八戸 3

Christ, what a day.

I know that that seems like an odd thing to say when you're on vacation. To be honest, yesterday was actually going quite well. Unfortunately, things went south towards the end of the day. But first, let's cover the good things that have happened.

Kabushima Shrine

I started my sightseeing day at Kabushima Shrine, a small island with a small temple at the top, which is apparently a breeding ground for seagulls. I was approached by three high school girls who were apparently volunteering for the day. They gave me a history of the island using scripted, but adequate English and a sketchbook filled with drawings and diagrams about the island.

Apparently, a few years after the island was connected to the mainland by a bridge, seagulls started coming to the island to breed. The seagull mating and breeding process starts around April and wraps up around early August. That means that I just missed the bulk of the seagulls, but there were still plenty of them around on the island. Unfortunately, the temple burned down last fall, but they're apparently going to rebuild it.

The next stop on my trip was Nejo-jo. It was a reconstructed castle area that housed the head of the Nanbu clan in the early half of the last millennium. Outside the gate, as I was about to go in, I was approached by a volunteer guide who knew very little English, but had an English translation guidebook to go off of. He then gave me a tour of the castle and the grounds around it.

Nejo-jo

This castle was different from Nijo-jo in Kyoto. It was less centralized, with more external houses and buildings handling trade and crafting. It took the city twenty years to reconstruct the entire castle, and there are still areas on the grounds that they don't know about.

This was the second smallest doorway I had to pass through.

After that, I went to the Kushihiki Hachimangu shrine, a shrine dating back to the 12th century. This place had more of a local feel to it, although some things there were translated to English or Engrish. The grounds were covered by very tall trees, which was striking compared to the surrounding area. It felt relieving to be in such a shady place, away from the beating sun.

Kushihiki Hachimangu

There was also a very small museum on the shrine grounds. Admission was a bit steep given the museum's size, but it was worth it when you stepped inside. The museum housed a bunch of climate-controlled displays of 13th-century relics, including original 13th-century samurai armor. Everything in that museum (well, it was actually one big room) was important cultural property on some level, be it national, prefectural, or local, and before every description of an item, they made sure to remind you that that was the case. The displays had audio narration, which was also available in English.

It was absolutely stunning to see the original armor in such a good condition. The details on it were so intricate. It must have taken a lot of work to make a good set of armor like that. Apparently, an American millionaire was so impressed by one of the sets of armor that he offered the temple $50 million for it. Of course, there was no deal, because, you know, important cultural property.

Two sets of armor dating back to the 13th century

The shrine also sold a bunch of various charms and trinkets. I ended up buying a pair of horse figurines for some of my younger relatives back in the states. I know it seems odd that an atheist would shell out the kind of money he did ($10/horse the size of my palm) to support a religious institution, but at the same time, it was a very historical place, and I like history more than I despise religion.

I then went to the Tanesashi Coast, which is a chain of rocky beaches along the coastline with huge rock formations. I was able to walk up and down the coastline a ways to take in the sights. It was a very beautiful place. I went out on some of the rocks, which were actually jagged and worn by tens of thousands of years of coastal erosion. I had never seen such a pattern like that where I'm from. Then again, Old Saybrook's shoreline was against a sound and not actual ocean. I guess there's a difference when the shoreline is up against an actual ocean.

Taking a mid-sized shell as "booty," I returned to where I parked, which was next to a local food stand, and had lunch. While I was eating, I decided to figure out where I was going to purchase souvenirs. The Internet suggested an Aeon Mall just north of Hachinohe. I decided to head there, but not before taking a brief coastal drive south along Aomori Prefecture Route 1.

At this point in the day, in hindsight, I should've given up and gone back to my hotel. I was originally skeptical of going so far for souvenirs, but I figured that there had to be something in that mall for me to pick up. I travelled the half hour up towards the mall, trying to think about the various people that I had to buy souvenirs for and what I should get them.

And then I hit a rough patch of road.

A liquid was briefly splashed across my windshield. I found it odd, as there were no puddles nearby on a hot summer day with a dry road. Then, I noticed Tackawanna's temperature gauge start to climb. At this point, the panic started to kick in. I was only a kilometer away from the mall, and luckily, I was able to make it without anything failing or catching fire.

I popped the hood to let the engine cool and checked the coolant after a few minutes. There was no pressure in the radiator, and the coolant was gone. That rough patch of road must've been the last straw for a radiator hose. Feeling resigned to my fate, I decided to go inside the mall to shop around for souvenirs while Tackawanna was cooling off. Apparently, the trip was for nothing. There wasn't a souvenir store in the mall; it was all just regular mall-like stores. I came all this way, now with a broken-down car, for nothing.

I went back to the car and called my insurance company, which also offers roadside assistance. I was connected to an agent who knew no English, so she got a translator on the phone. The conversation went something like this: (their words are italicized)

I'm in Hachinohe, but live in Fukushima, and one of my radiator hoses has failed. I can't drive the car back in its current condition. How much would a tow truck cost to bring the car back to Fukushima?

Your coverage allows for a free tow up to 100 km. Unfortunately, you are about 500 km away from Fukushima.

Okay, so how much would it cost me?

A very rough estimate would be 300,000 yen. ($3000)

Would you excuse me for a second?

***At this point, I put the phone on mute and vented loudly and angrily. Then I put the phone back on.***

Okay, I'm back. Well, I'd have to get it fixed here in Hachinohe instead. Can you find me a mechanic?

Well, it's going to be hard because there is currently a Japanese holiday going on ri-

Yes, I am aware of what Obon is. I am prepared to wait an extra night if I have to. Just make sure that the mechanic accepts Visa cards.

Okay. We can have the towing company hold onto your vehicle until we find a mechanic near your hotel. We'll call you tomorrow and let you know what your options are.

***And, scene.***

I ended up waiting another hour for the tow truck to come. The good news was that the tow truck driver spoke English very well. I suppose that having an American Air Force base in the city north of there can have an influence in some regard. He even offered to drive me to the local train station.

When I arrived at JR Hachinohe, I found out that Google Maps was wrong about the train schedule. I'd have to wait two hours for the next train to arrive. I wasn't thrilled about that, so I decided to walk the three miles back to my hotel instead. Not only did I walk back, I arrived back at my hotel 45 minutes before that train was supposed to arrive. Gotta get ready for all that exercise when I get back.

I have to check out of my hotel in a few minutes. There's another JR station about a half a kilometer away from me where I can hang out until that phone call comes. If a mechanic can see me today, I'm going right to the shop. If not, I'll find another hotel to wait at. Let's just hope that this vacation doesn't get any worse that it already has.