Golden Week - The Balancing Act 2

@@when fiction and realities collide@@

It's 07.00 AM when my alarm went crazy after being snoozed for twice already. Huaahhmm. I wasn't that enthusiastic to get out from my blanket as I couldn't really sleep last night. Somehow I kept thinking about work while I was on the bed and surely it kept me awake for about 2 hours. I could finally fell asleep around 3 I guess. However, thinking that today is still the beginning of GW and remembering the pain of waiting for Shinkansen on Tokyo Station for hours...I decided to throw away my blanket and jumped off from my bed.

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By 8.30ish, I got to Tokyo Station and boy..just as expected..crowds of people..both local and international..most with either small luggage or duffel bag, ready to start their vacations. I went to the ticket vending machine to check what time I could get into one of the Max Toki..a bit long que though. Finally, I could get myself face to face with that machine..hmm..maybe to be lucky getting the earliest bullet train, I should try to hit the buttons using Pachinko sequence? OK..first 7..destination: Urasa..second 7... 1 person..and now..let's see if the third 7 will come up..thirrrrrdddddddd seven... Max Toki 315 Departure: 09.28 AM... my lucky day!!! 777!!!

Ahahaha...well, apologize if you got lost with this...basically Pachinko is kind of pinball gambling machine in Japan..and 777..well, you know..it's the lucky number. Basically, to get a reserved seat on Shinkansen during GW without doing advanced reservation and only need to wait for about 45 minutes is kind of hitting a jackpot! Banzaiiii...


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Once I got to the platform..it was already super crowded. Damn..must be really my lucky day, eh? Anyway..the train finally came and I hopped into it gracefully..haha. Hoping that I would get even luckier, I was anticipating that a pretty young Japanese girl would sit next to me..oh man..that would be sweet..kikiki. Well..couldn't get too much luck though..as I got a middle age guy sitting next to me..wearing suits! Dude..it's GW! Stop pretending that you work so hard!!!

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I actually wanted to enjoy the scenery during the 85 minutes commute time, especially right after crossing that Gunma tunnel..but I failed as I fell..asleep, right after I finished my coffee can. Zzz..zzz. By the time I woke up, it's already near Echigo Yuzawa which means very soon I'd be arrived. I felt excited..a bit doki doki.. and there...we entered that small station..Urasa.

As I got off from the train, I said to myself "Tadaima!"... and through the spring breeze, I heard the wind whispered back softly to my ear "Okaeri, Nick-san"..

to be continued..

Notes:
Tadaima = an expression that Japanese people use when they come home
Okaeri = "welcome back", "welcome home", used to reply "Tadaima"