Lost in an Even Bigger City

August 2, 1983, Tuesday

8:30am start. It was sunny--the first sunny day since I arrived on Hokkaido! I had a long 60km route to the city of Ebetsu today. I had to go through the city of Sapporo to get there. When I got into the city of Sapporo, I met two nice girls near Odori Park, the famous place where they have the ice sculpture festival during the winter. It is also the place with interesting historic structures like the one in the photo. The girls were friendly and struck up a conversation with me, which surprised me, because I really look like a bum.

Information on Sapporo: Prior to its establishment, the area occupied by Sapporo (known as the Ishikari Plain) was home to a number of indigenous Ainu settlements. In 1866 at the end of the Edo Period construction began on a canal through the area, encouraging a number of early settlers to establish Sapporo village. The settlement's name was taken from the Ainu language, and can be translated as "large river running through a plain".

By the way, I did not imagine that Sapporo would be so huge! It looks just like Tokyo. I got lost and wandered about for hours. I needed to find my way out of the city to go to Ebetsu. I finally got on track and made my way to Ebetsu to get in touch with Mr. Sawabe of the Ebetsu Marathon Club.

When I got into town, Mr. Sawabe picked me up in his car and we made our way to his house at 6:00pm. I felt exhausted today. Maybe it was from all the excitement (or stress?) of being in such a big city like Sapporo.

Big City

August 1, 1983, Monday

Started at 8:30am today on a partly cloudy day. It was a bit warmer than yesterday. I had a hilly 62km of road to cover with many tunnels along the way. I counted at least 8 tunnels including one which was about 1.6km long. It was pitch black in some of these tunnels because of the exhaust from cars.

I had lunch at Yoichi city and took a short nap on the beach (for about an hour). I felt really refreshed after that nap. When I arrived in Otaru city, I was surprised at the large size of the city. I arrived at around 4:00pm and walked around the shopping area to check it out. This may sound strange, but I felt so much like a person from the sticks. As I saw in the stores the kind of normal clothing that people wear every day, I had a strong urge to stop wearing running clothes. I just wanted to wear some regular clothing of a civilized person and just blend in with the crowd.

Eventually, I called Mr. Shimizu of the Otaru Running Club to say hello and let him know I was here, then I checked into a hotel. I was left alone tonight in order to get a good rest. I believe Mr. Kayano contacted the folks here to let them know of my preference to rest up for the final days of the run.

It is already the month of August. June 11, the first day of this run, seems so far away. So much has happened since then, and I know that anything can happen in the next few days.

Support from a Friend

July 31, 1983, Sunday

Along with some runners from the Rankoshi Running Club, I started at 9:30am. The Rankoshi runners came with me for 2km, then I was on my own. I was heading for the town of Kutchan 32km away. Although it was cloudy and raining at times, I felt pretty good today. Maybe it was because of the relatively short distance.

The scenery was beautiful from Niseko to Kutchan. A friend from Tokyo, Mr. Kayano, had arrived yesterday in Kamimena, and he jumped in for the last 5km run into Kutchan with me. He has been a big help, giving me a lot of encouragement. Mr. Kayano, who works for Toyo Ink, was the 10th place finisher in the 1982 Guam Marathon. He loves running and the marathon in particular, even though his job does not allow him the time to train as much as he wants.

I am now down to about ten more days of running until I reach that finish line. It will feel so good to finish.

Note: The photo is from the August 2, 1983 Guam Tribune newspaper.

Deserted Forest Station?

July 30, 1983, Saturday

Got a relatively early start at 8:00am on a very cold and rainy day. I started by first walking the first kilometers to the outskirts of Oshamambe, then started running towards Kamimena. It was so cold out there, that I was wishing I had brought a long-sleeve shirt with me.

It was easy to get lost on the route today. I ended up going the wrong way and so I had to backtrack to Kuromatsunai. I am sure this added at least 4km to today's distance. I made it to Kamimena at last, but what the hell...it is just a tiny train station in the middle of the forest! No houses, no stores, no nothing! No way was I going to spend the night in the forest. I needed to get out of there fast and make my way to a real town.

I proceeded to make my way (fast, to avoid running in the dark) to Rankoshi to stay with Mr. Sasaki's cousin. Mr. Sasaki is the man I stayed with in Mori. The distance today was probably around 55km, including the extra distance from backtracking.

Mr. Sasaki's cousin told me a story about running into a bear in the near vicinity. Apparently, one night after drinking a good amount of sake, he was walking home alone on a deserted mountain path. When he turned a corner, he said he was face to face with a bear. He said he just froze for what seemed like an eternity (he says it was probably around 30 minutes) because he did not know if the bear had moved behind him and he was afraid to move. Eventually he gathered enough courage to haul ass all the way to his house.

I am not sure what I would do if I end up running into a bear. I don't think I can break out into a full sprint with my beat up legs.

Squid-rice in Oshamambe

July 29, 1983, Friday

Started running at 9:00am on a cold and foggy day. I did a lot of walking with running on the straight and narrow road towards the town of Oshamambe. It seemed like a totally straight and flight 31km route to this old Ainu town.

I met Mrs. Suzuki of the Hakodate Running Club on the road while I was running. She was driving over to Obihiro to watch a track & field meet with another family.

When I got into Oshamambe, I hung around the train station before going to the Murakami residence for the night. At the station, I bought some ika-meshi, one of the famous dishes of this town. It is seasoned squid filled with rice. Very delicious, although I am still not sure what nutritional value squid has. All I know is that it was very tasty.

The town of Oshamambe seems a bit depressed. It may be due to the weather, but Oshamambe looks like a lonely town. However, the young couple, the Murakamis, made me feel at home. While relaxing earlier in the evening, I watched a video tape of the Tokyo International Marathon that took place earlier this year. Toshihiko Seko had won that race in 2:08:38, a first win for him in Tokyo. I truly enjoyed the evening and felt so relaxed here with Mr. and Mrs. Murakami.

Note: For an interesting account about this area written by a foreigner in 1878, read Unbeaten Tracks in Japan by Isabella L. Bird.

Phone Home

July 28, 1983, Thursday

I left the town of Mori (named after the word for "forest" in Japanese) at 10:30am and started to do some easy running mixed with walking to the town of Yakumo, or Yakumocho. The total distance covered today was 32km on a cloudy and foggy day. It is cold in this area, especially at night and when you are close to the ocean.

My knee is hurting from yesterday's run. I must have been carried away from all the excitement. I need to rest the knee for a while and just do some gentle running and walking on these shorter distance days.

At 3:30pm, I reached the town of Yakumo and contacted Mr. Sahashi for a place to sleep. I spent a quiet evening with the Sahashi family. I called Guam today and spoke with Bill Thomasson, a close friend, and also with Cinde Whitman, president of the Guam Running Club. The call cheered me up quite a bit. I have been thinking about Guam a lot lately, and looking forward to being back home.

Northern Country

July 27, 1983, Wednesday

After meeting with the mayor at City Hall and talking with reporters, I started running at 9:45am. I couldn't believe it--they had the streetlights turned off and cops at the intersections so that I could run through! This was the first time it's happened, and I did not expect it at all. Of course, I would not expect any other place to do it, either. It was a bit too much with the police escort.

Members of the Hakodate Running Club were there to see me off after a very formal ceremony with many people watching. It was a bit embarrassing for me, but I must admit, it felt good to be treated like this after coming all the way to the northern island of Hokkaido.

A couple of Hakodate runners joined me for the first 20km of my 41km run today. I had lunch at the Onuma Country Club. The club is a very impressive one. I was told that they use it for cross-country skiing in the wintertime. I would love to come back here to do some cross-country skiing, something that I had done a bit of when going to school in Gunnison, Colorado.

It was fairly comfortable running in the cloudy and foggy conditions that lasted all day. I reached the town of Mori at 3:00pm and went to Mr. Sasaki's house to spend the night. I had a delicious steak dinner and drank lots of beer--Sapporo beer, of course.

Running on Water?

July 26, 1983, Tuesday

The morning was spent touring the city of Aomori. I rode the 12:15pm Seikan Ferry to the city of Hakodate past the Tsugaru Strait. It's been very cold due to the fact that it's been raining all day.

I tried to get some sleep on the ferry, but could not rest because of the loud kids running around the boat playing tag. I should not blame them--it's a great experience and a lot of fun for them to be on this ferry. They are probably on some sort of a school trip.

In case you are wondering--No, I did not run in place while the ferry was making its way to Hakodate!

I reached Hakodate at 4:30pm and was greeted by a gentleman and two ladies from the Hakodate Running Club. We all went to a historic building that was also a classy restaurant and ate a nice dinner. The Hakodate runners are great--the president is a doctor here and really seems to know his stuff about running and the body. I enjoyed talking with him. It was a fun evening, a good start for the next leg of my journey, this time, through the northern island of Hokkaido.

Last Honshu Run

July 25, 1983, Monday

It was a sunny and HOT day. I started running from the hotel at 9:30am. I should say running/walking because for the first 20km of today's 40km route, I was suffering from leg soreness and the intense heat. At about the halfway point, I met up with some Aomori runners and ran at a pretty good pace for the rest of the distance into Aomori city.

It was nice to see the ocean again while running and I was super happy, thinking that this was it for the island of Honshu! I made it through the largest island!

I reached the finish at 4:30pm and met the mayor at City Hall. Aomori is such a beautiful town. I'm sure the scenery here is quite different in the middle of winter, giving another view of the city's beauty.

The knee is really bothering me now and it seems to be getting worse every day. Will it hold up in Hokkaido?

Hard Rain

July 24, 1983, Sunday

I left the house at 10:30am in the heavy rain. In fact, it rained heavily all day. I made my way to Hirosaki station, 50km away. I saw on the news that the heavy rain has caused a lot of damage, especially in the town of Masuda where about 50 people died and about 100 people are still missing. Those landslides caused by the rain can do a lot of damage in these towns.

My knees are still bothering me, but I should be fine for the rest of Honshu. I hope the weather is nice tomorrow for my last day of running on the main island of Japan. The Hirosaki people treated me kindly. I got to tour the city with some of the Hirosaki runners and went to see the famous Hirosaki Castle.

Some interesting information about this city: There are numerous remains of cultural assets in Hirosaki, a town centered around Hirosaki Castle. The town is also known as Little Kyoto for its historic set up and the cultural atmosphere. After the Meiji era (1868 - 1912), the town developed as an agricultural district and became Japan's largest producer of apples. Plantation of the fruit is known to have started in 1875 when seeds of western apples introduced through a foreign teacher were planted and since then research brought forth improvement in quality. The prefecture's highest peak on Mt. Iwaki-san is on the west, the mountain ranges of Hakkoda-san are on the east, mountain ranges of Dewa-san are on the south, and Iwaki-gawa River's stream runs from north to south through Tsugaru Plains.

Tsunami Tragedy

July 23, 1983, Saturday

I started running at 9:00am this morning, but first visited the port where 36 people were washed out to sea by a tsunami last May. Amazing how such things can happen so quickly and without warning.

It was mostly cloudy, with some rain showers. Today I felt very tired and sore from the start, so I did more walking than usual to mix up the running. I told myself I'd better take it easy before I end up in the hospital again.

I ran into the town of Odate in the evening, and walked around in the rain to find a place to eat. After eating, I called Mr. Takeda of the Odate Running Club and was picked up to stay at his house. Later at night, I had dinner out in town with the running club and went back to Mr. Takeda's house to get some rest.

While everyone else was the drinking and eating, I kept saying to myself, "I've got to survive the next 2.5 weeks."

Attitude Adjustment

July 22, 1983, Friday

8:00am start. Cloudy day with no rain--perfect conditions for running. I ran the 62km to Noshiro fairly comfortably today.

Today I decided to work on changing my attitude. I am attempting to be more of a positive thinker and having more of a positive outlook during these runs. It seems to be working. I was feeling good today. Now I'm waving and smiling a lot more whenever I see people.

I reached Noshiro City Hall at 5:40pm, talked with news reporters there, then went to the Noshiro Kogyo High School to spend the night. The table tennis club is having their summer training camp here, so the team members are also staying overnight.

This is a much nicer place than I expected (the accommodations). In addition, the folks here are leaving me to do as I please.

Only 3 more days to go until I get to relax on the ship to the island of Hokkaido. That will be a nice break.

By the way, I am writing in ink now because I threw away the pencil to lighten my load. Yes, I am that conscious about the weight that I carry on my back.

Lonely Road

July 21, 1983, Thursday

Today is Liberation Day holiday back home on Guam. Again, just like the 4th of July, it's just another day here in Japan.

I started early at 6:30am today, while it was raining. I did not eat breakfast until 10:00am. I was feeling especially tired on the run today for some reason. Perhaps it was because of the lonely road I was on most of the way, with hardly any drive-ins or stores. During the run, I started to feel sick so I had to take a number of breaks.

Eventually, I made my way to the city of Akita. All I could think about today was to be alone and get some rest. The Youth Hostel that I stayed in last night had a bunch of noisy people that kept me up until past 2:00a.m.

Can it be that my mental condition at this point is deteriorating more than the physical?

Following Basho

July 20, 1983, Wednesday

Started at 6:30am on a cloudy and cold morning. I first thought I had the whole day to myself to run freely for the 60km to Kisakata. I was feeling good, running easily, until someone hopped out of a car all ready to run. This happened at around 7:00am.

At first I was a bit disappointed that I would not be running alone, but the feeling went away. This man, Mr. Tanaka, joining me today turned out to be a very kind, quiet runner who gave me my space as I ran my pace on the road. Unlike the other gung-ho runners, Mr. Tanaka respected my need for some quiet time while I put in my distance. He ran about 50km of the way with me, and at that point, I think he realized why I had preferred to run alone--He was not very talkative in the later parts of the 50km!

I ended up going a bit longer than intended today because we had passed the Youth Hostel by a couple of kilometers. Just 3 more weeks--I've got to make it through just 3 more weeks. I am going to try to enjoy these last remaining days of the run as much as possible.

By the way, I am now in Akita prefecture. The poet Bashō visited Kisakata as part of his 1689 travels in Honshu, and composed a famous waka about Kisakata's islands. However, an eruption of Mount Chōkai in 1804 caused the seabed to rise, and the islands are now surrounded by land, not water. There is a statue of Bashō at the Kanman Temple, which he visited.

Beautiful Yamagata Prefecture

July 19, 1983, Tuesday

I started the run alone today at 11:00am to cover the 45km to the town of Tsuruoka. It was another nice run along the coast on a partly cloudy day with no rain. Yamagata is such a beautiful prefecture. People here are really down-to-earth. At times, it is difficult for me to understand their dialect, though.

As I was running along the coastline, I met a young man who is walking from Soya Point in Wakkanai to Kagoshima (He's going "downhill"). The man pulled out news clipping of me from his wallet. He said he had been looking around for me. It was great meeting up with him...now I don't feel so lonely knowing that I have a fellow traveler covering the same distance. This man really has guts. He quit his regular job to take this journey. People don't do that so much in this country.

Mr. Abe of Tsuruoka met me along the way in his car and following me in his vehicle as we approached town. I noticed signs welcoming me were posted in various parts of the town, on Mr. Abe's car, and even in Mr. Kageyama's house! I feel really grateful for the effort these folks made to make me feel so welcome.

I'm staying at Mr. Kageyama's house for the night. Earlier this evening, I drank so much beer that I started to feel sick. I need to learn to control my input of beer!


Photo: Finishing at City Hall in Central Honshu.

Matsuo Basho's Inn

July 18, 1983, Monday

Before beginning my run, I met with the governor of Murakami. Started running at 9:30am under sunny/partly cloudy skies.

Today's run was an extremely beautiful one along the coastline to Nezugaseki. It was about a 50km run today. It was such a pleasant run today--I truly enjoyed it. Events after the run were quite interesting.

Mr. Ono, who showed me around after my arrival, helped me to check into an old, historic ryokan. The owner of the ryokan informed me that the famous Haiku poet, Matsuo Basho stayed in this same inn. I was a bit skeptical, because this must have been over 300 years ago, according to my calculations. The innkeeper came back with an old registry to prove that he had stayed. Really fascinating! I asked which room, but he did not have any idea. Still, it was a real thrill to know that I am staying in the very same inn as the poet who took the "deep and narrow road" through Japan. This is probably his most famous haiku: furuike ya / kawazu tobikomu / mizu no oto (the old pond / a frog jumps in-- / water's sound) [1686]
(See Photo: Matsuo Basho 1644-1694)

When I settled into my room, I sat down with Mr. Ono, had a few beers, and started to talk about various topics. As we sat talking and drinking, Mr. Ono started to cry. I was not sure what was up, but then he started to tell my why. He was recalling the time he was in New Guinea during World War II. He had some very pleasant memories of being in the islands, but what made him cry was the recalling of atrocities that were committed by the soldiers. I did not ask him to elaborate, but I could only imagine what was going through his mind. We continued talking and he seemed to feel much better by talking through his emotions.

Mr. Ono should come out to the islands once again to erase the bad memories and return with the good. I hope he can make it out to Guam someday.

Today I reached Yamagata Prefecture, another milestone indicating that progress is being made.

Bear Country?

July 17, 2006, Sunday

Another rainy day today. I started the run at 9:15am in the cold rain. I am prepared with my lightweight red poncho from Champion Products, that easily folds up into a pouch. Mr. Ito is running with me again today. I really respect this 66-year-old man who has experienced all kinds of running adventures. He's such a nice guy and fun to be with. He understands how tough it is putting in these long distances and is very sensitive to not disrupt my pace.

The legs are feeling much better, but I still need to monitor the pain in the knees. The knees can really put a stop to your running, especially when you are prone to the sharp pain that can come and go, like big needles being rammed into the knee joint.

When I reached Murakami and checked into a ryokan, I got a massage from a Murakami runner. The Niigata people are really helpful. This part of the country feels so different from being in the big city environment. The people really seem to be so much friendlier.

Today, I heard that bears appear every once in a while out of the mountains. In fact, this year, because of the lack of food in the mountains the bear sightings are more frequent. The other night, I watched a news clip on TV about the apparent sighting of a bear in the vicinity. The TV camera showed a pile of bear droppings, proof enough that it was not just a vision from a guy drunk on sake.

Cold Temps. in Niigata

July 16, 1983, Saturday

A cold rain was falling when I woke up this morning. Still, there was no choice but to head out for a 60km day. This may sound repetitive, but I'll say it again--My legs were sore and I didn't feel like running at all. I felt that way all day today.

I still ran most of the way though, but after lunch, I was really feeling it. Three runners from Niigata joined me from that point and accompanied me the rest of the way. The moral support was welcome and the guys were gentle on me. Gentle running is about all I can do now.

Being in the city of Niigata is interesting. It's a fairly good size and is famous for cold winters, with freezing winds blowing over from Siberia. There is an island off the coast (Sado) where prisoners were sent during the Edo period. The Tokugawa Shogunate also operated gold and silver mines on Sado Island. Refining of the gold and silver ores was also done there. Descriptions of the operation can be found in numerous picture scrolls (See Photo).

Only 9 more days until I leave the island of Honshu. I just can't wait to reach Hokkaido, or the land of Ezo as it was called in times past.

City of Fireworks

July 15, 1983, Friday

A cloudy day with some showers. I started the run at 8:00am for a manageable 35km to the town of Nagaoka. Two runners from the Nagaoka Running Club joined me today. No problem, they took it easy on me.

Today's distance was short (21+ miles is short? It's all relative, I guess). The legs are still hurting though. As you can see from the photo, I am now wearing a knee support.

A bit of history: On August 1, 1945, the city of Nagaoka experienced approximately 126 B-29 bombers bombing Nagaoka for one hour and 40 minutes, starting at 10:26 p.m. The air raid turned most of the city into a deluge of fire. It claimed about 1,460 lives, and nearly 60,000 people lost their homes.

In 1946, the city designated August 1 as a day to commemorate the rebirth of the city. In 1951, the day was chosen as Nagaoka’s Festival Day. On August 2 and 3, Japan’s largest scale fireworks show is held along the banks of the Shinano as a reminder of the people who lost their lives during the air raid.

To the people of Nagaoka, the city’s annual fireworks show is a symbol of peace and an expression of enthusiasm for Japan’s postwar reconstruction. Unfortunately, I won't be around to enjoy the fireworks with the citizens of Nagaoka. In fact, I'll still be continuing this run.

I'm trying not to think too far ahead about the future right now. No use asking myself, "Am I going to be able to walk if I make it to Hokkaido?" I need to take one day at a time. Things will work out.

Tunnels Again

July 14, 1983, Thursday

I had a late morning start today with a lot of distance to cover. I'm not sure how many kilometers I ran today, but I do know that it was over a fairly long distance. The guys here at Nyuzen informed me about the tunnels. No way you can run in these tunnels, according to them. They are way too long and are not built for pedestrians to pass through, they said.

They insisted to follow me in their vehicle, and believe me, I was glad. The Nyuzen Marathon Club guys were right--these tunnels were huge and long. They were filled with exhaust fumes. I know I would have been terrified to go through these monsters on my own. For just the terribly dangerous tunnels, the guys insisted I ride with them. I did not argue. No way...I want to live!

I reached Kashiwazaki in Niigata Prefecture in the late evening. I'm staying at the Youth Hostel here, which is crowded with Tsukuba University track athletes. They remind me of the time I ran for Sophia University in Tokyo when I was a freshman. The training camps with the team were so much fun. Train hard, eat, sleep, and do it again with the rest of the team.

This run is nothing like that experience, although the activity of running is the same. Nothing compares to this long journey, at least nothing that I have encountered so far in my lifetime.

The legs are still sore and I especially feel it in the knees and hip.

Note: Photo above was taken on the first day. Almost a distant memory by the time I reached Kashiwazaki.