It was hot and humid. Beads of sweat were rapidly racing down my back and face. The sound of semi (cicada) bugs filled the air like tiny violins playing the same note. It was around four o’clock and I had been wheeling around all day. Where were these Ukai Cormorant Fishermen that I was looking for? My body urged me to take cover from the sun’s intense summer rays. I decided to take refuge at a small food stand stationed on the banks of the Oi River in the Arashiyama District of Kyoto. An unhinged plank of wood lay in the entrance acting as a ramp. A young man about my age sat at a table talking to the waitress and another couple in the corner quietly held a private discussion. I popped my front caster wheels onto the plank with an unintentionally loud thud. Everyone looked up and the young man and waitress came rushing to my aid. I knew I could manage getting inside but had become accustom to accepting help from locals. After I was led to a table the waitress handed me a menu. “No thank you,” I said in Japanese. I was not hungry but thirsty. I looked at the waitress with my hands up and asked “English?” She shrugged her head and apologized that I then countered with “Dijobu,” which means no worries or everything is all good in Japanese. I had my eye on an Asahi Beer advertisement displayed on the wall. I pointed to it and indicated with my hands that I wanted a large one. The ice cold beer rushed down my parched throat soothing every hot cell of my body and everything slowed down. I continued to sip my cold beverage while I stared out onto the river. A light wind scattered the banks of the river and caressed my face. I felt like I was dreaming. I was experiencing a moment that I knew would not last but would always remember. My adventure in Japan was more than halfway over. Tears began to fill up my eyes as I replayed my journey.
Like many aspects of life, my first trip to Japan did not go exactly according to plan. It started off at the Keio Plaza Hotel in Tokyo which I assumed would be the best hotel but ended up tying another for last place followed by my able-bodied friend and tour guide abandoning me after day four of the trip due to an emergency back home. So there I was a half a world away from anyone that knew my name. I had the choice of jumping ship and also returning home but something in me pushed me to go on. Japan had been on my top five places to travel to and I didn’t want to give up so soon. ‘I’ll experience what I am meant to experience,’ I told myself with no specific sightseeing agenda. Before my friend’s departure he schooled me in the ways of the Japanese train systems. This was critical in my travels. Fortunately for me and any other wheelchair traveler for that matter, the Japanese train system is highly efficient and wheelchair friendly; one of the best, if not the best in the world.