Andddd, here we GO! Nozawaonsen

Brellowgirl
Nov 3, 2015
4 min read

6:15am Up and ‘attem it’s a big day!

6:30am I hate mornings. Feel like throwing up. It is a big day…

6:45am Pack pack pack. Why won’t everything fit in my bag I didn’t even buy anything.

7:30am Left the apartment

8:10am Arrived at Tokyo Station

8:30am Had breakfast with mom, tia and nani

9:25am Everyone walked me to the turnstyle that would stamp my future on my ticket and send me off. I’ve felt like throwing up all morning and I always get that feeling when I’m really really excited or nervous or something big is going to happen or I’m hungover. I said my goodbyes and cried. I’m usually pretty good about not crying but I couldn’t keep it in. This trip is longer than my last making it officially the longest I’ve been away from home. Six months. Six months without my own bed, without my brothers, parents, Benji, without my friends without my boyfriend. Six months not having chinese food from calcutta around the corner or fish parties with my brothers at midnight. Six months out of my comfort zone and six months of splendid adventure. I can’t really say that I’m ready but who can really prepare themselves to be ready for something like this. I don’t know what’s going to happen in six months, I don’t even know what’s going to happen tomorrow. I’m going to try and take the next six months one. day. at. a. time.

9:30am On the platform in line waiting for my train to show up. It’s the Hakutaka Super Express Shinkansen (bullet train) bound for Iiyama. Kirk texts me asking how I’m doing and I don’t lie. I feel like throwing up more than ever and I have pterodactyls in my stomach. I might throw up on the lady in front of me so I step out of line.

9:35am A train pulls up but it doesn’t say the correct number. I recheck my ticket. I recheck the marquee. This is supposed to be my train…There’s a huge pit in my stomach and I start to panic a little bit. I look up again and the train marquee changes to my train number. Phewww I thought I was actually going to have to whip up some Japanese and ask an attendant for help. They’re cleaning the train for what feels like forever and finally we’re allowed to board.

9:44am The train leaves exactly at 9:44. Jeeze.

9:45am Hellooooo world! I’m still nervous about the bus I have to take to my final destination but otherwise I can breathe for an hour and a half. I’m afraid of falling asleep and missing my stop.

10:35am I fell asleep.

11:30am I fell asleep again.

11:36am Arrived at Iiyama station now I have to find out where I catch my bus to Nozawaonsen.

11:40am That was easy. Walked out of the station, found the bus line and my bus comes at 1pm. I have an hour and change to kill so I found a nice place to sit and write. The mountains are beautiful!!! I was having major doubts about choosing this place for my work away because it was up in the mountains in a small village town kind of remote from anything. I debated about traveling around Japan and seeing the things I haven’t gotten a chance to see with my family, Mt. Fuji being one of them. I’d like to climb it but I’ll have to save that to do with a partner. Everything just felt right and I stuck with it. My heart has finally slowed to average living human pace and I’m ready for this bus to show up. An elderly man just sat down across from me and started speaking to me in Japanese about…soup? Oh he says they’re giving away really yummy kinoko soup. Mushroom? I’m so nervous I can’t eat anything right now but that was a very nice act of kindness. First of hopefully many on this solo trip.

3:15pm I am sitting in the lounge area of Villa Nozawa next to a warm fire. It’s so peacefully quiet here because there’s no snow and the slopes aren’t open yet. Luke, one of the managers helped map out the town and show me around when I got here. I get my own room! Totally wasn’t expecting that. It’s a traditional room with a futon (mattress on the floor). I am SO excited. The town is adorable. There are 13 free public onsens and since I’m here for 12 days, that means an onsen a day! They’re all indoors (there are two outdoor ones but you have to pay to use them which I probably will because hey, when’s the next time I’m gonna get naked and soak in a hot spring with random people in the middle of the mountains in Japan? There are little eateries for udon, soba, okonomiyaki and gyoza down the street-I don’t think food will be a problem. There’s another girl here from France, Winnie, that just got in last night and a girl from Belgium, Annie, who has been here for a week now. There aren’t any guests yet so it’ll be nice to experience little village Japan in off-season when it’s just mountains and fresh air and nature. It’s a bit chilly up here but it’s really nice considering that it’s November and I’m in the mountains… I just hope it doesn’t snow in the next 12 days! It’s supposed to rain all next week so we’ll see how cold it gets. I’m staying in Villa Nozawa which is 1 of 4 properties up here. There’s so much to do and explore but I’m so content sitting here by the fire with my laptop and writing. There are a few shelves of books too which I loveee. I have a feeling I’ll be spending quite some time in this room by the fire doing some reading (after onsens of course). I just met Mariko, Luke's wife, their one month son and 2 year old daughter, Emily. I love mixed kids. This girl is beautiful!! Half Japanese and half Australian. I'll post better pictures tomorrow but for now here are some sub par camera shots from my moving bus. The sun will be setting fast so I should go to the store and get some stuff for breakfast tomorrow. I’ll catch you guys later.

Much love,

Cas