A white van entered the east end of the Kabashima bridge at around 2pm. We were on foot, eastbound on the sidewalk, at the midpoint of the bridge. The vehicle slowed as it approached, and then stopped just in front of us. The lone occupant of the van held up his hand indicating that we should stop too.
We were 70 feet above the water, no escape.
The driver rolled down his window, and passed us a grocery bag full of snack foods.
He didn’t speak English and we only have a few phrases of Japanese. We thanked him as best we could. He smiled and drove away.
We’re pretty sure we recognised him as one of the men fishing on the seawall near Mandolyn earlier, but we never saw him again.
Exhibit A: The snack bag.Exhibit B: Contents of the bag.
This was not an isolated incident. Japanese people have been so kind and we’ve even made some friends.
Here are some photos from our first month.
Kabashima bridge.Every small community has large concrete ports, protected by massive seawalls.Getting on/off at low tide is interesting.Fishing from the harbour walls is a popular activity.Some ports feel like you’re entering a fortress.Many harbours have these massive metal walls, presumably for defence against sea monsters.Godzilla, sent for a timeout.Concrete seawalls and breakwaters are everywhere.Yoko Gushiken, boxing champ from Okinawa.Some groceries are cheap, but fruit tends to be expensive. $5.60 CAD for 2 apples. $17 CAD for a grapefruit.$34 CAD for a cantaloupe!?Sushi breakfast sandwich, around $3. Genius.Samurai Tex Mex, popular in Okinawa, originated near US military bases. Served in restaurants too.Japanese curry naan hotdog. Origin unknown.Octopopsicles.Strawberry whip cream sandwich, surprisingly delicious.These mystery jelly balls with sweet powder were tasty.Ramen with Harmattana.Questionable restaurant name. Japanese words don’t ends with a hard G, making Doug challenging to pronounce.It’s common to see bikes or other valuables with little or no security.Our new friend Aki took us on a sightseeing tour one afternoon! Thanks Aki!Graveyards tend to be incredibly well maintained, with fresh flowers everywhere, and small marble boxes to store cleaning supplies.A foiling ferry in Kagoshima harbour.The volcano in Kagoshima harbour has minor eruptions almost daily.A hike on Yakishima.An old coal mining operation.Approaching Nagasaki.Nagasaki Harbour. Mandolyn moored top right.Site of Dutch trading port of Dejima, in Nagasaki.Old stone bridges, Nagasaki.Hypocenter of the atomic bomb, Nagasaki.Clock destroyed at 11:02, August 9, 1945.Many neighbourhoods have small walking paths.Hirado.Karatsu castle.
And finally, some vending machines. We’ve never found a vending machine with chips or candy like they have at home, but if you need horse meat in a hurry we know where to look.
4 thoughts on “Japanese Drive By”
I had to know what the mariachi singer is singing. Google Lens tells me he’s singing: “It’s easy and delicious!”
Looks like a great time in Japan. Enjoy it!
Thanks so much for the pictures – really interesting. Love, Grandma
Love all the pictures. Did you try the octopopsicles?
So glad to hear you are safe
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