Okay, now it is all getting too much for the Pirate! Pink. Hello Kitty. Kitchenware.Time to say goodbye to wonderful Japan. The Pirate was fine with the Sea and the food and all that, but he just can't handly the cuteness culture.
Sayonara!
One of the busiest stations in the world, and one of the most famous crossings too - the one featured on Koyaanisqatsi. A wonderful and weird country, seemingly full of contradictions yet it all works. And when you're there, you understand how, somehow. But it is very hard to explain. Thinks the Pirate.
I had to hold on to him, seriously, otherwise he would've swum home to CaliforniYAY. He gets sentimental and homesick, the Pirate.
How do you explain to a pirate that the inside of the train goes just as fast as the outside but you don't feel it? He kept wanting to stick his head out the window to feel the wind. With that speed, that would be a very bad idea, Pirate. Good thing the windows could not be opened at all, we would've had a headless pirate.
Although he found it a tad impractical, the Pirate still enjoyed it. He's a bit of a barbarian.
Hitting on cute chicks everywhere. This time he hit S. She was very friendly to him. But not that friendly. She's a bit out of his league I fear.
Now THAT's more like it!
After all that talk of ships, we decided to actually get in one. Well, a boat. With a small motor. And a very quiet old Japanese guy boating us around Hagi. Showed us an old samurai house. Even the pirate was impressed. Now he thinks that in a former life he must have been a samurai. We agree. (Even despite their close relations with ninjas...)
Yep! The pirate and us visited Dejima (or Deshima) in Nagasaki, a reconstruction of the island where Dutch traders were stationed when Japan was closed to the outside. Only Dutch (and Chinese) were allowed to trade with Japan, but were only allowed to do so on this tiny island in the bay. This is the Pirate checking out the Opperhooft quarters.
It is customary for visiting school classes and other groups to offer strings of a thousand origami cranes. The Pirate was very impressed.
Having finally reached our beds for the night, the Pirate was in it before I could even undress. We had to share the bed though. Luckily the Pirate was too tired to try anything. After all, you never know, with pirates.
Although "paying a visit" would be a bit civilized to express the pirate's intentions once he got inside the palace grounds. We decided not to risk it and went back to the train station.
So we were all a bit tired from the flight and things but we found a way to visit Tokyo on our way to Fukuoka. Here the Dread Pirate is just done rubbing his sleepy eyes and gazing around. (Probably trying to spot Godzilla... this is the Pirate after all.) (No big giant newts spotted in Tokyo that day.)
