Today in Izumozaki and Washima

The natto sushi "to go" didn't materialize this morning ... CoCoLo doesn't open until 10:00 am. CoCoLo is a combination department store, grocery store, and more ... basically an "if we don't have it you don't need it" kind of store. It occupies 2 floors and most of Nagaoka Station.

Mike, the teacher in Kamakura, suggested natto sushi when we went for our hike to Hokuko-ji; he's also vegetarian. It was good. I did have natto as a dish (not sushi) a week or so ago and it was an experience. Natto is fermented soy beans, and it's said here that non-natives typically don't enjoy it because of the smell and its sticky consistency. Actually, I'd call it slimy. I watched a Japanese guy eat this who knew what he was doing with a vigorous mixing motion that I couldn't seem to master. And the consistency was, well, let's say the sushi version is preferable.

There were two Americans at breakfast this morning at the hotel ... Westerners stand out. They looked like engineers. So I approached them, introduced myself, and asked if they were. Yes. They were electrical engineers from Ohio who work for Honda and were here on business.

Breakfast was a bust this morning (eggs and shrimp?) and I didn't get a take-along snack ... but I got on the bus at 9:10 and arrived almost an hour later in Izumozaki, Ryokan's birthplace, which has a museum and a memorial and a library. In their substantial collection was an English translation of Ryokan's poems by Yuasa, which is now out of print ... need to find a used copy out there. I spent probably 30 minutes reading some passages this morning.

While there I met a woman I had met last year ... she helped me with the bus schedule for Washima, which was my next stop and the site of another museum. While there I met a woman I had met last year ... she helped me with the bus schedule for Nagaoka (yes, two places, two different women).

While in Washima I noticed some of the Ryokan statues were not standing upright. As I suspected, it was due to the earthquake. I'm not sure why they hadn't been righted. I also had a late lunch there ... soba followed by soft-serve ice cream and hoji-cha. Ahh. As I was walking to the museum from the station, I couldn't help but snap off some photos of the houses in Washima ... I like the architecture here.

Looking at so many maps and signs, I have to say my kanji symbol-matching skills are really improving.

Tomorrow I'll hike to the peak of Mt. Kugami, or at least that's my plan.