, we started walking in what we guessed was the general direction of Kyoto, guided only by a rough, half-loaded map on my phone.
Walking through “real” Japan after being dumped by our bus in the wee hours of the morning
Fortunately, we made it to Kyoto. Unfortunately, our “trek” covered half the distance between Kyoto and Osaka, approximately 1/10th of the width of the entire island at that point, and took us FOUR hours (two of which were in the dark, before sunrise). On the bright side, we were able to kill some time and see “real” Japan. On the downside, “real” Japan is not very nice and we were quite cranky in our sleep-deprived, chronically cold state.
A Japanese-fashioned welcome sign at the airport
Michael waits for Taylor at one of the many shops along the traditional walking street of Kyoto near Kiyumizu-dera temple
Taylor stands in front of the famous Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office where we spent the afternoon warming up and looking into the fog from the free observation deck inside one of the towers
A few days earlier, we had landed in Japan with visions of a land filled with stately volcanoes, Zen gardens, beautiful temples, and an intangible aura of peace. What we got was an intense and not particularly pleasant urban environment that was largely industrialized and quite inhospitable to the budget traveler. It was also unbearably COLD. So cold, in fact, that Michael’s deep hope of a winter ascent of Mt. Fuji was dashed within minutes of stepping off the plane. We later learned that the temperatures we encountered in Japan were extreme – the coldest of the year by far. We just happened to be there at the exact wrong time.
A woman crosses the street using her umbrella as protection from the relentless snow
Taylor walks down a central street in Kyoto with light reflecting off the falling snow
While we had some good times in Japan, the sad truth is that we asked ourselves more than once, “Can we go yet?” Admittedly, we visited Japan in the wrong season and with the wrong budget. Our experience of the country is probably not nearly as nice and comfortable as what most travelers experience. For example, we traveled by bus (gasp!), which seemed almost a cardinal sin in this country with a matrix of subways and bullet trains that go everywhere, setting the standard for traveling at top speed. However, the problem with traveling at top speed is that you get to your destination FAST… which is not good if, like us, you have nothing to do other than stand around in the cold once you get there. Traveling at top speed is also very expensive. Touring Japan by bus was one of our best decisions: not only did we save a lot of money, but it provided warmth and shelter for several hours at a time in a country where such things come with high price tags. If anything, we wished every bus ride had been longer.
Some of our warmest memories (literally) were on the cozy pink Willer buses
The bathrooms in Japan, especially at the bus stops, were beyond amazing with heated toilet seats, auto-deodorizers, and even the sounds of rain or water running for those shy about bathroom noises. This fully equipped kids’ bathroom is an example of Japanese thoughtfulness and attention to detail when it comes to this aspect of daily life.
Not only did we feel cold, but we also felt absurdly poor. So far in our travels, we’ve hovered around the middle class of the backpacking crowd. But in Japan, the bottom dropped out beneath us. All of a sudden, we were the untouchables, the lowest of society, the people others make a point to avoid in public. Our dirty red and orange Gortex jackets stood out like buoys in an ocean of black: black jackets, black suits, black scarves, black shoes, black hair. The clothes that had been clean enough and socially acceptable in Nepal and Thailand immediately seemed rancid. With restaurants so expensive, we ate pre-packaged food at 7-11’s for almost every meal, sought out free government buildings for their warmth, sipped forever on a single hibiscus tea (the cheapest drink) at Starbucks, took overnight busses to save on accommodation costs, and finally resorted to simply resting at the bus station. Our sympathy for the urban homeless reached entirely new levels.
After careful consideration of the delicacies this convenience store had on offer, Michael used the free hot water to make dinner, something akin to Cup-O-Noodles (in Japanese characters of course)
Japan Airlines (JA) was generous with its free wine, so we stocked up for the week
A luxurious dinner of toaster-cooked pizzas and JA wine
Michael’s expression captures our emotional state as we walked around the wet, cold city of Tokyo
Vending machines were a nice alternative to convenience stores and sold just about everything we could want, including hot coffee and beer
Everyone – EVERYONE – seems glued to their smartphones…
Despite the cold and unexpected discomforts, we maintained our ability to laugh at our situation and ourselves. Our predicament was often so bad that it was just plain funny. The freezing winter weather also gave Michael some amazing photographic opportunities. He was able to spend time with the snow monkeys, a band of Macaque that eat, work, and play in and around natural hot springs in the mountains outside of Nagano. Photogenic, expressive and bold, these little guys were actually the entire reason we made the trip to Japan in the winter, and the resulting photos did not disappoint.
An elder of the snow monkey clan looks boldly into the camera during his bath in the hot springs
A mother and her baby soak serenely
Michael edges out the competition in this combat photography arena, as snow monkeys carry on their lives indifferent to the human commotion
The second half of our trip was dedicated to Kyoto, and our rough introduction to the city left much to be desired. But after a good lunch with my family’s former exchange student (for those who know her, Eiko is living in Nagoya and doing really well!) and a long afternoon nap, we mustered the energy to go out and explore. For the first time, we found ourselves surrounded by the kind of beauty we were hoping to see in Japan. We walked down narrow stone streets, admiring traditional architecture aglow in the light of soft street lamps, with colorful geishas passing by. When the snowflakes started to fall, it felt like a fairy tale. We spent the entire evening exploring the romantic streets of Kyoto in the falling snow, which was a highlight of our entire travels.
The snow falling in Kyoto created a magical scene on the night we arrived
A woman walks through Kyoto in the coldest winter days of the year
Eiko, her baby boy, and Taylor after lunch (Taylor’s family’s exchange student about 15 years ago)
The next day it snowed on and off, with the sun making enough occasional appearances to keep our spirits up. As usual, we walked and walked and spent most of the day generally being cold, but the scenery was worth it. We visited as many of the temples around Kyoto as we could; the city truly is a remarkable gem, a staggering assortment of UNESCO world heritage sites all in one place.
An orange pagoda contrasts starkly with the black and white world of Japan in winter
Snow falls in a Japanese cemetery, enhancing its sense of timeless stillness
Colorful geishas walk the streets of Kyoto
We can’t say that we were sorry to leave Japan or that we plan to return anytime soon, but we have a much greater appreciation for why most tourists go there in the spring or the fall. That would have been much smarter. At least we still have all of our fingers and toes, didn’t get mugged by ninjas in some alleyway, and got a taste of both the “real” and the romantic Japan.
Taylor stands in the melting snow of a central city park in Tokyo
From Kyoto, it was a long bus ride back to Tokyo, where we were gratefully deposited at the correct bus stop. After an overnight flight to Los Angeles, my parents, Mike Smith and Sharon Powers, greeted us with lots of hugs and immediately took us out for much-needed burritos and beer. We had about three days on American soil to do laundry, repack, and take care of other logistics for the final leg of our trip. Thanks to my amazing parents, we also fought our heavy dose of jet lag in extremely comfortable beds and had a sampling of the best food and drinks Santa Monica has to offer. With lots of tears and
more than a touch of exhaustion, we boarded a plane bound for our last destination. Patagonia, here we come!
Geishas exit the famous temple gates of the Fushimi Inari Shrine