Day 25, April 7 (Sun)

Guess what? It’s bad to put regular gas in a diesel engine. 

Today I went to Kobe!

For Ikea.

And to Kyoto!

For Costco.

It was painful to be visiting these cities and not see any of the sights. We passed Osaka and saw the top of Osaka castle but that’s about it. 

Tomoe was using her dad’s van, which fit everybody and everything we might get. Chris drove. Nathan and I sat in the roomy backseats. It was about a 3-hour drive to Kobe, and we were at Ikea for like 3 hours. It was crowded. 

Then it was a short drive (maybe an hour?) to Kyoto and the Costco. I think we were at the Costco for about 2 hours, maybe longer. It was crowded. 

They have escalators for the parking garages. The wheels on the carts lock so they don’t roll.

Anyway, we were all set to be back in Sabae by around 8 or 9... unfortunately, when we got gas, Tomoe didn’t remember it was diesel, and we made it about 10 minutes away before the car stopped and we were stuck on the side of the expressway. Happily, Chris didn't panic when the gas stopped working, and we were good 'n off to the side. Luckily, it broke down before the tunnel. Unfortunately, the expressway is not the most convenient place to be.

What do you do when your car breaks down on the Hokuriku expressway in Japan?

First, a cop came, talked to Tomoe and helped her figure out what to do, and left a flare behind the van. Tomoe contacted a tow service and the gas station. Then we waited an hour for the tow truck — and were towed!

The gas station we’d filled up at had offered to keep their office open to wait for us, so we towed back there. Then we waited in tense anticipation to hear if they could get the car working....

...

...

And eventually, it was ok to drive. It still must be serviced, but at least we could get it and ourselves back to Sabae by 1am. 

So after unloading, we went to bed.