Can anyone help us?!

Before I post later about my awesome weekend in Tokyo with my friends and the Disney Gang, I want to blog about what happened when we got back before I forget all the details.

After a long sleepless weekend full of aching feet, we took the shinkansen back to Akayu.

Maggy had driven to Nagai the Friday night before we left for Tokyo and then drove us to the Station Saturday morning at 6:00am and kept her car parked there. (because she is great like that). Maggy lives about 45 minutes from Nagai in a town called Kahoku. From Akayu its about and hour and a half or so driving. We arrived at Akayu at 7:30 exhausted and wanting Sushi and then bed. We dragged our feet and bags all the way to the car, Maggy had to dig out her keys and then we were relieved to be on our way.

BUT....

the car wouldn't start. That's right.... the car would NOT start.

Called Chikako and Yoshi in hopes that they would offer to come rescue us, but they were not in the best position to drive. Wonderful Chikako gave us some good ideas of places to as for help.

First a 10 minute walk (on our sore feet it felt like an hour) to the gas station to ask for help. We walk in and a little 20 year old Japanese girl looks at us and says " I have no idea how to do that!" and then I ask her if she has any suggestions. She flips through papers and the phone book obviously having no idea what she is doing so we decide its a dead end and leave.

Second, we walk back to the station where we ask a taxi driver. Who says she doesn't have jumper cables and it would cost for her to help us anyways. I cant really understand her much and struggle to keep up with her Japanese and eventually give up and call Chikako to help translate. She is kind enough to do so, but it doesn't really help. The taxi lady isn't really willing to be much help (or cant??).

Third, we go inside the station and ask the man, I pass him the phone again to talk to Chikako and he says that he is the only worker in the station so he cant really help and the place that is best for us to go is closed for the night. Basically he is no help.

Fourth, Chikako says she will call a few places in the area and see if any one can help us.

Fifth, the taxi driver from before calls us over and says she talked to the taxi driver behind her and he said he could call some one to help but the person who would help would cost some money. At that point we jump at the offer and say THANK YOU!!! He calls a taxi that has jumper cables and he comes, but he is annoyed because he is not a car repair man, he is a taxi. Finally get to our car, push it to a convenient spot and then the taxi guy takes 5 minutes to jump the car. We thank him and pay him only 700 yen and he leaves!

YAY!! the car is running. Bad news is that Maggy need a new battery, apparently hers is old and might not work again in the morning, but good news is that she and we can get home!!

Finally got home around 9:00 and Maggy at 10:00. To find out that JoeyD had left his souvenir bags on the train!!!

Yes it was one of those days... I like to blame the fact that we sat in row 13 of the train.

Hows that saying go: what doesn't kill you makes you stronger... yea one of those experiences.