Kyoto Diaries

Let me preface this with, this post is more like a diary or journal writing…

Did I mention traveling is full of hiccups? The only thing to do is to make the best of it, but that does not mean it’s always easy in the moment. We loved Japan, even though we probably ran into more barriers here than anywhere else traveling. It’s all part of the experience of living abroad and traveling. Kyoto is just a time when everything didn’t quite go according to plan. One might say, Nat according to plan? Ha. Ok.

Not like hiccups actually, more like tonsillitis or something of the like? Our last day at the ryokan I woke up early panicked by feeling like I couldn’t breathe with tight lungs and congestion. I thought maybe I was feeling better by the time we reached Kyoto via the bullet train though. Side note, the bullet train is awesome and the best part is watching it come flying past you for the first time on the platform. You can really feel its force. Anyways, when we arrived at Kyoto we took a nice peaceful and romantic walk along the river at sunset over to Gion District. This is famous for the Geisha sightings. Geisha’s are a living tradition from the Edo period and are skilled entertainers. It’s actually very expensive and you have to be invited to a very exclusive event to be accompanied by them. They are basically experts in traditional Japanese arts like singing and traditional instruments, but also expert party hosts and often start the drinking games. Contrary to some peoples beliefs, they are not paid for sexual activities.

Kyoto used to be the capital city of Japan before Tokyo and because of this is rich in culture, history and temples. Going to old Gion District gives you a nice glimpse of how things maybe once were which is why we went, but the tourist scene here is a little crazy. It was unlike anywhere else we went in Japan. Many people linger around 5pm to catch a glimpse of the geishas. We didn’t spot any geishas, but we did get a glimpse at a geisha in training called a maiko. After seeing the swarms of tourists there to take her photo, we thought we’d had about enough of this area.

In the morning I was even sicker than before and this was going to go on for about 6 days, sadly. We didn’t do much the first few days in Kyoto because of this. After about 3 days and getting worse we decided to go to the hospital which was a bit discouraging on its own when travelling abroad. Needing medical help and not speaking the language is a real challenge and I’m so glad I worked in a hospital with resources to support those families with language barriers. I had felt it from a patients perspective for first time and not even with anything seriously scary or life threatening, but it was stressful. I had a fever for days and I could barely swallow which prompted this visit. When we arrived only one person spoke a tiny bit of English, just enough for me to complete the necessary paperwork. Then we were shuffled along to an outpatient area. The trip of this part was they did all my physical examination in the hallway sitting next to other patients. Not that I judge this, it was just new and surprising considering privacy is such a large part of healthcare in the US. From here I was finally placed in a room with a doctor for about 5 minutes. He spoke more English than anyone else we’d encountered at the hospital, but not nearly enough and I could see the confusion on his face when I spoke. After looking me over briefly he decides I have a cold. I felt crushed by this diagnosis. I am no medical professional, but I know a cold and this wasn’t it. I tried to ask again if I needed antibiotics and he said no and shuffled me out with a prescription for acetaminophen, a fever reducer and painkiller found in over the counter. With fever and the building angst, I pretty much broke down and cried the entire walk back to the hotel. Robin was sweet and took care of me, but neither of us really knew what to do from here. I decided to wait and see if maybe I was being a drama queen about it all, but as the next few days progressed I only got sicker. Fever continued, body ached, and lost my appetite and energy, throat so swollen it hurt to eat, swallow and breathe.

After being a bit stir crazy I thought maybe we could make it to a temple, after all our time here was almost up. I was glad to get out, even moving at a snails pace and loaded with my med kit of lozenges, fever reducers and plenty of water. I thought for a brief moment, maybe I’m getting better? Only to be hit with the first of several bloody noses while on the train. Robin asked the girls behind us for tissues, something most Japanese women carry. Once they realized why, these girls were mortified for me and quickly gave him the whole pack. Truth be told I wasn’t even remotely embarrassed. Maybe I should have been? I tried to thank them and it was like they didn’t want to embarrass me further by looking and turned away.

After that I began feeling a bit more desperate as I got more congested, nose bleeds continued and oh my throat! Thank you to Colleen and Lauren for answering my desperate rambling texts at 6 am their time! I had a stash of antibiotics (azithromycin) that I thought would do the trick, they seemed like the appropriate type and I felt it was reasonable to use them even though technically they were given to me for travelers diarrhea. With some nurses affirmation I felt like maybe I wasn’t being so nuts, and I really didn’t want to go back to the hospital again… I took a dose of antibiotics and was about 75% better by morning! Continued and a recommended z-pack dose (250mg azithromycin) for 5 days and bahda-bing bahda-boom I’m like a new person!

If you are traveling for long periods of time please, please talk to your doctor about carrying antibiotics while on the road. Talk to them about the importance of using them appropriately and make sure you have their contact information or your patient portal information so you can talk with them about it while away. I stupidly used my work email for my patient portal and wasn’t able to gain access until after this whole fiasco. If I could go back in time, I’d for sure not use that email (because what was I thinking?), and I’d make sure I had all the proper login credentials before traveling. With that being said, they may not want to prescribe you any because of the growing concern of antibiotic resistance and in many countries you can by antibiotics over the counter for cheap if you know what you are looking for. Japan however, is not one of those countries.

Once I was feeling a bit better we extended our stay by another 2 nights cutting into our time in Osaka a bit so we could see some temples. We didn’t see or do it all, but what we did see was beautiful!

Photos below!