If you read the end of the last post, you know that there was a little something to be scared of last night. Oh, it came around 1:30 in the morning, when there was nothing but the moon not alseep. Just an aftershock from the bigger earthquake that came the day before, but big enough to get me out of my tent, and apparently enough to rouse up those in their car. Some even turned on their engines and headed more south.
I was/am heading north.
A slow moving daddy long legs spider was exploring the space between my front pannier bag and wheel spokes. I don't take this as a bad omen, spiders are awesome, especially the daddy long legs.
I first set up tent next to a giant tangerine. That was for more fun than anything else. However, after the quake, I imagined that should the ground shake hard enough, it might unhinge whatever was holding that giant tangerine in place and possibly roll it on top of me. So, I changed camping spots in the cold of night. The field across the street was completely deserted, I knew that. You should have seen me move my tent across the highway. No way I was going to disassemble it, and but it all back together again! I simply emptied it and carried the light structure, fully formed, in front of me with fully extended arms, across the street and chucked it under a tree.
Because of my move, a man noticed me and helped me move some of my bags while I carried my bike across. We talked, he spoke English well enough. He asked where I was going tomorrow and I wish I could have pointed to my sign. It was dark, and I was tired. I told him that I was headed north and he told me that might be a bad idea because of the earthquake and all. I was well aware of the risks, and told him that I was going there to see a friend. Which is true. His response was to have me wait a minute as he left and returned with snacks for the morning. What a cool guy!
The mournings in the mountains are very cold. Colder than the evenings. The sun has not had a chance to warm anything up for hours in the morning, as apposed to the evenings when the earth and air keep warm past sunset. Point being, I am finding it a little harder to wake up and get out of bed, especially to change back into my cycling clothes. They don't offer much in the way of warmth. Lucky for me that I get to see this image, it warms me up some. A new take on the classic Beatles album cover. The yellow caps, bags, and blue uniforms are so typical of Japanese school children, its unmistakable. Here, the parents or volunteers make sure children get across the street safely using a yellow flag as a marker. In this depiction, its John, Ringo, George, and Paul who are helping the kids cross the street. If you didn't realize it yet, The Beatles are still a huge hit in Japan.
In Japan we don't use the word "States," we use the word "Prefectures." To make my way into a new prefecture always feels good, like I am being productive and making progress. At the same time, this prefecture is where the earthquake hit the hardest, so there is also a hesitant intrigue going along this boarder crossing as well.
An almost immediate change. When I started cycling the first parts of this prefecture, there where certain things that became suddenly apparent. For starters, the road I was cycling was devoid of cars. Or rather, no one was going my way. No two ways about it, every car was heading south or away from Kumamoto. Today is Friday however, and I hear that schools and some businesses have been shut down until further notice. If I were them, I too would get away for the weekend. There might not even be electricity up ahead, I am not sure. What I do know is that besides the occasional truck, I am the only one heading the opposite direction, surely the only one by bike.
What happens to an economy that works around fresh products every day after an earthquake? Well, it means that the fresh breakfast items and groceries that I have taken for granted cannot be delivered on schedule. I hear rumors even that highways are closed down. That wont make things any easier for rations...
Yup, turns out the rumors held some truth. The highway I was on is being guarded off. No chance that any truck or I will keep making it down this way. I think I'll go find a place in the shade and find an alternate route around this mess.
I shot up a local grocery store to play it smart and stock up on some food items for later. I have not even made it into the city and already almost everything is closed. Perhaps I should have not been surprised to see that this grocery shop is closed due to damages. Looking inside, the isles of food and personal items looked as if someone had taken a few blind piñata swings across them.
By the time I moved on to the next store, it was also devoid of food. Hmmm, this will be a little bit more tricky than I hoped. At least, there was not rain to compound the damage. And, there were little aftershocks lasting only a few seconds. The ground shakes, the windows vibrate, people duck. I run outside. You can stay under this table if you want, but getting out of here!
Photo credits to a BBC news website. This image needs little explanation though the castle is more important that you might first think from this image. The main structure not shown here is under investigation for damage, but did you know that the Kumamoto castle is one of Japan's most fortified castles, it is also one of three "majestic" castles (along with the popular Himeji and Matsumoto castles) that symbolize the ancient culture and heritage of the Japanese. In fact, this castle's history can be traced to 1467, thats double the life span of America as a nation. That this wall fell down in a quake is a very big deal.
Yet among the rubble, if you were to talk with the people, you would notice that people are not walking on pins and needles. People are worried and scared, to be sure. Perhaps it is just the Japanese way, to be cheery.
This couple welcomed me into a rest stop. They are locals who owned an RV, said they have been living out of it for the last few days. After speaking to them for a while over tea and coffee, I learned that maybe this change of lifestyle was for the better. The old man said he finally had the time to finish a book he had started, and the woman told me that not only was she able to talk more with her husband through the day, she was able to get back into cooking, which is something she had almost abandoned after her children left the house and she moved on into retirement.
Here is where I thought about staying the night. This structure is made of wooden beams, looked sturdy enough. Actually, I was building my tent when yet another mini aftershock came and put everyone at attention. I think I'd better set this up on the outside. Better to weather a little cold, than a wooden beam.
By the grace of strangers and a little luck, I was able to eat some snacks for dinner. Nothing that would curve my appetite, certainly not anything satisfying. But food none the less, and I am thankful. Most people are sleeping in their cars tonight, some others are just out on the field, I am the only one tenting. With a little food and some juice, I will survive the night.
Love,
-A
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