Hello, David.
I think your plan sounds fun.
Although, when I was a college student, I went to Kyoto from Gifu which is my home towon through only public road, it took about four hours and a little more, which might be funny for everyone and I think nobody tries to do that.

Anyway, enjoy your long trip by car.

Ken

•  Ken
• 2010年4月11日 21:56

Hi David,
I hope you'll feel better tomorrow.
Your long journey starts from tomorrow; driving through different prefectures sounds interesting!
Take an enough break while driving and have a safe drive.
Enjoy your time!!

Anne

•  Anne
• 2010年4月11日 22:04

Hi David and everyone,

It's windy and is raining a little bit around here in Nagoya.
What is the weather like in your area?
Last weekend might have been the last chance to view cherry blossoms since the weather is going downhill.
We were able to enjoy cherry blossoms around here for a considerably long time this year. I did kind of "Cherry Blossom viewing " party two weeks ago!
This viewing "桜前線" goes up to the north, Tohoku and Hokkaido, right? It reminds me of a book by some foreigner ; he travels from Kyushu to Hokkaido chasing after cherry blossom front line

Hi amo,
What movie did you watch yesterday?
I hope you could recharge your energy !

Hi David,
Do you feel better this morning? I hope so!

See you soon,

Anne

•  Anne
• 2010年4月12日 09:30

Hi team,

I'm in Hakodate waiting to get on the ferry. The drive down from Sapporo past Toyako was beautiful. I'll be in Aomori in about four hours.

•  David
• 2010年4月12日 14:13

Hi　David

You'r driving from Hokkaido to your home?Sounds good.I'm excited to hear about your plan.I'm sure that you'll have a great time with your car!If I were a good driver,I wanted to travel by car like you.
I'm looking forward to reading your story.Take care!

Hi everyone

How was this weekend?I found a good DVD shop.Most DVDs are ￥100,so I borrowed a lot of DVDs.
I enjoyed watching The phantom of the Opera.It's one of my favorite musicals.

Nao

•  Nao
• 2010年4月12日 17:10

I just got off the ferry in Aomori. According to Ai chan (my car navigation), it's 890 km from here to Seto, and it will take "more than 24 hours." Here goes...

•  David
• 2010年4月12日 18:38

It's about 11.30, and I've got as far as Akita. I'm going to sleep in my van tonight and then try to get back to Seto by tomorrow evening.

•  David
• 2010年4月12日 23:24

Hi everyone,

It was a busy day today, and I am so tired that I cannot write a long comment.

Anne, I watched "Shutter Island" and the ending was exactly the same as I had thought. Also, it was not a movie that I needed to watch at the moment. I wanted to watch a movie such as cheer me up :-) Even so, after watching, we went for a drink and it was fun.

Hi David,

Safe journey, and hope you get home tomorrow evening.

Good night and sweet dreams,
amo

•  amo
• 2010年4月13日 00:21

Hi,everyone★

Because of David's blog,I miss Hokkaido.
I love Yotei and Goshiki Onsen as well!!

David's driveing sounds like "How do you like wednesday?"　水曜どうでしょう in Japanese.
haha

Do you know the TV show?
They drove up all way to Hokkaido from Honsyu by their bike”カブ”,and it made thier buttocks hurt..

Well,you use a car so it is no matter,I think.
But it makes you tired,anyway.
Please take enough rest and safe drive to Seto:)

•  Ｃｈｉｙｏ
• 2010年4月13日 01:56

Hi David,
You are getting back to Seto today? It's tough,isn't it?
When I read your sentence"it will take "more than 24 hours." , I couldn't believe my eyes.
Anyway, safe drive!

Hi amo,
As you said, "Shutter Island" doesn't seem to be the type of the movie to make you feel relax. I'm going to watch it as well.

Anne

•  Anne
• 2010年4月13日 05:18

Hi Nao,
I like The phantom of the Opera too! There are a lot of shops that you can rent at a reasonable price^^ By the way, when you say" ビデオを借りる", you need to pay some money,right? In this situation, you should use the word "rent" instead of " borrow." ( David の本159ページに載ってます＾＾）

Anne

•  Anne
• 2010年4月13日 06:03

Hi Nao and Anne,
I love "Phantom....".
"Our strange duet" in particular.

•  Appoh
• 2010年4月13日 07:26

Hi team,

I'm driving down the coast of Akita now, and it's really beautiful. The Sea of Japan in out to my right, and I can see a small island. (I think it's called Tobishima Island.) To my left, there is a huge mountain called 鳥海山. It looks like something you would expect to find in the Andes or the Rockies! I will definitely be coming back here in the summer.

•  David
• 2010年4月13日 08:35

Hi David,
Good morning! You seem to be fully enjoying the beautiful countryside in Akita. You feel like you are in Andes or the Rockies? That's great! It's good for you to find places to visit again.
Anyway, beautiful weather and beautiful scenery.....enjoy driving with Ai chan^^

Anne

•  Anne
• 2010年4月13日 09:03

Hi David and everyone,

I'm back and read your live reports from various places. えっ？もう帰ってくるのですか。そんなハードなドライブとは思いませんでした。では、Davidの大好きな「交通標識」を楽しみながら、右は日本海、左は東北の山並みをお楽しみください。I've never tried that course, so I'm looking forward to reading your live reports. When I read the next one, you'll probably get to home.

Have a nice day!

•  匿名
• 2010年4月13日 09:44

↑　It's me, tsuneko.

==> When I read the next report, perhaps, you'll have been at home.

•  tsuneko
• 2010年4月13日 09:48

I'm in Yamagata now, and I can see where it gets its name! I was just thinking that Japan must be one of the best countries in the world for road trips. It's so easy to find public toilets, parking places, convenience stores, and of course, hot springs.

By the way, I have noticed something here that I have never seen before: all the convenience stores seem to have "genkans." Does anyone know why?

Anyway, just another 550 km to go!

PS Hi Tsuneko. That last sentence is actually quite a difficult thing to say.

By the time I read the next report, you may already be home.

•  David
• 2010年4月13日 09:57

Hi David

A beautiful seascape makes you happy while you're driving.It's a nice trip:)
I just image the view in Osaka.

Hi Anne

I made a mistake!Thank you for your correction.It helped me.
(borrowとrentではえらく意味合いが違ってきますね。）
You also like The phantom of the Opera?That's a wonderful musical!Right?
I want to watch it on the stage some day.

Hi Appoh

You love The phantom of the Opera?'Our strange duet'?I'll check the scene again!

Nao

•  Nao
• 2010年4月13日 10:20

Hi David and Everyone,
I'm on a train to Sapporo where I'll attend a meeting. David, it was a good timing that you left Hokkaido yesterday. The weather is terrible here, as the wind has been blowing very heavily and raining since this morning. It seems you feel better and enjoy driving and beautiful scerneris. That's nice! Have a great day.;-)
Talk to you later.

Maki
携帯でコメントするのは時間かかる～(笑)

•  Maki
• 2010年4月13日 10:29

I've got as far as Niigata now, and I'm just about to break the "500 km-to-go" barrier. That means I'm over halfway home. Driving across Japan like this reminds you that it really is a country of mountains.

•  David
• 2010年4月13日 11:19

Hi David,
Glad to hear you are enjoying your road trip. You are over halfway home? Already?? I thought it was going to take you a lot more time. Anyway, enjoy your adventure and get home safely!

Hi everyone,
As I mentioned before, my children have started their new lives, but they are not used to their new lives yet, and neither am I. I have to get up about one hour earlier than before and make lunch for my son. My daughter comes back home from school much earlier than when she was in kindergarten because the 1st graders don't have lunch at school yet. My oldest son is going on a school trip of 3 days and 2 nights to Nagano tomorrow. It's not for fun at all. The students are going to be giving lectures by the teachers and learn how to study for the classes. They will be in the hotel during the stay and study until 10 p.m., so there will be no sightseeing. Poor him! There are also parent-teacher's meetings on 15th and 19th, so I'll be busy for a while. I hope things settle down soon!

My daughter is coming back home. I've got to go!

See you,

Tomo

•  Tomo
• 2010年4月13日 11:46

Hi Nao,
Yeah, you should check it out !
This part is always exciting !
"Sing once again with me, our strange duet"
I really love it.

•  Appoh
• 2010年4月13日 12:01

I'm still in Niigata. It's a very long prefecture, and I seem to be spending most of my time waiting at traffic lights! I hope I will be able to get back out into the country before too long.

•  David
• 2010年4月13日 14:59

Hi David,
hahaha! I will keep my fingers crossed for you！

•  Anne
• 2010年4月13日 15:50

Still in Niigata! Is there any end to it?! But I'm starting to see signs for Nagano now.

•  David
• 2010年4月13日 17:10

I was just driving along and Ai chan said, "そろそろ２時間になります。休憩しませんか" so I stopped for a break. She does worry about me! I'm well into Nagano Prefecture now. I think I'm about 230 km from Seto, so I'm hoping to get back around midnight.

Another thing I've noticed today is the number of very old ladies who ride motorcycles in Japan. I don't mean Harley-Davidsons, of course - they are usually Honda Cubs. I have passed at least three today who must have been in their 90s. They are easy to spot because they tend to ride at about 15 km/h. Still, it's amazing they can ride at all.

Oh well, time to get back to the road...

•  David
• 2010年4月13日 19:19

Hi David,

Thanks for your report! It sounds that Ai chan is an ideal partner for you!　As you said, I noticed that Niigata prefecture was long from north to south when I watched the weather report on TV. Finally you've got into Nagano now and three-more-hour-drive takes you back home! It's still a long way home, though. Please drive safely and take Ai chan's advice!;-)

Hi Tomo,

No sightseeing school trip?! What a pity! Hope your son will find something fun in such a situation.

Bye for now,

Maki

(訂正)
scerneries ⇒ sceneries

•  Maki
• 2010年4月13日 21:37

Hi David,

I enjoyed reading your comments today. I have never been to northern Japan, so your comments make me think to visit there someday.
I bet you are still driving down to Seto. Hope you can get home before midnight, but do not drive too fast!! Follow Ai chan’s advice.

bye for now,
amo

•  amo
• 2010年4月13日 22:17

Hi David and everyone,

As Maki said, be obedient to your navi-partner. I hope she will say, "It's time you stoped driving today." By the time you make Seto, we'll be sleeping. (I understand how to use 'by the time'. Thank you.)

今日会った近所の高校新1年生も明日から、3日間の合宿だそうです。やっぱり特訓らしいです。最近の全国的な傾向なのでしょうか。知りませんでした。

•  tsuneko
• 2010年4月13日 22:22

Hi David,
You are well into Nagano?(This expression is new to me.)
That is good for you. I can not believe you have been driving all the way from Akita today. Ai chan is really a perfect partner,isn´t she?　As Maki said, please drive safely!
Hi Tomo,
What a pity! Actually,my sons had the same kind of　camp.

I can´t access here from my PC,so I´m posting this from my cell phone.
See you soon,

Anne

•  Anne
• 2010年4月13日 22:45

Hi David

Are you almost arriving at Seto? I enjoyed your reports. Tohoku looks good place! I also never visit Tohoku and want to go there now.
An relation between you and Ai chan reminds me an American TV drama, "Knight Rider".

Hi Tomo

Your lifestyle has changed drastically, hasn't you?
Please take care not to fall sick.
When I was high school student, same as your son, I went trip and studied until late at night.
It was hard but little bit fun. I hope your son gets some good memories in the trip.

trmr

•  trmr
• 2010年4月13日 22:53

Hi team,

I just got back. Thanks for your support and encouragement on my very long journey!

I'm off to bed now.

Goodnight.

•  David
• 2010年4月14日 00:20

Hi David
glad to hear that you got home safely.
I am not sure that you are aleady awake or not, but take some rest and relax today.

Have a good day,
amo

•  匿名
• 2010年4月14日 08:03

Well comeback! You drove very fast!
As for "gengan" of convenience stores, I haven't noticed that myself. I just guess they need the place for customers to shaken snow or rain off before entering the stores, especially in winter. About old-lady riders, I've never seen such active women in their 90s. That was amazing. Otsukare-sama deshita.

•  tsuneko
• 2010年4月14日 08:41

correction

I am not sure that you are aleady awake or not,
→I am not sure if you are aleady awake or not,

Have a good day everyone
amo

•  amo
• 2010年4月14日 09:08

Hi David,

It's good to know you arrived Seto safely! Thanks for sharing your live reports from various places. It was a lot of fun. I've never visited Akita and Niigata and your stories made me feel to visit there sometime soon.
Wow! Old ladies in their 90s riding motorcycles? That's amazing! I guess people living in the rural areas need their "means of transportation." You don't need to petal and it is considerably safe to ride cubs in the country. Doesn't it make sense? Anyway, in their 90s!

It's windy and cold today,brrr.....

Have a nice day,everyone,

Anne

•  Anne
• 2010年4月14日 09:14

【訂正】
The students are going to be giving lectures by... → The students are going to be given lectures by...

Hi David,
Glad to hear you are back safely! Did you sleep well last night? Aren't you stiff after all that driving? Anyway, take a good rest:)

Hi everyone,
Thanks for your comments about my son's school trip. He left home before 6:30 a.m. this morning with a big heavy bag which contains a lot of textbooks and dictionaries and an unhappy look on his face, ha ha.

Maki - I watched the weather report this morning, and according to it, you'll have some snow today, wow! I also checked the weather where my son is staying(nearby Lake Shirakaba), and it says that it will snow tomorrow morning, and the lowest temperature will be minus 4 degrees! Anyway, stay warm and try not to catch a cold;-)

Tsuneko - High school students in your area are having a three-day studying camp, too? As you say, it seems that a lot of high schools have this kind of camp even if they are public schools.

Anne - I didn't think of the word "camp" when I was writing my last comment yesterday. I also think it's more like "camp" than "school trip"!

Trmr - Thanks for your kind words:) Have you also experienced that? It must have been tough, but I'm glad to hear you had some fun there.
＞I hope your son gets some good memories in the trip.
I hope so, too!

Hope you all have a good day.

Tomo

•  Tomo
• 2010年4月14日 10:36

Hi,it's me again.

When I was reading David's reports, I found a sentence that I couldn't understand.
>Still, it's amazing they can ride at all.
→"at all" is usually used with a negative or in questions,right? I couldn't understand what's the meaning of "at all" and why this expression is used. I guess it is used to emphasize the sentence,but.... Do you have any ideas about this?

Anne

•  Anne
• 2010年4月14日 10:44

Hi Anne,

It means "It's amazing they can ride even a little bit." Maybe something like あまり上手に乗れなくても、乗れること自体がすごい。 It's like "I can't read this at all" or "I can't understand him at all."

•  David
• 2010年4月14日 11:24

Hi David,
It seems like you enjoyed the drive with Ai-chan ;-) Good for you! Take a good rest.

Hi Anne,

I often see this usage of “at all” and use it myself. If I understand it correctly, it’s similar to “in the first place.”

•  Lily
• 2010年4月14日 11:27

Hi David,
Thank you for your explanation!!
I got it. I've learned a lot of expressions this week.

Hi Lily,
>it’s similar to “in the first place.” →I see.
Do you often see this usage of " at all"? This is the first time for me and I'm sure I will notice when I see this next time^^)

Anne

•  Anne
• 2010年4月14日 11:50

I found another example in the previous entry as below.

> I often forget that the blog is public, and that anyone at all can read it.

This was the first time I'd seen 'at all' in a positive sentence. Thank you for asking and explanation.

•  tsuneko
• 2010年4月14日 22:30

Hi David,

Glad to hear that you got back home safely. Thanks for all your reports! Did you have a relaxing day today?

Hi Tomo,

We'd been having some snow till late afternoon and it was cold! I needed a downjacket and gloves again, even in April!!;-) Tomorrow it'll be also very chilly, but not snow...I hope so...

Good night.

Maki

•  Maki
• 2010年4月14日 23:22

Hi tsuneko,
Thanks for letting us know!

Hi Maki,
I saw the snow falling on TV and it was like a snowstorm.

Anne

•  Anne
• 2010年4月15日 05:55

I was planning to upload some photographs from Hokkaido today, but my cold has got worse, and I have a horrible headache, so I'm just going to lie on the sofa. I'll do another entry tomorrow.

Hope you are all feeling better than I am!

•  David
• 2010年4月15日 15:55

I was planning to upload some photographs from Hokkaido today, but my cold has got worse, and I have a horrible headache, so I'm just going to lie on the sofa. I'll do another entry tomorrow.

Hope you are all feeling better than I am!

•  David
• 2010年4月15日 16:00

Take an enough rest and you will feel better. I'd like to ask you not feel obliged to do entry even tomorrow.

•  tsuneko
• 2010年4月15日 16:17

Hi all,

I just finished the meeting at my son's elementary school and got home. I'm a bit tired, so I'm going to lie on the sofa too, but I'm feeling relaxed now.

David - As Tsuneko said, don't worry about doing a new entry. Hope you feel better soon, and take care!

Tomo

•  Tomo
• 2010年4月15日 16:45

Hi David,

Sorry to hear about your headache. As tsuneko and Tomo said, please don't worry about the new entry. Did you take a medicine? Take a good rest!
I hope you will feel better soon.
旅行の疲れが出たのでしょうか？ソファーでなくベッド直行をお勧めします。

Anne

•  Anne
• 2010年4月15日 17:26

Hi David,

1000km-driving might make you tired more than you expected. Take good care of yourself. Hope you will feel better soon.

Hi Anne,

We didn't have any snow today, but it was very chilly. The weather is getting better and the max temperature will be 8c tomorrow!;-)

Bye for now,

Maki

•  Maki
• 2010年4月15日 23:15

Hi David,

I suppose you are in the middle of your sleep. By the time you read this, I hope you feel better.

Get a good night’s rest!!

amo

•  amo
• 2010年4月16日 00:11

I want to be a morning person and always try to be so, but soon get back to a night person.

I watched the TV news tonight: A Japanese female astronaut, Yamazeki Naoko in a pink kimono was trying to make some hand rolled sushi, and then some rice pop into the air. She caught it nicely and got back into the weaweed in her left hand. That was funny. My dad in law was laughing seeing her jumping hair.(BTW, she speaks Egnlish very well and I like her way of speaking.) They also said Ipad sold very well in the US, so it's going to be postponed till the end of May to start selling in Japan.

高校新1年生＝＞　新高校1年生？　高校新入生？
Well comeback(No meaning?!) => Welcome back!
to shaken snow or rain off => to shake off snow or rain
not feel obliged to do entry => not to feel to do an entry

I'll stop now... and get to sleep,Zzzzzz....

•  tsuneko
• 2010年4月16日 02:23

Hi tsuneko,
You are really the night person, aren't you? You would also say" night owl." Don't you feel sleepy during the daytime? What time do you usually go to bed? I usually get up around five thirty in the morning so I'm a morning person.

I watched the news concerning" Yamazaki-san" and "ipad" too! I'm curious to know how the taste of sushi. As for iPad, the more you wait, the more you want to buy...isn't it a good strategy of the Apple?

Bye for now,

Anne

PS. David, I hope your headache went away.

•  Anne
• 2010年4月16日 13:39

Hi Anne,

You get up at 5:30? You're a real early bird. So good! When I'm being a morning person, I go to bed around 12:00 and get up around 6:30, but when I'm a night owl, well... depends, not fixed, occasionally stay up all night.^^) ←your favourite face.
I seem to like the silence in the night especially when my husbands works at night shift. ところで、Kazuによると " a night person" とは言わないらしいです。 "a night owl" "an evening person" "a B-person" が使われるみたいです。ちなみに、朝型人間は" an early bird" "a morning person" そして　"a A-person"とか。私の場合も夜の方が冴えてるかと思いきや、夕べの文字をみてもアルファベットがEgnlish(English) とかweaweed(seaweed)とか踊ってます。諦めずにA-personを目指します。

•  tsuneko
• 2010年4月16日 18:41