Last Day: Gero to Nagoya and Heading Home
As I mentioned before, I didn't factor in the travel time from Gero back to Nagoya and booked an early flight to Seoul, so we had to catch the first train up to Nagoya. Thanks to that, today's wake-up time was 4:30 AM. It feels like all the tension I carefully melted away in the hot spring was ruined in an instant... But we still had to go home, so we set off on the winter dawn road.
We pushed through the dawn wind with our luggage and arrived at the train station. The moment I thought about going inside to warm up until the train arrived...
The station wasn't open!!!
What is going on? I'm freezing to death, the lights are on bright, so why aren't they opening the doors? There was one other person besides us, and looking at this man's face, he had already given up. Why is this happening on our departure day~~
If I had known it would be like this, we would have come out slowly... The early bird should go back to sleep. Don't come out, it's cold. Improvising, we emptied our remaining coins and bought two hot coffees. We each held one, putting it inside our clothes and gripping it in our hands repeatedly to endure the pain until the doors finally opened. No matter if it's before commuting hours, if there are people outside, they'd usually open the doors for you, but this is Japan after all—they open exactly on time.
I didn't know where to board the train, but there was no need to worry. There was only one platform. And only one train coming.
The price and class were completely different from the train we took coming here. You can tell at a glance it's a much cheaper commuter train. But I actually feel more attached to the train we're riding now. On the way here, the train stopped by Gifu and went straight to Gero without us having to transfer, but for this train, we have to transfer at Gifu to a train bound for Nagoya.
I was chatting with my mom, and before I knew it, I fell fast asleep, drooling, and woke up when we arrived in Gifu. Coming to transfer stations like this really makes my hair stand on end. Once again, I had absolutely no idea where I was, so I asked a station worker and barely managed to transfer to the Nagoya-bound train. Unlike Gero, I can't get used to the station bustling with people. I guess I had already adapted to Gero.
Other places might be fine, but Meitetsu Nagoya Station has so many trains coming and going that you absolutely must ask a station worker which train to take. And you shouldn't just ask once or twice; you have to ask if it's the right train for every single one that pulls in. Of course, since they are Japanese trains, they arrive exactly on time, but one mistake directly affects your flight boarding, so you must ask. It's a truly chaotic train station, just like Seoul Station or Yongsan Station. Personally, it's the most difficult part of the route to the airport.
I rented Wi-Fi from this company for three days. Global WiFi. I expected it to be inconvenient, but it wasn't as bad as I thought, and since up to five devices can connect simultaneously, it's great for multiple people to share one device. However, the battery only lasts about five hours, so I realized you have to charge it well in between and need a power bank for continuous use. The price is about 9,000 KRW a day. I had to use it because I use Hello Mobile (a budget carrier), but if you're traveling alone, it's better to just use roaming from Korea.
Vrooooom~~~ Flying...
Somehow, this short but seemingly very long trip alone with my mom has come to an end. Chef Kim (my mom), being someone who mainly cooks, seemed to have a good time focusing on that, and since I'm very interested in food and history, I think I gained plenty of experience in those areas too. But the best part of all was that this was the time I talked the most with my mom. Like a typical Korean son, I'm known for being blunt and unaffectionate, but this trip seemed to resolve that a little bit.
Some tips that come to mind after visiting Gero:
Roughly speaking, it takes a generous maximum of 4 hours to get to Gero. You need to allocate plenty of travel time when planning so you don't make the mistake of having to move at the crack of dawn.
You need to pay attention to accommodation costs. I think we spent all our money on accommodation. If you're on a budget, plan to eat out as much as possible.
Don't be afraid to ask the station workers. Even if you don't speak and just show them your ticket, they will tell you where to board. Finding the return train is surprisingly harder than finding the train to Gero.
Nagoya's 8 specialties (Nagoya Meshi) might vary in taste from person to person, but they are definitely not the worst. If you don't know what to eat, try Nagoya Meshi first.