Japan Day 33 - Full Circle, We Arrive Back To Izumisano

This is a hard blog post to write. It will be the last day I spend with my big sister. I haven't seen her in over a year; and the very quick five weeks we spent every waking minute together has gone by so quickly. 

Pictures help. It's so nice to have family and memories.

I won't make this into a sad story becUse don't feel that I've lost my sister. We met half way around the world to cycle some of the most beautiful parts of Japan durring the most precious time of Spring. She'll be gone but I will see her again. She has to continue her adventure too.

A stand alone tent we had the incredible fortune of spending the night under on the one night we spent outside. The morning came with a curious field attendant. Obviously we were camping here last night, but, perhaps the camping season has not started yet. Gabi communicated with the man and explained that we would be up to the office shortly to settle the bill. He seemed satisfied with that answer and drove off with a bow. 

We reached the office after packing and breakfast to meet another man behind a desk. I asked for a piece of oaper and explained pictorially that we had arrived last night and wanted to pay. With a smile, tow words exited the mans mouth with cold breath, "no money."

Shocked and happy to hear, we said thank you many times and left with a wave. Unexpected good fortune is the best way to start the day =)

We camped next to Universal Studios Japan, and whatever this building is.

Just for laughs. "Where'd you go to school?" Asked the daughter's father. "Kinky poly tech, Sir."

The rest of the day was dedicated to a cycle down the coast aimed at the airport. There, we had arrived full circle. Alive weeks had come and gone yet the wonder that greeted us upon arrival had not disapeared, had not faded. We arrived at Izumisano with wide eyes, albeit a little more comfortable in our surroundings , a little wiser. 

Our old friend Yoske was even there to greet us. All hungry for something to eat, we rushed home to drop off our bags and get right back out the door again for dinner. Laughing the whole way, catching up on our stories and what we've come to love, Yoske asks, "How about something new?" 

So we drove to a new restaurant serving a relatively new dish, dipping Udon. I explained that if I had ordered this by mistake, I would have simply put the broth right into the big bowl with the noodles. The comment sparked a laugh and we were instructed to move the noodles instead. Grab the udon, place in broth for a moment and enjoy! 

Improbable occupancies like this happen more often than you imagine. How many fields of flowers would you have to cycle through to place a flower so perfectly between your spokes without trying? And yet there it was, greeting us with the sun.

My Polaroid snapping friend made this one of the last moments my sister and I had in Japan together.

Talk about full circle. This is the very same restaurant that sister first ate her first Japanese meal at. What a treat. The food is of course delicious as always. However, looking at the clock as we ate, I did some quick math. We had to hurry if we were going to get my sister to her flight!

Quick, quick, quick! I unstarpped my multi tool, sis unpocketed hers and we got to work dismantling her front rack, fenders, pedals, and adjusting the handle bars to have the Bianchi fit inside a borrowed RINKO bag (there is no way the train conductors will let you and your dirty bike on their pristine train. Hence, everyone "must" place bikes in such bags). 

Running through the train terminal to be on time! 

We spent last night and this morning, for hours, trying to track down a bike box. Finally after sitting with the information desk and convincing the very sweet attendant working there to call local bike shops, hardware stores, and sports departments asking for a bike box. But, no dice.

This was a serious problem. No bike box means that sister could not take her bike on the airplane. 

What to do? No bike shops had boxes to sell or even donate. Then out of luck, United Airlines said they would sell my sister a box! Phew! Literally, we got this news just a few hours before sis had her flight.

As you can see, the box is huge! We actually decided to rebuild the bike up a bit after taking the mandatory train to the airport and pulling it out of the RINKO bag. 

Bike built up again. No way we would leave the valuables unattended. Spent our last few minutes together packaging her bike up with care and putting the happy bike on the plane. Now it can brag to all the other bikes in sister's shed about life here in Japan.

Sister had an amaIng time. She doesn't have to tell me, you can read it on her face.

And so it went. We got her passport out, hugged, laughed on last time about the better times, laughed harder about surviving the crummy days, and she walked off past the gate I could not enter.

Finally, I am not a numbers guy. Never have been much to compare total km even though I know my ballpark figure. Today is the exception.

From when we began at KIX international to Hiroshima along the coast, Gabi and I cycled 435 km. Then back to Onomichi was a mere 112 km. Across the suspension bridges and into Takamasu we cyes another 207 km though I am not counting what we did in Noaahima. From there it was a quick ride past Naruto and into Tokushima in 77 km. After the early ferry to Wakayama, we cycled 145 km along the back roads to Kyoto. And then from the Emperial grounds back to KIX, another 104km...for a grand total of 1,090km (that's 677.3 miles to you Americans)!! Nice!!

I am very proud of us for this mini family vacation though I know sis has to go back to work, breaking norms of what it means to be a female bicycle mechanic in a predominant male field.

Incredible Love to sis and all my friends and family who are here. Not goodbye, it's a see you later.

-A

Ps. Days later I now really miss having someone around who knows what I mean when I spit out half thought out sentences, or creat question that already anticipate answers to someone who follows my discordant logic. Sure, my tent feels a little bigger now but food doesn't taste as exciting.