Epic Fail

Due to an annoying string of unfortunate events, it's starting to look like our Substantial Yet Notably Diminished (Due to Logistical Concerns of Space and Time) Two Point Five Points Tour of Fun roadtrip around Hokkaido has been shelved indefinitely.

First off, the car I was supposed to inherit from my predecessor has been checked over and been determined to be a rusted-out P.O.S. My only real affordable option now is to lease a car, and there's no way to make that happen before this weekend when we're meant to start our great adventure.

Lindsay tried to save the day by looking into rentals for the road trip, but apparently they're all sold out.

So this is us, target-less for our nine-day vacation. Here's hoping we can find some trouble to get up to.

Four Points (aka: Here there be madness brewing...)

Thanks to far too much encouragement from Mark and Lindsay, who are also sequestered on Japan's north island of Hokkaido, I've come up with a dastardly plan.

The Japanese Government has seen fit to provide us with three back-to-back holidays in September (21, 22, 23), and my supervisor mentioned that he pretty much assumed I would be taking the 24th and 25th (WOO! Birthday!) off. So, kids, if you do the math, that adds up to NINE DAYS STRAIGHT off from work.

Not being one to waste such an opportunity in a foreign land, and with only a month's notice to plan something epic (read: not enough notice to plan a junket down to Honshu/Kyushu/Shikoku), I devised the FOUR POINTS Hokkaido tour!

What does that mean, you ask? Well, simply put, we're going to jump in a car and circumnavigate the massive northern island of Hokkaido in the mother of all roadtrips. This had been a loose dream of mine for a month or so, but Mark was the one who mentioned that it would likely be possible in nine days. If I can make it work, here's what it looks like on a map.

View Larger Map

Or, because that sucks, here's a picture:

And, according to google, that would equate to just under 2,000km and 48 hours of driving.

Now I just need to sit back and keep my fingers crossed that Mark and Lindsay's supervisors will greenlight them taking the 24th and 25th off. Sonomi's in for it, too, though she knows she can't get the full nine days off. Worst case scenario (if they only get the five days off), we'll still do something mad like drive from Hakodate at the south tip of Hokkaido to Wakkanai at the north tip along the coast of the Sea of Japan.

Wish us luck!