Kyoto in the morning

Riding the overnight buses in Japan is an experience you would do well to avoid. I boarded the bus in a spacious underground parking lot in Shinjuku, and then floated off into the night city. It was like drifting above the city, because all the Tokyo-area expressways are elevated, and your line of sight weaves across the sea of lighted windows at somewhere near the 10th floor level. Our first stop: Tokyo Disneyland. That was where several more passengers were waiting for us at 11:30PM. I have no idea if they went all the way to Chiba Disneyland to wait for the bus, or if they just stayed inside the park until (well after) closing time.

It was crowded. I was wedged between the cabin wall and a sweaty fellow who never once opened his mouth. There was no room to stretch out my legs, and angular metal protrusions jabbed into my knees as they pressed into the seat in front. Then, we stopped every two hours between 11:30PM and 6:00AM. It was cold, but the air was clear and I could see Orion in the sky. People huddled together with lit cigarettes at each stop. I managed to finish Kafka on the Shore during these intervals. Even though it was cold, I was sweating.

It was slightly before 6:00AM when the bus slid into a very silent Kyoto station.