The Himura Couple’s Route 66 Journey Hits a Bump — Literally!

Route 66 Drive Across America — Mission Executed!

To fulfill my husband’s dream, this summer vacation we carried out the “Route 66 Drive Across America — Part 1.” Route 66 is the old U.S. Highway 66, stretching about 3,800 km and connecting Chicago to Santa Monica. Fans from all over the world gather to travel across America along this route, aiming to complete it.

Because there’s a time difference between Chicago and Santa Monica, starting from Chicago gives you two extra hours of driving, so we chose Chicago as our starting point. However, completing the whole route this time would be difficult, so for this year’s first challenge, we set our goal at Oklahoma City, about 1,500 km away. The rest will be next year.

We prepared thoroughly in Japan—planning our pace, booking hotels, and thinking through everything possible. For my husband, who would be driving long hours, we rented a seven-seater SUV for comfort. Then, off to the starting point! When we saw the “BEGIN HISTORIC US ROUTE 66” sign we’d watched so many times on YouTube, we both got super excited, dancing and snapping tons of photos.

We also stopped at an American diner with over 100 years of history, said to be a must-stop for anyone traveling Route 66, and devoured breakfast. It was so delicious that we exclaimed, “I wish my whole body were a stomach!” We did everything we’d dreamed of doing at the starting point, high-fived, and shouted, “Let’s go!!” before hitting the road.

But within less than a minute, a problem occurred. Signs saying “Route 66” didn’t appear very often, and the road just looked ordinary. At every intersection, we didn’t know whether to turn left or right to stay on Route 66.

An Unexpected Trouble Occurred

From there on, it was nothing but cornfields. Not a single building or even a tree in sight — just corn stretching endlessly to the horizon. And above it, only the sky. I knew America was a major corn producer, but I was struck with awe, thinking, “So this is what being number one in the world looks like!”

That day, we drove about 330 km and arrived at a small town called Springfield in Illinois. We decided to stay there for the night. Having safely completed the first day, we felt relieved and fell asleep peacefully.

On the morning of the second day, an unexpected problem occurred. Right after leaving the hotel, a red warning mark appeared on the driver’s seat monitor. Looking closer, it said: “Change Engine Oil soon.” I’d heard of adding engine oil before, but change it?

After looking it up online, we learned that it meant draining out all the old oil and refilling it with new oil. It requires special tools, and it’s best to have a professional do it. It also said that if neglected, the engine could seize up and stop running altogether.

“Isn’t that really bad?” I said in shock. “Why didn’t the rental car company check this!?” I was on the verge of tears as we rushed to a gas station.

But gas stations in America don’t offer the same service as in Japan. The clerk just stays at the convenience store counter, and in the U.S., you pump your own gas, wipe your own windows — everything is self-service. Other customers were even popping open their hoods and tinkering with their engines by themselves.

It was only the second day since we’d started. Over 1,000 km still remained. With our limited English, we had no idea whom to ask or how. Were we going to have to retire here!? What will the Himura couple do now!?

★ The author’s first book compiling this series, “Where Exactly Does the Main Road Go?”, is now on sale to great acclaim!

Aika Kanda — Born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1980.
After graduating from the Faculty of Science, Department of Mathematics at Gakushuin University, she joined NHK as an announcer in 2003. She left NHK in 2012 and became a freelance announcer. Since then, she has been active mainly in variety programs and is currently a regular main MC on the daytime talk show “Pokapoka” (Fuji TV).

—from “FRIDAY”, combined October 3 & 10, 2025 issue