In Between

No soccer club today. But there was this.

The boys do that thing where they ask, “Are we there yet?” every five minutes, and I always say, “Yep just about,” even when we’re nowhere close. Why make a thing out of it? Whether it’s 10 minutes or an hour, does it really matter? At some point their sense of space and time will improve and my plan will be foiled.

I want them to enjoy the journey, not just the destination. In everything we do, everywhere we go.

With no soccer today, I ran with an idea inspired by a friend. There’s this manga museum in Ishinomaki I’d always known about but never thought to visit. I'm one of those white guys in Japan who didn't come here for the anime or the cosplay. But after looking into this place I thought wow pretty cool so today we drove out there.

Even Eri was like, “Ooooh, can I come too?” Of course, yes. I love love love a good family day trip.

We rolled off the driveway at 9:27 a.m. and the moment we hit the traffic light at the bottom of the hill, Osamu asked, “Are we there yet?”

He’s six. I get it. If he and Kenzo didn’t keep asking, I’d actually be worried. But I do wonder how I can instill in them the beautiful ideal that getting there is the fun part.

Because today wasn’t just about the museum. It was about everything we saw and did along the way.

Osamu spotted helicopters overhead, and we all tried to guess where they were headed. We cruised past the Matsushima coastline, rolled down the windows, and let the salty breeze mix with the smell of grilled fish and roasting oysters from the open-air shops. A shiny American pickup, a Ford Ranger oh nothing, rumbled up outside the place we had lunch, looking like it had driven straight out of a movie. It was huge, loud, and unmistakably American.

I didn't get to ask the owner today since the place was slammed with the Saturday lunch crowd, though as we were leaving I told him his burgers are amazing and he seemed genuinely happy to take a moment to say thank you and come back again, in English. But I really wanna find out if the name of his burger joint is an homage to the great children's show Captain Kangaroo. Luckily Ishinomaki is one of my go-to motorcycle day drip destinations so I'll be back again. Probably on a weekday when I can sit at the counter and chat him and his crew up about why this fascinatingly sumptuous American style hamburger restaurant exists in a remote part of an obscure prefecture in a mysterious country.

I made some wrong turns (two of them, maybe more if you cross examine Eri) that turned into part of the adventure (Eri might use a different word to describe it but still). Instead of getting frustrated, we just ended up seeing new parts of Ishinomaki we wouldn’t have otherwise. I reminded myself, as I always do, that I haven’t failed... I’ve just found another way that won’t work. The unexpected turns are what make road trips great.

Obviously you can understand why my wife is constantly exhausted and frustrated. But even she'll admit it's a fun ride, this life we have together. 

Because life isn’t about getting there. It’s about the helicopters, the ocean, the cool trucks, and the wrong turns. It’s about singing silly songs, playing games, and laughing together.

Indeed, we arrived at some pretty excellent places today. But the best parts were the moments in between.

Kenzo and Osamu, you guys are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. And next time we hit the road (which will be soon), let’s enjoy every moment. Even the “Are we there yet?” parts.

I have this core value that I've been forging in the fire for years... it’s better to travel than to arrive.

Who you become along the way is infinitely more important than a single moment of achievement.

Also the manga museum cafe has a whale meat rice bowl lunch set and I was this close to ditching the burger plan.