Birthday in the rain


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1. CPH 12.08.13

2. Narita - Tone 13.08.13

3. Tone 14.08.13

4. Tone 15.08.13

5. Tone - Oarai 16.08.13

6. Oarai - Tomakomai 17.08.13

7. Tomakomai - Iwamizawa 18.08.13

8. Iwamizawa - Azahikawa 19.08.13

9. Azahikawa - Kamikawa 20.08.13

10.Kamikawa - Nukabira Onsen 21.08.13

11.Nukabira Onsen - Tokachigawa 22.08.13

12.Tokachigawa - Kushiro 23.08.13

13.Kushiro - Shibesha 24.08.13

14.Shibesha - Lake Kussharo 25.08.13

15.Lake Kussharo - Lake Akan 26.08.13

16.Lake Akan - Abashiri 27.08.13

17.Abashiri 28.08.13

18.Abashiri - Sapporo (tog) 29.08.13

19.Sapporo - Otaru 30.08.13

20.Otaru - Kamoenai 31.08.13

21.Kamoenai - Makkari 01.09.13

22.Makkari - Yakumo 02.09.13

23.Yakumo - Hakodate 03.09.13

24.Hakodate - Aomori 04.09.13

25.Aomori - Lake Towada 05.09.13

26.Lake Towada - Lake Tazawa 06.09.13

27.Lake Tazawa - Hanamaki 07.09.13

28.Hanamaki - Tsukidate 08.09.13

29.Tsukidate - Sendai 09.09.13

30.Sendai - Tone 10.09.13

31.Tone 11.09.13

32.Tone 12.09.13

33.Tone - Kurihama 13.09.13

34.Kurihama - Hakone 14.09.13

35.Hakone - Gotemba 15.09.13

36.Gotemba 16.09.13

37.Gotemba - Fujinomiya 17.09.13

38.Fujinomiya - Shizuoka (Kyoto) 18.09.13

39.Kyoto 19.09.13

40.Kyoto 20.09.13

41.Kyoto 21.09.13

42.Kyoto - Nara 22.09.13

43.Nara - Wakayama 23.09.13

44.Wakayama - Higashikagawa 24.09.13

45.Higashikagawa - Takamatsu 25.09.13

46.Takamatsu - Iya Valley 26.09.13

47.Iya Valley 27.09.13

48.Iya Valley - Imabari 28.09.13

49.Imabari - Onomichi 29.09.13

50.Onomichi - Hiroshima 30.09.13

51.Hiroshima 01.10.13

52.Hiroshima - Takayama (tog) 02.10.13

53.Takayama 03.10.13

54.Takayama - Matsumoto 04.10.13

55.Matsumoto - Hakuba 05.10.13

56.Hakuba - Nagano 06.10.13

57.Nagano - Tone 07.10.13

58.Tone 08.10.13

59.Tone - Narita 09.10.13

60. Narita - CPH 10.10.13

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Letter 23

 

Tuesday 03.09.13     74 km

 

Except for kimono and slippers in the room, this hotel is seen from the outside, european style. But not the breakfast. Entirely japanese. No juice or bread. Coffee there is, it has apparently entered the japanese culture. I took it believing it to be tea. That was what stood on the mashine, but there was also a note on it about something.
 

The 3rd of september, it's my birthday. I turn "folkepensionist" (meaning I will have a pension for life from the government - not much but added to my other pensions it's alright. Hmmm.
 

As usual there are bones in the fish, even a part of the spine. That's a bad habit. The egg, which lies in a bowl, shows to be raw. Hmm. Apparently without salmonella? I eat it with a spoon together with the rest of the rice. Nato, which is in the white packages, I don't want. And what are the intensions with the seaweed leaves in a package? I haven't a clue. It's the type which is in the rice packages I buy. Now I've learned to open them properly. It was the german girl who taught me, no she just said there was an instruction outside with numbers: 1,2 and 3. She was quite right.
 

I could do with a slice of bread with real cheese. I watch a man: nato is whipped first with the yellow paste and poured over the rice. Then you whip the egg with the chopsticks and pour it over too. I wear just my slippers. Everybody else wear their own shoes.
 

                                    A new variation
 

All the way to Mori, the road follows the coastline, where the sea is calm due to the lack of wind. When I've done half of the way to Mori, I feel it's time to put on the raincovers. I haven't even finished then the rain starts. Just a drizzle, but so dense, that my shorts are soaked in no time.
 

Just before Mori there's a nasty tunnel. Full of holes and quite narrow. I try to stick to the white line, where the surface is best, and then I close for the world outside, especially the noise from the trucks behind. I hope for the best and just goes. It's a bad experience, but I survive.
 

I never see any mountain, but the road starts to incline, not violently but persisting. Km after km. I've passed the half way point.
At last we seem be be up, arrive at areas where people live and a saving bus shelter pop up. It's actually quite big and clean, I could easily stay here for a couple of days. And there's a litterbin! To my surprise it's already 12.45. I have to go on.

                This bus shelter was really something!
 

I think it declines and inclines a couple of times before the final descent, that brings us to the flat land along the coast. But the road turn into highway and not even me can avoid seeing a bicycle with a red cross over. But there's a lane at each side of the motorway and then it starts going upwards. Not steep but staedily, and I can see nothing with the mountain side on one hand and the motorway on the other.

 

This way it goes on for long. Then comes a viaduct where I see the flat land deep under us. Finally this too comes to an end and I reach the surburbans with the usual game halls, garages, gas stations, home centers.
 

Around 3pm. I'm in the tourist info at the station and now 6 pm I've finally taken off my wet clothes, taken a shower and eaten my "second-lunch". And it was pissing for 54 km!!
 

Tomorrow it'll be heavy rain from 6 am till 6 pm, and heavy wind too. That's when ought to be on my way to Aomori. Need to study the timetables I've got. Unfortunately there's 3 km to the ferry terminals.

 

My birthday dinner will be eaten here in my room. I'm not moving an inch before tomorrow morning.


                                 The birthday dinner
 

 

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