Wednesday 29th October
More walking.
This morning I had to check out a bit early, so I quickly gathered my stuff and walked to the basutei (bus stop) . Having ridden with the basu (bus) before, this time I confidently got on board, waited for arrival at Hiroshima eki (station), paid for the fare (while apparently somewhat amazing the driver) and got off. Off to the Shinkansen! Booyah!
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Quicky: when walking around town late in the evening, you know you left the touristy part when a random Japanese passing by on his bicycle asks you if you are rost.
Quicky: I read that it’s not done to blow your nose in public in Japan. OK, then I won’t. But slurping your noodles appears to be perfectly OK. I cannot decide which of both I prefer to not hear.
Fun fact: the moment I got to the airport in Ōsaka, there was a sign next to a water tap specifically asking people not to gurgle. OK. A minute later when using the rest room, I hear someone gurgling.
Right, so there actually appears to be a need for such a sign.
Quicky: so apparently Halloween is a thing in Japan.
Pics will follow.
Quicky: as mentioned before, bicyclists ride among pedestrians on the sidewalk. I was remembered of that this afternoon, when I was almost run over. Yes I should have watched over my shoulder before sidestepping. My bad.
Anyways, many roads have got no sidewalk at all. Just so you know. On the other hand, if there is a sidewalk, it will have a guiding strip for the blind. Almost guaranteed.
Guiding strip for the blind (Backstreets (Hiroshima day time))
Quicky: at the moment I’m in my hotel room in Himeji, the first place I’m at that’s outfitted with a television. xD It was an hour definitely well spent, watching Japanese commercials and such.
Japanese TV while in Himeji
Quicky: I have gotten the distinct feeling that I occasionally see Japanese versions of people I know (either personally or from elsewhere).
Quicky: getting on the rail platform is easy. You show your JR pass to the employee in the booth and you’re granted passage. When getting off the platform, don’t just follow the rest of the travelers because you will get caught in the gates. Instead present your JR pass again to the employee in the booth and you’re good to go.
Fun fact: I’m getting more and more convinced that Japanese really like doing things backwards. Instead of the gates opening when you “check in” with some ticket (except the JR pass), they close when you do not. (i.e. by default they are open, instead of closed, like in the Netherlands)
Quicky: while the bus that took me to Rosekitamachi was not really noteworthy, I’d say, the bus that took me back to Hiroshima eki (station) was something else that made me take notice of some things.
Firstly, in general what’s different to what I’m used to is a) getting on the bus not near the driver’s seat, b) paying with cash for every fare afterwards and c) getting off at the front of the bus. Maybe Japanese like doing things in reverse..
Secondly, while the first bus I took appeared relatively modern, this bus I took this morning was definitely old and almost rickety. I even noticed that it had a manual gearbox, whereas the first bus had a stop-start system, as made famous by Volkswagen’s Blue Motion technology.
Yes, opposites, the Japanese haz dem.
(presently waiting for the Shinkansen headed for Himeji, my next stay)
Quicky: is there a thing as someone being too friendly to you? So much so that’s it’s beginning to get creepy? Yes, definitely. Is that the case with Japanese? (eg: clerks, servants, salespeople) I shouldn’t say so… Honestly, this is something to very easily get used to.
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