An Escapade in Japan -- Part 1

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Introduction

In the first week of January Avi informed me that he will be attending a conference in Kyoto in February. He also magnanimously offered that I could accompany him if I wished to do so.

I wasn’t exactly thrilled by this offer. In fact, I was totally dismayed.

I knew that February isn’t the best time of the year to visit Japan. It will be too cold and rainy, so I did not feel very enthusiastic about the prospect of visiting Japan in February.

“Don’t your conference people know better than arranging a conference in Kyoto in the midst of winter? They should have kept it during the Cherry Blossom season or better still, the Fall Foliage season. I have read that Japan is absolutely magical in those two seasons.” I said peevishly.

Avi pointed out to me that the Conference was meant for sharing the knowledge of advances in the field of IT security and was not arranged with the view of touristic pleasure.

However, the travel-bug has bitten me so hard that I decided to go to Japan despite inclement weather.

I was writing a novel at that time and had to finish it in a great hurry. (If you read my novel ‘The Treasure’ on Sulekha, you will see what a shoddy job I have done. That novel required two more months of work but in order to free my mind for the research and preparation of our Japan trip, I just rushed through it and it shows.)

I uploaded the Epilogue of my novel on Sulekha on 9th January and then turned my attention fully to Japan.

January/February was also the season of Kala Ghoda Festival but I was so busy preparing for Japan that I had neither the time nor the inclination to write anything for it. Not that it would have mattered much even if I had participated. I just would have been an ‘also ran’.

I even had to miss Anjana’s (SUMBA member) son’s wedding reception because it was on 18th evening and we were leaving for Japan the same night. The rest of the SUMBA gang must have met and enjoyed the wedding as well as each others’ company.

Before starting my research, my knowledge of Japan was based on movies like ‘An escapade in Japan’ and ‘Love in Tokyo’ and some travelogues that I had read.

Now, after our Japan trip, my knowledge of Japan has increased to the extent that I know that the movies were about as realistic as the ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is about India and the travelogues were colored by the writer’s perceptions.

So, now I am adding one more travelogue colored by my own perceptions.

This is the Caveat emptor (‘Buyers Beware’ phrase) that I am employing for any lacunae in my understanding of Japan.

The following websites were very useful in planning our Japan trip, but you still have to read a lot of travelogues, “Thorn-tree” postings, timetables etc. on the Web before taking ‘informed’ decisions. There is always some danger of overlooking something and landing in touristic pitfalls. It did happen to us but then it is part of the charm of travel.

http://www.japan-guide.com/
http://www.molon.de/travelogues/Japan/2007/part3.html
http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperWeb.cgi

I spent about a month and half checking the Web for facts, figures and timings and saved a lot of money by doing that. A regular tour by a tour company would have cost us exactly double.

I suppose it gives me some perverse kind of pleasure in trying to solve this “Optimization’ kind of problems. I do not mind going back and forth over the route and plan and re-plan either. (A formal and imposing-sounding name of this approach is ‘Heuristics’.)

Slowly, I am discovering some ‘rules of thumb’, which are proving useful to me in future travel-planning. I would put those in. How the rule evolved is self-explanatory in the travelogue.

Rule 1 : Check the local transport BEFORE you book the hotels.

Rule 2 : Normally they advise that while travelling, take half the clothes and double the money that you have estimated. However, when you are going to a cold country, do NOT scrimp upon the necessary woolens. Do take gloves, scarf, monkey-cap, woolen socks, wind-cheater, sweaters, overcoats, etc., even though they weigh quite a bit and occupy a large volume in your suitcase.

Rule 3 : Check the weather every day.

Rule 4 : Plan the journey with alternative plans for each day.

Rule 5 : Prepare for the journey thoroughly, checking the opening and closing timings of the attractions, the buses, the trains, the so-called ‘free’ passes, which actually turn out to be more expensive than point-to-point travel.

Rule 6 : Keep allowance for time taken in daily routine of eating, bathing etc.

Rule 7 : Mentally, be prepared for disappointments and take them in your stride.

It still does not mean that the rules are universally applicable. Each ‘Travelling Salesman Problem’ has a unique and different solution depending upon the salesman’s capacity and interest, even though the route is predetermined.

However, for those who cannot put in that sort of effort in travel-planning, I would advise that they SHOULD take a conducted tour. Travel is much more comfortable with a tour company, but you have to PAY for the comfort.

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