Japan - Here we come!

At the bus station with our bags

Our taxi arrived bang on time at 05.30am. As he helped us drag the bags into the back of the cab the taxi driver said, ‘If you don’t mind me asking, what on earth have you got in those bags?’

We explained that it was our bikes. As we drove to the bus station our driver quizzed us on our trip. When we told him we were planning to cycle around Japan he whistled. ‘I’ve been with this taxi firm for eleven years,’ he said. ‘I’ve talked to people with all sorts of holiday plans. Yours is the only one I truly envy.’

He told us that he was 58 and from Jamaica. ‘I’ve always wanted to ride across the US on Route 66,’ he said. ‘Not on a pushbike, on a motorbike. Chatting to you two has made me feel I should get on and do it.’

When we reached the bus station, our driver kindly helped us carry our bags down to the bay from where our coach would be leaving. We shook his hand and said goodbye. ‘Make sure you do that road trip,’ I said.

He grinned. ‘I’m going to start planning for it right now,’ he replied. 'You've inspired me. I'm going. Life's too short.'
I watched him striding off with a spring in his step. 'I really think he will, too,' I said to Mick.

After an uneventful journey to Heathrow we loaded up two trolleys and made our way to the check-in desk, dumped most of our luggage and then headed upstairs. After the usual dreaded security check we found ourselves a place to squat for a while with a coffee.

‘I think I’ll do a little shopping Mick said. I stayed looking after the bags. He was gone an age and when he returned he looked a little flushed.

‘You ok?’ I asked.

He nodded. ‘Lots of freebies here. I’ve had a vodka, a twelve year old brandy and a couple of very nice glasses of white wine.’ No wonder he was a little rosy.

Emirates were the only airline on this route which allowed us to carry our bikes for no extra charge and with a generous luggage allowance of 30kg. When Mick discovered we would be flying on the new A380 800 he had been very pleased.

‘It’s the new jumbo plane!’ he enthused. ‘It’s the biggest aircraft in the world!’

‘When it comes to flying then big and new are not things I am keen on,’ I said. ‘I prefer tried and tested and small enough to get airborne.’

Enjoying the in-flight hospitality

‘Nonsense,’ said Mick briskly. ‘It’s superb. It was perhaps a mistake to verify this online. When I put A380 into Google the top story was three days old about an A380 on which an engine had exploded all over someone's garden. One should never check these things out on the internet. It’s like looking up symptoms online when you are not feeling well – it is guaranteed to scare the shit out of you. I hastily logged out and slammed the computer closed.

Once onboard I felt better though. We had an exit seat and the extra legroom pleased Mick. With a glass of wine (me) and a Johnny Walker and coke (Mick) I began to relax. I loaded up series three of Downton Abbey on the airline entertainment system and before we knew it we had landed in Dubai where we changed to a 777 for our onward flight to Osaka. By now we were pretty bushed and slept our way to Japan. Emirates have a nifty sticker system whereby you can indicate to the steward whether you wish to be woken up a) for food b)for duty free or c) not at all. This must be placed somewhere prominent where they can see it. So we were woken for our breakfast of spinach omelette shortly before landing at Kansai International Airport.

Sticker needs to be in a prominent position

View from the cockpit on landing at Osaka

Things did not go quite so smoothly after this. Firstly when we collected our luggage both our bags had large rips in them. We also then realised the big drawback of bike bags, as opposed to bike cases, was that we had to carry them, and all our luggage, to our final destination in Osaka. This was not easy. We lugged them onto the train ok but at the other end we were staying near Tennōji station which is a big station. We dragged our gear along the platform and up onto the street, stopping for frequent rests along the way. There were plenty of taxis outside but taxis our expensive and our hostel was only two streets away. Finally we dragged them to the entrance and, with some relief, checked in. By now it was gone eight in the evening and we decided to leave the reassembling until tomorrow. We would find out then whether any damage had been done to the bikes. 

Struggling to read the menu...

Hot, hot, hot

Instead we repaired to a small bar frequented by locals. By resorting frequently to our guidebook we managed to get along ok, ordering a beer and some tuna and beef snacks which we ate with wasabi and soy sauce and without too many disasters with the chopsticks. Then something else appeared. It was tofu layered with paprika, peanut sauce and green chilli. Our new friend who we had been talking to said it was a gift. He did not know that Mick had visited Busan, in Korea, the hot food capital of the world. Our friend was most impressed at this information as he watched Mick tuck into the food with gusto. I, however contented myself with picking out the chillies and paprika before nibbling on the tofu and peanut sauce. 'Can you tell Japanese, Korean and Chinese?' he asked.
'Tell them apart?' do you mean? asked Mick. He nodded. 'Yes, of course.Japanese and Koreans for example look completely different. ' Our friend seemed pleased at his response.

We stayed in the bar for an hour or so and then wandered the streets for a while longer. Night-time in a strange city yet I felt one hundred per cent safe. There is, I think, nowhere on earth that feels less threatening than Japan. We walked past rows of men, mostly looking smart and up together but clearly homeless and sleeping on pieces of cardboard, and keeping themselves to themselves - some quietly reading, others sleeping. The air is humid, it is still over 30 degrees in the day, and until midnight the streets are busy. Around midnight the city became quiet, the bars closed and the streets empty. By the time we turned in we were weary too. My first day in Japan. I liked it very much indeed.