Exploring the unlikely intersections of walking, photography and making
April 16, 2017 If yesterday's walk was 6 kilometre’s too long - due to a lack of available lodgings along the way - today’s walk would be that much shorter. Just a 19-kilometre stroll to our pre-booked hotel in Sukumo. Gail and I survived Shimuzugawa-sō, our strange bunkhouse-in-the-woods. In fact, we slept well that night... Continue Reading →
April 10, 2017 We are reluctant to leave the luxurious digs of Kuroshio Honsen. After all, here we are enjoying our Japanese breakfast and, just outside our table-side window, rain pours down over scenic Kure Bay, reducing it to a sorry display of blue-greys. But there are 28 kilometres to cover and we know there’s... Continue Reading →
April 9, 2017 Today’s walk starts with great promise. After a fine Japanese breakfast, our obliging hostess at Minshuku Micchan loads us into her diminutive car and drives us up the steep winding road to its junction with Highway 47. We don our backpacks and say our goodbyes in a halting mishmash of English, Japanese... Continue Reading →
With our planned excursions to sakura-viewing locales foiled, we needed to fill our second scheduled day in Kochi with other activities. It was a rain-filled day, so museum visits seemed appropriate. That morning, we headed off by commuter train to the nearby town of Ino, home of the Japanese Paper Museum. As far back... Continue Reading →
The whims of nature threw a huge curve ball in the direction of my careful planning. I had plotted our entire trip around Japan's cherry blossom season. I had studied past years' reports for the best time to see the sakura in full bloom. Flights were arranged so we would arrive here, in Kochi,... Continue Reading →
Gail and I are back to the coastline as we leave Aki. But not before passing some Rube Goldberg contraption of a type that only the Japanese could conceive. Four yellow orbs are suspended from a shiny stainless steel trunk. On the hour, chirpy music emanates from the device and each of the orbs opens... Continue Reading →
Misono, our frenetic host, was out the door before her guests had finished breakfast. She had a community volunteer flower-planting party to command. Minshuku Misono was part of the recently-established network of HenroHouse lodgings dotting the 88-temple Henro route. It's a convenient way to book rooms in advance, using the HenroHouse English-friendly website. I hope it... Continue Reading →
On our second day of walking, we leave Fuji Business Hotel and Muroto City behind as we make our way along the coastline of Kochi Prefecture. We also leave yesterday's stormy, wet and cold. Sure, it is cooler than we would wish but the bright overcast is a welcome reprieve. Soon, we are climbing once... Continue Reading →