Nikko.

I read about the first 45 pages of Clavell’s Shogun before we left California; I wish now I’d gone ahead and finished it because we visited the Toshogu Shrine, which pays homage to the shogun on whom Clavell’s novel was based. It was raining heavily and, by mid-afternoon, my running shoes were soaked so that I felt like I was walking with buckets instead of shoes. I`d spent much time and energy before we left debating whether to bring a pair of bulky waterproof hiking boots. At the last minute I decided against bringing the boots. What are the odds I`ll find a pair of size 13 waterproof shoes here in Asia? Oh well.

We took refuge in a Okonomiyaki-style restaurant where we cooked a beef-vegetable-noodle mixture on a large hot grill built into our table. Heather took this picture on her way to the Tamozawa Imperial Villa after I’d gone back to our hotel for a nap.