Onwards and Northwards

Good day, good people,

I am currently sitting on a bullet train, drinking beer, with three of the best people on this blue planet.  We have just changed trains at Omiya Station in Saitama, and are now heading north to Yamagata.  Things could be worse.

I have not been posting as much as I intended, but this is something, at least.

We have visited Osaka, Takamatsu, Osaka (again), Kyoto, and Kanazawa, so far.  Osaka was mostly spent in my regular haunts, chatting to the friends from previous trips.  It always feels like coming back home. 

Takamatsu was a nice, welcome break from the big city, and we met the nicest bar owner.  Miki-san is a singer and songwriter, who mostly plays jazz and funk music, and made us promise to come back again.  It’s exceedingly strange to have a teary goodbye with a complete stranger (especially as someone who is painfully introverted), but it is a very special experience.  I also met a guy who used to be a hairdresser, and moved from Tokyo to open a live music venue and bar.

I experienced my first ever udon-induced migraine after ordering a large bowl, not realising how large a large bowl can be.  I think that the udon was pressing against my optical nerves.

We took a ferry to Naoshima, and saw some lovely scenery, walked across the whole island, ate the best vegan kaiseki, and just had a wonderful walk.

Kanazawa felt even more like home.  I got to see An-san and Nakai-san again, at a music bar called Jealous Guy.  As I walked in, I said “tadaima”, which roughly translates to, “I’m home”, and they responded “okaeri”, which is like, “welcome home”. 

On Thursday, we saw three very cool musicians play at Jealous Guy.  The first act was mostly love songs, with very sweet lyrics.  The second, political commentary, with a lot of spoken word and musical accompaniment.  The third act was the most interesting mix of pseudo-spiritual songs, followed by a love song for his dog, and finally a sing-along (we had to learn the words very quickly).

I find it a little bit strange how hard it is to say goodbye to people who are, essentially, complete strangers.  Last night we had to say goodbye to An and Nakai, and it broke me a little bit.  They called us “kyoudai” which means “siblings”, and “Jealous Guy family”.  It’s surreal.  Walking home at midnight, crying in public, and stopping to get a last beer at a convenience store.  It breaks my heart every time, but it’s also the reason I keep coming back.

Now, on to some lessons that have been taught to me, either by necessity, or observation:

1. If you are 197cm tall, always crouch, no matter where, when travelling in Japan.  The bumps on my head have almost healed.
2. Don’t book a connecting bullet train with only an eight minute stop-over.  Running up stairs with luggage is not fun.
3. Don’t drink tequila at Bar Bones.
4. Sliding doors are free entertainment.
5. Find your people, and then either travel with them, or travel to visit them.  If you’re really lucky, you can do both at the same time.
6. Don’t lose your IC card.
7. Don’t drink tequila at Bar Bones again.
8. Seriously, stop drinking tequila at Bar Bones.
9. See number 8.
10. Crying in public just means that you have discovered something more important than dignity, and that’s a good thing.

Ok, I think I’m out of words for now, but I will hopefully write again soon.

Most sincerely,

Your man in Japan,

Cam.