Despite a 45 min delay from Copenhagen, we landed at Narita 5 minutes early. My bike was already on a trolley, and my suitcase was heading in my direction. Brilliant, I thought, looks like I'm having some early luck! Erm... Not so much. My check list for bike assembly and luggage storage/delivery was quite clear, but the execution was far from it. The wheels are ingeniously attached to the bike box, which means the skewer of the wheel, or whatever the real name of it is, is on the outside of the box. First wheel came off beautifully, but the second one, not so much. After struggling with it, and nearly ripping the skin off my fingers, I asked some Swedish men to help me. Turns out they were feeble Vikings... Well, one was, the other one just stood there looking down his nose at me. Eventually, thanks to a nice Japanese fella behind the luggage storage counter, I managed to get hold of some pliers. With some forceful persuasion, and manage to get the bolt off. Turns out it was bent...
Looks like I'll need a bike shop earlier than first thought! Then began the palaver of putting pedals on, reattaching the steering wheel, inflating tyres, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla. I wrote steering wheel, I meant handlebars of course. No sleep and hours of faffing makes the brain mushy.
Once I'd sorted the bike out, I put the bike box in storage and headed to get my suitcase sent to my Kyoto hotel. "I'm sorry, we can't guarantee it will get there before you leave Kyoto", I'm told. What?! That's 7 days from now!! Anyway, to cut a long story short, my suitcase is being sent to Kyoto, and if I've left by the time it arrives, they'll send it back to Tokyo. Oh goodie. So much for some nice clothes while in Kyoto then!
Still, got a workout carrying about 30 kg worth of stuff along a train platform that felt like it was 53 miles long. And I got to see a lady on a musical floor polisher:
And you see that Starbucks in the background? Well, not very Japanese, I know, but it was the only food place in the station, so thought I'd sample their version of the cinnamon swirl, the cinnamon roll.... Am yet to taste it, needed some vegetables!
I'm now on a train that sounds like my fridge, surrounded by people in MJ-style face masks, watching bamboo go past the window. In an hour or so I'll be on the famous Shinkansen bullet train, heading past Mt Fuji, which I already saw from a distance on the plane.
An hour later...
Right, the only thing that's happened since I last spoke to you is that the make-shift bag handle loops I made at home using cable ties, snapped. Oh and I got on this bad boy, fell asleep and am now in Kyoto. Should've dropped the bag off myself!
There are bikes everywhere here in Kyoto! And blossom, too. Can't wait to get a good night's sleep and start this holiday properly.
....... It's 23:05... My train arrived in Imabari at 20:51, I spent 45 mins putting the bike together, and it seems to weigh a hell of a lot more than it did previously. Here it is, in all its glory!
Of course, there seem to be further setup to be done, but I don't care, I'm at the hotel now, it's time for sleep. Well, after eating an interesting sandwich I bought on the way from the station. Good night peeps, perhaps you'll get a more interesting blog tomorrow, because tomorrow, I get to see this in the daytime...
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