On the first day of my work in the office, I researched for some cheap traveling course, until I came across the Seishun 18 Ticket, which is available at this time at JR Ticket Offices. It is a ticket that can be used to all local and rapid trains of all JR lines in Japan.
I bought one for myself (it costed 11,500 yen for five days/people of travel) and somehow it was too cheap. Imagining you can travel across Japan through these slow trains for 5 days at this amount.
So I planned my first trip, and it was in Kyoto and Nagoya.
Journey to Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture and Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture
Ralways/Lines Used: JR Tokaido Line (Tokyo - Odawara, Ogaki – Maibara - Kyoto), JR Moonlight Nagara (Odawara – Hamamatsu – Toyohashi – Nagoya - Ogaki), JR Tokaido/Biwako Line (Kyoto – Maibara – Ogaki – Nagoya), JR Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen (Nagoya – Shinagawa)
京都府京都市と愛知県名古屋市への旅
使用した鉄道・路線：JR東海道線（東京～小田原・大垣～米原～京都）、JRムーンライトながら（小田原～浜松～豊橋～名古屋～大垣）、JR東海道線・琵琶湖線（京都～米原～大垣～名古屋）、JR東海道山陽新幹線（名古屋～品川）
I came to Tokyo station from AOTS Tokyo Kenshu Center in Adachi-ku. I rode the Joban line train to Ueno, and change to Yamanote Line to Tokyo.
At Tokyo station, I looked at the guide board to see if I could ride the Moonlight Nagara train (this train is a rapid train that operated at midnight) but I had the plan to ride on the station when this train reached just passing the midnight (so that I could only use one slot in my Seishun 18 Ticket). So I rode the Tokaido Line to Odawara. When I was inside the Tokaido Line train, I saw from the announcment that the seats of the Moonlight Nagara train are full, and it suggested to ride that train in Odawara because some of the seats will become un-reserved. So I kept myself inside the Tokaido Line train and waited for the station where it will arrive just passing the midnight. Eventually, it reached Ofuna station by 23:54, so I got off there and when 0:00 came, I let my Seishun 18 ticket stamped.
Then I rode a Tokaido Line train to Kozu (this is two stations short of Odawara) and I got off there, and waited for another train to Odawara. And upon reacing Odawara, I waited and rode the Moonlight Nagara train to Ogaki (Ogaki is a station in Ogaki City in Gifu Prefecture, and this train will pass Shizuoka and Aichi Prefectures, pretty far).
Since I rode the train, very few seats are vacant, and I was not able to sit at once. When the train reached Numazu station (in Shizuoka), I transferred to the aisle of the train at sat there). I was not comfortable with my posture there, but I was sleepy, so I have to put my backpack in front to put my head on while the train is running. The very long distance of that trip so far from station to station took one hour (from Shizuoka to Hamamatsu). And in Hamamatsu there was a stopover for about thirty minutes. And it ran again to Toyohashi station (in Aichi Prefecture) after thirty of more minutes and stopped again for about thirty minutes.
Between those trips somehow I managed to sleep. Not even have the feeling of embarrassment because I was not the only one who was doing that. Upon departing Toyohashi, a few minutes, someone get off and so I was able to sit (at last!!!). But when the train reached Nagoya, all of the people when I was in get off, and I was being called to get off the train (kind of embarrassing) and transferred to the next train. They disconnected two cars in Nagoya and the route to Ogaki became just only 6 cars.
It was really cold and chilling, to think that the air temperature in those places can reach as low as 0, especially when the train stops before Ogaki station.
Snow was already falling when the train reached Gifu, and I was lucky enough to see but it was very cold. I was standing inside the train and beside the door.
When the train was about to stop in Ogaki station, it seemed that the people were about to chase the empty seats of the train that was waiting there, so I braced myself, and when the door opened, I ran up and down through the waiting train, and luckily I was able to sit. The train was only a local train to Aboshi (a station in Hyogo Prefecture where Kobe is the capital city).
I was not able to take a nap because I was amazed by the snow pour, and when the train reached Maibara station, many of the people got off and fell in line in the platform. Figured that there was a rapid train to come, I also got off and waited. Ten minutes later, the rapid train came and I rode in, and since I haven’t seated in a normal seat, I found a emergency foldable seat and sat there, somehow managed to take a nap, before the train reached Kyoto.
The train was late for about six minutes, but at last the train reached Kyoto, and I got off. It was sunny, and I needed sun to compensate the heat because it was too cold.
Wondering this degree of coldness despite the sun, I meanwhile stopped in an underground mall, went to Starbucks to buy breakfast and three Kyoto tumblers. For about 20 minutes, I went out, and surprised in what I saw.
It was snowing outside. I called my close friend and my father in the Philippines and said that it is snowing in Kyoto. Then I planned my trip to two temples (Kiyomizudera and Ginkaku-ji).
Snow was still pouring when I reached Kiyomizudera, and I was lucky enough to see the sights on a true winter season (the Japanese call it Yuki-Gesho 雪化粧). It was really a beautiful Yuki-Gesho. Having a nice walk and taking of pictures inside the Kiyomizu-dera while snowing seems a very great experience for me.
After my trip inside the temple, it stopped snowing and have another trip to a nearby temple, which is in Ginkaku-ji.
The concept of the Ginkaku-ji is not as literal as Kinkaku-ji (which is painted gold). Ginkaku-ji should be somehow painted silver, but it is not. In fact, Kiyomizu-dera is more interesting. And at that time, it was already sunny.
I wanted to go to To-ji but it seemed that I have to catch a train to Nagoya and reserved for a seat in the Moonlight Nagara train again, which will pass in Nagoya. So I stopped awhile in the Kyoto station and took pictures there (Kyoto station by the way is really enormous).
Taking a train through Moonlight Nagara will take me to Tokyo station early in the morning of the next day, but when I went to Nagoya in the evening for a reservation, the personnel said it was full. All the more, it said that the seats of the Moonlight Nagara will become un-reserved in Atami station, Shizuoka’s nearest city to Tokyo. Thinking of that travel and calculating the time, I have to stay up to 2:30 in the morning in Atami station only to ride the Moonlight Nagara and in the middle of the very cold season. Very rare people can afford to do that. So I changed my mind and purchase a Shinkansen ticket to Tokyo from Nagoya. It was really expensive. It costed me for about 11,000 yen. It is almost the same price as my Seishun-18 ticket.
Anyway, I stopped in Nagoya to see the JR Central Towers and buy a Starbucks tumbler limited in Nagoya. I took pictures of the towers and went inside the underground mall. Then at 21:45 I took the bullet train back home in Tokyo. I reached Shinagawa station at 23:15 and took the train to Shinjuku at 5 minutes before 12 in the midnight.
