Oh cowboys salmon desktops!

The flight to Japan and the train ride from Osaka to Kyoto has proven that we have traveled to the other side of the moon...

With a mere hour and a half of sleep (thanks to the last minute packing of Brock's bag during the Pistons game), we woke at 2 am on Wednesday morning and were on the road to Hartsfield by 3. Checked in around 4:30 and boarded the plane for San Francisco, which took off around 7 am. In an effort to get in sync with Japanese time, Brock formed a plan which required us to stay awake on the flight to San Fran but would allow us to sleep on the grueling leg from California to Osaka. Much to his chagrin, I beat Brock in a game of War and a stellar game of Gin Rummy (500+ to 225). All of his defeat (and my success) kept Brock wide awake for the remainder of the flight – a victory in the first segment in our battle against jetlag. Five hours+ later, we landed in San Francisco to meet an old friend. The approximately ten hour flight to Osaka went smoothly and at 4:20 pm on May 31st, we landed in Osaka. After a bit of confusion during Osaka rush hour, we made it to the Kyoto train station and then our stop. We found the hotel in minutes. A comfortable place emphasizing environmental consciousness achieved by encouraging guests to not change the sheets and to sort their trash into burnable and non-burnable materials, etc.

To our own amusement, our botched version of the Japanese phrase resulted in something like "Oh cowboys salmon desktops!" to which our gracious host simply nodded and answered in more Japanese of which I ignorantly could not understand.

The group welcome dinner proved to be a rather silent affair as the whole lot consisted of the travel-weary. The chaperone instructed us in some simple rules of etiquette when dining in Japan. Brock and I found ourselves stuck on the simple end to the meal - a thank you to the hosts 'for the feast' as it translates. To our own amusement, our botched version of the Japanese phrase resulted in something like "Oh cowboys salmon desktops!" to which our gracious host simply nodded and answered in more Japanese of which I ignorantly could not understand.

At the end of the day, the journey was a safe success and the first meal a quiet but enjoyable affair. Yet, the jetlag strategy proved utterly ineffective as I rose to the sound of a bird call resembling the horrible yelling of an elderly man. Rested and bright-eyed, our first day in Kyoto began at a lovely 3:52 am.