North America Guitar Tour

To Massachusetts (end of Miracle)

July 31st - August 1st, 2014

While still basking in the afterglow of my busy time in Phillipsburg, I headed towards New York. I had already taken this road when I moved from Indiana to New York. As soon as I started driving, cars were trying to avoid something in front of me, and as I approached the spot, I saw a deer that had just been hit lying in the middle of the highway. This seems to be a common sight here. At this point, a YouTube video, which may be inappropriate, came to mind. A woman called the radio station and pleaded that the "Deer Crossing" signs should be moved to a place with less traffic. Even though the DJ tried to hold back his laughter by explaining that the signs were meant to warn drivers, the woman was completely focused on the deer and would not let the deer cross the highway because of the sign. Naturally, the comments section was filled with comments that mocked women, but I was attracted to the woman's innocence. Later, a video was uploaded of the woman realizing her mistake and interacting with the same DJ again. This shows the generosity of America.

I was getting sleepy just before New York, so I decided to take a nap in a large rest area overlooking Manhattan in the distance.

I had only slept for about three hours, but I guess my fatigue had been building up. When I woke up, the sun had already risen and it was just before 7:00. I slept about six hours. I wanted to get out of Manhattan before the morning rush hour, but when it comes to this, I have no choice but to prepare myself. I bought a coffee at a shop (there were several shops in this rest area), took a break, and headed north. However, when you're on an unfamiliar road and it's crowded, you can't even go in the direction you want to go. Before I knew it, I had landed in the northern part of Manhattan. Anyway, I drove my car with the sole desire to get away from the place as quickly as possible, and somehow I made it to Connecticut. In New York, the roads were so bumpy that the car was noisy, but as soon as I crossed the state line, it became quiet as if I was in another world.

If I limit myself to the US, the next stop, Methuen, Massachusetts, was the fourth corner, and a certain loneliness was beginning to hang in the air. At this point, the only stops I had booked after that were Meadville, Pennsylvania, and Detroit, Michigan, so the itinerary was quite empty. However, I wasn't very keen on making new plans from now on. The fact that there are no borders for solo guitar playing has already been proven enough by the journey so far. While changing the strings that had been strung since the contest in Indiana in the rest area, I vaguely thought about my future schedule. No matter how many times I change strings, I can't get used to it.

My immediate task for the day was to do laundry. I had to do it by the next day at the latest, otherwise I would run out of clothes. I found a motel in an area a little off the route in the afternoon, and when I asked the front desk if I could use the coin laundry, she replied, "Maybe, but if you want to check, go and check for yourself." I went to the laundry room in the basement as instructed, but there was no sign, and when I asked a cleaning lady who passed by, she said, "I haven't heard anything about it being broken." So I went to check in, but she said that my room hadn't been cleaned yet, so I had to wait an hour. It was earlier than usual, so I had no choice. So I decided to wait in the car and ate lasagna Yvonne gave me in Phillipsburg, New Jersey.

After checking in and going to my room, I checked Facebook, and the first thing I saw was Yvonne's post. She compared me to an angel sent by God. She wrote that she never dreamed that a guitar player from an island country called "Japan," on the other side of the world, would encourage and make her laugh when she was in the depths of despair. Our casual conversation over the ashtray seemed to encourage her more than I expected. That alone made it worth coming. I was so moved that I went to the laundry room with my accumulated laundry in my arms. However, when I put in the coin and pushed it in, it didn't work. The plug was properly plugged in. When I went to the front desk and explained the situation, they said, "Well, it must be broken," and refunded the money I put into the machine. It was very disappointing. The excitement I had felt up until that point was wiped away. That said, if something doesn't work, it doesn't work.

Giving up, I went back to my room and checked my email, and found a message from Mr. Zink. He said that I was meeting his uncle in Colorado. At first, I had no idea what he was talking about, but as I recalled, I remembered that Mr. W, whose guitar I signed, had Japanese blood in him. It was nothing short of a miracle that people who met in different places on completely different routes were relatives. I immediately told Chuck, who had taken care of me in Berthoud, about what happened in Phillipsburg, and he replied shortly after, saying that the Mrs. E, grandma I met was Mr. W's real mother. I wasn't surprised by anything anymore. I didn't care that the laundromat wasn't working.

Even more excitingly, I received a message from Dakota Dave Hull, who I have performed with in Japan on several occasions, telling me not to worry about where to stay if I was coming to Minneapolis, Minnesota. At this point, I decided that the end point of this trip would be Minneapolis.

*People who appear in the text are written with their initials until their identities can be confirmed.

Nazareth (Martin Guitar Factory) • Supporter's Area • Methuen

Contents

Introduction
Until Departure
Seattle
To California
Day Off
Sunnyvale
To La
LA 2 Days
To Tucson
Albuquerque
To Colorado (beginning of Miracle)
Berthoud
Denver
to Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City 2 days
To Texas
San Antonio
Georgetown
Dallas
Houston 2 Days
Benton
Nashville (CAAS)
Roswell
Tampa 2 Days
Miami
Orland 2 Days
Myrtle Beach
Chapel Hill 3 Days
Kingsport
To Indiana
Indiana State Fingerstyle Guitar Festival
To Staten Island
Manhattan
Phillipsburg
Nazareth (Martin Guitar Factory)
To Massachusetts (end of Miracle)
Methuen
To Montreal
To Buffalo
Meadvill A Day Before
Meadvill Ghost Hotel
Detroit
Chicago
Minneapolice
Spin Off #1
Spin Off #2 "EU Tour IN 2008 / Until Departure
Czech 1
Czech 2
London
Liverpool
Chesham
To Germany
Lemgo
Ingolstadt
Bregenz
To Italy
Florence
The Last Gig
Going Home