My First Visit to the US in 3 Years
I was going to America.
I never thought that “Go TENKARA with us?” from three years ago would actually happen again.
But here I was, standing in the international terminal of Tokyo Haneda Airport in Japan.
My destination this time was Asheville, North Carolina, in the eastern United States.
Compared to Colorado last time, the flight distance is longer, and there are no direct flights from Japan.
I had a layover in Dallas, Texas, making it a total of 15 hours of flight.
This 15-hour journey was extremely tough.
I want to earn more money so I can fly business class…
Actually…
The excitement of reuniting with my American tenkara fishing friends after three years was actually rather subdued.
I think Takashi, who accompanied me, felt the same way.
That’s because we had met them in September.
Yes, they were in Japan. We even went tenkara fishing together.
Usually, we say “See you later” when we part ways, but this time it was “See you next month” (laughs).
Even with my usual tenkara fishing friends, we sometimes don’t see each other for two or three months, so this is an incredible cycle.
Amazing.
Texas Specialty
When you think of Texas, you think of “Texas BBQ.”
According to them, Japanese BBQ isn’t BBQ, it’s “just grilling.”
In Japan, grilling meat outdoors is called BBQ, but in Texas and other parts of America, BBQ means preparing the meat for a week in advance, including seasoning, and grilling it for many hours.
Since I had arrived in Texas, I couldn’t leave without trying BBQ.
I immediately ate it at a restaurant in the airport.
It was so, so delicious.
The strong flavor made the beer taste even better.
I impulsively bought a set of 10 bottles, and although I regretted it a little while eating, I managed to finish it all.
I conquered Texas.
There’s no point in rushing.
Thinking that, I arrived safely at Asheville Airport.
The local time was 11:30 PM.
The rental car office was open until midnight.
I went straight to the counter without even collecting my luggage and completed the procedures.
Ignoring the “Don’t rush” warnings, I finished the procedures, received the rental car keys, and, relieved, went to the baggage claim… but my luggage hadn’t appeared yet. I had rushed for nothing.
That day, I checked into a hotel near the airport and went to sleep.
