First day in Japan :
Utter magic! Studio Ghibli
Felt like I was a little kid again. Superb collection and presentation. Fantasy and talent. Lovely lovely!
Sunday October 18
Up @ 5:30am. Slept poorly but feel ok. Managed to pack up and leave by 7:30. At Tokyo station one hour early. Really glad I got first class ticket and reserved seat! This place is a madhouse with a gang of people waiting to cram into unreserved cars. I have not yet found out if I can leave the train early but am guessing it will not be a problem. Hoping...
Bought an ekiban for lunch. Huge crowd buying them so I lined up... Looks yummy, you pull a string and wait five minutes and it heats up!
Am starting to love Japan!
Monday October 19
Lovely relaxing train ride here. Easy change at shin-Osaka. Met up w Kosuke at Sendai station. Bought groceries at enormous cheap warehouse cost-co type of store, open 24/7. Kosuke made yummy soup with fresh vegetables and 3 kinds of mushrooms. I have healthy stuff to bring to eat in Yakushima. Up early. Yoga on tatami mats feels right. Slept from 9p til 3am... Dozed a bit more. Getting back into my mind-body connection. This chunk will be the most expensive part of my trip, car rental and kayaking. Splurge in the beginning is not my usual m.o. I like to splurge at end when I know exactly how much $ is left.
Great to get Z’s take on where to go....after Naoshima, Iya valley, Kyoto, Takayama, maybe Gujo Hachiman and fly away home from Narita.
Ready to roll out onto train, taxi, ferry, car! Woowoo.
Left my cane in Sendai station. Don't really need it now but might later. It was z's father's cane. Confused the station guy with my asking to hold it for 4 days. Probably will cause some concern... Will try and collect it on the way back.
On board ferry to Yakushima! Ominously there is a typhoon coming, maybe too rough to get to Yakushima for next few days! Rolling a bit but not out of the harbor yet. This whole boat stinks of tobacco smoke. Smoking allowed in central area permeates everywhere. Bleagh. If I cannot get to the island I may lose more $ from car rental, guest house and kayak trip. Damn.
Yakushima was great until i cracked the windshield on rented car. cost me 30,000 yen! A branch stuck out into what might not be a road. damn. done. over. paid for. thank you anya. my little snooker-doodle keeps giving me $$$$$
Loved the climate, the cloud forest, the giant ferns and peacefulness of being in tune with nature.
Naoshima splendid! Artsy tourists in black clothes! The art is scant but good. The big star is Tadeo Ando architecture. wow. Great imagination, playing with light and shadow in a concrete structure. most excellent! Nanas spill and cavorting on the lawn. Wished i coulda photographed the great. neon signs : eat and die, eat and live.... when all lit up it was cool.
got my ticket. neat and tidy in 3 bags. may send one bag to sf..... will see... dont need wetsuit anymore. though i may still go rafting ... have to check the guidebook. Fun staying on the little island across a channel from Naoshima. Felt authentic. Mama-san was cool, makes her own aprons and crafts, all scattered throughout the houses.
TRAVEL PLAN:
tonight and tomorrow night in takamatsu. mon tues kyoto, wed thurs takayama zensoji temple. friday sat sun ? would like to do nikko monday tuesday, wed night narita.
saturday oct 31
train thru the japan alps: spectacular! steep forested mountains with clouds and mist around the peaks. deep gorges with rushing rivers. gorgous scenery. small local train mostly empty. i am in heaven!
transfered at toyama for Shinkansen towards Nagano. i go to Omiya... transfer again at utsun**** to nikko.
nov 4
narita. shopped for anyas smock and apron all morning. never did find that shop for workers clothes. high end dept store at aeon mall had everything. cheaper stuff upstairs. found red and white gingham smock and striped apron. nice and i hope she will like them. 'Toph is bigger than biggest kubota so... nothing yet. love those cotton robes but they are too often lined w polyester. yuck.
nackered from long walk. taxi there, partway. bus back. made soup. ate soup. tired. gotta pack. mmmph. long flight tomorrow. #15 on list only 6 first class seats. wah. 36 empties. wah wah i hate flying coach. so spoiled!
seattle washington, nov 6
feeling human after 8 hrs sleep! flight mercifully quick after delayed start.
left narita ( the city) @ 2:00 for short train ride to airport after pleasant morning shopping for gifts for Toph (t shirt #1) and another apron for Anya. finally found Top Work and got pants for Anya. that was fun. at airport had fabulous reflexology and shiatsu. made it easy to endure the flight. horrble rotten egg farter next to me on plane yeech. anya picked me up. went to uncle ikes for recreational pot. walked around volunteer park, asian museum and botanical gardens. lovely. shopping trip to costco for steak and shrimp. dinner grilled steaks w anchovy paste parsley butter and green salad, homemade apple pie. delish. they are such highly skilled chefs, such a pleasure!
its still dark at 7:30 am!!!
comfy airbnb but toilet in same room as bed looks like a jail cell. curtain helps. this is a transient space. the common kitchens and roof are good but w out privacy. too block-ish. unfinished concrete just feels industrial and cold. not inviting, not cosy. and i forgot the security code for the wifi.
feb 1
2 weeks and 3 days post-op. no pain in new hip but over compacted left shoulder using walker. impinged rotator cuff, hurts like a sonnofabitch. aspirin and ice and stretching. walking ok w cane. better w 1 crutch. tired all the time from low red blood cell count. taking iron, 3 times so far. steak. beet tops. chard. hoping one more week to top out on iron and get back to normal! hip is healing nicely. pt comes to me 3x week and health aide twice. next week i start pt at cpmc up the hill.... good that i had a choice. tired, tired, tired. not sleepy!
feb 6
4:00 pm massage at nhi for shoulder and lower legs. great. bussed there, spent an hour putzing around goodwill. 3 busses home. barbara waited for me.... good talk w mint tea. Cindy came by early afternoon. great to hang out w her ... bali stories!
feeling more like myself. no more sitting at home! by march 1 i want to be back in pilates/yoga classes everyday! one month maybe 2, and back in bike shape!yeah.
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