... on my way, to Japan

Saturday began with me grading homework for the programming course. Note to self - next time, be less kind to students about deadlines. Thankfully, there were only a few so it took just around half an hour.

My mom sent me all the way to the ship terminal. We still don't talk much (old habits die hard), but things are improving. She still cooks too much for me, but I decided to take a constructive approach and asked her what I could do in order for her to go to less trouble. And I actually got an answer - to just be more specific about what I want to eat when I come. Worth a try :)

Just outside the ship terminal, Elo walked past me. Or well, nearly, before I stopped her. Unexpected - but nice. We had a quick chat, and then both went on the way.

As usual, the trip was through Vaantaa Airport, but this time I decided to go to Helsinki by ship instead of directly flying there. I had not gone to Helsinki by ship for over 10 years. But the ship was just as nice as I remmembered from my youth. I sat in the front atrium cafe, that spanned three floors.

When I went for a coffe I realized that the sea must be pretty stormy, as walking in a straight line was pretty complicated -- which should not usually be the case in a ship that big. My suspicion was confirmed when the ship drove into a way that covered the whole front window (spanning three storeys) uniformly with water.

As I was stepping out of the ship in finland, my phone rang. As expected, it was Mari, an ex-classmate I had not seen for over 3 years who studies Biology in Helsinki and with whom I had agreed to meet up before my plane. The ship was already about 15 minutes late, so I was afraid she would be waiting for me already. Turned out, she would actually also be late, so things worked out. We went to central helsinki, sat down, had a hot beverage and talked about life as a scientist. Halfway through the conversation we switched from estonian to english... and then kept on going, up to the end when she sent me to the airport bus.

I arrived at the airport just in time having to wait just 10 minutes in the Terminal before the boarding. The 9-hour plane ride was rather uneventful - watched two movies, two episodes of Outer Limits, tried to sleep in 3 different positions and failed in all 3 cases -- so about the usual pre-conference plane-ride.

In Tokyo, I first went through customs, which entailed giving your fingerprints and having your picture taken. I then received a very thorough security inspection. They even checked the pockets of the spare pants I had in my backpack. And found an apple stem.. which they seemed to suspect was marijuana. Thankfully, they pretty quickly realized that was not the case, so I was let through to Japan.

I had 7 hours between two flights, so I headed for the railway station to go to Narita-san buddhist monastery - one of the sights very close to the Airport.
There was a nice street lined with small shops and restaurants leading up to the temple, so I got my first peek at the stores already. Surprisingly to me, there were relatively few surprises. "Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer" being played through loudspeakers by 3 different stores was one of them. Ice cream prizes (300 yen or around 40 kr for a small cone) was the second. Other things - like Maneki Neko statues being sold in every souvenir shop or vending machines every 30 meters.. or even a begging Zen monk in white robes and large brown hat - I was somewhat prepared for already, although they still left a somewhat odd impression to me. Everything else was.. well, normal.. exactly what I would have expected. Which I did not expect, as I though of Japan as a Very Odd Place. Odder than China and India (both of which I have seen). Well.. it was not.. or maybe I was just spoiled by the latter two already..

The temple complex was stunningly beautiful. Both the buildings and the landscape architecture. Words cannot describe it. Neither can pictures, but they do a somewhat better job. Everything in its right place. Nothing missing and excess. Just perfect. Serenity. And even the large number of people there did not interfere with that feeling to a significant extent. Perfection.

On my way back, I decided to have lunch and sat down in one of the restaurants. The restaurant I chose had two sections - one western-style, with stools, and another one, with low tables and very low cushion-chairs. I sat in the first part, as I did not want to take my army boots off (which is somewhat of a hassle). I was then quickly given an english menu, from where I picked a bowl of japanese noodles with vegetables. Delicious.

I then headed back to the airport.. which was a bad move in hindsight, as I arrived in the waiting terminal 2.5 hrs before boarding. I had expected a lot of hassle and several kilometers of walking, but everything went smoothly and neither was needed. So I sat in the terminal, watched OL and even slept for 30 minutes at some point.

The second plane ride was completely uneventful. In Osaka airport, everything also went smoothly. I went to the tourist info station and was directed to the bus. Ticket had to bought from a vending machine, but the bus driver was so nice as to wait for me to do so instead of just leaving without me.

It seems using vending machines is unavoidable if you want to use public transportation in Japan. Both railways and busses seem to rely on it extensively. And to the point where even the people behind counters just send you there instead of selling to you directly.

I had a hotel very close by to the center of Kobe, so once the bus arrived, I just walked there. Although Google Maps had recommended I take I train, I suspect it would have actually taken longer if I did it that way. To my surprise, the hotel even had public wifi, so I could send an e-mail to my mom saying I had arrived safely, and, of course, to update my facebook status :P. I then had a thorough wash in the shower and then headed for bed. I fell asleep at around 22 local time.

Oh yes, esoteric quote time:
I'm a bonus track on my way to Japan
And I'm gonna be spread on Internet - Edguy