Microblog

Today is Sausage Saturday, a tradition that always includes ice cream. The big question is: which flavor goes better with rhubarb sauce, vanilla or caramel? I suspect the answer is: both. Yesterday, Dwight made the sauce from rhubarb he’d harvested from his sister’s garden.

Cycled past art that will soon disappear from a trail beside the Mississippi.

Problem: Working through a 14-hour time difference, and too lazy/tired to cook dinner. Solution: Walk across Washington Avenue to Maxwell’s.

The last time I saw my oncologist, he had a Japanese medical student in tow. Naturally, the conversation turned to Japanese Kit Kats. Today, I presented my oncologist and the study coordinator with this box of Japanese matcha Kit Kats, proving that I wasn’t kidding.

Sat in Lunds & Byerly’s, consuming a donut and coffee, and watched as a downpour drowned my bike. A few minutes earlier, the heavens had opened as I was locking up the bike, soaking me to the skin. Back home, a hot shower made everything OK.

Stowed our backpacks in lockers while we walked around Tokyo’s Ueno Park before we headed to Tokyo HND for our journey home. Lockers are ubiquitous.

Mount Fuji from a fast train to Tokyo. Tomorrow we head home.

Rain set in for much of the day, but we never had to put on rain jackets. We took a 15-minute bullet train to Osaka, where we walked a few miles through the city’s vast indoor spaces, both above and below ground. A side trip to the Cup Noodles Museum added variety.

Took a local train to Kurama, a village on a mountain above Kyoto. Hiked a quiet trail up and over Mount Kurama, passing through a temple complex and past shrines and ancient trees. Rejoined the train line for the trip back to Kyoto.

We introduced our nephew and his dad to Kyoto’s over-loved bucket list favorite, Kiyomizu-dera Temple, in order to build the case for exploring B-list Kyoto. After that initiation, we walked towards quieter places.

Spent the day on Naoshima, an “art island” beautifully set in the Inland Sea. Visited the Chichu Art Museum, which is housed in a series of underground galleries, and several “art houses”—former homes that have been converted into works of art.

For most of today: A hot steamy hike through mountain forests following part of the Shikoku 88 (temple) Pilgrimage. Visited temples 80, 81, and 82.

Okayama is a convenient base for our plans over the next three days. We can catch a train without even having to go outside.

Rented bicycles and took a ferry to the midpoint of the Shimanami Kaido cycle route. Cycled back across the Seto Inland Sea on huge bridges and around islands.

Onomichi U2, a repurposed 1943 warehouse where bicycles rule. The 28-room Hotel Cycle, plus bar and restaurant, provide us with a comfortable base to cycle part of the Shimanami Kaido across the Seto Inland Sea tomorrow.

We spent much of the day hiking an OLLE Trail through the town of Takeo-Onsen and into the hills. We didn’t need to use a map, as we simply followed the special Olle Trail markers. The trailhead was a short bullet train ride from Nagasaki, where we’re staying.