NAKAMA: shunichi sakamoto 坂本俊一

An interesting free spirit traveler born and raised in near Kobe west part of Japan.
Growing up being the oldest in the family, he is also probably the extremest among the other 2 brother and 1 sister.
When we met in LA greyhound station, we were the only 2 oriental guy waiting at Gate 11 for the bus heading down San Diego.










I could tell immediately he was Japanese, looked bit homeless with his big brown winter jacket, backpack & sleeping bad in this tropical weather. Very weird!
He was trying to charge his pink Japanese mobile phone by the seating area as I joined the queue, then somehow I just walked straight into him and asked him to look after my bag while I was going to the toilet. So this is how the two adventurers met and later we became Nakama.

Shun had a pair of special eyes, there is something quite attractive and evil and the same time always trying to shine through it. Sometimes you can feel that kind of killing or violent atmosphere like a wild animal, but when he smiles all of those just melt away.
He always pretended to be poor and have no money, perhaps he has been living with the homeless too long and it has became his way of living.

completely ignored me through the whole bus Journey down LA-SA, we stood at the greyhound information board at SA station and my curiosity as well as loneliness struck me to  start the conversation again: so you are traveling? yes. he was never keen to talk with me. My name is tie and I came from china. how about you? Japan. Then it changed and we just couldn't stop.
Later he told me that because he didn't want to meet another Japanese traveler so he could never practice his English.
The funnest thing was when I asked him where he was going :South he answered, Mexico! I went where in Mexico?
then he pulled that pink mobile out of his pocket and showed me a long list of names of places in Spanish, asked me where is beautiful?(in his strong Japanese accent)
I was shocked then later logically told him to ask the bus information office, then started really admire this guy.
So there was I lost in the Fijian jungle fighting my way out to catch the plane to LA, hitch hiked with the chief of the next island's village. Took a shower at airport changed into decent cloth so won't be refused entry at USA border thought it was quite an adventure. Nothing really compare to his spirit.
I didn't have a detailed plan after SA and got about 2 weeks before the flight from San fran to Boston, and a random idea suddenly jumped into my mind: follow him!

18 hours later we were on a bus together crossing the border to Mexico and we chatted and laughed so much like if we have known each other for years.

An interesting free spirit traveler born and raised in near Kobe west part of Japan.
Growing up being the oldest in the family, he is also probably the extremest among the other 2 brother and 1 sister.
When we met in LA greyhound station, we were the only 2 oriental guy waiting at Gate 11 for the bus heading down San Diego.










I could tell immediately he was Japanese, looked bit homeless with his big brown winter jacket, backpack & sleeping bad in this tropical weather. Very weird!
He was trying to charge his pink Japanese mobile phone by the seating area as I joined the queue, then somehow I just walked straight into him and asked him to look after my bag while I was going to the toilet. So this is how the two adventurers met and later we became Nakama.

Shun had a pair of special eyes, there is something quite attractive and evil and the same time always trying to shine through it. Sometimes you can feel that kind of killing or violent atmosphere like a wild animal, but when he smiles all of those just melt away.
He always pretended to be poor and have no money, perhaps he has been living with the homeless too long and it has became his way of living.

completely ignored me through the whole bus Journey down LA-SA, we stood at the greyhound information board at SA station and my curiosity as well as loneliness struck me to  start the conversation again: so you are traveling? yes. he was never keen to talk with me. My name is tie and I came from china. how about you? Japan. Then it changed and we just couldn't stop.
Later he told me that because he didn't want to meet another Japanese traveler so he could never practice his English.
The funnest thing was when I asked him where he was going :South he answered, Mexico! I went where in Mexico?
then he pulled that pink mobile out of his pocket and showed me a long list of names of places in Spanish, asked me where is beautiful?(in his strong Japanese accent)
I was shocked then later logically told him to ask the bus information office, then started really admire this guy.
So there was I lost in the Fijian jungle fighting my way out to catch the plane to LA, hitch hiked with the chief of the next island's village. Took a shower at airport changed into decent cloth so won't be refused entry at USA border thought it was quite an adventure. Nothing really compare to his spirit.
I didn't have a detailed plan after SA and got about 2 weeks before the flight from San fran to Boston, and a random idea suddenly jumped into my mind: follow him!

18 hours later we were on a bus together crossing the border to Mexico and we chatted and laughed so much like if we have known each other for years.