Microblog

Friday, 8:00 a.m. Bullet train, Nagano to Tokyo. I’ll walk around Ueno Park, then continue to NRT (Tokyo-Narita).

Thursday: Went for a hike and saw snow monkeys in the wild. They saw me, but seemed completely unperturbed.

Wednesday evening: After taking a hydrofoil and 2 bullet trains, now in Nagano for 2 nights, surrounded by mountains.

Wednesday, explored part of the plain that bisects Sado Island.

Tuesday, Sado Island. 360 degree views, 20+ mile hike. Got to the snow line, but didn’t wear my jacket.

Monday and Tuesday nights in a creaky old traditional inn (ryokan) on Sado Island in the Sea of Japan.

Monday: Traveling to Sado, final “Island off Islands” I’ll stay in a ryokan and… walk.

Wrote about my second day of looking for traces of Matsuo Basho’s 1689 journey.

Explored places Matsuo Basho visited 1689 traveling his “Narrow Road to the Deep North.” It’s fun figuring this out.

Saturday morning: a bullet train, then an express train to Kanazawa.

Walked across Kazurabashi vine bridge in vertiginous Iya Valley in the interior of the island of Shikoku.

Took 3 progressively smaller trains to the end of the line in southeast Shikoku to see what was there. I then hiked.

Wednesday: hiked to temples 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 of the Shikoku 88 pilgrimage temples. More pictures.

Tuesday night I’m in Tokushima. Tomorrow I’ll walk the first few temples of the Shikoku 88 (temples) pilgrimage.

Hey C, D: a post card of a giant pumpkin for you from an art island called Naoshima. Can you draw an art island?

Art hike, day 2, including extraordinary underground Chichu Museum: removing boundaries between art and architecture.