It’s camper van time, something I have simultaneously been looking forward to, but also quietly dreading. The thought of 21 days together in a very confined space, is only off set by the travel flexibility the vehicle will give us.

The first challenge was finding the rental office, which we managed with surprising ease and I was riding high on a wave of optimism that we’d be on the road in half an hour. An hour and a half later we finally pulled out of the rental yard and frankly I think Watanabe San was glad to see the back of us. I have to praise their patience and the benefits of the translation app but it still took three goes to get us sorted on the Sat Nav system and a good 10/15 minutes on how to assemble and disassemble the double bed option.

In the end we have decided to stick with the bunk bed set up, which is a lot like sleeping in a couple of coffins, but means we don’t have to reassemble everything just to sit down. Robert has the top bunk – there was some doubt that I would make it in to, or out of, the upper option and on that basis I am praying the weight limit for the top bunk is based on Western, not Japanese, sized adults.

So we’re on the road again.