the tall blond guy goes to japan

I am a dork

The night train to Kagoshima

If it looks like a dork and talks like a dork, it's probably a dork. Desu ka?

So the shinkansen trip was uneventful and fast. A little shakey though. I'd expected something more smooth. This was like riding an airplane with continual subtle turbulance. Nothing bad, and I did get to see much of the countryside. Well, until it got a bit repetitive and I decided to read my Japanese Wired magazine. That didn't work so well, since I couldn't read a word of it. In packing up my stuff this morning, I found a copy of this month's Wired from home. I must have packed it as airline reading or something. Anyway, nice trip, but on to the dork stuff.

Two on the left, two on the right.

The sleeping arrangements in the night train to Kagoshima (that really has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?) are arranged in pods of four, little cubbies off the main hallway of the railway car. Bunk-style, two on each side of the little cubby's hallway. When I arrived, there was no one else in my pod, which I rather liked, because after the past few nights, I was looking forward to a good long sleep. I had just about decided to close my curtains and sleep when a 50-ish gentleman came by and took the bed opposite mine.

We spent a few minutes trying to figure out where we were both going and what we were going to do there. Then, he changed into a kimono, provided for us by the nice people at JR. He then said that I should do the same. I wasn't really planning to do that, but oh well- "when in Rome..." So I did. He started laughing at me.

Looking down, I could see why. His kimono fit him quite well, going to about mid-ankle. The kimono of the tall blond guy went to just below the knee. Even dresses of that length aren't in fashion.

After getting over how dorky I look, we stubbornly decided to try to have a conversation. Lots of drawing pictures and diagrams and consulting the "Japanese for complete idiots" book that I brought along with me (thanks Cary!).

I figured out that he works for a company that builds motors for big boats. He lives in Kobe and was very happy about Japan's medal winners.

Aside: whenever I'm not sure what to contribute to the conversation, this is a sure-fire way of getting some reaction.

Okay, that's enough for now, I'm going to bed. I'll be in Kagoshima in slightly less than 12 hours. Night trains are wonderful that way- the bed and the transportation are both taken care of at once! I hope to do this again, when I head up to Hiroshima in a couple of days.