I’ve visited Okayama a few times, but I’m back, particularly in Kurashiki, to accompany a friend who wanted to go sightseeing and shop at an outlet mall.
This was an interesting trip where I had to take an impromptu nenkyuu (leave of absence) because of an unfortunate event.
Anyway, here’s our itinerary:
Highlights
- I’ve been to Kurashiki in Okayama a few times already, but this was just my second trip to Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarters. This time, I went with my sister’s former colleague. Despite being here for a second time, I still enjoyed my time.
- The Momotarou Museum was a trip. We had a great time here, partially thanks to staff who were enthusiastic at showing us the various tricks in the museum. There was also a random Japanese lady visitor who urged us to do the mirror flying trick when she saw us taking a selfie in front of the mirror. She even supervised our “flying”.
- Shopping was our main purpose of going to Mitsui Outlet Store. We had fun shopping. We got there at around 6pm because we spent some time in our hotel room after dinner. Then, at around 8pm, the staff at Nike, where we were at, told us that it was already their closing time. We paid and then left.
- On our Day 1, it rained when we were indoors and always, the rain had stopped every time we had to go out. Miracle!
Not-so-highlights
- It was very cloudy in the morning on our first day. Thankfully, it became a bit sunny in the afternoon, so we went back to the places we’ve been to in the morning and took better photos of the scenery. Thank you, Sun.
- We planned to go to Bicchu Matsuyama Castle observatory to see the castle “floating” on the clouds. The 24hour livestream of the place however, showed that there would be no clouds. Thus, we changed our itinerary to Lucky Cats Museum. When we alighted at the designated bus stop, we were supposed to take a taxi going to the museum. However, it was all a lie. There were no taxis around. The bus stop was along a huge highway where only buses and private cars pass by. We had to walk a considerable distance to and from the museum, so we decided to just skip it and go back to the city center. Bummer. I wanted to see lots of lucky cats, paint my own lucky cat, and buy a cat souvenir.
- I wore a pair of waterproof sneakers that badly hurt my feet. I actually had band aids throughout the trip.
A Different Kind of Highlight
We already said our goodbyes after we had lunch (after our failed attempts to Bicchu Matsuyama Castle and Lucky Cats Museum). I had to go back home to Kagawa, while my friend had to visit someone in Hiroshima before going back to her home in Ehime. I knew that a typhoon was approaching and would land tomorrow, but I didn’t worry about any travel interruptions. After all, I was able to ride the Marine Liner that would take me back to Kagawa. However, when the train reached Kojima Station (still in Okayama), we were informed that all modes of transportation leaving the main island were cancelled because of the typhoon. I had no choice but to go back. I was stubborn, so I alighted the train and waited for a new one. Eventually, a saw a train station staff and asked him for details. He then informed me that all services had been cancelled and there’s no way for me to get back. By this time, I already knew how hopeless I was because the wind had picked up, and the sky turned gloomy.
I also realized that I was stranded tonight until tomorrow. I could only hope that the weather would be pleasant on Tuesday for the trains and buses to resume. Well, even if I had a car, I would still be stranded because I read online that even cars were not allowed to pass by the Seto Ohashi Bridge that connects Okayama and Kagawa. Anyway, there were no nearby hotels near Okayama Station which made me panic a little bit. Fortunately, there was a vacant room at the hotel where I just checked out a few hours ago. I booked a room, hopped on the train, and bought food before checking in at the hotel. I also informed my supervisor at my Tuesday school about my situation. I thought about lying at first, but I figured that there was no harm telling her the truth. A typhoon and being stranded on another prefecture were valid reasons anyway.
The weather was pleasant the next morning, September 19th. It was gloomy, but it only rained occasionally. I was lazy to go out, but I had to. I went to the konbini and bought food that would sustain me until tomorrow before checking out. As for the rest of the day, I just stayed in my hotel room, watched Queen Elizabeth’s funeral on TV, watched various Youtube videos on my phone, chatted with my friend who was now stranded in Hiroshima and another friend who was stranded in Tokyo. The only time I got out of bed was when I had to eat, go to the toilet, and shower. Whatta life.
To be honest, I kind of enjoyed being a sloth for an entire day. I had no chores to think about. My only worry was what if transportation would not resume on Tuesday because the roads and train tracks had been damaged. Nothing was for certain even until midnight. If I remember correctly, one of the main reasons for travel suspension were storm surges which are dangerous.
Thankfully, the typhoon had passed. The trains resumed operation the next morning, and I could finally go back home!
Hyphenized Changjo 