Goodbye Japan


[HOME]

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

[BACK]

Letter 60

 

Thursday 10.10.13    11.61 km

 

My roommate Kelvin from California sat fumbling with a guitar after a songbook he'd found. Then he
turns the pages and I see the title. "Catch the Wind". "Ah, that's Donovan", I say. "Yes, I've never
heard of him - do you play?" And I take the guitar and sing, while he holds the songbook. "Wow, you
have a great voice", he says. Mnn, it has it's limitations, but as long as I stick to something it
CAN do, it's fine. Donovan too didn't have any great voice. "Here, There, Everywhere" he doesn't
know either, is young people today totally ignorants?

The morning goes as planned. The folded cardboard is under the tent. Yesterdays reasearch is worth
gold. 7.02 I leave Backpackers Fuji and 7.55 I arrive at Narita Airport Terminal 1.

During the next one and a half hours I pack the box and put th bike in its bag. This time I can take the lighter
with me in the handluggage but not in the box. With japanese accuracy my box and the bike are being
measured in every direction and weighed.

While I stand there packing, a lady comes and asks, if I've let out the air from  the
tubes? That's what I always forget but I've had no problems so far. "No, thank you for telling me..." Japanese accuracy once more.

In security I have trouble. I have exactly the same items as in Copenhagen - except the lighter,
but nevertheless....

My first thought is that it's the tool for the pedals that's the problem, and it is - also. The repair
kit for the tubes, the unbraco tool and the knife and fork set AND the tool for the pedals are removed
and everything passes the scanner once more.

Now the rest is ok. He takes up a plasticbag and unfolds very neatly a tape measure. Then he measures the tool for the pedals very, very carefully. Is it more or less than 15 cm? He seems not to be sure. Measures once more. Then he gives it back to me. It's apparently ok. Packs the tape measure back into its bag and take a close look at the knife and fork set. He gives this to me also. Then he opens the repair kit and inspects each item. Takes the glue. Can he open it? Yes, of course. He opens and sniffs... Then he leaves - "Just a moment, sir...." Comes back a couple of minutes later. "Sorry, sir..." "You can just throw it away, please!"

Yes, careful they are. Noone must be able to critizes their work none so ever....
But till the end I find it a bit difficult being a cyclist i Japan!


 

[BACK]