Today the sun is pumpin',the sky is bluer than blue, and I've just met two of the nicest folks I've encountered yet on my adventure. Before waking up to the beautiful sunrise and violets this morning, I thought it would be relatively easy (mentally) to get on a ferry and go home. It just figures that my last day on foriegn soil would be close to a perfect day! Oh well, I'll think of it as a warm farewell and incentive for my next adventure in life, wherever, whenever, and WHATEVER it is!
I mentioned that there were two friendly people whom I met today. There was Tom Jonesamoto, and then there was Kiyoyama san, the 70 year old cleaning lady. When I stumbled into the terminal, I was beat - not from this morning's ride, but from 15 days of living from day to day in mountains, beaches, and cities alike without a home. When I say "beat", I don't mean it in a negative or spiteful way. It's just that two weeks is probably how long it took me to get intn the daily routine of this lifestyle and those two "warm up" weeks weren't exactly easy on my body or soul. I can say with certain confidence that things would only continue to get easier and more fun from here. That being said, hand in hand with those securities would lurk predictability. Places and people could never be predictable, but the daily routine would inevitably become a ritual like anything else in life. I'm a strange per
son (in many ways!) - a meticulous, OBSESSED creature of habit in numerous regards, but also one who cherishes the notion of the unexpected.

Back to Kiyoyama san

I came into the terminal at about 10:00 this morning tired, and so crashed on one of the wooden benches inside. It didn't take but a minute or two before I was in dream land. An hour and a half later when I came to again, I was no longer alone. Now there was a sweet-looking Obasan (older lady) pushing a broom gracefully around the white tiled floor of the waiting room. She seemed to take great interest and concern in me. She asked what my story was, and I told her what I'd been up to for the past couple of weeks. Whenever Kiyoyama san asked me a question, it was because she was genuinely interested. She always listened diligently to my rambling, and had the patience of a Saint with my poor Japanese. I must have looked very worn because she showed me to the "best" bench in the room for taking a snooze.
I didn't sleep. I was writing blog entries instead. Two hours passed by quickly doing this, and suddenly the clock wasn't reading 10:00 anymore. Kiyoyama san had finished her two and a half hour shift. She came over, sat down next to me, and handed me an ice cream wrapped in a cone-type shell. I had never seen one of these before and all I kept thinking was "Ice cream? How does she know I LOVE ICE CREAM?!" Kiyoyama san had one for herself as well. We sat together and enjoyed the delicious frozen treats. Half way through eating mine, I got up and insisted on buying my friend something to drink. She picked a hot can of coffee. In Japan, you have the choice of cold or hot beverages from vending machines! Here, you can purchase almost anything imaginable from vending machines. After she had finished her ice cream and coffee, Kiyoyama san wished me well once more, quietly got up and made her way
to the door, and rode away on her own bicycle. Earlier, she told me the ride takes her 30 minutes to her house. What a tough old bird, and nothing uncommon for Japan. One of the things that has never ceased to astound me since I've been living in Japan is how active and HARD working the aged population, particularly women, are. On any given day, any time of the year, any weather condition, throughout rural and suburban Japan you'll see little old ladies well over 70 years old with their bonnets and rubber boots on, in the dirt of their hatake (vegetable garden/farm) planting, weeding, harvesting and anything else that needs doing there.
They grow the old ladies tough here, and Kiyoyama san is no exception. Make no mistake though, you'll never meet a person with a softer heart.