There's more to getting home than making the last train.

In Japan most of the train systems shut down around midnight. When I was living halfway between Osaka and Kyoto, if I made the last train leaving Osaka I could make it home. Though I am currently living in Kyoto, I assumed that if I caught the last train I could still get home. When I got on the last train and listened to the announcements it became clear that there was going to be a problem. The train I was on only went 80% of the way home before stopping for the night. I arrived at Yodo station, 3.5 miles away from home and the conductor kindly informed us that this was the end of the line for the night.

When I got out of the station I saw a line of taxis waiting to take people to where they actually needed to go. I could have  taken one of those, but I was feeling adventurous and considering this is Japan, I felt safe walking home alone.

As I started walking I came across a trusty combini (convenience store). Like all combini, this one is open 24/7. Because I was saving ~$30 by not taking a taxi I decided to treat myself and bought two rice balls with filling, a bag of chips and a carton of orange juice. I was ready to complete my journey.

It was a relaxing walk. I only ran into a handful of other people. It was interesting to see a typically busy street completely empty.

I made it home in about an hour. It was a fun experience, but in the future I will be more aware of when the last train TO KYOTO leaves Osaka.