kumamoto city - ntt dream center - abusing a free trail system for high-speed internet.

as perusual, i was still taking care of business the morning of my departure and had to run to catch the 1:30 bus to osaka - giving me ample time to find my ferry to kag0shima by 6:00. i made the bus, but a cloud-burst made traffic in osaka come to a standstill and made me 50 min late! then it was a race against 2 subway transfers and a tram to the ferry terminal! it was going to be close! the tram was going to slow that i became sure that i would miss the boat. i began planning "b" - sleep in the terminal and wait 24 hours? but would you know i freaking made it! i ran to the terminal at 5:55 and got in line behind a stupid ass tour guide who needed 70 tickets for 2 rugby teams.. my god, i almost lost it. when i got to the front of the line i blurted out my destination and the ticket lady pulled out a blank piece of paper and started drawing on it. she was killing me. then she handed me her masterpiece and explained how to get to the OTHER terminal. and i nearly throttled her.

late, but not by much i jumped a cab and told him to step on it - maybe they have a short cusion for people like me? in japan - not a chance. the cab driver found my predicament amusing, and told me to just take the 7:30 to Miyazake and take a train to kagoshima tomorrow morning. ah! a 7:30 to anywhere in kyushu was fine with me - i didn't really care where i was going anyway!

the ferry was big and full of the kind of happy people who all end up shipwrecked together - a newly-wed couple, and old man with no shoes on, a soldier with important secret orders, a kid running away from home - i feared the ship would hit an iceburg for certain. luck would have it, i survived and the truck driver in the bunk across from me is the proud parent of a 15lb lung baby!

i took a look and found a groovie famous sakura spot in the city - or out of it really. i took a bus to amaga castle and set up shop. i literally tuned up and before finishing my first song was given 500 yen~ dinner - sweet. on my second song i was waved over by an old lady at a big bbq party! it was a gate ball team out for a mid-afternoon drink-a-thon! they loved me - they fed me, beered me, and eventually kidnapped me! there was no saying no, my bag and guitar were wisked off to kamacha's house and his wife instructed at length of my needs for my "homestay".

then we played GATEBALL!! it's a japanese orriginal sport, like a combination between croquette and billiards. i played the number 5 ball on the red team, and badly. but no matter, after 2 games we ate sashimi and drank beer. some turned in around 9, but the rest took me out for karaoke (country road at request) and beers and ramen and beer. i crashed at kamacha's place and he sent me off with breakfast in me and all of his doubts about my hitch hiking feasability. show's him, in 20 min i caught a truck all the way here - sure i was aiming for kagoshima, but kumamoto was a 250km non-stop free ride! flowers are everywhere, yo. and the driver was a cool guy, we talked the whole way! just the normal fist time meeting someone shit, but i'm feeling good after 4 hours of japanese~

so here i am - fresh in a new city and doing a hell of a job of saving my money! we'll see how i do!