On the Road Again!!!

Kore-wa watashi-no-blogu-desu. 
Yom de-kudasai!

Will we or won't we? That is the question!

We often ask ourselves this before going out driving in the car. Undoubtedly, it is one way to get around and it's definitely a change from the good old trains and our bikes.  

But........each time we get in the car there are a few things that we must contend with. The first is the almost guaranteed traffic jam we will get into, the other is that damn woman who doesn't know what she's talking about and then there's 'Himself and Herself'.

Now 'Himself and Herself' are, naturally, Steve and I who frequently debate topical issues like compass bearings and destinations. If you are a passenger it's usually best to sit back, look out the window and say nothing.

So.... if I am 'Herself', who is the damn woman? The damn woman is 'Honey'..... and Honey is the woman inside that instrument that sits on the dashboard. Always there, ready to cause an argument or say something dumb!!! She even dares to contradict 'Himself'!! Frequently I wonder why we ask for her input because what she says is often classified as b.....s......! Now I wonder who would say that!! You don't need too many guesses.....it's not the passengers, which narrows it down to either 'Himself' or 'Herself'!!

Kore-wa watashi-no tomodachi-no Honey desu! 

The people carrier has taken us on a few longish trips and the occasional Sunday afternoon drives. I have only driven a few times because I'm happy catching trains during the week and really do enjoy the exercise I get riding my 'uncool' bike, with its granny trolley strapped on the pack rack. Yesterday I had groceries on the back and a Christmas tree standing vertically in the front basket. Bit tricky because my vision was totally obstucted on one side but it was good for my core strength. It was quite a balancing act to stop the bike from toppling over with me on it. Should have taken the car but is was only a couple of km's from home.

It is quite a change to get in the car and go for a drive, quite a novelty really. The driving part is OK, but in the cities it's getting a car park when you get somewhere that can be a bit tricky. The difficulty reading signs adds to the challenge. With the help of Google on the IPhone I am able to solve many difficulties we may have interpreting different road signs and arrows. It would appear that not all signs are International, certainly not a STOP sign. I have also found Google/Wikipedia can act as 'judge and jury' to settle many contentious issues regarding facts when 'Himself' thinks 'Herself' is wrong.

The cost of petrol (130 yen or $1.60/litre) is not too bad and our Honda Odyssey appears to be fairly economical. We are still living in the land of 'driveway service' here......none of that getting out of the car and dealing with dirty old fuel hoses for us. No no no.... As you pull up to a petrol pump there is always one attendant in front of you directing you forward, using very dramatic hand signals, and at the back another attendant directing the attendant at the front. No sooner have you turned the ignition off than there are two attendants washing the windows, emptying the ashtrays (if you need that) and knocking on your window to ask if there is anything else you would like. I should learn how to say, "Yes, could you please change the oil and the filters!" Of course by this stage the car has been refuelled. Once you have paid, you are ready for the grand departure. An attendant goes out onto the road, stops the traffic and waves you out while the other two supervise. It's fantastic! No snarling or surly assistants here, who look like they would rather be somewhere else. Self service is cost efficient I suppose, but this 'old custom' is very refreshing.

Last weekend we decided to head north and find our way around Tokyo to the Narita area. Usually we head south to the Izu Penisula, Hakone or Yokohama Seaside. Trips towards Tokyo are easier done by train or bike. For this reason Steve and I actually rode to Tokyo one Saturday. We didn't quite make it because we were distracted by an amazing area dotted with temples, cemeteries and pagodas. The round trip from home was about 55-60km's and was great fun. We probably didn't take much longer than if we had gone by car and factored in all the 'oops wrong ways'.

Typical of most cities, many streets are one way so you need a rough idea of which streets you can and can't go in. Lots of bike riding has assisted us here, you soon get to know one way streets when you are riding against the traffic. If you are taking a long trip the best option is to get on the expressways and toll ways. It seemed to be dearer than usual heading north around Tokyo. Parting with $60.00 in toll fees made this latest trip by far the most expensive. Fortunately though, it ended up being a lovely trip. Initially we faced a few problems getting onto the correct level of the bridge over Yokohama Bay but we soon worked that out. You can end up doing lots of miles and still being back at the same place you started. Yokohama Bridge is a stunning piece of engineering.

Oh.... to have an English map on the GPS!  The lovely 'Honey' speaks fluent English but the chart is Japanese. As usual, within ten minutes of leaving home 'Himself' and Honey had started to disagree. "Why would I go that way?......I'm going to go this way"......so off we head in the opposite direction. Such a boy!! "Recalculating.....you need to turn blah blah blah in 300 metres blah blah blah...please take next turn" and so it continued. Finally I suggested that maybe we should just give her a break.

'Herself' took the remote control out of 'Himself's' hand, he loves to do it all, then zoomed in on the place we wanted to go....cursor on spot.....enter......job done! "Now, let's for once just hand over control to Honey.....let's not question every instruction she gives. Enjoy the journey and leave the route to her!" Experience has taught us that the more we argue with her, the more insistent and demanding she tends to become, which just adds to the frustration levels. Don't get me wrong...it's all good fun! Personally I don't mind getting lost as it just makes me laugh....uh oh!.....then I am put in the same category as 'Honey'. Once this decision to release some power to 'Honey' had been made it was quite liberating......we got to observe all manner of things.....why worry when someone else can stress for you?

After the initial hiccup of getting across the bay and taking into account closures, due to APEC, we were on our way. We made good time, possibly due to the fact nobody seems to take any notice of the speed limit. It's quite usual for cars to be travelling in excess of 110km's, more like 120km. We err on the side of caution as heaven forbid we should have an accident......that would be impossible on the language side of things. Travelling through this tunnel we are actually under Tokyo Bay!!

Narita is a familiar place name as it is the sight of Tokyo's International Airport. Unless you are in Japan for just a quick stopover, it is onto a Limousine Bus (a fancy name for the airport bus) or train. Narita is located about 100km's from where we live. A trip on the Limousine Bus to Yokohama Station takes about 1.5 to 1.75 hours and, at 3500 yen, offers the easiest, mid price option.

Somewhere along our way we stopped at one of the big rest areas and had a coffee at yet another Starbuck's. Thanks to 'Honey' we managed to get onto all the correct expressways without any problems. The sides of the main roads often have dense bamboo stands and hedges of plants, some of those plants quite common to Australia also.......azaleas, camelias, lilypilys, hydarangeas etc. We must remember that in this country forests cover 70% of the terrain and much of this vegetation is unique to Japan.  Once off the major roads you are soon into some of the beautiful forests.

We navigated our way around, and through, Narita and headed to more open spaces. We casually drove up and down little roads, discovering beautiful farmland and houses. Houses which are considerably larger and certainly more spaced out than their city counterparts.

As we passed through paddy fields and farmlands the roads became quite narrow.

It was down one of these roads that we came upon an old temple. A lone bikie, out taking photographs, was eager to chat and pass information on. He was a Tokyoite but justifiably proud of this beautiful spot. It was not one of the grand, busy temples but a quiet and peaceful place to wander around in. Currently the beautiful Autumn colours are an added highlight to any trip.

As we drove around we noticed that many paddocks, which had been harvested and cultivated, were dotted with piles covered in tarps or traditional straw covers. Stopping to investigate we discovered that they were the roots of peanut plants, maybe being kept for replanting. Unfortunately, I only got snaps of the tarp covered piles. By this stage we were keen to return home as we had a social engagement, a Mexican train at 6pm in Roppongi, Tokyo and 'Himself' wouldn't stop!!

We returned home by about 4.30pm just in time to change and catch a couple of trains to our next destination. Out of the country and straight back into the crowds of Tokyo and the glitz of Roppongi.

There is no disputing that it is great having a car to explore at your leisure. There is so much that can be accessed by train or bus, but sometimes it's just nice to relax without the bustle......and the 'in house' comedy is often good for a laugh!

There are places that you see in a car but not on a train........

and you can't do this on a train..............

but....... remember there are places that neither a car nor a train, or even the bike, can take you.......

So 'Himself' and 'Herself' are happy to strike a happy medium.......with a little bit of everything!!! We will continue to run, walk, ride, drive and catch trains!!! So much to see and do and so little time!!

Next year, 2011, we may even extend our modes of transport.......stay posted!

Here's a clue...... well sort of!! I couldn't help but include this snap of Fuji-san, taken today, with the snow really making its way down the slopes!!!