Arrival

The flight was long. It was more unpleasant than I anticipated.

Our goal for the evening was to get to Japan, get our rail passes, get data cards for the internet, make reservations for our train trips, take the train into Tokyo, get checked into our hotel, then see and do some things to help us stat awake into the evening.

We did all of those. It didn’t go quite as smoothly as I had hoped but at least the fun has begun!

Bath time

The first thing we did was go to a bathhouse. What a way to jump into the culture!

I asked the girl at the hotel front desk to call ahead for us to make sure that tattoos were acceptable. She did and they are at Mannenyu.

We were not made to feel unwelcome at all, however, I don’t think many foreigners use this beautiful facility. I was an intense experience even for me. Owen did very well (although he got scolded a little by an old man for taking his shower stool).

The bath felt great! The hot bath was just barely “push your boundary” hot. The cold tub was perfect. We both tried and enjoyed the electric shock area in the medium tub. It was stronger than I expected. It was so nice to wash off the travel day.

Dinner

After baths, we were starving. We jumped right into a Korean BBQ but we were somewhat overwhelmed with how to do it.

Fortunately, the “Hot Bowls” that we ordered were perfect.

Walk through Kabukicho

Kabukicho

I think that we were too tired to truly appreciate Shinjuku and Kabukicho but our eyes were still wide as we wandered the streets and explored the video game palace of Taito Station.

Owen is sleeping in this morning. I am hitting the city.

We have plans for this evening.

Teramachi-dori

I explored the shopping area of Teramachi-dori Street.

There were so many things I would have liked to buy as gifts. We are saving shopping for the end of the trip because we are carrying very little with us while traveling.

Honno-Ji

I did visit the Honno-ji temple while wandering around. It is a beautiful temple that offered free pamphlets to introduce visitors to Buddhism.

The pamphlet has been very helpful with my research on the religions of Japan.

Religion 

I also visited another small temple where people visited to honor the departed. I lit a candle for my dad.

Arashiyama

We decided to skip Arashiyama. We were having too much fun around downtown.

Owen got a new outfit.

We’ve decided to see Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film that just came out.

Kimitachi wa Dou Ikiruka – Studio Ghibli

Kimitachi wa Dou Ikiruka – Studio Ghibli

In order to see the Dolby Cinema version, we had to wait for the late show.

As fans of Totoro, Ponyo, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, etc. It is very exciting for us, even though we won’t understand what they are saying. It will be fun to watch again back in the States once it is translated.

This film was quite different than Miyazaki-san’s other films. It was darker, featured a male protagonist, and was, for me, even less comprehensible on a literal level.

That being said, the animation was stunning the visuals were incredible. The landscapes and settings were sometimes sublime and mundane and at others outrageously fantastic.

Seeing it in the Dolby Cinema format was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Owen and I both loved it and decided that we had made the right decision to skip more sightseeing and attend this masterpiece.

Today we are traveling from Kyoto to Ise to meet my friend Hisashi to visit his family and the “holiest city in all of the world”!

Amaterasu (天照)

I am glad that we got an early start because the later train from Nagoya to Iseshi was full.

We are very relaxed now on the Shinkansen.

Shinkansen 

It was fairly easy to leave Kyoto because we made an early start. I was very pleased that we had time to grab some food for the train and shop for Omiyage for Hisashi’s family.

Omiyage

We changed trains once and we will soon see my friend, his family and his beautiful home city.

Ise

We are with my friend Hisashi-sensei. He is the best guide in all of Japan and perhaps the world.

He is so considerate to have taken time off of work and plan activities for us all.

Most importantly, I am able to visit his home city and his family home and meet his family.

Our tour guide is teaching us about Japan, Japanese, and introducing us to Japanese people.

Secondarily but also importantly, we visited the Shrine of Ise.

We are also enjoying ourselves very much. We had delicious Ise Udon.

We cooled off after the shrine visit with shaved ice.

Tonight we are going to dinner with the rest of the family.

Dinner

We had the nicest diner with Hisashi and his family.

There are many teachers in the family.

We felt very comfortable with the family.

We had a new dish. Tea poured over tuna on rice.

We all learned a lot this day and made important connections between our two families.

Today, I will drive on the other side of the road.

I’ve never done it before.

We will be heading to a small bay on the coast to enjoy fishing.

We are starting off the morning enjoying plum water at Mother’s house

I’m doing it!

Ya-san (Hisashi-sensei’s brother) graciously loaned us his car.

Hisashi-sensei doesn’t currently have a driver’s license so my international driver’s license came in use.

Guesthouse

We are staying at the guesthouse of one of Hisashi’s brother’s (Ya-san) friends. He is an artist who makes artwork out of pearls that they farm here.

It is beautiful.

They farm oysters here for pearls.

Our host makes artwork from the pearls. His studio and gallery are on site. He has come to check in on us throughout the day and make sure we are happy and relaxed.

Fishing

We are going fishing now. Agi-san, the owner, has asked the workers to come clean the oysters now so that there is chum in the water for us.

Let’s catch fish!

We caught fish!

We caught several fugu we are not able to prepare safely.

We caught some other fish that we are barbecuing.

The hospitality that we are receiving here is incredible, even more beautiful than the place itself.

We spent the evening barbecuing, eating, drinking, and enjoying ourselves.

Of all of our days in Japan, today I will hold most dear. Fishing on the beautiful Aso Bay, spending time and having a wonderful dinner with my great friend and my son, swimming out to the shrine, and the incredible hospitality of our hosts will never be forgotten.

We have had a very “chill” day.

It seems we were all up for a while at various times in the night to enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of the guesthouse and Aso Bay.

This morning we are shifting between cleaning a bit, packing and organizing, napping, reading, and eating. We are not in any hurry and I think we are all reluctant to leave this paradise.

While we were fishing, Eiji-san’s wife Akane-san brought us a full home cooked dinner featuring sashimi, salad, Korean style (meat) sushi, and corn and squid for the barbecue.

We haven’t eaten our catch yet because again, this morning, Akane-san brought us an entire lunch. We didn’t have room to enjoy Nakagawa daikon miso soup or our fresh catch.

We were planning to bring Hisashi’s soup and our fish to enjoy back in Ise. We overlooked these items when we were packing.

Happily Akane-san was able to make a meal out of these items. My heart was filled when Hisashi shared this photo with me:

Akane-san found the fish in the fridge and the soup on the stove and once again worked her magic.

Pearls

We did have the pleasure of being invited to Eiji Uemura‘s workshop and gallery. He and his assistant Aki-san were so kind to show us around and explain his art, his vision, and his upcoming designs.

Designer | Uemura Pearl Culture Pearl Jewelry Artist Eiji Uemura | Uemura Pearl Culture

We were so fortunate to be welcomed and to have Hisashi with us to translate and explain. It was an inspirational visit. Our kind host was generous with his time to explain each piece, answer questions, and even ask for feedback all while Hisashi dutifully translated.

Eili-san’s work is gorgeous, fun, and provocative.

Check out our lapel pins

I will never forget the beauty of the Eiji-san’s artwork, his gallery, his guesthouse, and his hospitality.

Eiji-san helped me pick out an incredible anniversary present for Michele.

Driving

I drove back from Aso Bay. I will now say, it is not difficult at all to adjust to driving on the other side if the road.

Matsuzaka gyu

Once we regrouped, cleaned up, and took a bath, Hisashi invited us to a very fancy dinner.

A friend of his here in Ise owns a waygu (Japanese beef) restaurant. The beef is called matsuzaka and it is to Ise what kobe beef is to the city of Kobe.

Sachiko-san was very nice and visited with us until the restaurant started to get very busy about a half hour after we arrived. She used to be a Japanese language teacher and now owns the fanciest restaurant I have ever eaten in. She was very fun to talk to. She and Hisashi have a very friendly rapport.

Hisashi and I both ordered the beef and Ise shrimp set. Owen ordered the filet set.

It was a four course meal. First came drinks and salad /appetizers. I was in the mood for nihonshu (sake), and Sachi-ko san recommended Zuki It was the second best sake I have tasted

This dish included several pieces of sashimi. I benefited from Owen’s distaste for fish.

The Ise shrimp plate came next. These shrimp are more like small lobsters.

Next came the showcase course: matsuzaka gyu.

Everything was so delicious. Owen’s filet could be cut with a single chopstick.

Imagine our delight when dessert was served.

It was another very special occasion shared with good friends and my son.

We were stuffed and exhausted after dinner. We decided to regroup before yet another amazing occasion with friends.

FaceTime with Friends from Boulder

We have been in communication with several our our friends from college. We decided to make. FaceTime together and it was incredible. Hisashi came over to our room and we were able to chat with Arancha and Rodrigo in Madrid, Iggy in the south in Italy, and Federico in Venice.

I think we were all amazed. There are only a few dozen photographs in existence from our amazing months together yet now we can have a conversation around the world on a phone.

We were so pleased to see that we are still all happy, healthy, and beautiful.

Hisashi was obliged to help out with some things around the family home today so Owen and I were on our own. Regardless, Hisashi helped us plan our day.

Our first stop was the Naikū area of Ise Shrine. It is the inner area and took several stops on the bus to reach from where we are staying near the outer shrine.

This inner shrine area was very busy today. Busloads of business men and school kids arrived as we did. I was happy to see them.

There is a shopping district on the way just before crossing the bridge to the shrine.

We cleaned ourselves and visited the grounds stopping to honor several lesser shrines and the shrine where the Goddess Amerterasu (The sun goddess) was asked to resign. It is also where the sacred mirror that was given as a gift from the gods to the first emperor is kept.

While exploring the grounds, I came across a performance of some of the oddest music I have ever heard. I assume it is religious in nature because it did not sound very entertaining. It was cacophonous.

Amaterasu (天照)

Futami Okitama-jinja

We took a bus and a train to this photogenic shrine just south of Ise city.

When we saw that the shrine was still a mile walk from the station, we were somewhat dismayed. Fortunately, there was a shop that rented bicycles just outside of the station.

I would have liked an electric assisted bike but they were too small for my legs. I barely fit on the regular bike. They were still great fun.

Importantly, we were able to enjoy the beautiful shrine without being exhausted.

After our shrine visit. We were quite hungry. My phone was dead so I asked Owen to find us a place for lunch. “Maps” found a ramen place a little outside of town so we set off on our bikes.

I followed Owen through town, then past the residential neighborhood, then through the rice fields, then up into the hills.

The further out we got, the more tired, hungry, and hot we got. I was loving the adventure but it eventually got absurd.

“Maps” led us on a wild goose chase. We found ourselves at a “Ninja” amusement park that was mostly shut down and abandoned. We went inside to ask about a restaurant but it became clear that the restaurant was not in operation. The vibe of the amusement park ghost town was creeping Owen out. We were both in somewhat if despair.

We pedaled are way back to town but got lost. We got turned around trying to navigate riding on the left side of the road. Sweat was in our eyes and pouring down our backs. We were in a state of heat stroke and at each others throats.

We returned the bikes and got on the train scrambling for the shelter of our hotel.

We just made it back to our air conditioned room hungry and tired.

Imagine our relief when Hisashi told us that we were going to a ramen place that his niece Ripo recommended for dinner.

The ramen place was adjacent to the miso / soy sauce factory that used to be run by Hisashi’s relatives.

We said goodbye to Hisashi’s family this morning. They were all so lovely and hospitable with us that it was sad to say goodbye.

before we left, Ya-San gave us another incredibly generous gift. He gave me a matching set of black pearl earrings to give to Michele to complete her set. He said that he had them in his shop. He runs a pawn shop. I could not believe his generosity.

We are sad but also very excited to go to Nagoya today to enjoy sumo!

We arrived in Nagoya in time to take a taxi to the sumo gymnasium which is adjacent to “Central Park” and Nagoya Castle.

We had time to take a peek at Nagoya Castle and to make it to the sumo match to see the last two levels of the sumo championship. The tournament had been going on for fifteen days.

Hisashi got us tickets for a very nice “box seat” which was a square with four cushions on the floor. We bought some snacks and some beer and settled in for some sumo!

Sumo is incredible. The atmosphere is laid back but the event is very serious. Sumo is partially a religious ceremony and partially a sport.

The ring has a “shrine” suspended over it. The large tassels hanging down denote the Cardinal directions (north, south, east, and west) respectively black, red, white, and green.

Each bout is very ceremonial and the wrestling is spectacular but it is only a part of the whole.

Owen, Hisashi, and I enjoyed about five hours of championship sumo including the award ceremonies and we loved every minute.

It was the perfect way to end a perfect vacation with my great friend.

I will always remember sumo.

We are using this morning to regroup a little. Owen and I are both a little travel worn. It did not help that our room was somewhat unsatisfactory. We have asked for a new room and they will move our things while we are out today.

We have decided to spend the morning doing our own things and meet back this evening to see about heading to Dontonbori or to the festival area this evening.

Dontonbori

I made it over to Dontonbori and it was crazy hectic… fun but hectic.

I have noticed that Osaka is quite a bit different than anywhere we have been in Japan. It is a little more “rough around the edges”.

The people are louder and more outgoing. Owen and I agreed that it is somewhat more comfortable for us. We don’t feel that we have to check our manners quite as often.

It feels a little more vibrant than Tokyo. It is certainly less traditional than Kyoto. I think the festival will be fun this evening.

The hotel arranged a new room for us and moved are things. It is the exact same style of room but is in much nicer condition.

Our plan is to finish cooling off, resting, and getting cleaned up and then hit the town for some festival fun.

Tenjin Matsuri

The Tenjin festival was so fun tonight. We’re sitting in a taxi because we wandered out of range of a subway station. The food and drink booths went on and on. Everyone was out having a blast.

We started at Tenmangū shrine. It was packed. We proceeded to follow the food stalls that ran along the river. There many families out enjoying but most of the “kids” were in their teens and twenties.

I have never seen so many pretty girls in one place. I asked if Owen noticed the same, and he did. He got a lot of attention, so many smiles and giggles.

We had a blast walking along several river miles packed with stalls and everyone having a great time.

It is a very different festival than Gion Matsuri which takes itself very seriously. Tonight was all about fun.

Tomorrow, we’re going to do the same except the festivities run later into the evening and there will be fireworks!

Osaka is a beautiful city, particularly along the river in the evening.

Osaka Castle

My plan was to get an early start and head to Osaka Castle.

My plans have changed. I didn’t get up as early as I thought I might. It is getting hot already. I am going to pivot and take a morning of rest.

I will read in your pleasant and spacious room instead. I am going to keep fresh for the festival tonight.

I will go to a sentō nearby that accepts tattoos later today. This hotel does not have an onsen and I miss taking a bath.

Onsen / Sentō

I understand now why Hisashi mentioned a difficulty he experienced while living in the States was not having access to baths.

It will certainly be one of the things I miss the most about Japan when we return home.

Hisashi’s Wonderful Blog Post

While lazing around reading, Hisashi forwarded me a link to a blog post that he had written shortly after the last time we had visited in 2017.

This eloquent piece written in both Japanese and English wonderfully summarizes a very special time we had together during my last visit to Japan.

Nakagawa-sensei’s post

Bath Time

I went to the local bath that accepts tattoos. I love the baths. Owen didn’t want to join me. He is a little self conscious.

This bath had five big tubs. One of them was “very hot” another was “very cold”. The others were a mixture of “just right”, some with jacuzzi jets.

One of the things that is so pleasant is you don’t feel like an outsider anymore in the bath. Everyone just goes about his business and it feels like you are a participant in society even as a foreigner.

Because I need to find public baths (sentō) that allows tattoos, I had a particularly interesting experience. Three of the men in the baths were Yakuza, members of the Japanese mafia. Their entire bodies were covered in very elaborate tattoos. Their tattoos stop just before the wrists, calves, and neck. One of the guys was my age and the two others couldn’t have been much older than Noah. It was amazing and somewhat shocking to see. I did my best to mind my own business.

Tenjin Matsuri Night 2

On the second evening of the festival, they move the floats onto boats and barges which they parade up and down the river.

This festival celebrates the god of literature, writing, and studies. Students pray to Tenjin (Sugawara Michizane) to do well on tests.

Tenjin (天神)

We purposely set out to find a spot on the perimeter of the festival to avoid crowds during the fireworks. This festival is so big and there are so many people, we still found ourselves surrounded by people, food and game stalls, and happy energy.

It was relaxing to sit on the river bank and watch the procession float by.

We ate yakitori (meat on a stick) from a stall and I had the takoyaki (octopus croquettes) that I had been looking forward to. It was delicious.

we realized that we did not have the view of the fireworks that we were hoping for so we walked into the belly of the festival.

There were so many people that it is indescribable. Everyone was looking their best and having a great time.

The fireworks went on for over an hour so we had time to navigate our way through the people to a spot that wasn’t too crowded and still had a view.

After the fireworks, we sat by the river and watched the procession continue to float by.

What a party. It was the biggest festival I have ever attended and it was entirely comfortable and orderly. So fun.

This morning I intended to use the bath after breakfast and before we started traveling to Hiroshima.

I walked the fifteen minutes to the bath only to find they don’t open until 2:00.

I assumed the bath would

Be open in the morning. I assumed incorrectly.

By the time I got back to the hotel, I might as well have jumped in the bath with my clothes on. I was drenched with sweat.

I showered back at the hotel and now we are traveling to Hiroshima. I wish the luxurious, air conditioned train ride were longer. It is only an hour.

We loved Osaka but are keen to travel again.

Hiroshima

We made it to Hiroshima and our hotel. I agreed to go to pizza tonight because our next two nights after tonight are going to be traditional kaiseki meals.

I asked Owen to go to the lobby and ask the hotel clerk to make us a reservation. I’m glad that I did, because they had only one space available this evening at 6:00.

I don’t really understand fancy pizza places but we enjoyed our meal that was prepared and presented with great care.

Peace Park

I told Owen that we would enjoy a nice evening stroll through the park and save the “heavy stuff” for tomorrow. I wasn’t anticipating how impactful the Peace Park would be.

We made our way toward the Genbaku Dome and came across the Children’s Monument along the way.

There were children praying there and we did the same. The tone was set for the rest of the evening. The park is beautiful, important, and serious. Tonight would be more than a stroll through the park.

Genbaku Dome

The Genbaku Dome was one of the only structures left “standing” after the blast at ground zero. It has been left as a reminder of the devastation. Seeing it brought immediate nausea and tears.

We worked our way from the dome over the the Peace Park. It was a lovely and quiet evening. By this time, we were quite somber.

It is incomprehensible than the beautiful city of Hiroshima was entirely rebuilt after 1945.

The park is a quiet place filled with staggering memorials. There are places where once proud temples were reduced to a stone block or two.

We were stunned to discover a lovely grass knoll and then to read that is the burial mound of the ashes of over 10,000 people who had died instantly in just this area.

We made a prayer for peace at the Fountain of Prayer and then called it an evening.

On our way out of the park, we came across a statue of a woman trying to shield her children.

It was not exactly the type of evening walk that I had in mind, but it is one of the most significant experiences I have ever had.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

This morning we are going to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. At the start of this trip, I told Owen that we did not have to visit a lot of museums but we would be visiting this one.

I understand that a visit to this museum is a very visceral an individual experience and it is suggested to not take pictures but to be as present as possible. That is what we will do.

After our museum visit, we will make our way via ferry to the island of Miyajima.

Miyajima

We are in Miyajima for the next two days. Most people visit this island for a few hours on a day trip. I decided it might be worth staying a couple of nights and I believe I made a great decision.

Miyajima is famous for its sea bound torii gate. It is considered one of the three greatest views in Japan. It is the only one of the three that we will see this trip.

The island is also renowned for its “wild” deer.

We arrived just before checkin at three and decided to have drinks near the ferry terminal. We were then picked up by a shuttle service for the inn.

Ryokan

We are staying at a Ryokan which is a traditional Japanese inn. It is beautiful. The grounds are stunning and we are within just minutes walking distance from everything we will want to see and do.

Owen was somewhat nervous because the last ryokan in which we stayed we were doted on. All of the attention made Owen nervous.

I was looking forward to being pampered again. This is a nice compromise. The inn and the grounds are far superior but the service is not as attentive.

The pressure was off of Owen at dinner. He hasn’t taken to seafood like I was hoping he might. Because we weren’t served food in our room and attended to throughout the meal, he and I could easily swap plates when I finished my sashimi and indulged myself on his.

After dinner, we took a walk while they set out our futons. Owen was looking for a snack. I was stuffed with two dinners.

It was a beautiful evening.

Most all of the tourists leave the island before dinner. Most all of the shops and restaurants close down before dark. We almost have this paradise to ourselves.

The shuttle driver told us that we might see a “raccoon dog” in the evening which I know is how Japanese describe the tanuki. I have always wanted to see a tanuki. We kept our eyes peeled but did not encounter one… yet.

Bath

Taking a late night bath afforded me the opportunity to take a picture of the inn’s beautiful onsen. I had the bath to myself.

The creek runs along the outdoor onsen.

I believe that both the indoor and outdoor baths are fed by natural hot springs. The stools are for showering stations. One must shower before the bath and showering is great with cool water during bathing.

Our “activity” today involves riding a shuttle bus for three minutes part way up the mountain.

From the station we will board a “ropeway” to the top which is essentially a gondola.

At the top of the second ropeway was an observatory from which we could see around the island.

Owen wasn’t interested in hiking much more today but I wanted to explore the Buddhist temple mostly to find the “eternal flame”.

I ventured on despite the heat.

Just before the summit lays the temple.

There was a tour group within the shrine of the Eternal Flame but I pressed my way in. A tour guide was serving tea out of the pot that stood on the pyre. It was hot a smokey but smelled great because the wood was incense cedar. I joined the group for tea. The guide seemed pleased to have me there.

Behind the pyre was an idol with another flame. I assumed the flames were akin to each other.

This flame is said to have been kept burning for 1200 years! A Buddhist monk named Kobo Daishi is said to have brought the flame up the mountain on a pilgrimage. It is the same flame that they transported to Hiroshima to light the fire at the Peace Memorial Park.

It is also said that this is considered “The Lover’s Sanctuary” because “this miraculous fire is something akin to the eternal fire of love.”

I lit a candle for Michele and me.

After visiting this shrine, I thought that I must return for Owen. That is until I saw this little guy at the head of a pathway.

I couldn’t resist following such a path so I texted Owen and he told me he didn’t have any problem waiting for me.

Secret Path

The path ducked back into the forest and follow around and up the back side of the summit.

Most every other tourist took the main path to the top. I definitely chose the path less traveled. I came across several little shrines and monuments on my way up.

Eventually, the path wound around and up to the summit of Mt. Mizen.

I texted Owen and he could see me on the summit from the observatory station.

Exposed to the sun at the top of the mountain, I began sweating more than I have ever sweat in my life.

I headed back down the mountain.

On the decent, I started hearing drumming. At first I thought that another drummer had joined the band because I was listening to a Grateful Dead live recording.

When I paused the music, the drumming continued. I followed the sound to a Buddhist “mass”. I took off my shoes and joined those gathered.

I didn’t want to interrupt by taking a picture but I did make a recording.

By the time I made it back to Owen, I was sopping wet with sweat. I was exhausted but I was so happy to have had such a powerful and fun experience.

we made our way back down the ropeway and headed to a restaurant we knew was good. I was famished and Owen had to pre-load before dinner.

We knew we wanted to try Hiroshima style Okonokyaki with beef. It was delicious

We had a delightful dinner together even Owen didn’t care much for the food. It is almost entirely fish based.

This place is gorgeous.

Owen has even agreed to join me in the bath this evening.

Master of the “clam shell” obi knot

I think that saw a tanuki tonight. It was a small and scurried off before I could get a picture of it.

Today is a travel day. The trains are so fast here that we barely have time to gaze out of the window.

We have a 4 hour trip today. 2 hours on the Shinkansen bullet train and 2 hours on a Japan Rail line.

Owen and I are both happy to kick back, tune out, and watch the country go by for a while.

The trains worked out perfectly although it was somewhat hectic making our reservations. Today is Saturday and it seems like more people are traveling these days as we get into the school holidays.

The bus from Tanabe would not get us to our inn before checkin closes so we grabbed a taxi. It has been a beautiful drive along the river.

We are encouraged because it doesn’t feel as oppressively hot as it had been in Miyajima.

Kirinosato-Takahara

This inn is indescribable. We are on the mountain-side looking down on a village. They are having a festival down below and I can hear drumming.

Our host is very lively and animated. He was very excited to tell us we have arrived at a very special time. There will be fireworks that we will be able to enjoy from the mountain side.

I think that he said they haven’t had this festival for thirty-three years or have it every thirty-three years. Regardless, I take it we are very lucky to be here tonight.

The inn has a Spanish theme so we feel right at home. Owen is hoping that dinner tonight will also be Spanish themed.

The inn might be have this style because the Kumano Kodo trail which we will begin hiking tomorrow is the sister trail to El Camino de Santiago de Compastela. We picked up passports at the tourist office that we will have stamped along our journey the next four days. If we are ever to make the pilgrimage in Northern Spain, we will be considered “Duel Pilgrims”. This is yet another reason to make that dream a reality some day.

Dinner

Dinner could not have been nicer. It was mostly meat and featured delicious spare ribs.

A special course was paella made with Japanese rice. We’re spoiled.

After dinner, our host treated us to flamenco guitar.

Now, everyone at the inn is eagerly awaiting fireworks. I learned that this festival rotates between the many villages throughout this mountainous area. It has been thirty-three years since “our” village has hosted.

We are waiting for the fireworks while listening to a village storyteller spinning his yarn .

Coincidentally, while waiting, we saw “Starlink” go by. Neither Owen nor I had seen it before.

We are experiencing something very special.

Owen emphasized that he ate his entire dinner even though he had back-up sandwiches in the room. A to top things off he joined me in a late night bath.

The natural onsen here is small but very nice.

It’s a delightful 75 degrees now and we are continuing to enjoy our evening.

Tomorrow, we hike.

Today we start hiking the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage trail.

Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage

We will jump onto the trail right outside the front door of the inn.

The trail should be well traveled. It goes through villages along the way. It does not look to have a lot of elevation change.

The day is partially cloudy and a little cooler. We feel blessed.

Let’s go have an adventure!

Our host saw us off with a hearty “Buen Camino”. What a guy.

Hiking

We are at this moment on the bank of beautiful stream cooling off from our wonderful morning hike.

We have a mile and a half to get to where we are staying tonight and it is only 2:00 so we have some time “to chill”. We’ll stop at a cafe to eat and have a drink before pressing on.

Backpacking in Japan is even better than I imagined it would be.

We’ve made it to our “inn” for the evening.

It is the most humble of our stays (and the cheapest), but it’s charming.

I’m writing from the roof-top deck.

I’ll try to write about our day on the trail later tonight. We’re about to have dinner, I’m exhausted and two beers in but I’ll see what I can do.

I think the hike will be described well in pictures:

Today was all around, a tough day. We had a long, difficult hike in very hot and humid weather.

Our plan was to do 11 miles and hike right to our inn. Ultimately, we hiked 8.5 miles and took two buses with an hour ling wait for each bus. Owen and I were both at our wits end and at each other’s throats. We both agree that the beauty surrounding us was not enough to compensate for the struggle today.

I am so relieved to be lying in our air conditioned room after taking a bath. Once I recover, I will buy a beer and write about the day.

Morning

Owen woke up early. He said that he didn’t sleep very well. It is unusual for him to be up before I am. In hindsight, we should have opted for a 6 am breakfast instead of seven.

Our clothes were still damp with sweat from the day before so it was nice to let them dry out a bit anyway.

We had a very nice breakfast made and served by our host. We packed our bags including our “bento” lunches which were also made and packaged by our host. Then we hit the road.

We ran into a couple from Taiwan who came up the trail from behind us. They were giddy with excitement for the day. They were especially eager to collect the stamps available at each of the shrines.

Owen wanted to get ahead of them so he took off ahead..

I started the morning with hiker’s euphoria. I was on top of the world. What could be better than backpacking in Japan?

After an hour or so, I started worrying a bit about Owen. I know I shouldn’t have. The trail is extremely well marked.

We were hiking down roads and I realized there was no one out there. I never saw a car, or a bus, or even another hiker.

We were way off the grid and we had not had cell service all day.

Then I started getting hot. The trail left the road and started climbing. I started to sweat. The trail climbed more and I sweat more.

The Heat

I soon became soaked with sweat. I mean drenched, head to toe. It was as if I had jumped in one of the nearby streams.

Then the signage began to get confusing.

I had no idea how far Owen was ahead of me.

I know that the heat and exhaustion were a part of it, but I became unnecessarily anxious about Owen.

Lunch

At the top of a climb, I stopped to eat some of my lunch.

Bless the woman who packed this meal.

I ate one of my rice balls and most of the rest. I drank down a liter of water. I began to feel better and worry less.

Detour

i was feeling better until the detour. Apparently, part of the mountain cracked in a typhoon in 2011 and there has been a semi-permanent detour that skirts around the trouble.

Well it was a bitch to climb.

It was exposed to the sun and it was a unending staircase straight up… and up.

Owen was waiting for me around the third flight. He told me that he figured I might be worried about him. I was so tired and sweaty that I barely felt relief. I grunted my gratitude ungraciously, put my head down and kept climbing. I don’t have any pictures of the hellacious climb because in my fugue state, I didn’t notice anything around me. Owen did his best to coach me up the mountain.

At the top, we did our best to dry off, drank some water then plodded down the other side of the mountain.

I caught up with Owen because he had stopped along a gorgeous stream. We thought it would be a excellent spot to take a break, swim, and eat the rest of our lunch.

I jumped right in but then noticed that as soon as I emerged, I was set upon by very colorful “deer flies”. Owen was jumping up and down and racing up and down the river bank. He was howling in frustration, pain, and annoyance.

I dried off as quickly as possible. Ate my remaining rice ball and tried to catch up with him down trail.

There is a local superstition that “Daru” attack pilgrims in this section. Daru are supposedly snake like demons that cause aches snd pains in pilgrims. One is supposed to save some of his lunch in order to help sustain energy if attacked. I didn’t care, I ate every grain of rice.

When I once again caught up with Owen, he was feeling poorly. I asked if he noticed the sound in the last section of forest and he said that it has scared him a bit and that I sounded like to forest was laughing at him.

It was a very creepy section of forest. We had also been absolutely alone in the wild for hours. The ruins of a village did not cheer things up.

I could tell that Owen was fading. He was very cranky. It was time for me to be strong for him.

Endless Hike

We still had four miles to go. It was difficult to be positive about our situation. Then I realized that we could cut our hike short by taking an alternate trail that led to a bus stop.

We both agreed we needed to bus our asses out of there.

We still had a lot of climbing to do.

The climbs and descents were relentless. I again started to despair.

Finally things started to mellow out. The trail wound alongside a pretty stream and we found a cheerful shrine.

There was a long walk still ahead but we eventually made it to the bus stop.

Buses

We took two buses to make it to our inn. Each bus was over an hour wait. We didn’t mind the waits we were so relieved.

No info…

It became clear at the bus stop that in general, people are nit hiking the trail right now. We felt so fortunate that a bus even showed up so far out.

Hostel

We made it to our inn which is more of a youth hostel. It must be one of the only places in the area because the four other we have met on the trail, are all here.

We ate bento box dinners, took an onsen bath, and drank some beer (not in that order).

We also were able to do our laundry.

After a “team meeting” over dinner this evening, we decided to stop hiking. It is not a good time in this heat. We are not even enjoying the beauty around us.

Instead we will hang around in the mornings, travel by bus to the incredible shrines in the area, eat well in restaurants, shop at vending machines and convenience stores, and have fun together.

The tone for the day was set at dawn. Owen and I had slept well.

We didn’t have any miles to make or really any schedule at all other than the 11 o’clock checkout time which we took advantage of.

Our inn was more of a youth hostel. It was busy with young people. They were preparing for their hikes. I took advantage of the outdoor personal onsen.

We were staying in an onsen village. It’s one of the oldest in Japan. It was deserted. I guess it is not the traveling season, at least not for hot springs.

It understand why because of the heat.

There are many inns and restaurants around but they are all shut up. The only place with life was our hostel / inn. We looked for a breakfast spot but had to settle for a bowl of rice and an instant coffee back at the hostel.

We are way out in the mountains. It is very remote here. It is nice to change our pace. It is also nice to be away from people for a bit. It is also a little boring and things are not convenient.

Buses come infrequently. We have waited around for buses for hours now.

We have another night of country living. We’ll definitely be ready to return to a faster pace.

Kumano Honshu-Taisha ⛩️

In this region of Japan, there are three major shrines. They are collectively called the Kumano Sanzan. The series of pilgrim trails that connect these shrines is what brought us to this area. The symbol that is used throughout the region is the “Three-legged Crow”. There is a myth about the Three-legged Crow guiding the first emperor of Japan through the “impenetrable Kumano mountains is the Japanese creation myth.”

We stopped by our first of the three grand shrines: Kumano Homgu Taisha.

After a nice visit to this lovely shrine, we had another long wait for our bus. We spent our time in a nice restaurant and had a curry and chai tea.

Our wait staff were two junior high students who the restaurant owner explained to me were doing a “work study” type of program. They were so cute, nervous and hard working.

My magical phrase, “Otsu kare sama desu” (“Thank you for your hard work”) brought a round of applause from the the other patrons. Thank you Hisashi-sensei.

Farmhouse

We took two buses unbelievably even further into the mountains.

We wound up in the tiny town of Koguchi.

This nights stay was my toughest reservation to make. I had “applied” to a travel agency some four months ago and only heard back that we got the reservation a week before we came to Japan.

We made a call to be picked up

The Kumaano Farmhouse was an amazing stay.

The guesthouse is part of a family farm. The owner and his wife farm the land and work as hosts. The meals we were served were primarily home grown foods.

The place was so nice and so fun. I am glad we didn’t hike there as originally planned so that we could enjoy ourselves instead of just trying to recover.

Owen had a great time playing in the stream

The evening was beautiful.

We had a very special meal prepared for us.

We saw Starlink fly over again

We each enjoyed several baths in the outdoor onsen.

It was a very pleasant stay.

We started our day with a beautiful homemade breakfast. Then our host showed us off by praying for us and sounding his conch shell-like horn to the mountains.

We had such a nice stay.

Buses again. This time to the second and third of the trinity of holy shrines: Kumano Hayatama-Taisha and Kumano Nachi-Taisha.

Kumano Hayatama-Taisha

At this shrine, we saw the first recognition of the Women’s World Cup even though Japan is doing really well.

Kumano Nachi-Taisha

This is really the gem of the three shrines. It hosts the tallest waterfall in Japan (Ichi-ban our taxi driver tells us), a pagoda, and a beautiful shrine.

I made a special prayer at each monument. One was for a great school year this year and the other for forgiveness for losing my shit on Owen when we couldn’t find the correct bus while we were melting away in the blazing sun.

There are both Shinto shrines as well as Buddhist temples at Nachi-san

Kii-Katsuura

We are now in the seaside town of Kii-Katsuura. It is so pretty here and it is on the sea. It also seems deserted. There are only a few families staying here. It must be a bustling reaort sometimes. I don’t know if we’re here during a down time or if these smaller places in Japan are rotting away from lack of tourism.

They have a beautiful bath here and it is set up for large groups of people but there is no one around.

I started the day by making it down the the port in Katsuura to observe the tuna market.

Supposedly, this tuna market is the largest in Japan.

I am glad that I had this opportunity. The famous Tsukiji Market in Tokyo was moved to Toyosu because of interference from tourists. Although the many fish restaurants remain in Tsukiji that we might still visit. The auctions are now limited to tourists.

Anyway, the auction was very interesting. It was quite a bit quieter than I expected. These fish go for thousands of dollars (sometimes tens of thousands). Yet in Japanese fashion, it was quiet and orderly.

The buyers carefully inspect the fish by observing the quality of the meat in the cross sectioned tail. They then place stickers on the fish. I suppose those are the bids.

The fish are then quickly packed in crates with ice and loaded onto trucks to be shipped around the country.

Foot Bath

Katsuura is famous for its tuna and its onsens.

It had started to rain while I was watching the auction so I waited out the rain while soaking my feet.

Train

I realized that we had to hustle a bit to catch an early train to Nagoya and then on to Odawara.

The plan for today is to close in in Tokyo. Owen is happy to be on a train and heading toward the city.

Odawara

We had a very comfortable evening at our hotel in Odawara. Are hotel is attached to the train station so it was very convenient.

We bathed, did laundry, had an easy ramen dinner and watched TV.

It was a great way to regroup before Tokyo.

TV

We have not watched much television at all in Japan. I seem to remember during my last visits, television was everywhere and on all of the time. Cars even had television playing.

This trip, I have noticed that television is much less ubiquitous than it was. Maybe smartphones have changed the television watching habits of the Japanese.

During the little television watching we have done, I notice again how interested, borderline obsessed, Japanese are with food. Over half of the programing showcases food, food preparation, and food production.

It does not surprise me that the only Western show that I have seen is translated British Baking Show.

This reminds me of one of the presentations during the Food Summit I attended during my last visit.

The theme of one of the Japanese groups was the concerning decline of traditional Japanese cuisine.

I am sure that it was a legitimate concern, but I can mot imagine the Japanese losing their appreciation of food, traditional or otherwise.

DUDE INN

We had some time to kill on our way to Tokyo so we stopped in a sea-side town in Hiratsuka to visit DUDE INN.

This is a small store catering to Japanese Deadheads. They make their own line of Grateful Dead and Dead and Company merchandise.

The proprietor was very glad to have us.

Owen liked the clothing.

It was a fun stop. We listened to a tape of Dead and Company at the Hollywood Bowl on Halloween two years ago. We were all at that show.

Tokyo

We are back in Tokyo. Our hotel is at the Shinjuku Station. It could not be more convenient. Owen is very happy with the view.

We’ll meet Hisashi-sensei and some of his colleagues this evening.

We met Hisashi-sensei and three of his young colleagues at the Omote-sando station, a very chic area of Tokyo. He took us all to another of his favorite spots to eat. It was a curry udon restaurant. Curry udon is two great tastes that taste great together. I believe that it is rare to have a chance to enjoy curry udon. The flavor of curry udon is very unique and very delicious. Owen was happy that we got to eat with bibs. He noticed that udon and ramen are difficult to eat while keeping your shirt clean.

Moemi-san, Kanori-san and Ren-san are our new friends. It was very generous of them to share a Friday evening with us. They made us feel very comfortable. Going out with Japanese people in Tokyo gives a whole new perspective.

Tokyo can feel somewhat cold. The people can seem distant. That is probably because the city is so busy.

Enjoying a meal and some drinks brought everyone to life and we soon felt very close. We laughed a lot together.

Hisashi also does a great job breaking barriers and bringing people together. I think it was smart for his company to move him into “Human Relations”.

After dinner, we went to a very nice rooftop bar that featured Campari. I enjoyed a Negroni.

Our new friends were very fun and eager to engage Owen and myself in conversation. We hope to meet again when Owen is of drinking age. Sensei was as lively as ever.

Today we shopped.

The Japanese love shopping. There are almost as many interesting stores as there are restaurants. They are busy with shoppers.

I made the best of it in the relentless heat.

I had a pretty good time.

Owen and I split up today. I think he had a good time shopping as well.

Women’s World Cup

Hisashi-sensei invited us over for dinner and to watch the Japanese play Norway in the World Cup.

By the end of the day of shopping, I didn’t have the energy to get back on the subway.

I can’t write about the game yet (spoilers).

Owen and I enjoyed a relaxing a cool night in.

Prayer for Hiroshima

Just after having a coffee and small breakfast, Hisashi reminded me via text to make a silent prayer for Hiroshima. Today is the 78th anniversary of the first use of atomic weapons.

I prayed for the victims of Hiroshima and for enough sense to remain within humanity to avoid such misery and destruction in our future here on Earth.

Day 20 – Osaka to Hiroshima

Tsukiji

The breakfast at the hotel is not very good (in my opinion). I would also like to see and do as much as I can with our couple remaining days. I decided to take a trip to the Tsukiji Market, the traditional fish market in Tokyo.

I know that they have moved the auction that was so popular with tourists but I understand that the “Outer Market” is still very interesting and that many of the great restaurants still operate.

I want sashimi for breakfast!

Yatta! Success!

Asakusa

This afternoon we have plans to visit the Asakusa area with Hisashi-sensei and one of his friend’s family.

Asakusa is best known for the Senso-ji Temple. We will meet at the Kaminarimon Gate.

Kaminarimon Gate

Senso-ji is very busy. There are people from all over the world including many Japanese. We saw several couples dressed up in kimonos (yukata).

We were introduced to two beautiful girls, the daughters of Hisashi’s friends from Ise.

Mirei-chan and Koyuki-chan are university students and were very nice to show us around this afternoon.

Hisashi is a great composer and producer when it comes to getting wonderful photos taken. He is quick to ask passersby to work with him getting the best shots. Then he invites them to join our group which they are always happy to do.

We told this sumo wrestler how much we enjoyed the match at Naogoya.

He seemed flattered and proud. He thanked us for inviting him into the picture.

Nitenmon Gate

If given the chance, I would also like to visit Nitenmon Gate as it houses the remains of Ieyasu Tokugawa the first Shōgun of the Edo period and Blackthorn’s counterpart in Clavell’s novel Shōgun which my father and I both enjoyed very much.

I got to see Nitenmon Gate. I learned that although it is not as impressive as Kaminarimon, it is a lot older as it did not burn in the fire-bombing of Tokyo as the other buildings had.

Senso-ji

We made our way through the line and up to the altar to pray. It is a huge temple.

My prayer was of thanks for an amazing trip to Japan.

Sukiyaki

Hisashi had made reservations for a very nice sukiyaki restaurant. Asakusa was once a very large entertainment district and the restaurant was part of the history. I do not believe that most tourists that come to the area to shop and see the temple get to eat at such a great place.

The woman who started our hot pot was a master. Owen told me that she kept her eye on him the whole meal and made sure that his bowl always had meat.

Tomoko-san, Mirei-chan’s mother, joined us for lunch.

Akihabara

After lunch, we were not ready for the fun to end. The first plan was to go the the National Park at Ueno. When we got off the metro, our guides quickly changed plans because it was pouring rain.

We headed to Akihabara.

Akihabara is famous for Otaku, the super fans of anime and manga, the nerds. It is a very lively area with huge billboards depicting characters from animated shows and video games.

It is also famous for Maid Cafes. To my great surprise and delight, I learned that our guides Mirei-chan and Koyuki-chan were taking us to a Maid Cafe.

I had asked Owen if he wanted to go to a Maid Cafe when we were first in Tokyo and he flat out refused. I believe that he knew the stereotype in the American mind that they are “pervy”. I understand. The idea of cute girls dressed as French maids serving drinks, singing, and dancing would seem “pervy” to the ethically Protestant minded American. I knew that Maid Cafes are part of Japanese “kawaii (cuteness) culture”.

We had a great time together and the girls made it even more fun. We had a couple rounds of drinks, enjoyed singing, playing cute games together, and watching cute dance performances.

We were with several groups of people that includes men, women, and couples. For Owen’s sake, I was relieved that it wasn’t overtly sexualized. I think he had a good time despite himself and his dad acting the fool.

Good Bye

Hisashi-sensei rode on the train with us to Shinjuku Station where we made our farewell. He has been such an important part of our visit to Japan and is such a great friend. I was happy and proud of the strong bond that he and Owen made and felt privileged to share so many wonderful memories with his family, his friends, and him.

I felt very sad saying goodbye and I hope I was able to properly express my gratitude and affection to and for him.

I can’t wait until we have the opportunity to see each other again.

I felt more sad than I expected to say goodbye.

There were a few things to wrap uo before we leave Japan. Namely… shopping.

I had something to pick up in Kichijoji. While there, I walked around. It is a very pleasant place with few tourists. I stopped by the temple and the shrine and looked into some stores.

I then realized that I needed to head back to Asakusa. Hisashi had confirmed that it was a great area to buy souvenirs. I wanted to avoid it because of inflated prices for tourists. Chinese and Korean tourists have apparently flocked to Asakusa for hundreds of years.

It turn out, it is a great area for souvenir shopping.

Today was “less hot”. I would not call it cool but it was tolerable.

By the time I had finished up shopping, I was famished. Owen had eaten so I was on my own.

Tempura

I was in the mood for tempura so I searched for a good restaurant for tempura in Shinjuku. I was not disappointed.

I had never been to a place that specializes in tempura. I was lucky to get there early before crowds.

I ordered a recommended “set” and then sat back and enjoyed an excellent meal as the chef and his teacher made each piece of tempura and served them in courses.

It started with shrimp.

Then I was served rice and miso soup.

That was followed by vegetables.

Squid followed

Next came eel.

Then scallops.

Then a squid with a sweet dessert paste.

Then dessert with tea.

It was incredible. There were five chefs working with a host and five waiters. Throughout the meal, I drank a lot of sake.

It was really fun watching the two chefs working together. I was wondering what skills must be learned to become a tempura chef. They certainly did a great job. Again, I’ve been spoiled.

Our last meal in Japan

When I got back from dinner, Owen wanted to go out and eat and drink. I was stuffed but he wanted to have a nice time on our last evening. So we went.

We walked around quite a bit to find a place. Eventually we settled on a great low key spot.

We talked about our trip. We talked about our ups and downs. I had a chance to tell him how proud I am of the man he is becoming.

It was really sweet.

Packing

We bought two suitcases to haul home our loot. It’s funny because we traveled with little day-packs for a month and tomorrow we will be wheeling two suitcases through the subway and the train station.

We are pretty much organized and packed.

Tomorrow should be a breeze.

We have an extra long day today. By that, I mean we will get back to San Francisco half a day before we leave.

It will also be a long travel day.

Bus

One of the first serendipitous fortunes that we have had while traveling happened just now.

Owen and I were prepared to lug our bags down the streets of Tokyo , invade people’s space on the subway with our stuff, then rattle our way on the train out to Narita International.

As we stepped out the door of our hotel into the heat of Japan’s summer, an airport shuttle bus was just getting ready to pull away.

I asked the driver if it would be possible to catch a ride. He made a call. I was fairly sure we were out if luck. Owen and I took odds. He agreed that it was implausible. After a lengthy conversation on the radio, the driver said, “Ok”.

We made a couple stops at nearby hotels, he helped me buy tickets at Shinjuku station and now we are on our way. We are cool, comfortable customers.

As a bonus, the bus drive also provides some nice views.

Getting to the airport early has been great. I have time for a last sushi lunch and a bit more shopping to spend my remaining Yen.

Flight

Thank you for a wonderful trip country of Japan