Okay we're just getting pulled over by the police!
We've got two police cars!
Please ..... oh you want me come? yeah yeah.
it was supposed to take 20 months to drive our UK camper van around the world,
but yet here we are 36 months later in Japan!
And let's be honest we still have one seriously long drive to get back to the UK!
But after catching a ferry to Japan's northern Wilderness island of Hokkaido,
we've arrived at what we consider to be a very momentous point in our adventure!
Wow - you may be wondering what is so special about this Lighthouse especially on a foggy daylight today?
I mean it hardly gives you the wow factor!
Well this Lighthouse marks Hokkaido's most easterly point,
but it's not just the most easterly point of a Hokkaido,
this is in fact the most easterly point of Japan!
This is the furthest point we are going to be from home!
For the past year every step, every Drive, every Adventure, has taken us further and further from home.
Further from our family and friends,
but this spot marks a turning point,
We're halfway,
and that means from now on every mile driven takes us slightly closer to home.
Don't get me wrong, I know it's still going to take about 15 months to get home,
but there's something psychologically different knowing that each day we're getting closer rather than further from home.
Let the long drive home begin!
It always seems impossible until it's done! - Nelson Mandela.
MILES TO THE UK
26,343
If you're eating seaweed at home, and it's coming from Japan, if it says Japan on the packet,
there's a good chance it's coming from here!
We have found an area here where they're laying out all the seaweed on the gravel to dry [Music]
I love it - it's a family business, there's a lady with a baby on her back, there's a little girl that's helping,
I just love that!
it's a family affair !
So being in the most easterly point of Japan, which ironically on the map does not look like it!
I love Maps!
Yeah the map slightly rounded which makes the world bent!
This is actually the most easterly point even though on this map it doesn't look like it!
So we need to update the map because we haven't updated the map that we're in Japan,
which always confuses everybody that looks at the van!
If you meet Trudy, which hopefully one day you do, the red line was our initial plan to drive around the world,
and obviously with all the other stuff,
so we're doing it in green, to show the route that we're actually doing!
As Marianne got the tape ready, a group arrived and before you knew it,
she was trying to explain how a brightly coloured English campervan ended up at Japan's most Easterly point!
You got an audience love? no pressure! [Laughter] I am just trying to peel this,
There you go, it's done!
So these guys have given us a sticker for Trudy,
Thank you very much!
right you ready to drive to England?
yes I am!
Going past all the guys with the seaweed
yeah you got space.
Look at it all in the back there.
Thank you,
bye, bye!
wow look at all that seaweed there all lined out,
amazing!
that's fabulous!
So this most easterly point of Japan is very very Bleak,
very foggy - I can imagine how cold and bleak a lifestyle that it is,
isolated, in the winter,
it actually reminds us of the time we went to Tuktoyaktuk in the far north of Canada,
you can tell that the people here would be like true warrior people,
mentally, physically, emotionally very strong.
They've got a good seaweed business going by the looks of it!
One thing they do have up here is a lot of solar and wind turbines,
so they are definitely making use of the land and resources around them,
and more seaweed, everywhere you look there is seaweed being laid out to dry!
but then Seaweed is a massive part of their diet here.
Just be aware a lot of cars in Japan in the fog for some reason they don't put their lights on!
driving through the dense fog we had our eyes peeled as we'd heard that apparently more cars hit deer here,
than any other part of Japan.
And looking at the fog and the deer warning signs, I think I can understand why!
Yeah - I'm like GI Joe I've got my eyes peeled !
Our friend Ruth had told us that we had to try a local crab before we left the area,
so we headed to the town of Nemuro.
We were just a few blocks from our destination when this happened!
Okay we're just getting pulled over by the police!
Do you think they want me to stop here? I don't know - Oh yep they are getting out!
We've got two police cars!
I'll get out, I'm excited, No don't get out!
Hello,
papers? Yes. We handed him our papers which he took back to his car
I don't know what is happening, I have no idea either.
I think they are confused because we have a British Number Plate,
I am sorry - oh no problem - I will get google
did you travel?
Whilst the one officer was in the car checking our paperwork,
the other one continued to talk to us,
we did our best to explain that we were driving around the world.
Around Japan?
No - the whole world!
The World? Can you see that on the side of the van the map?
You are on Youtube - Yes
This is great!
And we'd actually been living in this van for five years!
Five years ?!!!!
About five minutes later the Second Officer returned with our paperwork,
and his colleague explained what we said.
England - This van England, we have permission.
We are English, can you get our passports just to show?
Would you like to see our passport? Yes okay.
I am sorry - No it is okay.
I don't think they'd ever seen a foreign number plate before.
International Driving Permit?
Thank you - Okay,
Okay - Thank you, You are welcome - thank you.
it's a bit crazy!
this is crazy!
Have a nice day! oh thank you! You too
Please keep the card, thank you - I am watching
Thank you very much.
Oh they're so lovely !
I think we just created a bit of confusion.
I think it's not ordinary...
I've said it before we're an ordinary couple, but we're doing something quite extraordinary,
and I think we've blown their minds!
Do you want to just turn down there and we'll figure out where we are.
So this is the place that we've come down to, this is famous for the crabs,
and they look amazing, look at the colour of those.
And he said we can go in there and eat which is great.
Look at those crabs!
Very good - good!
Small one, small one for me, small one.
The police had followed us to the Crab Shop and now wanted us to go to the nearby police station with them.
30 MINUTES LATER
So that actually ended up being really good, so we had to call the shipping agent we because we didn't show them the right papers.
But it's all good!
it's just part of the adventure!
Even though the shipping agent Kazue san who is fabulous - thanks Kazue san, sent me all the paperwork but I just couldn't find it!
but it was in the folder! Oh thank you, you are a star! so yeah so it's all good they've released us,
we're in there for like half an hour trying to explain why we've got a British number plate,
They are so polite !! but then the police officer actually gave us his card, he wrote out a note and said if you ever get stopped by the police in Japan again,
please give them this note and it explains everything!
so yeah all good right should we go and get some crab now?
I think we should!
Finally we're back at the Crab Shop, I wondered what the owner thought seeing the police come and whisk us off to the police station?!
We're back, we're back at the crab Place! Take two!
There's nothing like a police drama to make you even more hungry!
One small one.
wow look at that!
So this is the famous local crab here, and they actually give you instructions on how to eat it ,which is a good job really!
And then we've got these big scissors although Marianne doesn't eat crabs so it's all for me!
with scissors in hand I carefully followed the instructions.
Very good!
What is the name of the crab?
That is hard work for your dinner !
You are having to work hard for that dinner!
It took quite a long time to carefully cut out and find all that delicious crab meat,
but believe me it was worth it !
So after that delicious crab lunch highly recommended if you come to Hokkaido,
That window Marianne! we got Sea Gulled!!
We definitely got pooped on!
That is really bad! that's Carnage!
Such a nice guy!
THE NEXT MORNING
The sun is shining and we are in the city of Sapporo.
We're staying at a couple of followers house - Amanda and Yujiro thank you very much for having us!
So this is where Trudy parked up last night - lovely veggie patch, just opposite their house.
We're parked up in their neighbour's house, they're actually living in this house here, we're in the suburbs!
This is our guide for the day
Thank you very much! thank you for having us!
You are welcome, It's my pleasure!
We're very excited, dancing - we are very excited it's in our blood!
So yeah, we're going to a dance Festival?
yep and we're going to get the subway into town.
Okay we have a guide this time, meet Amanda!
Don't go anywhere !!
Because last time we took the train we got very lost!
It's always easier navigating public transport when you're with a local!
At least we won't get lost this time!
Yay, it is so easy when you are here! What are you doing for the next two months?
Oh I would love to ![Music]
There's loads of dancers coming on!
As we exited the train, it was obvious from the amount of dancers on the platform that this was going to be a very big event !
It looks a big event!
The Dance Festival happens every year, but it hasn't happened for a while, but there's lots of dancers here,
so I'm excited I think it's going to be a fun afternoon here in Sapporo!
So we just come down to the park and they got these wonderful costumes here with the umbrellas,
it's a really good atmosphere everyone's hanging out in the park,
you can hear music playing, there's costumes everywhere, pretty cool!
The Yosakoi Soran Dance Festival is a must-see for visitors to Hokkaido.
We have just spotted the University students running down the road in what looked like their underpants!
I love it [Music]
Okay so we're stopping for a bit of lunch,
cheese sticks [Music]!
any pastry that is fried - is good! [Music]
That is not a real horse ! It is not a real horse? that's a robot horse? There is a robot horse on stage!
That is amazing - no animals were harmed during the making of this video !!
How cool is that? This dance Festival has been epically cool and it's so nice to see all the young people out celebrating [Music]
Hey Marianne and Amanda are going to join the kids on this slide here in the park
Crazy adult alert!
Are you going? No! Me neither!
So now we're going into a stadium Park that we bought the tickets for.
A thousand yen each, and so we get to see some cool dancing close-up.
So yeah, it should be good and apparently you can sit anywhere!
We have come into this bar restaurant, with the traditional table there.
We've come for an early dinner!
We've got fried things on steaks!
What have we got?
Ginger, quail eggs,
Lotus Roots, onion,
Asparagus, shrimp.
we've got cheese, look at this cheese! this is the best cheese ever!
pork.
raw cabbage! yes raw cabbage - that's makes it healthy!
spicy sauce!
Join us next time as we start the long drive home!
Starting with the drive to the south of Japan!
The windscreen wiper fell off!
and experiencing more of this wonderful and unique country.
I don't think this is a good move?!