For the first time ever, I had to catch the trains by myself because I was meeting Georgia at Umeda station. We both didn't have wifi so we also had to designate a meeting spot prior to. I was so scared because the trains in Japan are very complicated if you don't know your way around. Thankfully, when I was on the train, an old Japanese man asked to see my ticket and tried to explain (with the very little English he knew) that we had to actually transfer trains to get to Umeda! I felt so blessed that he was there because I would have just stayed on the train, I think. He stayed with me the whole trip until we got to Umeda and I thanked him a lot.
However, it wasn't as easy breezy when I got to the station unfortunately. When Georgia and I discussed the meeting spot she thought there was only one exit gate, however it seemed there were actually quite a few! I had gotten out at a different one and it took me over half an hour of asking train inspectors and walking in circles around the giant train station to find her. Luckily she stands out amongst the crowd. I think in the end we were both just so happy we found each other that it didn't matter how long it took.
Then, we could actually start to enjoy Umeda. Umeda is a large city. Adelaide is nothing compared to it. Even on a weekday during school and work hours, the streets were filled with people. The first thing we did was look for food because I was very hungry. We found a street that sold tonnes of cheap food, however we were too scared to go in because they were small places and we didn't want people to stare at us (people were staring at us a lot already). We actually found a "Japanese Italian Restaurant" and decided to go in because Georgia wasn't hungry and they had nice drinks as well. I cannot express how amazing that pasta was! I don't even think an Italian could make pasta better. The carbonara was just the right portion size for a person (although I did want to eat more), but most of all the single egg on top that you break and the egg just goops into the whole dish is just so yummy I can't stop thinking about it! If there is one thing I know, Japanese people know how to make amazing pasta.
Afterwards, we just did a lot more shopping around the shopping centres and I bought some things like Sailor Moon eyeliner and a cute mug. I've been bad at budgeting so far, I think, but it's been difficult with everyone doing so many things lately. It'll be easier to save money during semester when everyone is studying (I hope). Going to places further than our campus can get really expensive.
On the way home was when my good day turned very sour. Georgia helped me find the train, but I think it must have been confusing for her too (which is understandable because the station is so large), because I caught the wrong train home from Umeda! I ended up catching an express train to Kyoto and it didn't stop for a very long time. Eventually it stopped and I had to navigate somehow my way back to my station. It took 3 hours and several train stopovers for me to get home in the end. I was really scared because I don't have a working Sim card yet and I wasn't sure when I would make it home. But, I got there in the end. I'll try and take it as a learning experience and not too much as a painful memory.
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