Thursday 木曜日 4th April
Time to leave the environs of Mount Fuji and head down south to the Izu Peninsular (IZU半島) . This is not actually very far as the crow flies (125 Km), but there is no direct public transport connection in this direction (North – South). I was heading for the less well-developed western coast of this peninsular and had worked out a challenging series of rail/bus connections to get me there. My goal, the little town of Nishiizu.
Being SO well prepared for this trip I waited patiently with my luggage at the prescribed bus stop outside Kawaguchiko station this fine morning. Now travelling by bus in any country can be a challenge, and there was a lot of confusion amongst the potential passengers waiting with me, none of whom seem to understand the slightest bit of Japanese. A bus would roll up, a Chinese family would start loading their luggage, only to unload it a few minutes latter when the driver returned. At last the right bus arrived, and I rather smugly presented my (online) ticket. Consternation. Silence. I was not on the seating list. Silence. Then – with a triumphant finger the driver pointed to the date on my ticket – yesterday's date. OMG. I unloaded MY luggage and crept to a corner of the car park to review the situation, gloomily thinking of all the missed connections ahead, and that awful queue for the bus tickets…..
But every cloud has a silver lining. I found a ticket machine which everybody seemed to have overlooked, and bought a new ticket to Mishima. Spirits rise. I spot a bank. It is open. On entering I am greeted as if I was one the royal family and led to a machine which automatically changed my Euros to Yen. The cashier stayed with me the whole time to make sure I was OK. Then said goodbye to me. Wow. Now I am in a good mood. I then walk down the street and find a Lawson store (an ubiquitous chain of 24 hour convenience shops) and try out an ATM. Would my cash card work? It did! Alleluia! I extracted far too much money I was so elated. Now THIS made me smile: At the checkout I paid for my purchases, which included a tin of cat food for my old feline friend Maggie. The assistant nonchalantly popped in a (complimentary) set of chopsticks into my bag……….
Later that morning, seated in my so-called Express bus, I notice that the further south we drive the more Sakura (cherry blossom) is evident. By the time I am on the local bus groaning its way down the coast It seemed to be everywhere……
I alight (降りる a good verb that) a few hours later, only to all but blown off my feet by a wind coming straight off the Pacific Ocean. I struggle to the sanctuary of the aptly named "Surf Rider Pension", and , after checking in, immediately set off on foot to explore the locality....
This picture shows the river Niishina river just as it meets the sea...
As dusk was approaching, I decided to against eating out in this rather forlorn locality, and opted for a beer and noodles from a local supermarket. A supermarket, yes. Bizarre.....As I walk in I can hardly believe my ears.....piano music....what the....There at the end of the line of trolleys, was a piano, playing by itself....
...and what's more, as I moved between the vegetable and meat stalls I realised that this piano music was being piped all around the supermarket...how Japanese!
That evening, As I settle down for my first night on the coast of the Izu peninsular, the wind screams and howls outside.................