“What a start!” we now think after having been through an uncommon way to start into our one-year abroad journey in Japan. But what we can see as pure luck or coincidence now hasn’t been very great at the time we had to go through it.
On the 22nd of August 2024, we moved out of the apartment we had been renting. Though it was completely renovated when we moved in back at the end of 2021 and we loved the beautiful interior design with its large 2,40m high windows, we decided to give up on it when we started planning for the journey that is about to come.
With our flight being scheduled from Vienna via Helsinki to Osaka on the 15th of September 2024, we started living out of hand-luggage sized suitcases and roamed Austria and Germany to visit our friends and family before we depart on our one year long journey across Japan.
The Mountain Hut ‘Neue Bamberger Hütte’
After moving out on 22.08, we took the next train from Vienna to Wörgl. Why? Because we were on the way to visit Katharinas parents and we were picked up at Wörgl main station.
You have to know that Katharinas parents are leasing a beautiful mountain hut in the Kitzbühel Alps, which is perfect for both hiking in the summer or winter sports during the cold season!
Feel free to check it out when interested 🙂
Arriving at the foot of the mountains in Kelchsau by car (“Wegscheid”), it is between a 1-2h hike up to the mountain hut, depending on your condition. But once we had been up there, we had perfect sunny weather and enjoyed nature everyday after our work for the day was over.
Lindenberg
Next up, we went to visit Dustins family in Lindenberg, Germany. We enjoyed some good homecooked Vietnamese dishes before our year long leave. Of course there is also vietnamese food in Japan, but homecooked just hits different, am I right?
Additionally met up with Dustins friends in Bregenz and enjoyed the sunset over Lake Constance in a beautiful late summer weather.
Since our flight departed from Vienna, we decided to get a bit closer towards Vienna by dropping by Katharinas parents once more. So back to Wörgl we drove.
Mountain Hut (again)
This time at the hut, we experienced every weather possible, so we started out with hiking up the mountain again during rain on the September 10th. On the next day we had beautiful sunshine and a blue sky above, before it turned foggy and misty in the afternoon. During the night, even a strong storm with lightning and thunder roamed the mountains, and in the morning, we got surprised with the landscape being covered in a white blanket of snow!
September 13th, our last day at the hut, we hiked down the snowy mountain, and luckily we did as on saturday the snowfall was so strong we wouldn’t have been able to get down the mountain without any winter sports gear. I mean… Who anticipates snow in September already?! So we only had some summer clothing and that was it.
When we arrived at the bottom of the mountain, we hopped into the car and watched the scenery turn from white to green bit by bit as we made our way to Wörgl main station again and catch the next train towards Vienna.
Salzburg
While Katharina took the train all the way to Vienna, I got off in Salzburg to meet up with some friends before our big departure. The rain was never-ending, and the nearby streams turned into torrenting rivers. But little does it stop us from some nice celebration, right?
As a little hostess gift, I brought only the best of the best from the furthest deeps of Baden-Württemberg backcountry: ‘Essacher Luft’. The most diabolical thing you can do. For those that know me – Yes, I definetely enjoyed watching them suffer as they drank the droplets of the devil himself.
After the 30minutes of suffering and agonized retching, the 4 of us went to get some traditional ‘Tracht’ for the 2 Austrian barbarics that haven’t had a Tracht up until now 😛
Once arriving at the Trachten-shop 40minutes before closing, we managed to settle on the essentials they needed in time with lots and lots of bickering on what they should and shouldn’t get for their outfit. With that done, we went onwards to our goal of the day, the ‘Salzburger Augustiner Braustübl’.
A huge building with endless possibilities to sit both inside in some of their halls, as well as in their Biergarden during good weather – good food and beer that runs down your throat like it was water. Little do I need to say that 4Maß had been the average on our table for the 3hours that we spent there.
We even made a new friend who was celebrating us coming to the Augustiner in Tracht and he was so fascinated by my upcoming Japan trip, that he – repeatedly – assured that no matter where I will be, my home will always be here in Austria. As little departing gift, we even got gifted his glasses.
Now what to do with them? :’)
Vienna
After a successful night at the Augustiner in Salzburg, Dustin made his way to Vienna where I was waiting for him in ‘Hotel Westbahn’.
During the time he spent in the train, I went and got my international drivers license from the austrian automobile traffic association ÖAMTC. So that I will also be able to drive the car in Japan for a year!
It was raining buckets in Vienna, but nonetheless we had to drive to my parents house and get the already prepared luggage for Japan we previously stored in the garage.
So once Dustin arrived at 2pm, we immediately packed the things we will be leaving in Austria and took the next train to where the garage is.
We got soaked from the rain, but we got to swap our currently used small luggages for the big backpacks and suitcases for our trip.
Coming back to the hotel, after a nice and warm shower, we ordered some food and let the day slowly pass with our upcoming big journey on the day after.
Flight to Japan
The day of our departure started with heavier rain than the day before. We headed out early at 8, with our flight being scheduled for 11:35. We were already wary of the weather conditions, but at that time, little did we know that the heavy rain caused so much flodding that one train after the othergot canceled. Good that Dustin came a day earlier to Vienna, as also trains from Salzburg were either heavily delayed or canceled completely!
We tried three different routes (with tram, metro and trains) to somehow get to the airport with our pre-existing ticket for public transport, the ‘Klimaticket’. But one after each other brought disappointment as the first announced delays of the public transports always ended in suspended service.
While time was ticking by and the rain poured down after an hour of trying to get to the airport somehow, we decided to order an Uber and hoped for the best that at least cars will be able to drive to the airport. Though our ride was tense at the beginning, with our driver saying he never experienced something like the current downpour of continuous rain in his 20years of living in Vienna and that the firebrigade worked nonstop throughout the night with flooding and accidents happening left and right, he gave us hope that at least the streets towards the airport are not flooded and that airplanes still operatie. As we further got into our talk, he was so happy for us to start our 1-year journey to Japan!
At the airport, drenched but relieved, we had a bit of spare time after check-in and ate an early lunch to refill some energy and calm our nerves. Exhausted from the early rise and ordeal until we got to the airport, we boarded our first plane which would get us to Helsinki first, before continuing to Osaka.
Though we did not fly with our first choices ‘Japanese Airlines (JAL)’ or ‘All Nippon Airways (ANA)’, with Finnair we always take the opportunity to drink as much of their delicious blueberry juice as possible! As the plane took off, we felt a mix of echauxstion and happiness, knowing that despite the rocky start, we were finally on our way to our destination.
The journey reminded us of the importance of preserverance and preparation, mixed in with some lucky coincidences here and there. Thourhg it was a rocky start, it made the arrival in Japan all the more rewarding!
Arrival in Japan
After arriving in Osaka on monday 16th at 12:30, we could finalize our first bureacratic task – getting a Residency Card at the airport Immigration. Though it took a while due to the immigration officer overseeing our visa entry in the passport, it was a smooth and easy process due to us preparing our arrival via the ‘Visit Japan Web’ preparation and having our QR-Code ready.
After a long, but easy procedure through Immigration, our suitcases were already waiting for us – taken out of the conveyor belt and carefully placed to the side already.
Finished with the whole arrival procedure, we charged our IC Icoca-card (public transport/general payment card) with money and drove towards our hotel from Osaka KIX airport.
To Katharinas surprise, we were welcomed by 34°C and the intense summer heat in Japan!
Praise the air conditioning in the hotel room of ‘Hotel Wing International Select Umeda Osaka’ and a first few, very slow days, we leisurely exploring the area eating cheap but delicious comfort food and acclimating to the weather.
As we were sure we will buy clothing in Japan, we already packed light and made our first big shopping trip to our beloved Uniqlo to stock up for the heat with ‘AIRism’ clothing, which managed to bring us through the hot summer days without dying so far!
After a few relaxing days, on thursday the 19th, we make our way to visit our friends on the countryside in where we will stay for a month or two, finalize any other bureacratic neccessities and buy our car which will be our camper home for the upcoming year!