The high humidity is a signal of what is coming. Tomorrow, the prediction is for heavy rain all day, so we have booked our hotel for a second night. We have learned that when this is predicted, it is best to stay put.
We were excited to find this wonderful cafe/bakery called Bakery Parlour Pelican and it is air conditioned. It has a relaxed vibe, the food looks incredible and we are happy to be inside.
Set meals in Japan are the best deal. We are having a hamburger, salad, ice cream and coffee. Yum.
We had to stop and check out these mini campers. The photo doesn’t really show how small they are but I could easily touch the roof. Barry’s height would make it a challenge, but we think they would be fun. Inexpensive to drive and it would tuck in anywhere.
As we were chatting with the fellow, we showed him our business card. He was fascinated by our trikes and suddenly without warning he turned around and ran away. It turns out that we had met him earlier on the trip and he wanted to show us a photo he had taken of us riding through a tunnel.
The magic of happenstance where unlikely incidents come together. All three of us could not believe that we had arbitrarily stopped to look at these campers and that we would reconnect with this stranger. He is holding up his phone to show the photograph he took of us from his car. What a small world…
Lawson 100 stores are a unique part of the Lawson group. It is a new branding which offers discount items and is more like a small grocery store with fresh produce.
The kids are very friendly, inquisitive and happy to chat with us. These contacts reawaken Barry’s Mr. B persona and loves it. We are impressed by the Japanese approach of giving their children the independence and responsibility of walking to school, doing chores helping to help clean their school etc. We understand that the safe environment in Japan makes this possible.
We saw this Shrine as we were riding. We stopped to take a look…love the red Tori Gates. We enjoy visiting shrines and temples as it teaches us a great deal about Japanese customs, how they live their lives and their beliefs.
The station where you cleanse your hands with the ladle before entering.
The two Inari foxes with the red bibs are white foxes who have a special role. The red bibs are added as a sign of respect. They are considered to be messengers of Inari. The foxes convey the words of the gods to humans.. You often see large guardian Lion dogs at Shrines who ward off evil spirits. Today there are over 30,000 Inari Shrines across Japan. Each Inari Shrine is watched over by silent white foxes. These shrines offer support for the practical side of life in Japan, such as food, clothing, shelter and prosperity.
2 weeks ago
2 weeks ago