Day 4 & 5: Conference in disguise

After days of sightseeing, it was finally time for the main event—my conference in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture!

Since we had an early morning ahead, we packed everything the night before and went to bed early. Our journey started at 6 AM (as always, the earlier, the better!). Each of us had two pieces of luggage—a big one and a carry-on. The plan was to leave the big luggage at Shinjuku Station before heading to Takasaki.

Before catching our train, we grabbed breakfast—onigiri and tuna bread, our go-to snacks. Then, we took the JR Line to Takasaki, which cost 1,980 yen per trip. The ride was about 1.5 hours, and we arrived right at 9 AM—exactly when my conference started!

Originally, we wanted to drop our carry-ons at the hotel first, but since we were already cutting it close, we went straight to the conference venue. Everything went smoothly—we found the building, signed in, got our name badges and a translation device, and set up my poster in the presentation hall. My poster session wasn’t until the next day, so after attending a few talks, we had the whole afternoon to explore Takasaki!

For lunch, we went to Saizeriya near Takasaki Station. We borrowed free bikes from the conference venue to get there (but first, we checked in at our hotel). We were surprised that Saizeriya in Japan is cheaper than the one in Taipei!

After lunch, we decided to visit Daruma Temple, famous for its rows and rows of Daruma dolls. We took a bus from the station, but little did we know…it was so far from the city center! It felt like we were in the middle of nowhere—but honestly, it was worth it.

As the evening approached, we headed back to the bus stop, but there were no buses! We checked the map and saw that our only option was walking 20 minutes to the nearest train station. So, off we went! Just as we crossed the road, the last bus passed right in front of us. If only we had waited a few more minutes! Lesson learned: always check the bus schedule properly.

After a long walk, we finally caught a train back to Takasaki. For dinner, we ate at a food court, and I had the most delicious udon with tempura. Before heading to the hotel, we stopped by a pharmacy to buy skincare (because Japan is heaven for that!).

Back at the hotel, we did laundry using the coin machines, took showers, and finally got some rest. The hotel was really nice and cozy, and—**thanks to my husband who paid for it—**a little pricey. But the best part? A FREE breakfast! And yes, the food was amazing!

Day 5: The Poster Presentation & Off to Osaka!

As always, we started the day early, packed our bags, and had a big free breakfast before checking out. We rode the free bikes back to the conference venue, and after lunch, it was time for my poster session!

I did my best, got some really good feedback, and Alhamdulillah, it went well! With the conference done, it was time for our next adventure—OSAKA!

But first, we had to go back to Shinjuku to pick up our luggage. And here comes the drama!

Since we left our luggage in the locker for more than a day, we had to scan the barcode from the receipt. But guess what? We had no idea about this and kept tapping our IC cards over and over, thinking something was wrong. Of course, it didn’t work! After some confusion and laughing at ourselves, we finally got our luggage and headed to Grill Hunter for dinner. It was super delicious and cheap—totally worth it!

From there, we made our way to the bus terminal, ready to board our overnight bus to Osaka.

What a long journey—but I’m loving every moment of it! Next stop: Osaka! 🚍🎉