A Day With Kei. Part 1

Harry had had some previous contact with a Couchsurfer who had offered to take us fishing in the mountains. When we finally go up we perceived it too late to meet him. However we stuck with the plan and met him in his extreme Tokyo suburb town at about 3pm.

Kei was cool from the word go.

He was soft-spoken and very considerate. I had the feeling that he always had a little twinkle in his eye and was quietly planning something. This was of course the best thing ever from the Couchsurfer, the devious fire that makes everything awesome and funky during your time with them.

Harry had had some experience with bikes he went on the single whilst I sat on the back of Kei’s double. We stopped off quickly at his house. A cool and cosy creation filled with stuff he had collected on his travels and a remarkable amount of Disney merchandise. Then he outlined the plan, we were to go into the nearby mountains, eat some lunch, then head to a fishing spot he found and catch a couple of fish, this would then be capped off by an outdoor onsen (were Kei has a membership card of all things) and then it would be back to his for some food.

Good, good, plan.

The biking through the mountains was great. We first went through the Tokyo suburbs and then on to winding roads and lanes that snakes passed small towns and lively local festivals. Festival season was just winding down in Japan and every town we passed had at least one leaping idiot dressed as the god of fire or something running up and down its streets.

The view over the lake was rather fantastic. Dinner was also. Take away food in Japan really is rather good. There aren’t that many big supermarkets in Japan just hundreds of 7/11s or Am/Pm’s. Our favourite, The Lawson, provides pretty decent take away noodles and stuff like that.

After tea, and with the light fading, we headed to the fishing hole. It was down a steep track near a crazy old guy’s farm. We climbed down the sort of storm drain-esque riverbanks and fished with salmon eggs. Needless to say both Harry and Kei caught a fish and I achieved nothing .

They were only small fish anyway so we had to throw them back. I don’t feel so inadequate when you consider their meagreness. Once it had become too dark to fish we scrambled up the bank and met the farmer. Kei apparently had had some tea there once and wanted to say thank you. Tbc…