All photos here were taken with my film camera, and these are just from day 1. I’m not sure what’s up with it.. it’s been having trouble focusing, and some shots are glowing. Ah, the little surprises of using film. I mostly recorded videos on my phone, and I’m still too lazy to sort and edit all the clips and photos.

Day 0 • November 19, Wednesday

So much time wasted on waiting and delays.

The moment we landed, Asis and I were in a rush to get to immigration, but I forgot that we were also with our parents, who no longer moved quickly and often needed our assistance, especially with anything tech-related. The immigration queues were long, and people moved fast or slow depending on the person, especially if they were traveling as a group or spoke little to no English.

On the way to the connecting bridge from the airport to the JR train station, I got confused. It was already so dark. It took me a while to realize that daylight was much shorter then, with the sun setting around 16:00. For a moment, I genuinely thought it was already really late. The cold weather also surprised me in the best way. Coming from a tropical country, being wrapped in the cold felt really nice.

Anyway, we hadn’t booked any train transfer reservations, so we got confused about where to buy tickets. On top of that, I felt a lot of pressure because everyone expected me to figure everything out. This is exactly why I dislike being the only planner. I prefer spontaneity, figuring things out together, not carrying all the responsibility alone. Oh well. The travel time from Osaka to Kyoto took over an hour, with a few stops along the way.

Kyoto station was so busy. People were everywhere. Everything felt so fast-paced, like you couldn’t lag anywhere or pause in the middle of the crowd. I also got my very first stamp at this station, and it made me giddy inside. When we stepped outside, the Nidec Kyoto Tower greeted us, and everything suddenly felt unreal. Asis and I looked at each other and held hands, quietly taking it all in. We were finally in Japan.

These were the highlights of our first day, despite all the hiccups:

• A Hello Kitty–themed train bound for Kyoto
• The cold weather and the buzz of the metro stations
• Konbini hopping and discovering that almost all konbinis have ATMs and toilets.
• Grocery shopping and discovering discounts
• Finding things that fascinated us, things we had only seen in anime and films, during our walks
• A safe and walkable sidewalks, streets, and roads
• Our Airbnb! It was really pricey, but such a nice place to stay. It felt kind of new. A traditional Japanese home where we got to sleep on futons, enjoy a Japanese garden, and relax in an open-style bath with a soaking tub, or what they call an “ofuro.” And lastly, the toilets/washlets were a total game changer.

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Day 1 • November 20, Thursday

We were out by 08:00, and our first stop was in Western Kyoto, Arashiyama. I had a lot of stops planned for today, but it’s so hard to stick to a schedule when you’re traveling with a group, especially seniors. So we just went wherever they wanted. We explored the surrounding areas only, and it was so nice. The gardens, the nature, the temples, and shrines were all beautiful and calming. There were a lot of tourists and some students already, but it didn’t make it any less breathtaking.

Another highlight of the day was meeting a grandpa seller in Arashiyama. I bought some Japanese sweet potatoes from him since I was really curious about them, having seen them so often in films. It tasted similar to what we have in the Philippines, but sweeter, and it was such a nice snack to munch on in the cold weather. He even told me to sprinkle matcha powder on top, and it was indeed delicious.

He then started asking where we were from and surprised us by saying a few Tagalog words like “maganda” and “pogi.” Lol. He even looked so pleased when I said “okini,” which, according to him, isn’t commonly used anymore since most people say “arigatō.” He explained that okini is a Kansai way of saying thank you. It was such a nice, lovely interaction.

At one point, my father got separated from the rest of the group, which was stressful. He doesn’t have a phone, he didn’t know the inn’s address, and he didn’t have cash. We weren’t even sure if he had his ICOCA. We had to go back to where we were last together, and there were so many people around. Luckily, we had all agreed to go to the river and the bridge before he got lost, and there he was, vlogging with his Insta360. Honestly, it was stressful and a waste of time that could have been spent sightseeing.

After that, we went back to Kyoto Station and ate at Porta. We were all hungry and craving different things, so we split up. I even forgot my bag with my Instax and other stuff at the first restaurant we were supposed to eat at. We had to move because the dish we wanted wasn’t available, and they didn’t allow sharing per couple—everyone had to order one dish each. When I went back to retrieve my bag, it was already at the security information desk. It had only been a few minutes, but it was already there. I was honestly amazed.

It was almost 16:00 when everyone had eaten, and Asis and I parted ways with the rest of the group because it was time for me to go to Traveler’s Factory Kyoto and get my very first Traveler’s Notebook. We commuted there, and I really enjoyed the little moments on the ride. It’s always fun seeing how commuting feels in different countries. I also picked up a TN for my bestie, along with some refills and other little things. Shopping was so nice (Asis just waited outside) since it took me almost an hour to browse, and I even tried their stamp station.

We commuted back, and from Kyoto Station, we just walked to our inn. Such a nice stroll! I loved it since it was cold and we got to move around a bit.

Back at the inn, we finally got to try the soaking bath. So, so, so nice and calming. We also ordered Domino’s pizza online because there was a branch nearby, and just minutes after ordering, it was ready for pickup. The whole transaction was super smooth.

That’s a wrap for day 1, and yes, I was happy because of my shopping haul. ⊹ ࣪ ˖