Tim’s Nomad Diaries

Cruising down the freeway at 180 KM/Hr. in a new Jaguar Executive with Shin, his girlfriend Yokoma, and 21 year-old sister Ioma; man, talk about hitchhiking in style huh? Shin’s IPOD is loaded with every classic eighties song fathomable; I select Bon Jovi living on a prayer.

I sing (if you can really call it that) “We’ve got to hold on to what we’ve got ‘Cause it doesn’t make a difference If we make it or not.” As I pass the invisible microphone in my hands to Ioma, she blushes and shouts out “We’ve got each other and that’s a lot, For love - we’ll give it a shot”. Then, placing the mike in the center of the car we all wail out in accord “We’re half way there Livin’ on a prayer Take my hand and we’ll make it - I swear Livin’ on a prayer”.

Much of the four hour ride from Kyoto to Nagoya was spent in this fashion; it was quite the karaoke fest for sure (And quite possibly, the only documented sober karaoke session in the history of Japan). We rocked that Jag out for real! And if you think that this hitchhiker’s tale can’t get much better, just wait: we stopped off at an all you can eat buffet style steakhouse in the Mie prefixture, an area renowned throughout Japan for its delectable extremely high quality beef. Shin insisted on paying my way and amazed me with his spectacular ability to stretch his small stomach with obscene amounts of meat. It was truly a historic display on his part, and this meal was definitely one of the finest that I have ever eaten.

Hitchhiking through Japan has had its ups and a few downs, but overall its been an incredible experience. Typically the waiting time for a pick-up has been no longer than 25 minutes, with the exception of one day which I spent most of the day waiting. When someone finally did stop for me, I found out that the two cute twenty-something girls where going the exact opposite direction that I needed to go. But, as I had been waiting out there for almost two hours in the blistering heat without anyone stopping (the AC from the car felt so great), one of the girls spoke English very well, and I was really looking forward to some companionship, so I hopped on.

The girls dropped me off at a better hitchhiking point and gave me some incense burner as a gift before we hugged and departed. In fact, most of the hitchhikers gave me gifts, even though I always tried to decline. And all of the riders demonstrated the greatest of kindness to me.

While thinking about hitchhiking, a long list of benefits from it come to mind. To name some: a cheap and effective means of transportation; playing a small part in helping the environment through reducing harmful emissions; meeting new and interesting people; potentially enhancing the important yet rarely applied art of listening; giving oneself a better understanding of the interconnectedness of humanity as well as the positive idea that anyone can potentially go anywhere in this not so big world of ours.

All these are important attributes, but for me the biggest benefit of hitchhiking is the great perspective on life that it gives us. Hitchhiking can be viewed analagous to our lives. Most of us have some goals in mind, a destination which we aspire for, but oh too often we get so caught up in trying to achieve our destination that we forget about the way, the path. Hitchhiking teaches me, that although the destination is the ultimate plan, just as how all of us start in this world via birth and we are en route destined to death, the ride along the way is what really counts. Without really living in the moment and enjoying that RIDE, life is nothing more than continual process of being born just to die. Without living to ride, we essentially live to die. What’s the point of embracing a nihilistic view of the world like this? Lets all start RIDING now, and spread this message of empowerment through our actions, creating a Hitchhiking paradise of pro-LIFEers, holding on for dear life to every new experience that awaits us, each new ride to hop on!

Anyway, tomorrow I leave Japan, hope everyone enjoyed this entry. Next stop: China.