Reggie Thomson's Diary

In hindsight, it wasn’t a good idea to use the computer last night. I had the opportunity to get a good night’s sleep, but instead achieved very little and stayed up late. I got up at four a.m. after only four hours asleep. By 4.20 I was on the road with not a soul in sight. In spite of the perfect weather forecast, it was cloudy. “Maybe it will clear by the time I get to the top,” I thought. Mostly I walked, but from time to time I ran for about twenty paces or so. I had been told it would take two hours to get to the top from the youth hostel, and sun-up was due at 6.05.

By 5.50 I was getting desperate. One car came, but didn’t stop. I broke into a run, but I hadn’t eaten anything and was lacking in energy. Fortunately, the second car was kinder. They gave me a lift to a viewpoint on the west of the mountain, where they were going to take a photograph themselves. The other photographer was already set up, but, not surprisingly, didn’t say a word.

I rushed round looking for the sunrise position. The high mountains meant that the actual sunrise would be later. I ran over to a lake from where I could get a mountain reflected perfectly in the still waters. When I returned, I realised why the photographers had waited. The morning sun caught the mountains that surround the central volcanic peak, tingeing them with a beautiful warm glow. I wasn’t able to get back quick enough to catch the effect – the sun soon clouded over. Maybe I should have waited, or asked what they were looking for.

There was an outside socket at some nearby shops, where I brewed up my coffee, and started to use my computer. However, soon some cars drove up and I figured that the shops would soon open. They had all been closed yesterday in the poor weather. I was invited in and supplied with hot tea. I didn’t ask about milk, but put some of my all-bran into a half cup of hot coffee. It instantly went mushy, and was quite disgusting to eat – but I finished it all. I need the energy and fibre.

Rather than go back to the top, I made my way down the south side. It was a long trek, and nobody stopped. I figured my sign was wrong, but chose to continue that way. There were so many beautiful places. I peered into dark woods, thinking “Can’t you see the beauty?” Surely there is something beautiful here, if only I could see it. Someday I may unlock the secret of the unfocused photograph. I began to think about all the things I like to photograph – I love the mountains and the snow. Maybe someday I will write a song like this – and try to get the photos to accompany it.

From the bottom of the mountain, a gentleman gave me a lift to a roadway on the way to Takachiho gorge. It was a steep incline, and I wasn’t at first sure where to stand. However, within a few minutes a lady stopped. She asked if it would be O.K. to wait for some boys on bicycles, and as we did so, another lady pulled in. She had seen my sign, and done two U-turns to come and collect me. I said thanks to the first lady, and jumped into the next car.

The lady stopped on all the bridges, giving me time to jump out and take photos. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be looking for, but felt I ought to take a snap, just in case she asked to see it. We went a little further on, and I got the impression I had gone past my destination. A map of the area confirmed my suspicions, but I saw a photo of the beautiful gorge. I travel with the wind, and sometimes it blows in strange directions. It would be better not to upset the lady, by saying she had made a mistake and causing her to take me back to my chosen destination. I went on with her all the way to the coast town of Nobioka.

From there, a couple took me on to Aoshima, which was only a little out of their way. They picked up their son. The lady, on learning that I was from Scotland, said – as all Japanese do – “Isn’t it cold there?” I was about to agree, as I always do, when the son pointed out that the warm wind and sea curren ts actually mean that Scotland doesn’t usually g et so very cold, and Hokkaido is colder. Wow! At last the truth is being taught in Japanese textbooks – but I think that several generations will need to pass away before it is common belief that Scotland is often warmer than Hokkaido in winter.

There were no sockets in the toilets, so I walked round the whole island (it’s quite small), and then settled down on the rocks, halfway round. It seemed the most romantic place to kip out. By midnight, though, a slight wind was blowing, and I packed up and went back to the toilets.

I did some more computing when I arose, after a cold night. It came to an end when I heard someone unlocking a door and sounding official – perhaps a cleaner come to wash the place out. As this was a holiday, I walked to the city library. The librarian I asked said that there was no place to use a personal computer in that library, so I continued on my walk to the next library – the prefectural one.

This time I chose not to ask first. I dumped my belongings at the reception desk and went in search of books on photography. There was a socket near a seat in a corner, where I figured I would be out of the way, and not bothering anyone. The library staff kindly lugged out my rucksack and I pulled out the computer. However, a lady had just sat down in the seat I’d chosen, and my lead wouldn’t stretch to the next desk. I had to ask her to move, even though she said that this was her preferred seat – close to the window with a nice view of the cherry blossoms outside. She obliged, and I was able to get on with my diary for a while.

It didn’t last for long. Soon a librarian, with the backup of a security staff, heavied in. It isn’t possible to use the computer here connected to the socket. I asked why, and was told that the noise of the typing might bother other people around. It wasn’t a problem of using the electricity, he told me, though I could use the computer on its battery only outside, in a waiting area. I didn’t argue, put my computer back in the bag with an apology, and moved so that the lady could have her special seat back again.

For a while, it was difficult to concentrate on the book of photographs of Kyoto’s bamboo. There was someone hammering outside, probably a little louder than the noise of my keyboard. It hadn’t bothered me in the slightest before, but now it became a large distraction for a while.

I liked the photos of bamboo. I admire a photographer who can concentrate on a single theme and produce many interesting photographs. Especially I like the photographs that have no particular focus, and yet they seem to have balance and consistency. They seem to reflect a value of society – everything is part of the whole but nothing in particular is made to stand out. All my photographs need to have a focus, and I try to get rid of distractions so that everything leads the eye into the focus.

A further thought that has been buzzing round my head recently concerns two comments about my photographs. From an English friend: “Some of your photographs are good,” while a Japanese friend commented: “I like your photographs.” It seems that the world of Western thought divides everything into “good” and “bad,” where the “good” go to “heaven” and get published, but the bad go to “hell” and get deleted from my computer for ever. Perhaps the Eastern thinking divides the world into “liked” and “hated,” with things that are liked remembered happily and joined into “our group,” but the hated things are forgotten and banished to “other groups.”

By lunchtime I decided to move on, unable to realise my intention of catching up on the diary. I sat outside a shopping area near a famous garden, and began to eat my lunch. When a shop assistant walked by, I was a little worried that I was causing trouble again. There are very few places in Japan where one can eat one’s lunch – it’s supposedly impolite to do so in a public place not set aside specifically for the purpose. So I was surprised when the lady not only invited me inside, but also supplied me with a pot of hot tea. I felt all the more grateful because my expectations were the opposite of what happened.

The weather was lousy, but I hitched on to Mt. Aso for a second time, with several lifts taking me right to the very top. It was exceptionally windy and wet, but there was snow on the ground, a rare sight in Kyushu, especially at the end of March. I dumped my rucksack in one of the escape bunkers and battled against the elements to get a few snaps. The wind kept blowing my leggings off me – so I had to redress from time to time in one of the bunkers.

On the way down, a car kindly stopped. A lady from Oxford was touring Aso with some Japanese friends. She was staying at the youth hostel for the night, and given that I was wet, and in need of washing all my clothes, I decided to stop over. It was too late to order a meal, but the lady had booked a meal in advance and now wanted to go to a restaurant with her friends. I was able to use her meal ticket instead.

It was great to be able to wash all my clothes. I only have one pair of trousers, so wore only my shorts, jumper and long socks. I must have looked a strange sight, though nobody seemed to mind, or be amused. Even my shoes got dried out with a special shoe drier.

I started to use my computer, then wanted to take a hot bath. Thinking I could earn a little bit of money, I offered to let someone write an email. He contributed 100 yen to the cost of the phone call. I tried afterwards to put some more photos on the net, but people came up to look, and I ended up showing them my homepage. By eleven, I was very tired, but someone was on the only phone with a modem socket. Eventually, I asked if she could switch to the other one, but then the phone didn’t take coins. She noticed my predicament, and gave me a phone card, which, she said, only had a few units left. I was able to get my emails sent and check the Internet.

It was slightly cloudy when I got up – after a van had almost driven over me to get into the castle. Photographing flowers is very difficult. I felt that there was beauty, beauty everywhere, but not a drop for me (apologies to purist for whom this may be a misquote.) Thinking there may be more opportunities inside, I paid the entrance fee. From time to time the sun would appear, but I hadn’t found a good spot. The petals are just beginning to drop – probably a day or two earlier would have been better.

I was quite tired, so decided that I would take the rest of the day off. Tomorrow is going to be wet, according to the forecasts. At an information desk I inquired about a coin laundry. The lady leafed through the yellow pages, and came up with some numbers and addresses. I could easily have done so myself. She also photocopied several pages from a map, giving me some useful used paper for writing signs on.

The launderette I’d chosen was about an hour’s walk from the centre. I passed the Yu-yu land I’d stayed in before, and right opposite it was another coin laundry. It cost 600 yen for the pleasure, so I skipped it. Unfortunately, so did the one I was going to. I gave it a miss, too. All that back pain for failing to spend 10 yen on a phone call!

Yu-yu land would cost 2500 yen for the night, but when I asked about a socket where I could plug the computer into, I was told it wasn’t possible. Doubtless, people recharge their personal cell-phones there without causing trouble. Perhaps I am asking the wrong question. Maybe I should start with the possible and work to the impossible. I tend to give all the explanation prior to the request. Naturally there are no sockets specifically for notepad computers. There are sockets, though.

It was back to the castle, where I wandered round wondering if anyone would invite me for a drink. Tonight was not so busy – the weather wasn’t so good, and it wasn’t a weekend. Worse, it began raining at 7 p.m. so people started to move away. It was a great opportunity for me to catch up on some of the diary. That night, I slept in the rather cramped toilet area.

I rather goofed my estimation of East. The sun rose behind a mountain. Next time I’ll use my compass rather than guessing from a public map. So I walked quickly to another temple the other side of town (Komeiin, I think), expecting it to be quite large and impressive. It wasn’t. I returned to Tenmongu, the main temple, where visitors were streaming in. I think the attraction of this temple is that it offers instant success in all exams. I should have come here instead of studying for my kanji (Chinese character) tests, or my Japanese language tests.

I tried to take a photo of the ladies selling good luck charms, but it didn’t come out well. It’s hard to know what works, and then one only gets a single chance. I’ll have to keep trying these portraits until I am confident.

A nearby temple had a small stone garden, so again I attempted to take some snaps there. The sunlight streams down on the raked garden, so a slight change of angle gives quite a different effect.

Overall, I wasn’t so impressed with Dazaifu. It was particularly disappointing, given that I have had so few beautiful mornings recently. Perhaps I should have gone straight to Mount Aso.

I walked all the way to the Dazaifu interchange, taking over an hour. No one stopped. Probably the sign was wrong. A taxi-driver signalled to me and seemed to suggest so. Worse, when I got there, it turned out to be on an elevated area, and there was no way I could get in.

I hitched back to Dazaifu, and was lucky to get a lift quickly. From there, a couple took me on to Kiyama parking area, which was near very near the main road they were travelling on. It felt great to be on my way again.

The next car was going to Aso village, so dropped me at the start of the road to the top. Then two young ladies stopped for me. When I said I wanted to go to the top, they decided to do so too. On the way, I asked them to stop, when I saw the flames and smoke of the grass burning. Apparently, every year most of the grass is burned down around the mountain, so that it looks green in the summer. (I think that’s the reason – I’m sure nature wouldn’t normally resort to such a drastic measure.) I raced around trying to catch the flames and avoid getting in the way of the T.V. camera crews.

Periodically, I would return to the girls, and show them the latest shots. That’s a great advantage of digital cameras. It wasn’t until later that I noticed the black marks all over my trousers. Doubtless I will have to get them cleaned some time soon. They are buff coloured, so that I can be seen easily in the dark when I hitch, but of course that means they show the dirt a lot.

Sadly, I couldn’t get up to the cauldron at the top of the mountain. Today, it was spitting out gases making it too dangerous. It’s a pity, since I consider Mount Aso to be a superlative volcano. On the way back down the mountain, the girls sang to their taped songs, and stopped periodically for me to take snaps.

The next lady and her son, saw me while going in the opposite direction, turned round just for me, picked me up, and suggested I go with them to see some sights, before taking me on to my destination – a viewpoint north of the volcano. I usually travel with the wind and assume that life will work out. We first went to a huge cherry tree that wasn’t yet in blossom, but I rushed over to take a mountain shot with some other flowers in the foreground. As we left, I spotted another shot, and we held up the cars behind for a minute or two. I bowed to them to say sorry, but the girls in the car behind seemed to suggest it was O.K. I suppose I have learned a lot of sign language communication here in Japan. It may be difficult to communicate in other countries when I don’t know how my almost involuntary signals are interpreted.

Next, we went on to Shirakawa Spring to watch water gushing through the bottom of a pool. There, they treated me to a delicious meal. Of course, they finished way before me – I always eat s lowly. However, when it came to coffee, I was the first finished. They said they had “Cat’s tongues” meaning they couldn’t take hot drinks quickly. Perhaps this explains why food often doesn’t seem to be very hot in Japan – convenience stores only warm the dishes and don’t get them steaming hot.

The next stop was a wonderful hot spring: Tsukimawari. I rushed in to take a photograph while there was still light, and one gentleman agreed I could take his picture. It was great to wash and relax in hot water, and come out feeling so fresh again.

Finally, I was taken on to Kumamoto castle. The lady stopped at one point where the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. As I was taking my snaps, some nearby revellers asked me to join them for ten minutes. Since my kind benefactor was still waiting, we negotiated three minutes. I was treated to a cup of hot sake from the group of bartenders. At the end, they “banzai-ed” me – like a hip-hip-hooray three times. I was then deposited at the other end of the castle, where I began to take more night photos.

This time it was a group of hairdressers who started talking. I think that my hair is the centre of attraction, and certainly seems to be a hit with the ladies. Maybe I look taller or wilder than I actually am. One lady wanted to tickle my beard and these days, I’m happy to oblige.

As usual, I found a quieter toilet with a western and a Japanese style toilet. There was a plug in the western one, so I sat on the seat, placed the computer on the cistern, and updated my homepage. It was a beautiful night, so I decided to find a cherry tree to sleep under. There was one near the castle entrance, with some gravel underneath that was quite comfortable. Every time I woke up, I looked at the beautiful blossoms above me, turned over, and went back to sleep.

During breakfast, Aki asked if I could give an English lesson to the children – they are all beginners. I had just 30 minutes to pack all my bags and think up a lesson plan. I decided to give them parts of the body, because they probably hadn’t done it yet, some of the words are familiar to them anyway, and because it would allow me to build in some TPR and games.

It was hard to build in games, because I tend to give explanations in English using words I have already taught. Thus, while my objectives were just eight words (hands, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, legs, boys and girls) I found I was using too much language around them (open, close, up, down, stand, sit). As usual, only some of the activities worked. They enjoyed drawing the pictures, and then doing the blind answers – “Close your eyes. Hand, please. What’s this?”

I used my computer afterwards, to type in the information from some of the sheets about the places I’ve been to. Every leaflet weighs a little, and add them all up, it comes to quite a bit. I have to be very weight conscious. It was good to throw away a lot.

The student’s appeared to be talking through some of Aki’s lesson, too. He sometimes got them to repeat presumably vital information five times at high speed. Also, he sang some songs, though only a few of the students made any effort to join in. I was surprised that he sang, because I’d given up with songs beyond grade 5.

Within ten minutes of the end of the last class, we had packed and were on our way. I went in Aki’s car to his home in Ogori, then he took me on to Yamaguchi, dropping me at a small temple complex with a five-storied pagoda.

The couple who picked me up took me all the way to the station in Tsuruno. I didn’t ask for a map, peering just at the large one by the station, and deciding on a few places to go. I made my way to a small roadside gutter by the library, which was filled with carp. Everyone told me this is what Tsuwano was famous for. The water was slightly muddy – probably due to the recent rain, and the irises weren’t in bloom. I can’t control the seasons. To become a real Pro photographer, I’d have to come at the right season in the right weather at the correct time with all the correct props – and then get the photograph perfectly right.

There is a shrine on the mountainside by Tsuwano. It has lots of torii (gates) up to the main part of the shrine. On the way up, I browsed through the postcards in a little shop, with no intention of buying them. The only other thing that seemed to be worth photographing in the town was the steam railway. While I was contemplating where a good angle for the shrine, I heard the unmistakable whistle of a steam train. I rushed to the side to search for the railway line. It was the other side of the valley. I struggled to get the camera set up in time – including changing the battery. The train is still too small in the frame and all one can see is a large dirty cloud of steam and smoke.

I made my way back to the station, buying some bread and cheap corned beef on the way to make a sandwich or three for lunch (at 4.30 p.m.) I’m not very good at keeping regular times, and indeed my stomach rarely complains. Just as I was finishing the last one, the sun appeared, briefly. I packed everything in a rush, and raced (well, walked quickly) to the drainage channel with the fish. Though I waited patiently, the sun didn’t reappear. I walked on, getting a lift to Dannoura Parking Area. I usually stop only at Service Areas because they are more popular at night. The next lift was with a gentleman and his son, travelling back from Tottori, where the son is about to commence university to become a dentist. They took me to Dazaifu itself, pointing out other places on the way. I’m not sure the brain was able to take in much at the time. All the toilets with invalid areas were locked. I went out to a high school bicycle parking area, where there was only one bicycle, and no guards.

Some gents came in at about 5.30 a.m. to put the lights on, so I was glad I hadn’t stayed in the main hall. I was up a little later, and since no one was around, started up the computer again. There is a lot to catch up on, especially the diary. It takes a lot of time to type. The alternative is just to write on the back of scraps of paper, and then post them home from time to time. Still, I have a computer, and the Internet makes a good backup for my hard disk.

The entrance fee for the caves was 1240 yen – way over my budget for the day. But since I have long wanted to visit these caves, I decided I would do so anyway. Inside, photography was difficult until I realised the flash would extend quite a long way. There was an amazing stepped pond area. As I took photographs, I could see that the ripples on each pool were highlighted by the flash, so I tried to make use of this. With an ordinary SLR camera, I would never have noticed the effect until afterwards – possibly requiring a further visit to capture it, unless by luck it turned out O.K. on some of the shots.

The flash also seemed to make some rocks look brighter than their neighbours. My eyes began to accustom to the dark and gloom after about an hour, and suddenly the cavern seemed more visible. I wanted to tell people just to stop and wait for their eyes. It was a wonderful time. I tried to work out which rocks were more reflective – to the eye they looked just slightly different. Then I wanted a photo that made use of the difference. Here it was quite tricky to take photos, then review them to see if they were correct. I stayed underground for ages – four hours to be precise. The entrance fee was well spent.

There were some other features further along the cave, though I didn’t manage to take a photo of stalactites as I’d wanted – hand held in low light, without flash, doesn’t work. The tiny review screen made things look O.K. but when I got to the computer later on they were clearly no good.

My emergency bar of energy chocolate never seems to last more than a day. It’s packed with vitamins and 200k calories, so helps when I begin to feel slack. All the shops were trying to sell wood products or ceramics, so I didn’t eat lunch.

It was a “rain-mode” again, as I set off in the direction of Yamaguchi. A gentleman pulled over. “Jump in,” he cried. “Are you going to Yamaguchi?” I enquired. “I have another idea,” he said. “Are you in a hurry?” “Not really,” I replied. After all, one doesn’t really have a schedule when one travels. “Is it O.K. if I take you to Yamaguchi tomorrow? You can stay at a hotel tonight, have a meal and breakfast, and meet some of my students.” “Are you sure it’s O.K?” I didn’t wish to sound too enthusiastic, but on the other hand, I really needed some good sleep and time to catch up on the computer. So, I went to the hotel with him. When I told him I used to work for Nohkai, he said he didn’t really agree with their methods.

Aki is the owner of a small cram school in Ogori, with some 200 students altogether. Of those, some thirty or so sixth grade elementary students, about to go up to junior high school, were using their holiday time to study in preparation. They came up to me to ask my name, and find out how old I was, but that was about it.

I took a shower, but the bath had just been run, and was way too hot. Also, I’d forgotten my shampoo, so I decided I would go in later on also. Aki came to ask me some questions about a song that he wanted to sing to the students. I was pleased to be able help. However, I didn’t know the song well enough to know the correct words, or the meaning of some of them.

Some more students piled round to my room, with another teacher. They wanted me to say which of their teachers was more cool, but I declined. I had a little time to put some photos onto the computer, but not get on with the diary.

For dinner, I sat wit h Aki and some of his students. I’d only eaten one vitamin chocolate bar that day, so I was starving. Every year Aki comes here because it is quite cheap. Once he went to a better hotel, but there were many complaints, because the students were mischievous.

I offered to show the students my photos. We found a small T.V. that would accept my cable. In the evening, I sorted out a selection of the photos to put onto a memory card, then went to have my hot bath – which by this stage had cooled down considerably. I was “on” at 9 p.m. I spoke in English, though Japanese would have been better. Quite a number of the students were just chatting, and not really watching. I guess photos aren’t really of interest to them.

It was good to get to bed early and sleep on a comfortable futon for a change.

Two cups of hot coffee are an excellent way to start the day. One of the homeless guys walked in, while I was brewing up, so I offered him a cup. When he discovered that I was on a budget of only 1000 yen per day, he began looking through his bag, pulling out several cartons of pre-packed food, presumably past their sell-by dates, to offer me one. In spite of protocol, I declined.

I wandered round the shops and old quarter of the town. I even visited some of the shops, though I’m not so interested in things I wouldn’t buy. However, I began to feel that I shouldn’t limit my photographs to just my personal interests. I remember being surprised that Rosmarie wanted to browse round all the shops in the Kiyomizu temple area in Kyoto. It started me thinking about the sort of photographer I am not to become. I am not to be just an eye-level or tripod-level photographer. Neither will I be a me-and-this or an everything-must-fit-in-the-frame photographer. Furthermore, I shouldn’t become a because-it-is-there photographer. As for what sort of photographer I ought to be, that thinking will have to develop.

I only stayed for the morning in Kurashiki. By afternoon I was tiring, even though I got some free tea in a citizen’s hall. I asked there about plugging in my computer to a socket near a table, but was told it was totally impossible (dame). If the socket isn’t designed for computers, it’s no good.

I was on the road again, back to Yamaguchi prefecture. A navy personnel with his wife and children gave me a lift all the way to the Mito service station. He was going to a colleague’s wedding in Kagoshima.

Clambering over the fence, I made my way to the road, and then walked in what I thought would be the right direction. However, I was quite unsure at a crossroads. There was a factory nearby, so I went over to ask. They photocopied a page from their detailed map for me, and pointed me in the right way.

At a convenience store, I found some pot noodles going cheap. The cashier kindly poured in the water and made it for me. When I set off, I began to think that I should ask the way to the cave itself and go there. I returned. One of the attendants, a lady, suggested that if I could wait till eleven, I could stay at her place instead of sleeping out. Just then, though, another customer had overheard that I was going to Akiyoshido, and offered to take me. Perhaps I should have chosen comfort over immediacy.

Soon I was at the bus waiting area near the caves, surprised to find that the waiting area inside was open. There was even a socket next to a vending machine, where I could do some typing. I tried to sleep at 11 p.m. in a dark corner of the main area, but there was a loud click every 30 seconds or so from a clock, which woke me up. So, I crawled into a small utility room and moved some forks to make space for my bed.

I missed the free ride with the newspaper boat, and with another one that suddenly took off. It didn’t matter, since sunrise was slightly cloudy and the shrine points west, not east.

I was over on the first boat. The tide was out, but it meant I was able to walk up to the shrine without paying to go in. I could put my camera just onto the planks and take photos from down below. The digital camera lets me see from angles that I can’t get to with a normal SLR. My theme for the day will be planks.

I couldn’t find a socket to do some computer work, but it didn’t matter. Instead, I took some snaps of the deer, though often I had to wait for the crowds of people to pass by and take their snaps. I wrote my diary on paper scraps while waiting for the tide to return. However, seeing that it was merely clouding over, I decided to move on. This time I rechecked to see that I had sufficient photos of the type I wanted for the homepage.

I was given a lift just to the town of Iwakuni. The gentleman was working, and would drop me on the road to the Kintaikyo bridge. However, I promptly fell asleep, and only woke up when we were actually at my destination – the driver had decided to take me there anyway. The photo was mediocre, and it cost money to walk across. Having spent some money on the boat fare to Miyajima, I decided not to cross the bridge.

According to one newspaper, Yamaguchi would be rainy tomorrow but Okayama would be O.K. Another paper put them both as rainy. I chose to go to Kurashiki. I walked halfway to the motorway entrance, with no one stopping. Then I asked a truck driver parked at the side of the road. Sure, he could take me to the Miyajima Services. From there, three gentlemen took me all the way to the Kurashiki turn-off. En route, I wrote some of my diary on scraps of paper.

It was quite a long walk into town, following the signposts for cars. I looked around for somewhere to stay – but the invalid toilet was in the ladies, and as I was typing on the computer, I heard a genuine homeless lady go in and settle down. Instead I found an underpass where another homeless person was sleeping, and made my bed there. It was pouring all the time, so I had to sleep under cover.

I was up at 5.30 to watch the sunrise. It got up in quite the wrong direction. However, I was able to find a few pleasant angles and ran round taking photos, leaving all my stuff in the rest area hut. It’s fairly safe to do so in Japan, especially when there’s no one around.

I then made my way back across the long spit, thinking about the photographs that I wanted. I would have liked a good pine shot. At one point I noticed a red speedboat racing past, but I was not in a good position, and couldn’t get my camera up and running quick enough. The camera takes four or five seconds to start up, then I have to press various buttons to get the LCD to display, followed by getting the exposure that I want. It’s quite complicated.

In the toilet I used the computer for a while, since there was still almost nobody around, in spite of the beautiful weather.

When I started hitching, I put my sign to one village beyond the first one, Iwataki. This meant that I had to walk all the way to Iwataki. From there, I was taken just up the road to the second village, Nodakawa, and dropped outside a supermarket. It had a special on some fried food, and I bought some bread to accompany it, but didn’t need the latter.

The sun was beaming down on me as I ate lunch, and I wondered why I had left Amanohashidate. Looking at the picture again, it was too dark, I thought. I should have stayed longer to find better views. After all, it is one of the three main sights of Japan. It seemed it was too late to turn back.

I was town hopping for a while. Then a young lady on her way to get her teeth treated at a hospital, gave me a lift to Toyooka. We had a pleasant chat. There was a short wait before I was taken to Kinosaki hot spring resort. There was time to wander round the town before the hot spring I wanted to go to opened at 3 p.m. I didn’t think the town was as impressive as Kusatsu in Gunma prefecture, but I think it got the high ratings because of the large number of hot springs.

When I went in, the bath quickly filled up. I didn’t take a photo, though wish I had asked the three guys with towels round their heads. It felt great to sit in the hot water, though I was not able to take the heat for long. Perhaps that’s because I’ve lost weight – I seem to be down to 65kg again.

Around the town, lots of people were walking in their yukatas. I took only a few snaps, but should have waited at a good place for the right people to come along.

Hitching on, I made it back to Toyooka. Three cars behind the one I got out of, was a lady who beckoned me over. She spoke good English, and took me to the next destination, picking up her child from her parents on the way. Her major at university was Spanish, and she used to go to Mexico often before she got married, because the pace of life is slower there. She took me to a supermarket in Yoka, and gave me 1000 yen to buy myself some food. It’s the first time I’ve been given money. Besides some nutritious food, I treated myself to a snickers bar. In the supermarket, a man with a small beard came up to pull mine and say how wonderful it was.

The man who picked me up next told me he had to go round twice to read my sign – it was too small in the dark. He took me all the way to Himeji. There was no one in the parking area, so I got out on the toll road, and ran to the ticket gate for the highway. I was given a lift in the opposite direction to the Miki service area, from where a truck took me on to Miyajima. I slept a little, and was dropped right beside the pier at 3 a.m.

The first boat wouldn’t go until 6.40 so I wouldn’t be able to get a sunrise shot. All the toilets were locked, so I thought about sleeping in the passageway to the station, but too many people disturbed me – so I walked along the shore and found a hidden corner to lie down in.

Someone, I assume a police officer, disturbed me at half past four, opening the door, then setting the lock so that it stayed locked. I didn’t go back to sleep, so got up and started using the computer. Just before 6 another gentleman came and mumbled something. I figured it was time to pack up and move on. It took another 15 minutes, and the same man, (I think) returned fifteen minutes later. Fortunately, I am now able to get ready fairly quickly.

Indeed, I then realised I had to rush to catch the early morning sun, which only intermittently peeped through the clouds. Fushimiinari shrine has hundreds of torii (red gates) going up the mountain paths. I skipped past the main shrine and shot up into the hills. I took a few snaps, but as I went I tried to imagine the shot I wanted – with the sun streaming through the torii and creating a pattern on the path. I couldn’t find what I wanted until I was most of the way round. From time to time there would be a brief flurry of snow, and then it would clear up again.

I was pleased to catch what I wanted, and took lots of photos from the same place. However, I think I ought to find my photo first and take the best composition, rather than leaving the decisions to later. However, of course the light changes and people come and go.

Back at the main shrine, I heard some drums and a koto (Japanese harp), so rushed over to record it with the record function on my camera, though I wasn’t allowed to take a photograph.

I hitched on from the interchange, rather than walking a further twenty minutes or so to get to a parking area. It was only a few minutes before I got a lift to the nearest Service Area, Otsu. From there, a couple took me all the way to Hikone castle.

I rushed in because the sun was shining in between the snow showers. My thought was to take a shot with snow blowing across the castle, while the sun was shining. Indeed, such conditions did occur just before a snow storm blew in and just after it passed through. Regrettably, I was unable to catch what I wanted, in part because the castle is white, and also because I couldn’t find a suitable angle. Probably such a shot is possible, but not (yet) for me. In the end, I took a photo of the plum blossom in front of the castle.

With the snowstorm in full blow, I went inside to see if I could get a photo from the windows. The storm lasted only a few minutes, and it became sunny again. Out I rushed. The plum trees in the plum garden below had gathered a spot of snow, so I tried my hand at the macro feature of the camera.

Free tea and sake was being served in a nearby tent. Anything free is most welcome, especially if it is hot.

The next hitch took me to the motorway, and from the ticket barrier I went in the other direction, to a nearby service area (Taga). It was only a few minutes, but it is much easier to get a lift going the right way from there. I got up to the crossroads, and was almost immediately given a lift in a truck going very near to my destination.

The coastline along the Japan Sea is very beautiful, and when I saw the sun streaming through a hole in the clouds, I asked the driver if he wouldn’t mind stopping. He obliged, but by the time I was out with the camera, the view had all but disappeared. It’s a pity. Next time, I’ll take my camera out of my bag if I feel there may be possibilities of sudden snaps.

In the dark, I made a bigger sign for Miyazu and stood under a light. It isn’t worth walking because my sign isn’t visible in just car headlamps – or perhaps I ought to write one huge sign. It didn’t matter, because a lady stopped, saying she could take me to Miyazu I said that would be fine. In fact, she when I got out I was in Amanohashidate – she had taken me the extra few kilometres.

I walked along the spit, a little cold, but at least it wasn’t raining. One toilet had a socket, so I stopped to update my homepage and write my diary for two hours. My aim is to get to sleep before eleven, and I wan ted to be near the other side of the s pit (an hour away). I knew there was an invalid toilet that side, so planned on staying there.

The toilet was open, but the invalid toilet was locked. I walked on getting a little bit lost up the mountain, and setting some dogs barking. Eventually I found the correct path to the viewpoint, and walked slowly up – I didn’t wish to get too energised before trying to sleep. I slept on a bench in a rest area hut, but it had open sides and the wind blew right through it. Every time I woke up, about once an hour, I did some exercises to return the circulation to my body.