Rich and Strange Aeons

I realized another reason this part of Hakodate reminds me of San Francisco: hills, and streets that go up the hills like a middle finger raised to contour lines.

So, I'd decided to go to Aomori today, and assumed it'd be by shinkansen with walk-up ticket, that being reasonable. But last night I discovered there's a ferry. Slower, but cheaper. Hmm! I wouldn't want to pass on good train views, but I'm not sure if there are any. The track isn't coastal; looking at it on Google Terrain, you'd think it has to pass through lots of mountain tunnels (boo) or cross lots of valleys (whoo). My one short-notice source recalled neither, which is odd, though admitted she was busy online.

Well, been a while since I was on a boat, I decided this morning I'd do that. (I put the P in INTP.) Taking a taxi to the terminal ate up much of the savings. (There was a cheaper streetcar + bus option, but I was leery of big luggage on a bus, and it was just... eh.) But before that I had to pack, not having packed at all last night! Took like 33 minutes, minus some backpack stuff at the end, with some cleaning mixed in as well; I feel if I'd focused on just packing, wouldn't have taken that long. I am getting more optimized for short stays.

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