Another hitchhike adventure up north on a rainy day
Carrying an umbrella in one hand while riding my bicycle through heavy rain, I road 15 minutes to the local train station to catch a train just after 6 a.m. It was imperative for me to travel to the city of Aomori, 470 kilometers to the north, and I intended to take trains all the way. But upon arrival at the train station, I learned the trains were not running past Murakami City, only 60 kilometers!
I was glad that just the day before I checked the map for a new route. Hirakida station is the closest to the Arakawa-OKi expressway interchange and appeared to be close enough to walk to. When I arrived at 7’10 a.m. the rain had stopped.
It took me 50 minutes to walk to the expressway interchange but it bore fruit. Only a few minutes wait and I got a ride. Four vehicles later I got as far as the southern border of Akita Prefecture, 200 kilometers from home. By then the rain was so hard I asked the driver to take me to a train station. Happily the trains were running from that point and I made it to Aomori by 7 p.m.