My capsule, #109, from the outside.

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!

Just arrived in the Kushiro Airport and I'm waiting for my NIMOTSU (baggage) to come around on the conveyer belt. Here they come! The flight here was short and painless. The skies were blindingly sunny and I slept like a baby all the way. the skies were clear and beautiful UNTIL that is, we dropped down below the clouds over Kushiro to land. Suddenly it became dark as we descended onto a wet runway. It was drizzling and looked raw.

速報！

無事、関空発釧路行きの飛行機に乗れたのもつかの間・・・。
今日から３日間行われる洞爺湖サミットのしわ寄せがビルにきてしまいました・・・。
どうやら全国から警察官が北海道に集結しているらしく、釧路空港でパスポートの提示を求められたビル。国内旅行とあって、パスポートを携帯していなかったので、外国人登録証（市役所で発行。私たちで言うところのカード版の住民票）を提示しました。ところが！その外国人登録証の期限が切れていたとのコト！！ビルは今回の日本滞在数年の間で残留更新手続きを２回してるんですけど、そのたびに市役所に届出をしないといけなかったらしく。優しい北海道釧路警察の人に「厳密に言えば、違法ですからね。今回は《うっかり忘れた》注意で処理しますけど」と言われ・・・。何が何だか分からないビルは、空港から警察署に護送されました。―自分の《うっかり》でこういうことになり、もうしません、反省しています―らしき文名に署名し、数時間の拘束に幕を閉じました・・・。私は私で最寄の和歌山北署に出向き、ビルのパスポートを提出し、電話で長々と釧路警察署の警備課の人と話しました・・・。その後、中央郵便局に行って早速ビルのパスポートを速達で送りました。

なかなか警察のお世話になることも少ないのに、ビルが日本に来てから、既に３回・・・。

①無免許＋スピード違反：

　　　自動車用の国際免許証だけでは日本で原付に乗れないと知らずに、有効な免許証を所持していなかったというコトで捕まりました。後に裁判所で１５万くらいの罰金を払う羽目に・・・。ただ単純に「知らなかった」では済まされなかったのと、まだ日本に来たばっかりで日本語が分からなかったビルは、警察署で６時間くらい拘束されて（公的通訳の人待ちなど）、すご～～～～く嫌な思いをしたらしく、日本の警察に対するイメージは、それはそれは良くなかったです・・・。

②交通事故にあった時：

人身事故だったので、事情聴取をされるコトになり警察署に何回か足を運びました。（外国人登録証を提示したその時、誰かが期限切れなコトを気付いてくれていたら良かったのに！）

③今回の釧路：

北海道の警察官は親切で優しい。今晩泊ることになったカプセルホテルまで連れて行ってくれたそうです。（既に９時過ぎだったので、警察内の椅子か何かに寝かせてあげれないか聞いたところ、なかなか取り締まりとか許可がキツイらしく、無理でした。テレビの世界みたいに「はいはい、どうぞ～」って言う訳にはいかないみたいで・・・）

パスポートが着くまでは釧路でおとなしくしといてもらいましょう！

★★頑張れビル！負けるなビル！★★

On this tiny plane now . Next stop - Hokkaido!

Here I am at Kansai Airport. Okaasan and Otousan (mother & father[in law]) just saw me off by the gate. They were very kind to bring me here and treat me to a delicious curry lunch. My plane takes off at 3:05 and now it's 2:50. I'll be boarding any minute now!
See ya on the plane!

Last night's firey sunset. The last I will see in Wakayama for 3 weeks!

Here is a very colorful map of

JAPAN

The orange area known as the Kinki or Kansai Region is where we live.

Wakayama is just below Osaka. On Earth Wakayama is at about the same latitude as the State of Georgia in the United states of America, and the climate is very similar as well.

Hokkaido is the big red "Manta Ray" all the way to the north. It's at about the same latitude as the State of Maine in The USA, where Atsuko and I got married for the third time! The two areas though separated by thousands of miles of sea and land also share similar climates. I suppose somewhere in the olive green area there would be weather very similar to that in Long Island, New York - my hometown!

Japan's geographical placement makes it quite a dinamic country for it's small size. Because the islands are a long chain running rather "up-down" or "down-up", however you want to look at it, the climate varies quite a bit from place to place. Like I said before, it is the size that makes this feature so interesting. In the United States there are tremendous differences in climate, topography, flora, and fauna, depending on the region, but don't forget that America occupies quite a large land area.

I will fly from Kansai to Kushiro in the east of Hokkaido

Hokkaido
The National and Quasi-National Parks in Hokkaido

Here I Go Again! 明日から北海道！

Long time no see Mr. Green! How have you been?!

Yes, Mr. Green is about to embark on another adventure with me. Here's the old boy being broken down for the first leg of our journey together. Last time, in April, we left the cool air of Wakayama for the tropical climate of the southern islands of Japan via ferries - lots and lots of ferries. This time Mr. Green and I will take a short plane ride from Kansai Airport in south Osaka to

Kushiro, Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan. Instead of leaving the cool and heading for the heat, I'll be fleeing the oppressive heat and humidity of Wakayama for the comfortable, brisk air of Northern Japan.

On this trip I plan to spend a lot more time on Mr. Green than I did in the south a couple of months ago. Travel between islands wasn't possible by bicycle (go figure!!), which meant I had to taxi across to and from land by watercraft. Albeit fun, this was not only time consuming, but quite costly as well.

In Hokkaido I plan to stay on mainland soil at all times (except when I am diving down for seafood off the coast!). I hope to visit 5 particular National Parks to the center and south of the great island of Hokkaido which is shaped like a Manta Ray. One of these National Parks is called Daisetsuzan, and it is the largest area in Japan with designated National Park status. I have been dying to go there since about 6 years ago when Atsuko gave me a National Geographic Japanese travel guide in which there was an incredible photograph of the mountainous park.

Tomorrow I will fly out of Osaka at 3 something, and arrive in Kushiro, Hokkaido just after 5pm. So it's only about a 2 hour flight between the currently steaming Wakayama and the suzushii (cool) north land, which are vastly different from each other climatically as well as biologically.

While in the Yaeyama Archipelago in southern Japan my number one threat was a deadly bite from the Habu, a pit viper inhabitant of several southern Japanese isles. Needless to say I was very careful about where I stepped or put my hands, and shook out my shoes before putting them on each morning.

Danger from snakes in Hokkaido doesn't concern me so much. While the range of Japanese Mamushi, another pit viper (resembling an American copperhead), does include the whole of Hokkaido, it also includes most of Japan. In Wakayama Mamushi are common and I see them frequently. Not only are there Mamushi in my neck of the woods, but Yamakagashi as well. Yamakagashi, or Red-Sided Water Snake/ Japanese Garter Snake abound here in Wakayama. I've seen at least one just about every other day for the last few weeks. Yamakagashi are a rear-fanged snake whose venom is potentially very dangerous. In fact their venom is comparable to that of the African Boomslang, a deadly snake indeed. Though both of these snakes reside and are common in Wakayama, neither is bad-tempered and either of these snakes would prefer to slither away when encountered rather than stay and fight it out. The Habu on the other hand is notorious for it's bad temper and so I took great caution while in it's territory.

No, snakes aren't worrying me nearly as much as bears. In Hokkaido there are plenty of bears and when in bear country an outdoors man must take many precautions. I will need to hang food from trees and make myself heard when in quite natural areas. Bells and whistles are often used by hikers.

Respect for nature is the key to not being overpowered by her.

明日の七夕からビルは第二回目であり最後になる

アドベンチャー自転車の旅・北海道編

に出かけます！しかも前回の沖縄・八重山諸島旅行はフェリーで移動したので、現地まで２,３日かかっていたのが、今回の北海道へはなんとリッチ！往復飛行機利用となりました。電車・船・飛行機と全ての交通手段を見て、飛行機での移動が意外に一番安かったからなんですけど。北海道まで片道たったの２時間。前の２,３日かけての移動がウソのよう。今回の北海道の旅行期間は３週間丸々。３週間で走行距離1,000km（予定）かけて、北海道の大自然を堪能します。７月と言えば、自転車・バイク旅行者にとっては最適の時らしく、また現地で何人かの良い友達ができるんでしょう。

ビルの今回の予定は：

関空→釧路→阿寒湖→知床→網走→大雪山→洞爺湖→札幌→関空

となってます。

今話題の洞爺湖サミットは７月７～９日なので、ビルが洞爺湖に移動する頃には警備も解かれているはず。実は最初の計画では、最終目的地は稚内（日本最北端）だったんですけど、いくらなんでも北海道はでっかいどう～～～なんで無理無理！とビルを諭して泣く泣く中止してもらい、北海道のどちらかと言うと南の方で楽しんでもらうことに同意してもらったというわけです。

何よりも熊に襲われる危険がつきものの北海道キャンプなので、今ビルはホームセンターに、ロープを買いに行っています。何のためのロープかというと、デカイ２本の木をロープで括り付けて食料を空中に吊り上げる（図で示すとこんな感じ）ためなんですけど、これをすることによって、食料を野生動物に食われない＆身の危険が薄まる（多分・・・）はずなんですね～。

Mr. G. is wrapped and ready for the friendly skies

Tomorrow my mother in law will drive me to the airport! She is a great help to me

I'm ready too!


The gear is heavy, but not nearly as heavy as the last trip. I learned my lesson well!I will be missing Atsuko VERY much. But, we will be able to talk most every day!
Atsuko is always with me, as are all those whom I love and care about.

Sometimes I am bound to get lonely up there. I would love to hear from you!
You can e mail me at; dj.billybee13@docomo.ne.jp

Thank you Misa!

It's a little difficult to see what these pages are, but I'll give you a hint; YOU are looking at it right now!! The pages in the binder are actually print-outs from our blog!

The lovely Misa Shimizu has printed them out and reads them not only for entertainment, but also as a means to improve her English. It makes me very happy that many friends are enjoying our blog in various ways. Thank you for keeping up with it Misa, and thank you for sending me this picture! I admire your perseverance. Not only with English study, but running and being one of the kindest people on Earth!

Thank you Misa