Roving Japan

Photoset, Day 30

Yesterday morning I felt something “pop” in my left foot. I could still kind of walk, so we finished out the day… but this morning my foot was hurting even more. A little research on the phone resulted with me being fairly certain I either strained or tore my Planar Fascia (the main tendons in the arch of the foot). I’m going to guess that it is just a strain because there isn’t any bruising or much swelling. However it really hurts to walk right now.

We felt that the best thing to do was to see a doctor, however since it is Sunday, all the clinics are closed. So the first plan was to either bus or train to Imabari and stay in a cheap hotel until tomorrow when we can get in to see a doc.

While walking in the small town near our camp, a guy came over and asked where we were going. Risa explained our situation and asked if he knew of any clinics nearby. Of course he said, “Well, it’s Sunday so most places are closed. You could probably try Imabari, that’s not too far away.” Then he offered to drive us there!

We jumped at the opportunity, once again amazed at how friendly and helpful Japanese people are. The guy, whose name is Toshi, was fairly excited about giving us a lift. I guess he has seen how people help hitchhikers on TV, and he has always wanted to try it. So even though we weren’t exactly hitchhiking, it was still his chance to help out a couple of travelers.

When we arrived to Imabari, Toshi said that he wanted to show us around a little bit before dropping us off at the train station. He drove us up to a view point overlooking the bridge system that connects Shikoku with Honshu. The bridges are incredibly impressive, with the larger sections dwarfing the Golden Gate or Bay bridges. There is a chain of smaller islands between Shikoku and Honshu, and it took a total of 8 bridges to link everything together. The system was built between 1984 and 1999.

Toshi later dropped us off at the train station and we exchanged emails. He told us that he would do some research on clinics in the city and then send us a mail.

Although my foot is a major bummer, we didn’t let that stop us from grabbing a decent bite to eat. Imabari is a ghost town at night, but it’s known for some of the best Yakitori in Japan. We walked/hobbled around the dark streets looking for a Yakitori place I found on GoogleEarth. It was a relief to see that the restaurant we were looking for was also quite lively! Inside we were treated to some amazing Yakitori (fried chicken).