Dec 16, 2020
Up for an unplanned trip?
Doesn’t the idea of unplanned trip sound exciting. But how far would you go to quench your thirst of an exciting life :P Here is my experience of the exciting unplanned trip to one of the most historic places in Japan, Hiroshima :D
It was a regular evening, nothing much in mind. Done with classes, wondering what to cook for dinner, when my phone rang and suddenly I am all excited as I read the name the screen displayed. My friend was visiting Hiroshima via Kyoto and she invited me to join her on this trip. And that’s how it began.
The next moment I was rushing everywhere around my tiny room, making the bus booking, packing my luggage, getting some snacks, preparing for the early morning bus the next day.
We reached Hiroshima the next day noon and immediately started exploring the place starting from the Peace Memorial Park, with the famous museum, to the Miyajima island, getting lost in the mountains, some out of tune Karoke singing. Closing the night with a few home runs in the base ball ground.
As we headed back to our night stay, I accompanied my friend where we expected to get a room for myself, since I couldn’t make any pre-booking, only to realize that the hostel was full and they couldn’t accommodate my stay.
I tried to calm my head and look for alternatives, to which the hostel owner advised me to stay at an internet cafe which was a few stops away. Took his advice but not sure if it was safe to spend a night internet cafe. I had to find a night stay soon, as it was past 10 and the subway would stop working in sometime.
Hurriedly I left the place and headed to the subway, thinking maybe I could stay at the subway station, or at 7 eleven, or the internet cafe, the guesthouse owner had suggested. Waiting at the subway, I tried looking for hotels, but everything so damn expensive!
I looked around and saw very few people at the station. A very chairs away, I saw a lady who looked my age, giving off a positive vibe and my heart said “Go ask her!”. I approached her and explained about my situation. She started googling for a night stay nearby and checked out the internet cafe I was recommended. While she checked the reviews, her notifications bar constantly kept flashing Line texts as she tried helping me. Looked like her friend was getting worried when she stopped replying suddenly. She asked me for a minute and spoke to someone on call.
After the call she told me that the cafe was a decent place and I could stay there. She was on a call with the cafe owner and inquired about the place. She started explaining me how to reach there, the station I had to get down at, but seeing my confused expression, she said “It’s okay, I will take you there. I am taking the same train.”
While waiting for the train, I kept thinking if it was the right thing to do. After sometime the train arrived and in 15 mins I was in front of Futaba internet cafe with the girl, helping me find a night stay. We went inside and she started talking to the receptionist in Japanese. After sometime she turned to me and explained that it was safe to stay here, and spoke about the cafe rates, and the complimentary services the cafe provided. She asked me to fill the stay application. While I was filling the form, she checked the time and told me that she had to leave as she needs to go further and the train will stop running in sometime. I thanked her for going out of way and helping me, literally. She smiled and said, “Have a nice time in Japan” and rushed to get the next train.
How could I not have a nice time in Japan, when this place is full of people with good heart. She was a stranger to me, yet I trusted her. I have no clue why my heart thought I could trust her, but I am glad I did. I might be stupid, but I am blessed . Thank you God! Thank you Japan, Thank you ***San ☺
I turned around and completed the check-in formalities. And that was the beginning of an exciting night at the cafe.
