Roving Japan

Day 13 Photoset

I don’t know when it happened exactly, but that bastard Murphy decided to follow us around today.

It started out harmless enough. I forgot to charge the iPhone last night. We plugged it in for a little while this morning, but we only got about a 60% charge.

Then when we were walking down the 217 on our way to Usuki we decided to stop at a drug store to buy some dust masks. The 217 has a very long tunnel, and we wanted something to cover our faces while we walked through it. The masks were sold out due to the recent swine flu panic. No big deal… but that was just the beginning.

The lady at the hotel told us that the tunnel through the mountain was walkable since there was a sidewalk. What she didn’t mention, was that the road TO the tunnel did NOT have a sidewalk. Or that there is a lot of traffic and a narrow bridge before you even get there.

We walked for about an hour before we hit the bridge and realized that there was no way we could walk over it with all the big trucks that were on the road. So we made the decision to walk back to Tsukumi and get on the train to Usuki.

Did I mention that it was really really windy? Risas hat, which is hard enough to keep on her head during normal days, was constantly trying to fly off her head. Also there was a ton of dust being kicked up and it all seemed to fly directly into her eyes. So for the next hour while we walked back to the train station, Risa was holding her hat to her head and trying to walk with her eyes closed.

Then one of the hiking poles decided to fall apart for no reason. The bottom segment just fell out. Just like that. It was really weird.

Then Risa got a rock in her shoe.

All this, and we hadn’t even got back to the station.

At the station, we had an hour long wait for the next train. No biggie, that gave me time to charge the phone. The train ride to Usuki was also fine. Things seemed to be looking up!

Once in Usuki we walked south to the National Treasure Usuki Stone Buddhas. These old Buddhas were carved into the sides of the mountain and were recently restored and declared a national treasure.

The folks at the shrine ticket office also gave us permission to camp in the parking lot for the night.

Perfect! We are rid of Murphy!

Nope.

While setting up the tent, the wind picked up and it started to rain. Risa had mentioned that there was a “Strong Wind Warning” today, but we didn’t really pay attention since we didn’t foresee us camping in a large exposed parking lot. The parking lot was made of gravel and I couldn’t get my stakes into the ground. So Risa went back to the people at the shrine and they told us we could try sleeping in the shed where they keep the cricket balls and brooms.

So right now we are in the shed. Outside it’s pouring rain… and I just started to hear thunder. The shed is made of metal. That’s bad right?

If this post ever makes it online, then I guess you know we survived the night. Otherwise, I hope the netbooks HD doesn’t get fried too badly by the lightning bolt that kills us.

Day 12 Photoset

We made the early morning train and arrived safely in Tsukumi. The town is really small, and is essentially supported solely by the extremely large cement factory that juts out into the bay.

We didn’t do anything today, so I thought I would use this post to answer a few questions people have sent, and to talk about some things I love about Japan and stuff I miss from the USA.

So first some questions.

What are you using to blog?
We have an Asus eee 1000he netbook, an iPhone, and a Canon Rebel Xti digital camera. The netbook is a wonderful travel companion since it is relatively low weight and has amazing battery life (7-9hrs!). We take our pictures with the big dSLR, and then do all our photo management on the netbook at night. The netbooks 160gb HD is big enough to store all our photos, and the computer is powerful enough to do simple photoshop tasks. At night I type the days post on the netbook, then upload everything the next time we get internet access.

The iPhone is a constant aid. I use the GPS all day to make sure we are on track. I also have a ton of sweet apps that help us out. I have apps for weather reports, train schedules, hostel searching, language translation, unit converting, and even some board game and card games to keep us entertained. The iPhone also has a decent camera which I use with the ShoZu app to send pictures straight to Flickr. The one and only knock against the phone is the crappy battery life. I have to charge the phone every night, so its a good thing I can plug the phone into the netbook to get a charge.

Is the trip fun?
Yes! The trip has been really fun so far. The walking can get boring and difficult sometimes, but overall its still entertaining. We see some cool scenery and meet great people. It’s also really gratifying to see a mountain in the distance, and 2 hours later, YOU’RE ON IT.

We’ve also been good about camping for a few days, staying at a hotel for a night, then camping again. We’re also not being totally anal about walking every inch of the trip. A couple of times we’ve jumped on a train, bus, or rented a car. Modern transportation lets us rest up, and in the case of renting a car, we’ve gotten to see some extra stuff that we would have otherwise missed. The point of the trip is to experience Japan, not punish ourselves into hating it! Even with the aid of vehicles, I think we have managed to walk over 100miles so far. That’s pretty cool.

What are you eating?
We get most of our food from the convenience stores. We plan ahead and buy our meals in advance as needed. Generally we get a lunch obento when we are hungry for lunch, then a little later we buy a dinner obento and some an-pan for breakfast.

Every once and a while we decide to splurge and get a restaurant meal, as long as it costs less than $10 / person. Our favorite places offer some great meals for $3 - $5.

Things I love about Japan:

• Convenience stores
  Back in the Edo period, there were guest houses and rest stops all over the country. The modern equivalent is the convenience store. These little shops are great. $4 obento boxes made fresh in the morning. Clean, western style bathrooms available to anyone, even if you don’t buy anything. Maps, comics, copy machines, ice cream, drinks, free water for our water bottles, and more!

  These shops are also super common. There is a store every few miles so if you have to use the bathroom or refill water, you’re never that far away!

• Nice People
  People here are very friendly. I enjoy saying Konichiwa to everyone we pass on the street. Sometimes, as with the shrine keepers or Mrs. Nei from the other day, we get to have longer conversations and even get a helping hand on our journey.

  It’s also really safe here. People just don’t break the law. Of course there are exceptions, but overall, Japanese people are friendly, law abiding folks who wouldn’t even think about stealing your stuff or doing you any harm. It makes traveling a lot easier to know you’re safe.

• History
  Japan has a rich history, and its is really fun to visit the historical sites. The samurai towns, castles, shrines, and temples are all fascinating to explore. The only downer is when we get to big cities. All that rich culture seems to vanish. Replaced by “city”. If I was dropped into the middle of Tokyo, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, or Kagoshima, I wouldn’t be able to tell what city I was in. They all look the same. There is more of a movement to restore and protect the old style Japan, but much of it was destroyed as Japan rebuilt itself after the war.
• Food (Lunch and Dinner)
  Japanese food rocks. There is a wonderful selection of food for under $5 as well, so Risa and I aren’t starving! I really love everything we eat in Japan, and you just can’t beat fresh, local Sashimi.

Things I Miss From the USA:

• Garbage Cans
  Public places don’t have them. The only place you can find a garbage can? You guessed it. Convenience stores. We usually are carrying a bag of garbage on our backs while we look for the next garbage can. Really annoying.
• TV
  Japanese TV is really bad and there are only like 10 channels. It doesn’t take long before “eeeeeeeehhhhhh?” and “Oishii!” gets old. American TV is much higher quality, with bigger budgets and better acting. Also game shows in Japan feature celebrities winning money and prizes… for themselves. I guess they don’t get paid much.
• Breakfast
  Japanese people eat dinner for breakfast. Salmon with rice and seaweed. Miso soup, and a salad. Sounds great… if it was dinner time. I miss the good old fashion 2 eggs, 2 pancakes, 2 sausage and some hashbrowns. Or maybe even some Belgian waffles. I think Americans prefer to start the day with a sweat meal, while the Japanese dive right into the savory dishes.