Quiet towns in rural Japan in May

[Grant_T]

23 hours ago, Tony Galiani said:

Where have I been?  I have been missing your posts.  Hope your trip is going well and looking forward to reading more updates.  NHK has a show on biking around Japan - you can find it on their web site if you like - there are some interesting trips including to some of the islands close to Japan (though no trains on them).  We enjoyed Nikko, particularly getting out of the main shrine and heading to the lake and some of the areas outside the town.

Safe travels.

Tony

 

 

Thanks Tony. The trip is really flying by. I've done a bunch of writing and exploring and I'm getting my rail pass on Thursday. Then I plan to ride as many trains as possible.

 

I do miss my dog a little though.

 

 

Edited May 7 by Grant_T

[Tony Galiani]

What a face!  I can well understand that - we have two dogs (and 5 1/2 cats) and the dogs get visibly upset when they see us packing for travel.  I am sure there will be much excitement when you return!

Tony

[cteno4]

3 hours ago, Tony Galiani said:

and 5 1/2 cats

I’m afraid to ask how you get 5 1/2 cats…

 

jeff

[Tony Galiani]

@cteno4 - it's not as bad as it might sound - though having any cats is bad enough ....

We have four indoor cats, one outdoor cat and there is the 1/2 cat - a neighbor's outdoor cat that spends all his time at our place and we feed him as his owners don't really take care of him and he is afraid of their dogs.  I made the mistake of feeding him when he was hanging out on our front porch during an extreme cold spell and now he rarely leaves and follows me us when I take our dog walks - much to the amusement of passers by as I lead a parade of two dogs and two cats ....

 

Dignity!  Always Dignity!

 

Tony

[Grant_T]

I met a rat snake yesterday. Coming from NZ it was a bit of a surprise. I went out to Haneda on the monorail to watch the planes land and the dude slithered in front of me. 

Edited May 8 by Grant_T

[arkh]

Sounds like a great trip so far! One of the things I want to do when I'm in Japan myself is to take a look at some guitar gear. So just curious: What guitar did you buy and where did you buy it from? Also are you planning to ship it back or take it with you on the plane?

[Grant_T]

Hi Arkh, it is this Epiphone. It was so cheap compared to home. It instantly felt great to play too. I have Gibsons and Fenders at home, but I've always wanted a jazz/rockabilly style guitar.

 

 

[MeTheSwede]

On 5/2/2024 at 1:32 AM, Grant_T said:

I'm also thinking about buying a cheap bike for the rest of my stay. 

 

Have you considered using a bike share service like Docomo? For a visitor that sounds more practical to me than buying.

[Grant_T]

Spent a little time in Imon Shibuya this morning. What a lovely shop. Came away with the basic Kato E5 and the extension sets, plus a bunch more track. I guess a Shinkansen layout will be my next. 🤪

[Martijn Meerts]

IMON shop is dangerous, so much 1/87 12mm stuff there 😄

 

[Grant_T]

15 hours ago, Martijn Meerts said:

IMON shop is dangerous, so much 1/87 12mm stuff there 😄

 

 

I know. I was soooo tempted to get some.