Until the weather gradually warms up, I realized that it is already April. I can feel the breeze, warm sunshine, blooming flowers, and lush greenery in nature. My body also feels slightly hot. Every year at this time, I can feel the breath of life. Look, this pile of grass has grown taller, and this tree has sprouted new leaves, still that light green color when they first come out.
Looking back at the past three years, it feels like stolen time, as if life has been paused. I repeat my "Groundhog Day" every day. Suddenly, something broke with a crash, and my clock started ticking again. Like a dream in Nanko. Whatever I want to say or don't want to say, I squeeze out a smile and let it pass!
I remember three years ago, when I first went abroad with friends. The destination was Japan, a journey that had been planned for a long time. The itinerary was quite tight, and we made efforts to visit many places. We first went to Hokkaido and took a train to Otaru. We immediately found a hotel right across from Otaru Station, a hot spring hotel (the accommodation on that trip was getting worse and worse each time). Because my friend wanted to see snow, there was indeed snow here (not melted yet).
On the first night, my friend and I wandered around, dancing and ordering food, struggling to communicate in broken Japanese.
On the second day, we hiked to the ski resort on Mt. Tengu. The Japanese countryside along the way was very quiet. Although the ski resort was closed, we still had a great time that day.
On the third day, we went to Sapporo. That day, my phone screen accidentally shattered, and I was in a bad mood. At that time, I was planning to visit Hokkaido University. I got separated from my friend inside, and I am grateful that my friend was understanding. When I was about to go back to the hotel, I met up with my friend at the station, and then we went to the Hokkaido Government Office Building. We strolled around the streets until evening and returned to the hotel.
On the fourth day, we woke up near noon, packed up, and headed to the airport. It took about an hour to fly to Tokyo. Then we quickly looked for our accommodation. The location information on Airbnb was all wrong, but we only knew it was near Shibuya Station. So we walked aimlessly based on our instincts. It must have been fate that we successfully found our accommodation. The way to get the key was a bit interesting, just a few turns in both directions and it opened. In the evening, we went to the supermarket and bought some food and drinks.
On the fifth day, we went to Ueno Park to see cherry blossoms. There were a lot of people. We also visited Yoyogi Park, Senso-ji Temple, and strolled around Akihabara in the afternoon. In the evening, we planned to go to Tokyo Skytree, but we didn't buy tickets in advance, so we just looked at it from below.
On the sixth day, we went to Meiji Shrine and then to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. Yes, it was for pilgrimage to the filming location of "The Garden of Words". We visited the greenhouse inside. Due to the mistake the day before, we bought tickets in advance and visited Tokyo Tower. In the evening, we went back to Shinjuku Station and visited the statue of Hachiko.
On the seventh day, we took the Shinkansen from Tokyo and crossed Japan to Kyoto. We arrived around noon, and the luggage storage at the station was really useful. We tried taking a taxi in Japan to Kiyomizu-dera Temple, but unfortunately, it was under maintenance. On the way down the mountain, there was a tea house by the roadside, and the rice cakes were delicious. In the afternoon, we wandered around Kyoto, stayed by the Kamo River for a while, and then went back to the station to retrieve our luggage and find our accommodation.
On the eighth day, we went to Nara Station and fed the deer. In the afternoon, we went to Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, and the torii gates were really beautiful. When we reached the top, it was already dark. In the evening, we went to the supermarket to buy things and regretted not buying more when we were in Shibuya.
On the ninth day, we took the JR train to Osaka, and we almost missed the plane. Finally, we returned home.
Originally, this travelogue should have been completed three years ago, but at that time, I didn't know how to start writing, so I postponed it until now. I am a person who is slow to realize things. Maybe at that time, I didn't think much of it, but in the days to come, I will unintentionally think back to those times.