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a sideways train compartment
this houses a western toilet, japanese style toilet, 2 bathrooms, a smokers space, a telephone, several rubish bins, a small family of 4, a preparation and storage space for the trolly dolly, and did I mention the kitchen sink? Okayama this morning was every bit as hot as they claim to be....the most sunshine hrs in Japan, and I would have to say the most cash machines that rejected my Westpac ATM card.
So I took the lonely planet's advice of accessing money from a yuubinkyoku ATM (that is a post office, 20, 000 over japan that evidently accept foreign cards like mine)............that did not work, sorry, sumimasen, try the major bank of Chuugoku around the corner.
Of which I did...........sorry, again that did not work. Why not try innocent bystander in desperation............perhaps I would have success going to the international centre and speaking with a gaijin teacher so she recommended. I held her up from going to school, but that was no problem at all as far as she saw! Maybe an excuse to wag, or is that word not in the japanses dictionary? And see that spelling mistake, they spell japanese this way in the ryokan english guide, and obviously they do not realise that pansies are flowers! I digress...........
So onto the tokushima bank, sumitomo, and mistubishi banks............still no success. Then I had for comedic value try the tomato bank (no joke!) and
Okayama by day, nr Korakuen gardens
One of the 3 famous in japan; korakuen dog walkers do NOT pick up after their canine friends. I wonder what the NSCC would have to say of that... funnily enough it was a rotten response.
I could also have tried the yamaha, suzuki, toyota, kubota, sanyo and daikin banks but I had got to the end of my tether by now, and thought best to wait until tokyo, where I would be this afternoon, albeit briefly between tarins from Okayama and to Otsuki in Fuji go ko (lake district of central japan, north of tokyo). I did still have 4-5 days time on my side as I am not completely cashless, but trying my luck before it gets to crisis level. Having no cash makes for unhappy travel in my books.....
So I left the delightful flat city (every one is flat, apart from the hill that the local -joo or castle is!) of Okayama and whizzed into tokyo central station by shinkansen, 4 hrs in total. The Nozomi shinkansen is faster at 300-400kph, but I am travelling on a cheaper pass that permits only the slower versions. Once at tokyo station you almost need a map to navigate yourself. It is multiple levels of surging crowds (and this was at 3.30pm in the afternoon, not yet rush hr!), endless shops, department and boutique stores, tour
groups, school kids, businessmen and the necessities like ATMs and train attendent help seems always to be on the other side of the station! I managed to try another ATM, you guessed it, no success, then found a small post office just outside the Yaosu exit.
I could not contain my excitement at seeing english instructions, a retained ATM card, and request for my 4 digit pin and how much money I wanted...this was 3 steps more than I had endured before! I was feeling pretty subarashii and ran for my next train with 5 mins to spare....
Then I endured an interesting trip to Otsuki with my sake swilling neighbour who I shall call Masa, who made friends with my camera, its contents from shikoku to kyuushuu all over again, and took one home of me for his wife and grandkids no doubt to show them the freaky curly red haired freckly he met on the train. If I get asked once more a) am I married/ have a boyfriend, b) what is my job, or c) how much I earn , I can always flash this picture and say 'this is my rich sugar daddy who
is paying for everything so I need not work'....now that might fool a few.
So I am now in Kawaguchiko, a bit drizzly, very sleepy and enjoying some western comforts like english keyboards and english conversation with english speaking backpackers! And a pot that boils before your eyes in an efficient way that only the japanese can do. Even their hand driers at the local train station are like being in a wind tunnel multiplied. Ks house kawaguchiko is ritzy for 2700yen/ night, and am loving the tatami mat smells permeating the whole place yet again. Clean, friendly and value for money. Enough of an advertorial, I will let the pictures say the rest....
Onwards and upwards of a wet Mt Fuji tomorrow!!
Then its Matsumoto for some time out I think....hang on, that is not in my vocabulary, I won't promise anything....
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