To start, these past 3 days (Mon, Tues, Wed), even though I'm staying at the Iwasa's home in Tama Center, I've been commuting to Tokai University by train to attend a few last practices before I leave for Hokkaido.
Which means... in order to arrive in time for the morning practice which starts at 7:30, I had to wake up at 4:30, leave the house at 5, take the 5:14 train to Shinyurigaoka, transfer at 5:40, get off at TokaiDaigakuMae Station, and then walk from the station up to the campus (about a 15 min walk). And I had to carry a big bag on my shoulders during all that. Because I wouldn't be going back home to pick up my stuff, I had to bring everything with me, including spare clothes, my judo gui, some tape, breakfast and lunch, etc. The first day was ok. I think I was pumped on adrenaline that day. But then, on Tuesday and Wednesday, it got a little bit harder to wake up and my shoulders started aching from the weight of the bag. But it was all worth it in the end. As you'll see in my next post ; )
I was offered to stay at another residence closer to the university so that I wouldn't have to commute but I opted to stay at the Iwasa's and commute. It's something that is not at all uncommon in Japan. Businessmen and students alike sometimes commute as much as 2-3 hours one-way just to get to work or school every day. The great thing with trains is you don't have to drive so there won't be any accidents if you happen to doze off. And that's pretty much what everyone does, especially in the morning.
The only thing is you have to be careful not to miss your stop... which luckily, I have yet to do.
Commuting, even just for three days was tiring. But also another experience to have in Japan. Probably the only perk to taking the train that early is that you're almost 100% sure to find a seat because there are so few people at that time. : )
0 comments:
Post a Comment