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  • - Wish me luck.

  • I hope I studied enough.

  • I can't believe its only been a month

  • since I started driving,

  • and yet here I am.

  • If I can pass this final written test,

  • I'll be granted my full Japanese license.

  • Okay, we just finished the test,

  • and it was a lot harder than I thought it was gonna be.

  • (upbeat music)

  • (monitor beeps)

  • (Micaela gasps)

  • That's me. That's me.

  • I actually did not expect this to happen today.

  • I came here like 80% sure I was gonna fail the first test.

  • So this is a really pleasant surprise.

  • I wonder where I'll go first.

  • Straight away my friend and I rented a car

  • for my very first excursion.

  • I was nervous, but if I passed the exam,

  • I must be ready. Right?

  • Okay, red alert, this is not a key.

  • This is not a key. What is this?

  • Where does the key go?

  • There's a button.

  • (car beeps)

  • Oh, that's cool!

  • Is that it or should I...

  • What am I supposed to be doing?

  • Is it like a touch thing?

  • It's not a button.

  • What?

  • What is this?

  • (car engine starts)

  • Whew ooh, there we go!

  • It's all good.

  • Figured it out; we're ready to go.

  • First place I wanna check out now that I have my license

  • and a car is Sunflower Cafe in Itoshima.

  • It's super photogenic,

  • it's like right on the ocean,

  • and I love their food,

  • and I can never get there unless someone drives me,

  • so today I'm gonna drive myself.

  • (car beeping) (upbeat music)

  • Sunflower's one of my favorite places to visit with a car.

  • A 40 minute drive from Fukuoka city center,

  • the exterior reminds me of a little summer cottage,

  • somewhere I'd spend lots of time back home in Canada.

  • Inside the restaurant it's cozy and bright

  • with a beautiful seaside view.

  • If you're sitting on the terrace,

  • you can even bring your dog.

  • It gets pretty busy, so it's better to arrive early.

  • And a personal tip, always check their Facebook page first

  • to make sure they're open for business before driving out.

  • My vegetable pizza's here, and as you can see,

  • it is basically a salad on top of a pizza.

  • Seafood curry.

  • We got like a big shrimp.

  • We got some little shrimp,

  • we got some squid, some shellfish.

  • Wow, it looks good.

  • The route that takes you along the perimeter

  • of Itoshima is called Sunset Road,

  • and it's a popular route for beginner drivers.

  • Following this route from start to finish,

  • youʼll be able to visit all the beaches

  • that this peninsula has to offer.

  • One of the biggest points of interest

  • are the majestic wedded rocks at Futamigaura.

  • According to Shinto religion,

  • these rocks are husband and wife,

  • bound together by a large rope.

  • I love it out here.

  • Never get tired of it.

  • I recommend seeing this in person.

  • It's a lot bigger than it looks on camera.

  • And while driving along Sunset Road

  • will show you beachy Japan,

  • cutting through the island to get to the other side

  • is one way to get a taste of traditional Japan,

  • with it's lush green farmland.

  • (slow hip hop)

  • So now I've made it down to Keya Beach,

  • and Keya Beach has changed a lot

  • since the last time I came here.

  • It didn't have so many attractions,

  • but I guess since Itoshima is getting so popular now,

  • there's just like, every beach has attractions now.

  • The water's just very calm; it's very easy to swim here.

  • Easy to just float around.

  • But Itoshima isn't just beaches.

  • There are tons of other points of interest as well,

  • including shrines and hiking trails,

  • which are a little less touristy, and more of a way

  • to experience the natural beauty of the peninsula.

  • (adventurous music)

  • Into the woods we go.

  • Can you hear all these animals?

  • And by animals, I mean bugs!

  • Oh my goodness!

  • Look at you.

  • (adventurous music)

  • this is for sure one of those like twisty forests

  • where the trees at night come alive

  • and probably kill you,

  • but I feel like if we don't leave before dark,

  • we're probably gonna die.

  • We're getting some sunlight.

  • Some sunlight up here.

  • (Micaela breathing heavy)

  • Whoa!

  • Nice!

  • (birds chirping)

  • Beautiful!

  • You guys, this is the type of thing

  • you can't do without a car.

  • This is the type of thing that you need to be able

  • to have some sort of mobile flexibility in order to do.

  • I mean you can have a friend who has a car.

  • That friend could be me 'cause now I have a license.

  • Aah, it's so nice!

  • It's so nice!

  • Hello!

  • Hello!

  • (Micaela sighs)

  • Aah, it's so beautiful, you guys.

  • It's so beautiful up here, and I've just never been up here.

  • In all the years that I've come to Itoshima,

  • I've never gone hiking in Itoshima.

  • And now that I know that this is what it can be like,

  • I think, now that I have a car, and I come out here

  • whenever I feel like it, this is gonna be a thing.

  • This is definitely gonna be a thing.

  • (soft music)

  • You know it's crazy to think that my life in Kyushu,

  • up until a month ago, was limited to public transportation

  • and the generosity of my friends.

  • I went my whole life thinking I didn't need

  • a driver's license, thinking it wasn't for me,

  • but now that I have the freedom to go wherever I want,

  • whenever I want, I feel excited to explore Kyushu even more.

  • I'm so excited to be able to explore this island

  • in more depth than ever before.

  • And guys, just a reminder,

  • it's never too late to learn something new.

  • If there's something in your life

  • that you've been putting off,

  • I hope you feel inspired to get back at it,

  • whether it's driving a car, or learning a new language,

  • You'd be surprised at how the world can open up

  • for you when you learn something new!

  • Anyway guys, thanks so much for watching this series.

  • I hope you liked it.

  • And thank you so so much to Fukuoka-Ken Jidousha

  • Gakkko- Fukuoka Prefectural Driving School

  • for allowing me to make this series in the first place.

  • They were such great people and I really don't think

  • I'd have acquired a full license in one month

  • without their dedication to helping me pass.

  • Thanks you som much for watching.

  • I will talk to you again soon! Bye!

- Wish me luck.

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