the naked north

we flew into hakodate on an enormous 747 ANA jet unabashly coated with blobs and turds of pokemon fluff. amazed that they deployed a jet of this size for a mere 1 hour 20min flight from narita. thank God the stewardess did not serve us dressed as one of the creatures shown on tv! they are delicate maidens...with million-dollar complexions... am off to hokkaido... a `japan-hour` fantasty come true...nothing but sashimi, onsen, summer fields and the promise of warm chill for the entire week. driving north... this other north island and none are armed with japanese. our first hour in japan made a permanent impression on us...an awefully firm conviction that we have arrived on an exceedingly polite society...where you receive bows on mostlanes and shop entrances... and the entire transportation network is structured on clockwork. even a one minute bus delay is almost unheard of. here, attention to self is frowned upon as strollers, hawkers, top-notch businesswomen and men alike find means and ways to help you to the hilt, with 0.1 command of the english language....i have yet to see anyone using a mobile phone on the streets...no one engages sms in public...it seems that civility is a national past-time here, deeply embedded in all.the route is rough and we have plenty of time on our hands...minimal shopping but plenty of exploratory drives and maximum reliance on earnest smiles, collins guide on japanese language and culture and an above-average EQ, i hope! it is a strange and unthreatening sense to be stranded here. so darn lost yet so assured to sense home in the warm manner and perplexed looks that meet us each time we pose a question of our whereabouts in this spankingly clean land of zero litter and quietly efficient recycling city...i have this simple faith that somehow, someone will come by and lead us to where we need to go.