On the Road. chapter 1

My last class with Tetsuya Senei.



I had 2 weeks. 2 weeks before my flight left for America, and no more classes to attend. While I hadn't mastered Japanese just yet, there was still so much of the coutry I hadn't seen with my own eyes.

With a small backpack and nowhere in particular to go, I got on a night bus, which is designed to, in theory, allow one to sleep peacefully through the night, waking up at their destination refreshed and full of vigor to take on the day. I would wake up in Osaka, and take the short train trip to the beautiful city of Nara.

Well, I sat in front of a jerk.

The seats on these things rival a first class seat on an airplane. I could have been carrying a contra bass in front of me and still had room to spare. Because of this, everyone leans as far back as possible to allow for a comfortable and reclined night's rest. That is until the man behind me decided to lay with his back where his butt should have been, causing his knees to be blocking by seat from going back more than an inch or two. Of course, being the jerk that I am, when he started shaking my seat to wake me, I leaned back farther. He didn't appreciate this, and continued to shake my seat until I rose up for his wonderfully long legs.

What did I say to him?

Nothing. What could I say? You could hear a pin drop on this bus of sleeping people, so arguing was out of the question. Plus there's the nerve-wracking thought of "What if I say something stupid? What if he doesn't understand?" That would completely negate my authority. And so, like a pansy, I dealt with it.

I was not even slightly refreshed when I arrived.

But, I had a lot of exploring to do. And I was determined to do it, so after renting a bike for 500 yen, I pedaled my way around this ancient little town.

After riding up the street full of shops and restaurants, and eating a HUGE breakfast of eggs and rice I came to a park which I would find was bigger than I could have imagined.



The first thing I noticed was the abundance of deer running about. I had heard they were here but I figured there would be ten or so. No--They. Were. EVERYWHERE. Even without food you could get close enough with some stealthiness for some great pictures.



But put some food in your hand, and you don't even have to try. They will come to you, and attack you if necessary. I felt bad for this guy. Those deer were filthy.



I could not believe how empty this place was. Aside from the deer, it was extremely rare to see another sign of life. In a vast field of grass and a few scattered trees, I saw only this man, who wasn't having to compete with anyone for a picture of his tree.



This place was too big to explore in one day and I wanted to get back to my hotel to be well rested for the following day when I would explore on foot (those trails were almost ALL uphill. no fun on the rented one speed bike)