Good night from my "capsule"! I'm staying in what is called a Capsule Hotel. The name is spot on. You first must bend down if you're staying in a bottom capsule as I am. Then you can crawl into a plastic box in which they've somehow managed to cram in a tiny hanging television and control panel equiped with an AM/FM radio. I'm listening to the soothing sounds of Tibetan ritualistic hymns right now!
How I got to be here in a tiny plastic box at this Capsule Hotel called Annex, is a bit of an interesting story. The story begins with a planet in danger because some of it's inhabitants are too careless and selfish. The planet is Earth and humans are the overindulgent beings. I planned my trip to Hokkaido some time ago, but hadn't factered in the G8 Summit. It's being held at Toya Lake just south of Sapporo. This major environmental gathering happened to coinside with my plans to tour in Hokkaido. Because the high profile meeting touches on a very tender issue, opposition from certain radical groups could come in the form of terrorist acts. Such a threat to the welfare of Hokkaido's G8 Summit has lead to the summoning of law enforcement men and women from all over Japan. I was greeted at the Kushiro Airport by 10 such individuals. First one tall man dressed all in black looking very much li
ke some sort of special agent asked for my Alien Registration Identification card which I immediately provided. He glanced at it, made some friendly small talk about my cycling itinerary, smiled, and was just about to hand me back my card and send me on my way, when suddenly a more sinister-looking man in black appeared and insisted on having a closer look at my ID Card. Instantly the gleeful scene turned dark and full of uncertainty. When this second less congenial man turned over the card, he pointed out the expiration date which was April of 2007, well over a year ago. Now I was in trouble. I didn't bring my passport in fear that I'd lose it or it would inevitably get wet and ruined. Instead I brought only a photocopy of the first page on which my photo and biographic information are printed. This as it were, was not good enough. Soon I was surrounded by 10 officers in black, each barkin
g unfamiliar Japanese at me. I knew then that I wasn't going to be camping tonight. The stern officers loaded Mr.Green still wrapped in silver plastic, into a white van along with my bulky panniers. I was escorted into another car where I was joined by 3 policemen. We drove mostly in eary silence, for what seemed an eternity, to the police department in Kushiro City. Atsuko was eventually contacted by one of the head officers while I sat in a tiny room being questioned by kind police officers. Ultimately it was decided that our best plan was to have Atsuko express mail my passport to the Kushiro Police Department. Officer Sasaiya called Hotel Annex where I am now, and checked for "capsule" availability. Then the very kind Officer Mushiya helped me load Mr.Green and all my gear back into a van and we drove to the hotel. Never a dull moment!