TICKET TO AMERICA

If the road would only go straight;
Without a hill even, nor a curve;
And the end could be seen in the beginning;
I would not want to go…

“How to go to Alaska? Do you know a captain of a boat that could take me, or at least a place where the boats go from? I want to go to Alaska. Do you know the way? ” I`ve been asking this question since February from almost every person I have met. (Maybe some of you are smiling now, reading it).


Plan A
Last December I applied for a volunteer English teacher position on a Peace Boat. The ship was to set sail from Japan on May 14, 2008, go around the world and make a stop in Alaska in August 2008. Unfortunately my application was not approved - no experience. Kimie tried to help me look for other positions on the boat. No luck.

Plan B
Hokkaido – the Northern island of Japan, thus closest to Alaska – would it have a boat for me? The only thing I could do was hitchhike and ask. “No” and “I do not know” were the only answers I received.

Plan C
Get a Russian visa, go to Sakhalin from Wakkanai (closest port to Russia– Sakhalin is just 43 km away), hitch a boat to Magadan, and seek a way from there. “We can not help you,” said the man in the Russian Embassy of Sapporo. “No visas for foreigners unless they are residents in Japan.”

Out of plan
I followed the feeling of going North, going to Wakkanai – the Northern most town in Japan. Wakkanai, in spoken Japanese means “I do not understand” or “I do not know”. The name reflected my feelings 100%.

“I will remain in the place called “I do not know” until I know…” is what I thought and did. I have been in Wakkanai for nearly three weeks now and love it!
Arrived on a rainy May 20th; was introduced to Mr. Watabe – a farmer in charge of a huge household, with a lot of work and in need of volunteers. Was given a room and food and a company of many friendly people. Was given a bike and a sea just 8 km away. Was given two days off.

Since I arrived everybody has been looking for a Way. Finally a boat was found and Mr. Watabe negotiated with the company. It would take a week or more to get there, which would not have been a problem. The main issue was my gender - the crew consisted of only men. Thus a girl could not go.

A cheap flight was found for JPY53 000 (~$530) from Narita (Tokyo) to Vancouver (Canada). I would be hitchhiking North from there.

Plan D
Go anywhere on the American continent and travel North.

May 30 an event was held to raise funds for my trip to Alaska. A great job on PR: posters, mailings, word-of-mouth, two newspaper articles, radio advertising. Result: 30 people came, those who could not participate, sent money in envelopes. There was also an envelope from the city office – the mayor of Wakkanai I had met two days before, had kept his promise. Many volunteered to help the cooking and preparations. Estonian food was on the menu. I made a 30-minute PowerPoint presentation about my journey in Japanese.

We raised JPY61 500 (~$615) which then seemed more than enough to take me across the ocean. A few days later the news of all additional fees to the ticket came. What we thought was JPY53 000 was actually JPY120 000 ($1200). Not possible.

Immediately a meeting was held. Even the priest Mr. Furukawa arrived. Made several phone calls. Ideas of a part time job, selling cake made by an Estonian recipe, having a presentation tour, having a full-course Estonian menu on the weekend were discussed during the brainstorm.

The cheapest plane found was Narita (Tokyo) – Los Angeles (US) for about JPY90 000 (~900$).

On Wednesday went to the mountain to gather plants, which I later sold in Wakkanai market - earned JPY2000 ($20). Estonian full-course menu was sold in the farm café, Estonian pie was served in another log-house café in the city.

In total we raised JPY100 500 ($1500). And e-ticket to LA is already in my pocket.


FUND RAISING FOR ALASKA from the beginning...

When I came to Japan (April 11) I was almost out of money. There was a question of how much cash I carried on the migration card. I wrote something like $12, 2000 Korean Won (~$2), a few Russian Rubles, a few Chinese Yuan and some Rubles from Byelorussia. The thought of traveling without money was for some reason not scary at all. Though just in case, I took out JPY10000 (~$100) from my bank account – having about $300 left. I have traveled Japan for two months now. Came to Wakkanai - the Northern most city of Japan. I have not spent even 1 YEN of that bill.

I remember a feeling of wanting to walk slowly. The long winter break was over – I was back on the Road, back in Japan. Happy. And my pace – it was indeed quite slow under the weight of a 25 kg backpack.
I sat on a bench in a bus stop to take a short break when an old lady approached me.

“I could take you to the train station if you would like.”
“ Thank you, but I am traveling by hitchhiking”
“You do not have money? Here, this is not much, but…”
She handed me a JPY1000 (~$10) bill before I could say no.
“Thank you!”

I continued walking. Getting tired again, I hitchhiked for about 10 minutes. Then walked again. “I am not homeless”, I wrote in my journal. “- Have seen many good places to set up the tent”.
The sun was setting when a truck pulled over. The door opened: “Where are you headed?”
“Hiroshima”, I said, quite surprised. I had been walking against the flow of traffic.
“Hiroshima and then?”
“Around the world,” I said.
“ I think I can help,” the driver said.
“I was not hitchhiking, how did you know I needed a ride?” I asked already in the car.
“You were before. That is when I saw you,” the man replied.
“It is not much, but this is as much as I can give,” he said and handed me JPY5000 (~$50)
“I do not really need…” I said.
“It is a long journey. Welcome to Japan!” said the man.

Most of that money was still there when I finished walking the Salt Road. I ate little and usually skipped dinner. When I wanted fresh food, it was given without me ever asking.

A random example:
On the seventh day of walking (April, 29), having run out of most provision, I went into a shop in one mountain village. “Hungry, I said. Do you have any fresh food?”
The ladies boiled herb tea; one went home to prepare some onigiri rice balls for my journey. After lunch they gave me bread, tea and candy to take along. When I wanted to pay, the shopkeeper refused the money.
“It is a shop, right?” I asked laughing.
“Yes, but you have come from very far away…” was the answer.

In the same “organic way” my food-bag became full again when I started hitchhiking. I received something from almost every car. Cookies, soup, even fish…
A family invited me to have lunch with them in a road-café. It was a busy place, with long tables. I was the only foreigner and my journey was discussed around the table.
“You must be very rich to be traveling around the world”
“I am hitchhiking – it is free”
“What about food?”
“It is always given when I need it.
When I have money, I use money. When I don’t have money, I don’t. What I need is always given. It is very simple.”
“Just in case…here you are”
I received JPY10 000 ($100).
“Thank you,” I said. “For Alaska…”

I showed him a $1 bill that Justas had given me in Korea. It was a very special Dollar. Justas had earned juggling on the streets of Busan. It had a large smiley-face with “For Alaska” written on it. Despite the sum, it was one very optimistic looking Dollar in my “For Alaska Fund”.

May 14 I received another one of the JPY10 000 from Estonian Japanese Friendship Association. Then there was another JPY10 000 from one old lady in Sapporo.
I received JPY1200 ($120) in Asahikawa Art Museum.
I received JPY3000 ($300) from a Polish couple I met in Sapporo Modern Art Museum.

I never received money when I had it. Having run out of it, never mentioned the lack or asked anyone to support my journey. On the contrary preached the idea of the “things one can not buy”.

My only question was: “Do you know the way to Alaska?”



THANK YOU EVERYBODY WHO SUPPORTED MY DREAM!