Omagari insanity
I rode up the expressway into Akita to watch the biggest fireworks festival in all Japan. Getting off the tollway was a bit of a chore but after half an hour of maneuvering through the slog of cars and despite poor directions I made it just in time for the start. It was magnificent.
Of course, there were about half a million people there. Which meant that afterwards the throng proceeded to hop in their vehicles and clog the streets. I was staying the night at another JET's place so I needed to get out of town and onto route 13. But the roads were jammed with cages. What's a biker to do? Well, the nice policeman who gave me directions told me to drive on the wrong side of the road, as there was no traffic.
So I did. The road was a parking lot. I must have passed 500 cars. Ahh the advantages.