MP3 track of the day: All around the world - ATC
Weather: the day
started off bright but got worse shortly after lunch. The
'deteriorating weather' wasn't too bad; just dark skies with the
occasional period of light rain.
I'd set
my alarm for 7:00am this morning in preparation for a long day.
Having been awoken from a dream where I had enough money to never
work again, I was reluctant to get ready. However after a short, but
quite hot, shower I remembered why I was up so early. I was off
travelling again. Where you may ask? Well, as my 'regular blog gang'
will already be aware, last summer I went on a road trip covering a
lot of Akita and Aomori (the north of Japan's main island). I
did, however, miss quite a big chunk of the north-east of Aomori (the
'axe head' if you like, of Japan's main island). For Golden Week
(a Japanese bank holiday week) I'd
decided to drive 7/8 hours north to a small city called 'Mutsu'.
Positioned within the heart of the Shimokita peninsula I shall make
Mutsu my base, for three nights, as I explore the area.
9am came around all too soon. I checked my apartment for the last
time, unplugged unnecessary electrical items and turned off the
water. I got in my car, and then quickly got back out of it. I
returned to my apartment, unlocked the door and picked up my wallet.
I relocked the door and finally, at 9:20am I drove out of my car
parking space. I stopped five minutes later to pick up a drink, and
some snacks, for the 'great push north'. I finally found myself on
the north-bound side of the '45', over-looking Miyako, at 9:30am.
After an hour or so I drove past a town which I used to stop at; this
use to be the point where I would turn around and head back to
Miyako. This time, I continued north.
As
I drove I looked at the scenery whizzing past me. I had travelled
along this road last August, in the opposite direction, and yet the
road seemed alien to me. Now I'm normally quite observant; I can
usually remember a landmark or two on any road on which I've
travelled along, no matter how long ago; however here, nothing. The
winding road, the ever present blue sea, the trees and the mountains
all seemed familiar but in completely the wrong place. I even
stumbled across a small town which, even though I know I must had
travelled through it last August, I had no recollection. It was
located behind a tsunami concrete wall right next to the coast; over
the wall was a stunning panoramic of the sea and a bright blue sky
with fully white clouds painted sporadically all over it. I had
missed the turning for a 'viewing platform' however, that didn't stop
me turning around and going back to take a couple of photos (as
I was snapping away my camera battery died. I realised then that I
had forgotten my charger. I hope my spare battery lasts). I
was on the road soon after stopping, surprised to see that the time
was 11:00am.
After another thirty minutes of driving I finally arrived at a place
I did remember. Kuji is a town of similar size to Miyako and, even
though it's the same distance away as Morioka, I had only driven past
it once and I had never driven through it. With the whole day given
to get to Mutsu I decided to deviate of course slightly and have a
quick drive through the town. In a town of this size I could hardly
get lost and I was hoping to find 'second breakfast'.
I
got lost; very, very lost. People use an array of words to define
towns and cities; however I doubt 'rice fields', 'deserted streets'
and 'abandoned' are used often. It all started badly when I hit a
line of traffic within the middle of town. It seemed that the amount
of cars weren't in any great number, however the amount of people
driving slowly (looking for a car parking space no doubt)
were in the majority. I
therefore left the 'stop start' traffic in favour of a 'minor road'
which looked like a short cut. In no time at all I was in the middle
of a residential area wondering how on earth I got there. Kuji is
surrounded by similar sized mountains so trying to find a landmark
was impossible. It was only by sheer fluke that I found a road with
traffic lights, followed by a road with a white 'dashed' line down
the middle, followed by a road with a white 'dashed' line down the
middle and street lamps which eventually led back to 'route 45'. I
left Kuji thankful that I had gotten out alive. I hadn't found
anything to eat, however the next big city (Hachinohe)
wasn't too far away.
Having not learnt my lesson I found another 'short cut', into
Hachinohe, which resulted in me entering the city on the wrong road
and having to correct myself. As I was trying to get back onto the
'route 45' I stumbled across a Mcdonalds and a Mr Donuts. I stopped
briefly for lunch before continuing my journey.
I remembered Hachinohe from my previous trip and it held as little
interest for me now, as it did last August. I therefore did not
deviate off my course and I worked my way through the city combating
the bank holiday traffic and the endless sets of traffic lights. Once
out of the city I continued north.
A
sign, with an arrow pointing right, read 'The Statute of Liberty'.
Now I'm not the sharpest tool in the box but I'm petty sure I would
have realised if I had driven across the Pacific ocean (plus
I'm sure 'Miyako to New York' is more than five hours driving time).
I dismissed the sign as a cheap
gimmick and drove on; only to see The Statue of Liberty, thirty
seconds later, out of my right-side window. Realising that this was a
'too good photo opportunity to miss', I turned around and headed to
the statue (which turned out to be situated within the
middle of a leisure complex). I
parked the car and walked over to the best 'photo spot' I could find
before reading a sign. It would appear that, where I was standing,
was at the exact same latitude as New York. Now understanding why the
statue was here, I went for a closer look. I climbed a couple of
steps onto a platform right underneath the statue itself. The statue
was smaller – and the craftsmanship wasn't quite as good as the
original– however it was still pretty cool. As I was photographing
the statue a massive American lady came into view to complete the
'full American stereotype'. I left wondering which was heavier; her
or the statue.
I
was now in unfamiliar territory. I had never driven up this far north
before and so everything was new. Well when I say new, there were
still trees, rocks and the occasional house but the mountains had
receded, large yellow fields (of what I had no idea) had
appeared and the road seemed to be less mountainous. Still I
continued to wind this way and that. I have become so use to 'windy
roads' that not only did I hit every apex, but I managed to eat a
donut at the same time without making a mess.
A
lot sooner than I expected Mutsu came into view. I had come across a
mountain pass and so, from my elevated position, I could see that
Mutsu was a lot bigger than I first expected. I drove down eagerly
and found my guest house in no time; on the way I had found a petrol
station and the road to Ozore-san (a mountain which I had
come to see).
The
owner was pleasant enough but a little unfriendly (I
suppose I would be if I was stuck up here).
She was a skinny lady, in her late 50's, with long black hair and a
serious demeanour. She was wearing a cleaning pinafore with blue
jeans. Only on occasions, as she was showing me around the guest
house, did she laugh and break into a genuine smile as she realised I
couldn't understand a word which she was saying. The guest house was
comfortable enough; my room had a tv, fridge, a 3-person sofa and a
bed. It also had a heater which she turned on (however I
quickly turned it off as it wasn't needed). I
didn't spend long inside; I dropped my bags off and headed out,
stopping at the reception desk to hand in my key and look at a map of
the town. Once done I zipped up my coat and off I went.
- 'At least there is a convenience store so I won't die',
- 'I wonder if anyone else lives here'
- 'How far away is the next city'
These
are thoughts you don't really want when you take your first look at
your chosen holiday destination however, these were the thoughts I
was having. Now, experience has told me that judging a city by it's
first impression is not a good thing, especially when it's raining
and is becoming a dark. I knew that, even though all the streets I'd
seen so far were all boarded up, and signs off life had vanished
(quite some time ago I reckon),
time was needed because you are bound to find a decent area …
somewhere. Alarm bells
did start to ring when the 'Masakari plaza' – which both my
guidebook and the lady at reception recommended – consisted of
three small floors holding three shops and a restaurant, all of which
were closed at 5:00pm. I left the plaza a little queezy; I had found
a place to sleep, I had found petrol but food was becoming an issue.
It was then that I found a road with lights on and an open shop. I
decided to follow these 'signs of life'.
Well
this road didn't hold much either; there was a cool toy shop but that
was pretty much it. I walked to the end of the road and turned right;
a little distance in front of me was a huge department store and a
'moss burger'. As I walked further more useful shops came into view
and then, hidden in-between two larger buildings was a restaurant
with the words 'Indian restaurant' above the door. I could have
cried. Indian food isn't that popular in Japan and so I haven't had
an Indian meal since I was in the UK. Whether I was in the mood for
an Indian meal or not didn't really matter; I was having it! Before
going in I had a quick walk around the area keeping one eye on the
Indian restaurant just to make sure that it didn't disappear. The
time was 5:45pm and so it was a little early for tea. I went into the
large department store where I found the usual supermarket,
restaurants and clothe stores. The fourth floor was pretty much
devoted to toys and it was here where I found a Lego F1 pit garage
(how cool; but it was a Ferrari Lego car).
Finally huger took over curiosity and so I crossed the road and went
into the Indian restaurant, thankful that it was still there.
My
buttered nan was huge, but my buttered chicken curry was just the
right size. The meal was a little expensive (and the waiter
had smirked when I asked for my curry to be 'mild')
but it mattered not; it tasted delicious and I was loving it.
I managed to finish the curry but the nan was just too big. I waddled
over to the counter and paid my bill, promising to be back again at
least once more. I then thanked the waiter and waddled out and back
to my guest house. Feeling so full I didn't stay up too late; I found
myself in bed around 9:30pm fully decided that tomorrow I'll be
heading up Ozore-san; the main mountain here. However, before then,
sleep was needed. The bed was comfortable, but there was an annoying
street light right outside my window.
Hopefully it won't be a problem.
Toodle Pip!
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