Yokoso! Welcome to Japan

Japan brought many surprises for them, despite our warnings… the driving… ”You call this a street?”… ”Isn’t this one-way?”… ”Wait a minute while I pry my fingers off the handle.” The food…”Hmmm – you said this is edible?”…”They eat this?”…”You want me to eat what!!??”…”Ahh, interesting”. The visits to the shrines, temples and castles…”Wasn’t anything built on flat ground?”…”You said a few stairs!”…”What! MORE stairs?”…”No wonder they’re all so tiny!” And not to be forgotten…the toilets…” You do what!!??”…”Why do they have toilet shoes?…Oh…”

Little did Steve realize that he was actually on a weight-lifting jaunt. Every train station, as well as the aforementioned shrines and temples and such, require that you walk up stairs. Wrestling with a 46 pound bag requires a lot arm and back muscle. The bus…on and off. The station…up to the station, up to the overpass, down the other side – though sometimes it’s an underpass so you traipse down first, then back up. Even when you can wheel it, there are still the endless ramps to navigate as well as the sprint down the platform to make the train. Finally, you’ve found your car AND your seat but all is not done yet. Now, the same bag needs to be raised over your head to put it on the rack. Reverse the sequence upon arrival at your destination. This series of exercises will be repeated daily.