I hate snakes.

June is rainy season in Kanazawa and it has been raining for the last few days and the forecast is for rain for the next week. So, when I saw that it was bright and sunny today, I had to take advantage of the weather! I knew that you could bike on a path next to the Sai River and it would lead to the ocean so I decided to head down there. The bike ride there was lovely. It took maybe an hour and a half(going at my snail's pace and stopping a bit along the way). Finally I got to the sea and there was a park that had trails leading around a bird sanctuary with small observation areas along the way (so explained the map at the entrance). I start walking into the park and what do I see but a huge snake on the the side of the road!!!!!!! I am so afraid of snakes. Really, I hate them. Even looking at pictures of them makes my heart start to flutter. So seeing an enormous snake right there on the trail sent me into a fit of near hysterics as I take my bike and run in the opposite direction (further into the park and what, in my mind, has now become SNAKE LAND). I don't know what to do- I do not want to venture further into Snake Land but the snake is blocking my only exit. So I did what I normally do when faced with a problem in Japan- call a friend, complain about the situation and hope they can tell me what to do. Jane and Zach (my normal problem solvers) are away this weekend so I call my friend, Dan.
A: [insert hysterical explanation of the situation here]
D: So, what do you want me to do about it?
A: *good point* Ummm I don't know.
D: Well, Ganbatte! (means good luck in Japanese)
Fortunately, by the time I get off of the phone, the snake has slithered off and I race out of the park as fast as possible.

I decide to head to the beach another way (a way with roads, no pathes with bushes for snakes to hide in). However, it takes my heart about 30 minutes to stop pounding and literally every branch or bit of drift wood looks like a snake to me. Still, it is a beautiful day and sitting next to the sea makes me feel calmer. After a bit, I decide to head home. I hop on my bike and head down the path next to the River. Not even a minute later I see an EVEN BIGGER snake sprawled across the middle of the path. There is no going around it. I head back in the opposite direction and try to think of another way that I can possibly get home to no avail. So I stand as far away from the snake as possible and watch it until it slithers away to find a new spot to sunbathe. I race down the path to home. The 1.5 hour trip only takes me 30 minutes on the way home.

I HATE SNAKES!


This is the path that runs next to the Sai River and leads from the mountains to the sea.

Fishing

Beach on the Sea of Japan

This, out of the corner of my eye, was a snake on the beach.

A cemetary amongst the rice fields