Work, Fuji, Home. Repeat.

My day-job commute involves a horrid train line. There are three things going against it.

Water: for a long stretch it crosses part of Tokyo bay. This means it’s vulnerable to dangerous wind and rain. Japan has strong winds, a typhoon season and a rainy season. This creates frequent delays.

Tokyo: My morning commute involves going towards Tokyo. I’m not alone. This makes the trip to work crowded AND the trip home (going away from Tokyo) crowded as well.

Disney: My stop is one away from Disney. Morning Disney-goers wanting to get there early are also on the morning trains along with the Tokyo-bound. My train home similarly contains tired families of younger children leaving the park.

It could be worse. When I’m getting off at my work/stop is about when the trains get crowded enough to require “pushing in assistance” from the train staff.

In the dark months of winter it can feel like a slog. Mornings are dark. Evenings are dark.

The last few weeks of school before winter break and the first week back I’ve fallen into the habit of posting photos to instagram titled “going to work” and “going home”….no hash tags just roads, sky and train platforms.

Going to work.