The Muse of Mini-Musings: Planes, Trains, and My (Good) Old Legs

One of the things I appreciated during my trip to Japan was the liberty we had with the Japanese public transport system.

The previous times to Japan, I was with a group and we were more or less coddled and escorted to our official destinations. Back then, I treasured my experiences around Japan as I was able to see the country from cabs, rented vans, trains, the shinkansen, planes and even a ship.

For the life of me, I couldn’t remember being so exhausted and almost in tears walking in Japan. I rarely wandered far from our hotel then, choosing to sampo-shimasu in hordes. Safety in numbers, I supposed.

But this time, I know some people might be too tired of me saying it, but I have never walked so much in my life as during my recent 2-week stay in Japan.

The toll on my feet was more intense than usual because I had been visibly and literally lagging during the jaunting parts of our kenshu. I cannot point a finger to my Latin heritage (Latin daw o?) kasi Ms. Mexico was almost always 2^nd place in our conga line.

Just to make it clear, when I went on the program, I wasn’t late for the activities, it was that I was not exactly at their pace. Which was like people- hurrying-for-the-train pace. If we were catching a train and on our way to an appointment, I would understand the fuss. But strolling in a park or on the way to the hotel to check-in??? Give me a break.

The ultimate reason I lagged on the walking part of the program was because my feet hurt. Plain and simple.

My experience would have been exquisite, if not for this niggling fact. And the irritating part is, I have no one to blame but myself. Who will I blame? The program coordinator? Hahaha. I brought it on myself so who better to suffer? Obvious ba?

From day 2 of the program, my feet were already crying for mercy. Walang kawala sa paglalakad. Let me *ahem* walk you through our typical day.

Our mother ship was an hour away by train, quite far by Tokyo standards – suburbs na parang Cavite. Before leaving Manila, I checked the Tokyo guidebooks and Urawa was not in them. Because it isn’t in Tokyo, it’s in Saitama prefecture.

Much has been said about the effectiveness of the Japanese transport system, and it is all that but… what about going to their transport terminals? Aha.

For the seasoned Japanese walker, the sprightly 8-10 minute walk to the station is no sweat, but for someone like me who would always rather board a convenient tricycle than trudge 8-10 minutes … that’s quite a lifestyle change :P

Anyway, at the Kita-Urawa station, we board the train going to another terminal because we have to transfer from JR (train) to the subway. So lakad na naman kami ng mga 5-8 minutes to board the sub to Roppongi-ichome. Navigating the railway seems complicated at first, because 1) the signs are in Japanese; and 2) there are multiple entrances/ exits/ platforms. But after about 3 days, you get the hang of it because in the train, there are reminders of your destination in romaji and signs/ directions are abundant in Japan.

Most of the time, our schedules do not coincide with the bustle of the going-to-work crowd. But we’ve been thrust into the mob not a few times. Siksik kung siksik. At makikipag-unahan pa sa yo ang mga kalalakihan doon sa upuan. O di ba? Shocking asia. So mas madalas, nakasakay nga kami ng tren, nakatayo naman kami. Ergo, masakit pa rin sa paa.

After arriving at our station, we walk out of the terminal (which is so tempting not to do as there are a lot of things to usyoso in them stores) and onto the streets… walking another 5-10 minutes.

The first few days, after arriving at the hq, we had meetings. At least we were seated or had the option to sit down for the day (after na lang bubunuin ang gala). But the rest of the days, we met at the hq only to walk again!! Sheesh.

Out of town was even more grueling. We seemed to walk the whole day. Most memorable was our trip to Kyoto were we seemed to walk from 10AM to 12 MN!!! Needless to say, nagmumura na ang paa ko non.

This is by no means a complaint. I really am very grateful for the opportunity to experience these things. Just a statement and a word of advise to those who have plans to visit Japan because there are just so many things to do and places to see.

Travel tips for the Walking Tourist:

Wear comfortable shoes. Kelangan ito, super. I brought my heels because aside from being more formal than my sneaks, medyo maganda ang porma. I followed my clothing plan accordingly and tried not to veer away from the original ensemble even if my feet were already killing me. Ayan tuloy, hindi ako nakapasok agad nung pagdating ko. Ganon kasakit ang paa ko.

Bring a first aid kit. Requisite band-aid, favorite panghilot, dependable painkiller/meds. Even if I lived in my comfy sneakers, sumakit pa rin ang paa ko. Nag change lang ang contact of impact. When before the pain was in the toes, the front part of my feet --- my bunions and callouses already have their own zip code --- it transferred to the ball/ pad/ the sole part of my feet. So the healing props are all helpful, not to mention cheap. Should I have bought my band-aid in Japan, it would have cost me around P200-300 for a box, instead of just P12. And my ever ready Ponstan was a lifesaver.

Wear your eyeglasses. Dapat binaon ko yung akin para mas enjoy ang observation at hindi obvious ang gawking.

Arm yourself with your touristy gear. Camera, guidebook, paperback and portable musicplayer (you never know when they will get handy), a notebook, a pen.