Day 1: Tsuruga, Japan
Today I realized how much I love kilometers more than miles. There is just something that makes them sexier, slimmer, easier to deal with, but I just can’t put my finger on why. Today I walked about 10 kilometers with my pack and while it was pretty grueling but I got through it. Now if that distance had been ten miles, why, I think I would have dropped dead about halfway through. Why the US doesn’t switch over I have no idea.
Right now I’m sitting in Tsuruga waiting at the port for my ship to start boarding (in about 5 hours or so at 1am…) and my feet are killing me. Not to mention my legs and butt are planning a sneak attack for tomorrow morning. Using a backpack like the one I have directs most of the weight into your hips so your shoulders and back don’t have to suffer, but the flip side is until you get used to it your legs do. My two weeks of easy living in the US softened me up a bit and now I’m really feeling it. Another thing is somehow my slimmed down 9 year old had a growth spurt overnight and suddenly turned 12. We’ll see how I can turn back the clock and bring him back to a manageable age tomorrow (IE chucking out the last bits of fat from my pack).
I can’t say that today was really one of brass bands and fireworks as I finally set out on my journey around Asia. It was more like a bit of the ordinary plus a dash of an unknown spice. After 5 ½ years of living in Japan the trains, ferries, buses are nothing new and communicating with the locals is no longer a daunting task. Yet, today as I worked my way from Osaka to Tsuruga there was an undercurrent of energy, something different then normal that nibbled at the edge of my consciousness. The full scope of what I’m doing has yet to penetrate my skull but the knowledge is there waiting to be realized. For now I’m still in my comfort zone, Japan, even though I’m going places that I’ve never been before and doing new things it still feels like I’m doing them in my own back yard.
One thing I’ve affirmed again and again in my travels through Japan is when
you’re looking for something good to eat ask the locals. Don’t limit your inquiry to just one person either. If possible ask two or three to cross check the suggestions. Today, thanks to that knowledge, I was able to enjoy some of the best pork cutlet I’ve ever had in Japan. The place was a bit out of the way but the quality, service and price couldn’t be beat. After leaving Japan I’ll have to try the theory out to see if it holds up in other countries.
Now as I sit here staring out at the sun setting on the Sea of Japan, wind slowing pushing at my back, I take a deep breath drinking in the chill sea air. Today was my first step, the first of many that will take me to places I can not yet imagine. Hokkaido, Japan’s North, sits waiting for me a day away. Here I come.
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