Sunday July 22

Sunday July 22
Kyoto/Tokyo
Right now Ms. Becker and I are in Tokyo and Ms. Becker is very happy because there are a lot of stations to watch on tv besides BBC news at night. We are both also extremely happy because for the first time in the last three weeks we can use internet from out of the room instead of the lobby!! And Ms. Becker was so adorable, because she was able to Skype her whole family. (They are all at the beach having fun without me. : ) -Ms. Becker)
Anyway, today started with a final exploration of Kyoto, which we really loved. It is just such a cool city and we are sorry to have to say goodbye. Anyway, we stopped at our bakery for the last time. Then we took the bus to the Philospher's Walk. It is a stretch of area along the canal near the mountains made famous by a philosophy professor from Kyoto University that walked this path as part of his daily routine in the 19th century. Well, this was a particular highlight that Ms. Becker and I were looking forward to but unfortunately was not as romantic as it sounded.












Ms. Bisconti is right. Sometimes the things you were most looking forward to end up being completely different from what you expected. So the Philosopher's Path is incredibly picturesque and peaceful during the height of cherry blossom season and this was not that time. Ok so we walked along a canal filled with stagnant water and flies and mosquitoes decided to snack on our flesh. It was fine that easily visible between the grass and trees were remnants of a 21st Century existence, such as piles of cardboard waiting to be picked up or bright blue trash cans. It wasn't the end of the world that our music of the moment didn't happen to be birds chirping or trees swaying in the wind but the obnoxious sound of a shopvac cleaning the floor of a nearby storefront.
It's all part of the experience and the fun of traveling. Nothing ever works out perfectly, and that's ok. Traveling is so much more than seeing pretty locations and having all of your expectations met. It's about getting lost and finding your way. It's about being able to grow as an individual, meet new people, and experience new cultures while recognizing the similarities and differences among each other. It's about finding a way to love the moment, the good and the bad ones. Did I ever think I would be able to figure out a train/bus/subway system in a foreign land? No. Did I expect a random individual to see me standing confused on the road and, not just point me in the right direction, but walk with me to the required stop? No. Could I have known that Ms. Bisconti and I would end this journey better friends than when we started? Nope. Oh, the joy of the journey. And that was only the first half of the day.
Love the clearly marked and easy to understand bus information. Unlike NYC, where you just have to hope to figure it out:








We made our way to the Gion district in the hopes of seeing a few geisha girls. Then we did a little more shopping before saying goodbye to Kyoto. I swear my bag is ready to burst!!! There have been just too many cool things in China and Japan. Now anytime I go to buy anything, Ms. Becker just looks at me and shakes her head and mumbles. "I don't know where you are putting that," she says. I just laugh.
Soon it was time to get the bullet train for Tokyo. It's called the Nozomi train and it's the super express! It only takes 2 hours and 20 minutes to get from Kyoto to Japan. It was so hot and our luggage was incredibly heavy that I began to get a bit crabby. Too much. (I got Ms. Bisconti saying that. It's a shout out to my little nephew who likes to say that.- Ms. Becker)
Anyway, we were able to drag our luggage on the train and were relieved that we did not have to put it up on the rack. That was not going to happen; it would have squished us. I laughed because Ms. Becker's luggage can be turned into a backpack. She joked that before the trip she could actually use it as a backpack but that that was impossible now. Well, I got the funny image in my head of Ms. Becker hoisting the luggage on her shoulders and being flipped over onto her back with her legs and arms flailing like a beetle that can't get up!!! This made us both laugh!! Our bags are super heavy; we had to shove them in front of us on the train so this guy could sit with his son. I felt so badly because my bag kept rolling into him.
Finally it was time to get off. I almost died!! Literally and figuratively! As I am trying to roll my ridiculous I-have-shopped-way-too much luggage off the train, I see a gaping hole between the platform and the train! I am a spaz and I am afraid of heights! It literally took my breath away, but I was the lead person so I had to go. Somehow I grabbed one bag and then the other and threw it to the platform without sticking my foot into the giant hole! Oh, Mr. Bisconti and my family will be so proud!
Ms. Becker just laughed! She is amazing. Nothing phases her and I get my strength from her because I don't want to be a helpless pain, so I do things I normally would not do. It makes me feel like I have grown from this entire experience. Oh, and she is super amazing with direction! Thank goodness because I would have had us lost about a million times. No kidding.
This is Ms. Becker now and I just had to briefly comment on those last statements Ms. Bisconti made. To begin with, lots of things phase me. In particular I hate dealing with the tour companies or asking for directions, so thank God Ms. Bisconti does all of that. And as for her compliments with regard to my ability to read and understand directions, that will be quite comical to my family and friends. I've never been thought of as particularly skilled in that field. In fact, I got lost in my own town when I first recieved my license. Maybe I've just never been given the opportunity to showcase those skills until now...
Anyway, so we get off the train and now we need to figure out how to get to our hotel. Well, Ms. Becker decides she really has to go to the bathroom. So I said, "Okay I will watch our luggage and you can go." I figured how far could it be. Okay, so I'm standing there and 5 minutes go. I start getting a little antsy. Ten minutes go. I start wondering If she is coming back! "Stop," I tell myself, "that is crazy". Twelve minutes go by. Oh my God, what if she doesn't come back?? Okay, be calm. Fifteen minutes go by and there is no sign of her. Sheer panic sets in and all reason is gone. I begin to make a note of what she is wearing, what I will tell the police. How will I call her home! Oh my! Just when I have myself at a fever pitch, I look in the crowd and there is Ms. Becker and all is okay again. Sigh.
Ok, so we were wedged into our seats on the train, literally unable to move.




About an hour into the ride and I need to use the bathroom. So clearly not happening until we exit the train for good because I'm shoved in the window seat and all our luggage as you can see makes it impossible to scratch an itch on your toe let alone get up and find a bathroom. By the time the train pulls into Tokyo I can no longer wait, so when we finally get upstairs I leave Ms. Bisconti with our luggage and head out to find the loo.
Now maybe I just had an off day, but I couldn't locate a bathroom sign. I start walking in the direction of the sign for restaurants using what I thought was logic. Restaurants mean food and drink and so probably a bathroom. Wrong. I make my way back up the stairs and over to the other side of the station, some time has passed at this point. Finally at the end of the one hallway I see a sign for salvation. I turn the corner following the sign, make my way down a flight of stairs and BAM! I'm confronted with what inevitably happens to women in a public place, the buildup of a long line at the bathroom. Of course there are 20 people standing in front of me because there is only ONE bathroom in this whole station that we can find.
I'm concerned at this point that Ms. Bisconti has been waiting for some time and may be getting worried but I can't give up my spot. I mean, the line could double in the next five minutes and I don't have that kind of time! Ok so I have no idea how much time has actually passed since I left Ms. Bisconti with our bags. All I know is that as I was walking towards her, she looked concerned and was clearly talking to someone. Turns out she was talking to herself in a panic over my absence. : )
Finally with our luggage and in a taxi we made our way to our finally hotel and then out to get a feel for Tokyo! I found this amazing gelato place that Mr. Bisconti and I found in Italy a couple of years ago. We also discovered they have one in NYC! And now here in Tokyo! It is right near our hotel!




Oh, happiness:




Our first pics of Tokyo on a rainy night: