Reggie Thomson’s Diary

There was a pleasant sunrise, but I wasn’t in a position to take advantage of it. I waited a long time for a lift. Partly, it was my fault for not checking the map carefully - I kept the Fukushima S.A. sign on. It was only appropriate if I was going over the new bridge to Fukushima. The gentleman who stopped suggested that I go to Yoshima parking area. He was going to Hiroshima.

So, I took a few snaps of the Seto bridge, and read some of the information about its construction. It was after midday when I got a lift with a gentleman to Okayama. He wondered if I would be interested in going to a wedding. This sounded good. He telephoned from the service area, and said it would be OK. His brother was getting married - or they were having a party in a temple that afternoon.

So, I went to Wake. I left my computer in the car, which meant I would be limited to 160 photos or so. In the house, I noticed some old swords and spears - not the sort for throwing, rather for plunging into one’s enemy.

I didn’t actually go to the wedding party. Instead, I wandered round the temple and the cherry blossoms in the vicinity. When I was nearly out of memory space, I did some work. I didn’t wish to interrupt the proceedings. Then, I waited nearby until some of the guests began to leave. The gentleman invited me into the main room, which had been built recently, and offered me some of the left-overs.

I suggested I could make them a special CD containing the photos that I had taken that day. In the end, I wish I hadn’t offered. It took me all of the afternoon to sort out the photos, plus those from Matsuyama. I didn’t have time to label them fully.

The gentleman then drove me to the nearby parking area. From there, I had a lift with a couple to Miki services, and later in the night, a truck to Katsuragawa parking area, just before Kyoto.

It was now 1 a.m. and I thought about sleeping there for the night, but decided that I really wished to see Arashiyama. I walked to the main road, and continued for about two hours. On the way, as I crossed over a bridge, I thought of the song “I wonder where I’m going?” I had to stop on the bridge to write down the words, and the tune just fell into place. I think the song will only have one verse, so it will need to be hummed once and whistled once.

At Arashiyama, I found somewhere to sleep. It wasn’t all that clean, but I didn’t have time to look for a better place. It was 3 a.m.

I nearly decided to go back to sleep when the guard opened the gate at around 05.30. I’m glad I didn’t, though. I was in the castle precincts for the sunrise, and took plenty of photos while there were only a few early risers around. There seemed to be several groups of exercisers - does NHK have a rival now?

The early morning sun gave a great warming glow to the castle, but of course, it was closed. The moon was still in the sky, and I thought I might catch the moonset. I didn’t realise how quickly it disappears when the sun comes up, though. Maybe next time.

I had taken one whole battery’s worth of photos before I went into the castle. Before going in, I put the photos taken so far onto the computer. I asked the folk on the ticket office if they wouldn’t mind recharging a battery for me. They agreed, and said I should take my time.

Inside, there was so much to take photos of. The black wood contrasted well with the light pink petals. There were lots of interesting nooks. I gradually ascended to the top of the castle. There, my memory card was filling up. I sat down to put the photos on the computer, but sadly my battery was running low. Now I was stuck. There wasn’t a suitable power source. At the gate, when I retrieved my battery, I was directed to the administrative office.

The gentleman inside agreed to let me charge a battery and plug in my computer. It had crashed, so I took far longer than the five minutes I had said. I was treated to a cup of coffee, and gave out a meishi or two. A gentleman from Asahi Newspaper chatted, and was interested in my photos. He also had a digital camera. I wonder how news reporters are able to take and publish photos of people? Maybe they have some automatic right to publish.

I ate my sandwiches amongst the throngs outside. Then, I collected my batteries, and proceeded to the Ninomaru gardens at the foot of the castle. There weren’t so many people inside.

I was tiring, so headed for the famous Dogo hot spring. On the way, I bought some food at a supermarket. The main entrance was already in shadow, so I didn’t take many photos. The hot spring was very crowded. It was good to be able to wash thoroughly. I took my time, and relaxed in the hot bath. Afterwards, I had some weak tea.

As I looked at my map outside the hot spring, a guy chatted. He wasn’t able to help me orientate myself, and his parents couldn’t help either - they were just about to go into the hot spring. I would have liked to have said I could wait for them to come out, as they were going to Kagawa afterwards (I think). I reckoned I would probably walk for several hours before getting a lift out of the city, unless I was incredibly lucky. The nearby park was full of revellers. I walked round. One guy rushed over with a cup of beer. I bumped into the Nepalese group, too. Then I headed off for the expressway. It was a long walk. I wasn’t lucky. I got a lift, after several hours, to the next village - about a dozen km up the road.

My final lift of the evening was with a lady going to Takamatsu, I think. She had three children, who were staying in Matsuyama. She treated me to some delicious manju (sweets) and a drink at the service area and took me on to Toyohama services. I forgot to ask her to sign the visitors’ book. I slept at the service area for the night.

It was wet when I got up, so I was glad I had stayed under cover. In the service area, I found a place to use my computer, and spent most of the morning sorting out the photos of Miyajima. I made some more CDs as I waited.

It was a long wait - I don’t think I was on the road until after 1 p.m. - that’s six hours waiting, my longest ever. Still, I wasn’t exactly making an effort. The gentleman was studying at a university in Hiroshima, so took me to the next parking area. Again, there was quite a wait for the next two lifts. Still, the weather wasn’t so good, so I wasn’t disappointed. The aim was to get to Matsuyama by the evening and go to Dogo hot spring.

I didn’t make my aim. I got to Kibi Service area, near Okayama. From there, I got a lift across the Seto bridge to Toyohama Service Area. Finally, at midnight, a truck gave me a lift into Matsuyama. He asked where I wanted to go, and I said ” the castle,” though anywhere in the city would be suitable - I could easily walk. He dropped me near the castle.

I needed some food, so went towards the station in search of a convenience store. On the way, I met some Nepalese salesmen, selling Mandalas, though it’s more difficult these days. One of them was interested in the photos.

I bought some food for tomorrow, and then headed back to the castle. It’s a long walk up a mountain, so I didn’t get into my sleeping bag until almost 2.30 a.m.

I waited for a while for a lift back to Kiyama Parking Area. Then, at Koga Service Area, I asked about the cherry blossoms. They didn’t know about the situation on Honshu (main island). I continued hitching. One guy who seemed to be the boss of a group, said he could take me to a parking area on the main island. I accepted, but was a little worried that I might not be able to hitch on from there. I needn’t have worried. From there, I got a lift to Mito services.

The lady in the information desk told me that Kintaikyo and Miyajima were both in full bloom. Furthermore, I discovered that she was just accessing the Yahoo webpage to find out. Next time, I can log on myself.

A gentleman going to Hiroshima offered me a lift. At first, I thought I could go to Kintaikyo again, and then on to Miyajima. As we approached, however, I changed my mind. It would be better to have more time in Miyajima, and I have already been to Kintaikyo bridge. I was dropped at Miyajimaguchi, and caught the next ferry to the island.

I positioned myself on the correct side to get some photos of the torii from the sea. It was a beautiful day. I walked along the coast to the Itsukushima shrine, rather than on the road. The seaweed was particularly striking, though the torii in the distance tended to merge with the background. It means you have to look for the torii in the photos. I don’t mind. I prefer it when others have to do what I do - look for interesting details in scenes. I like photos that aren’t all “up-front” and showing off. They say more about Japan, and a philosophy of putting the onus on the visitor to seek rather than have everything explained in detail.

I wandered round the shore, and walked up to the shrine. Several Japanese people climbed up onto the platform. It “saved” them the 800 yen (I think) entrance fee. I wasn’t surprised to see some foreigners doing the same, but the Japanese surprised me. Theft is much more common in the western way of thinking. Maybe by approaching the shrine from the sea and taking photos from the ground I, too, was “stealing” a view. Indeed, if my photographs are for sale, perhaps even taking commercial photos without permission is “theft.” I walked up the hill, taking some cherry blossom photos around a pagoda. The Daishoin Temple was in the shade. I almost didn’t wish to go in, so as not to spoil my former impressions of it. I had gone there about six years ago, and had a wonderful time. Sadly, it is east facing, and I was too late to get any good photos.

I went to the five-storied pagoda for some more cherry blossom snaps and some deer. Then, it was time for the sunset photos of the great torii. It was brilliant - just a few clouds to add some interest and diffuse the strength of the sun. I took lots of photos.

I chatted to one lady from Norway. She was disappointed because she was hoping for a cloudless sunset. I couldn’t believe it! For me, this was one of my best sunsets (I currently rank the Fuji sunset as my best ever and most spectacular.) I showed her a photograph on the screen, and she agreed it looked good. I’m glad my search is for beauty and not perfection. I would be disappointed every day if I was looking for perfection. Beauty is rarely perfect. I waded into the sea to get some more photos. I like the low angle because it puts the ripples into the waves and gives better reflections. The sandals are useful, as I only need to roll up my trousers and splosh into the sea. The seaweed gets in them as I emerge, but it doesn’t matter.

When the sun had mostly gone, I ran round to the other side of the bay waiting for the full moon. There was a short spit of sand just off the shore, and the tide was coming in. I could wade out to it, but had to set a limit on the height of the water so that I would be able to get ashore safely. The moon came up, but the torii is lit from the other side. Still, it was worth making the effort. I remember the CD that I had been sent by Mr. Sato which included a beautiful video of some piano music from Miyajima by night and by moonlight.

I ran out of batteries. Maybe it is time to get another battery (about 7,000 yen). The good thing is that the CF (compact flash) doesn’t use so much power as the MicroDrive, so I can take more photos per battery - between 100-120.

I walked back to the ferry, washing my feet on the way. On the ferry, I chatted some more to the same Norwegian lady and her Japanese husband. They run a company finding out about tourist places to visit for the Norwegian market - apparently they like the seashore.

I walked all the way from Miyajimaguchi to Miyajima service area, stopping only for some bread. It’s getting harder to find maps in the convenience stores. I guess I’m not the only person using them as guides when I am lost or needing detailed directions. On the way, I thought up a few lines and bars of another song, but I haven’t started filling in the verses: “…every day is a beautiful day, when I go looking for beauty.” Yes, there are few disappointing days in my calendar. Even when nothing much happens, it doesn’t matter. I keep hoping for more beauty, and it’s always there.

I had to ask directions at a garage, but they were too busy with customers to answer. I couldn’t wait, so guessed where I should go. It didn’t seem to be right, so I came back and went up the mountain. The services weren’t far from that road.

I hitched for a while, but when I was too sleepy, I went back to the tunnel under the motorway, and slept.

I washed myself first thing, but left my camera by the washbasin. A gentleman noticed it and told me. It seems my brain still isn’t able to function properly when I haven’t had enough sleep. However, maybe it was all supposed to happen, because the gentleman then offered to take me to Kiyama services in Kyushu.

I still wasn’t quite sure where I was going. The morning NHK broadcast mentioned a place in Kitakyushu, but its not on the list of 100 famous places to see cherry blossoms. At the services before Yamaguchi, I asked about Takeda. The lady wasn’t quite sure, but thought there would still be some blossoms on the trees. I was at Kiyama at midday, so took a few snaps of the cherry blossoms there, just in case I didn’t get to my destination.

I then got a lift to the Hita junction. There was a shop nearby, so I purchased a new marker pen. I had to walk through town, and had spotted a Best shop, where I was able to get ten more CDs. I walked to the other side of town before getting a lift up the valley to a dam. Then, a gentleman and lady stopped They were going towards Kurokawa hot spring. There, the lady got into another car, and offered me a lift further up the valley.

As it was her day off, she offered to take me all the way to Takeda. We got a bit lost on the way - but didn’t lose much time. In the end, we arrived at Takeda just as the sun was setting. The petals had mostly fallen. I wondered what it would have looked like at its height, but took photos of the beautiful sunset and the moonrise.

Again, on the return journey, we got quite lost, taking the wrong road out of town. The small roads over the mountains seemed to be strangely labelled, and several times we had to backtrack. On the way, we talked about all sorts of things, including marriage. It seems that my driver had a medical problem and didn’t wish to get married. Also, she didn’t want to just stay at home waiting for her husband to return every day, and looking after children.

Eventually, we were in her hometown. I was taken to an Okonomiyaki (Japanese cabbage pizza) shop, and treated to a very filling meal.

Then, I was dropped at a junction where there was more traffic. I started to change clothes, pulling out my bags from the rucksack. A van stopped, so I had to rush to get everything back in. I walked to the expressway, and started to hitch, but suddenly felt very tired. I found a place to hide, and lay down for the night.

The sunlight didn’t last for long in the morning, and I only got some photos of the fishermen during the rush hour. When I walked to the castle, it clouded over. The cherries weren’t yet out. I then followed the directions in the LonelyPlanet to a hot spring. However, it turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. There was only a hot spring source, a tiny statue, and a number of hotels.

I started back, walking quite a long way before I got a lift to Yonago. I was dropped at the start of the expressway. A gentleman in a small van drove me to the service area. He was going to a Christian camp. There was another lift back to the Chugoku expressway and Sho-o service area.

It is quite small, with only a few tables, but I found a socket and could use my computer. A little later, two Japanese guys arrived. They were hitching to Miyajima. I watched them as they approached each person. “Sumimasen, doko e ikaremasu ka?” They were being quite direct and asking where everyone was going. I tend to just broadcast an “Aren’t you going to … ?” to the wide world. It is usually ignored. I chatted with them for a bit, saying that I was in no rush - I could use my computer, and perhaps sleep out if necessary.

However, we were now using up two of the tables, which was a bit inconvenient. I put my stuff out of the way for a while. A gentleman sat opposite me and brought out a small computer. We started chatting. He works in the publishing business, for economic books. He was interested in the CDs, not having met a Cambridge graduate before.

The two other hitchers got a lift long before me. I moved on at about 2.30 a.m. to Nanatsukehara services, where I slept for a while.

The man who woke me in the morning said that I couldn’t sleep there. I woke up in confrontational mood - explaining that I just had. He stood by with his clipboard and loss of face while I slowly packed up everything. I could just have picked it all up and repacked elsewhere. When I did move on, the official followed to see that I wasn’t returning.

I watched the news, and decided that the weatherman probably had it right today - I could see a band of cloud to the south, and clear skies to the north. I swapped to the other side of the motorway, and hitched back to Najio with an Indonesian guy. A couple then took me up the expressway to Yonago. They lived on one of the islands off the coast. My guidebook mentions it as having great scenery. Maybe I should go someday.

From the services, I was given a lift first to Yonago, then to Matsue. I wanted to take a quick snap of the famous island in the lake, so walked for a while towards Matsue town. Then, I bought some bread, and started hitching to Izumo. I was at the shrine in two rides.

The shrine is reputedly the largest in Japan, though it didn’t look particularly impressive. A picture of a previous shrine, with large steps going up to a raised main shrine looked much more interesting. It was a beautiful day, and the cherry blossoms were not quite out - some of them were already in bloom, but others were mostly buds. As usual, there was plenty to keep me busy for the whole afternoon. I think a bus must have lost one of its customers, from all the comments from the officials. I started hitching at about 4.30. On the way, I discovered a useful spot for an evening stop, if I need it. Almost immediately, I had a lift. The gentleman and his young boy, took me to Shinji. I had only just jumped out, when the next car pulled over. I was taken back to Matsue. The gentleman and his daughter were going to Nara. They stopped for petrol on the way. I could see that the sun was already low in the sky. When they let me out, it was still quite a walk to the island Even though I ran for most of it, I was unable to get a good photograph - the sun had begun to disappear behind the distant clouds. Still, I had seen the sunset myself, and I can’t catch them all.

I wanted to stay in Matsue for one night, but didn’t know where there was a convenience store except at the junction - it was quite a long walk away, so I did some work as I went.

I found one place to recharge, and had selected another to sleep in. It wasn’t a good choice, because in the middle of the night, a gentleman asked me to move on. He was polite, so I just picked up my bed and went to another location.

I went with Mr. Noji senior to church, and started hitching into Osaka. I had to walk all the way to Osaka city before I got a lift to the World Trade center. I decided to take some photos there.

Tall buildings are excused from the need to “get it all in” without distortion - that is only possible from a distance. I didn’t go up to the top - 800 yen just for a view. I just walked round the inside atrium and outside. Opposite is the Asian Trade centre, also quite busy. Outside, lots of mostly young people had set up stalls to sell their unwanted goods. I chatted with some of them. One lady was selling her photos as postcards - not bad. She informs me that Umeda is where the photographers normally hang out in the evenings. Perhaps I should check it out.

I watched a large container ship arrive. After all, that’s what a trade centre is all about. After my home-made sandwiches, I dithered about taking the monorail to Umeda (480 yen) or walking part-way. I dithered just long enough for the rain to start. When it was over, there was an amazing rainbow. If I had been quick enough, I might have caught it in front of the Trade Centre.

Walking to the expressway entrance, I came across the Harley Davidson display, and stopped for some more photos. Then I started hitching. It was a difficult place to stop, and nobody did. I gave up, but wasn’t quite sure how to get off the island. I asked one gentleman, but at first he just seemed to wave me away. Then he suggested that the only way off was the expressway (but I had arrived by ordinary road.) A colleague suggested I walk to the Police Box - but it was the other direction. I gave up and walked off the way I had come in. There probably was a second, ordinary road underneath the expressway going north. I had to walk a long way to the nearest subway. Still, I did some work on the way.

I took the subway to the Toyonaka interchange. From there, a gentleman took me to the Najio service area. He wanted to know which would be best for me - the normal road or the expressway, and took the expressway. There, he insisted on giving me some money, and at first would not accept the CD present. I was thinking about it for a long time afterwards.

I struggled to get a lift out of Najio, eventually managing the short hop to Miki. I waited there for a while, but decided it would be better to get some sleep.

I had to continue with the installation of the programs for accessing the stock market figures using teletext. It was a bit difficult, since I didn’t quite know what was required, and everything was in Japanese. However, by the end of a tiring day, I think I had restored the computer to a fully-operational state, with the addition of the ADSL.

The cherry blossoms have come early this year and I have already missed much of Kyushu and Tokyo.

I was very busy in the morning preparing the new release of the CD. It meant that I was unable to get to the Kishiwada class until it was nearly finished. Fortunately, I was there just in time. We caught up on some of the news. I put my stamp onto the front of the CD cover for those who were interested.

During the second class, I sat in another room, making another CD. I had to vacate when some business men came in. Afterwards, I joined Noji’s class. Mr. S. had a sheet about “other” and “another.” I didn’t really answer his questions, suggesting that a good grammar book could give a far more comprehensive reply.

I wanted to visit Syun, but got a strange answering machine every time I telephoned. So, I just went back to Noji’s house. There were some more programs to install for Mr. Noji senior. I put one or two on.