Hello From Japan! (Pt. 2)
Welcome back to my special-edition, Japan-trip themed newsletter. I’m back in California now and mostly readjusted to the time zone thanks to a jet lag-busting service Kaito found (if you do long-haul flights at least once a year, you need to check this out).
As I sit on the couch, typing this over a cup of coffee and yokan, I’ve been thinking about what I should write. While we were only in Japan for two weeks, almost every day was action-packed—some days unrelentingly so. We visited seven cities, twenty-four neighborhoods in Tokyo, and scheduled almost every meal with friends and family. In doing so much, it’s hard to narrow down a single topic to share.
Except, the busyness of the trip got me thinking about the moments of quiet, where we escaped the bustle of cities and found ourselves in nature—and I realized this was precisely what I’d like to share with you.
Nametoko Gorge
There are very few places I visit that I’d describe as “spiritual experiences,” but this deep gorge, situated in the mountains of Shikoku, filled me with a childlike sense of wonder. It wasn’t a trail Kaito and I hiked so much as a place that let us walk through it. Pictures and videos fail to capture the moss that blanketed every stone and trunk with the hush of centuries, or the smells of wet earth and cedar bark, sharp and clean. But, pictures and words are the best I can do for you without buying you a plane ticket, so please enjoy:
Here’s a link if you’re interested in learning more about Nametoko Gorge and the Ehime Prefecture.
Karuizawa Wild Bird Sanctuary
Back on Honshu, Kaito, Keiko, and I went to Karuizawa, a resort town nestled in the mountains of Nagano Prefecture. While there, we visited the Wild Bird Sanctuary, where Keiko used to take her children when they were little.
The sanctuary boasts 3 kilometers of trails. Over 80 species of birds and giant flying squirrels (musasabi) call the space home. We saw/heard the calls of the Japanese Yellow Bunting (will link their song here since attaching the video will exceed Substack’s data limit) and a bunch of other birds that my Merlin app didn’t recognize. There were also many wildflowers along the trail, which I’ll share below.
Hope you enjoyed some glimpses into our travels. Regular programming will be back as of next week, although I expected there will be some more Japan-themed content to come.
Take care,
Blake