Day 7, cont.
This will be a wordy post. I didn't not take photos while this was happening and soon you'll understand why.
We arrived at the train station and got on the first train that arrived. At first I thought it was going to Kyoto Station, but we were actually on the other side of the river and would need to transfer to a different line after taking this train for a few stops.
When we got on we noticed that this train was rather fancy inside. It had two levels of seats and all the seats were very plushy and comfortable. We also noticed that we were the only ones standing.
We heard an announcement that this was an express train and required reserved tickets (not just a Pasmo swipe). So we were clearly not supposed to be on this train. We decided to just get off at the next stop and hope so one saw us on a train we hadn't paid for and weren't supposed to be on.
The next stop was announced and it was Tamabashi. Not knowing where that was, I looked it up on Google Maps.
Now, to help you experience something of what we were experiencing, I would like you to open Google Maps in your browser or app, and look up where Tamabashi is compared to Kyoto. Try looking up driving directions. I'll wait.
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That's right, it is over 200 km from Kyoto!!!
I turned to the others in panic and asked what the [redacted] we were supposed to do?? We were on a train we weren't supposed to be on, the next stop was 200 km away, AND I still felt barfy (and more so now that we were on this

train!!!).
To say I was freaking out would be an understatement. The others were all trying to calm me down but how could I possibly calm down??? I am sure we were getting plenty of stares from the passengers who were actually supposed to be on the train, enjoying their luxurious express ride.
I double checked the screen that had announcements, and double checked the spelling of the next stop. I had missed a letter and it was actually TamBabashi. Now, take a minute to look up the distance between Kyoto and Tambabashi. I'll wait.
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Feeling better now? So was I! Crisis averted! Or, really, there never was a crisis other than us being on a train we weren't supposed to be on. DARN those Japanese trains that share the same tracks!!!
So, we got off at TamBabashi, which was just a little out of the way, and transferred to a different line that would actually take us back to Kyoto Station!
Back at Kyoto Station, we were deciding where to go for dinner. I still felt gross so I told the others they could pick where to go because I wasn't hungry and couldn't eat anything anyway. M asked if I wanted to just go back to the hostel and I said yes if she didn't mind coming with me. So, S and J went to eat somewhere and M and I began the journey out of Kyoto Station.
For once we actually made it out without twisting and turning. We stopped at a 7-Eleven first for M to get something to eat. I also got some kind of sports drink I think. M got some potato chips and we attempted to use Google Translate to figure out what flavor they were:
Uh...yum??
I don't have any more photos from this day. I think I took a shower and felt a little better and then went right to bed. I didn't actually end up vomiting, so yay? I think this was the last day of me feeling crappy, FINALLY.
Day 7 Stats
Distance: 9.3 miles
Steps: 23390
Flights: 64
Up next: Our last full day in Kyoto. Bus adventure, Golden Pavilion, Shogun Palace, and more not-Japanese food!