thmiyake

After visiting Koishikawa Botanical Garden, I was wondering what to do next when I suddenly remembered I wanted to see the Toyokan (Asian Gallery) at the Tokyo National Museum. It wasn't too far, so I decided to take a leisurely stroll. Turns out, I could pass through the Yanaka area and also stop by Geidai (Tokyo University of the Arts), where the Gogeisai — re:stArt — festival was happening. I figured it would be fun, so I quickly left the botanical garden.

With the morning drama "Ranman" currently airing, I'd been curious about the Koishikawa Botanical Gardens for a while but hadn't had the chance to visit. Dr. Tomitaro Makino from "Ranman" had always been in the back of my mind because the Shikoku pilgrimage route in Kochi passes through the Kochi Prefectural Makino Botanical Garden.

With the pandemic settling down, overseas business trips finally feel normal again. So, I took Lufthansa for the first time in a while, via Munich, to the Netherlands. The cabin felt a bit unfamiliar, and then I realized it was an Airbus A350-900.

It's been ages since I last had Ikinari!Steak. I haven't really had a satisfying, meaty meal lately, so I was planning to grab Ikinari!Steak's Wild Steak. But, due to some circumstances, we decided to get takeout and eat it at home.

Delicious sweets! After getting my eBike, I cycled around Lake Hamana a few times, thinking how nice it would be. By chance, I stumbled upon a JA Mikkabi local specialty direct sales store. The mandarins were cheap and tasty, but the products made with Mikkabi mandarins were all so delicious, that ever since, I've been making the ~30km trip just to cycle there (lol).

A bigger festival than I imagined! I missed the Hamamatsu Festival last Golden Week because I was mountain climbing in Kyushu. It seems this year is the first full-scale event since the pandemic.

Mountain hut life, right ? Getting ready in my sleeping bag for a 4:30 AM breakfast after waking up just past 4. It was -2 degrees Celsius, freezing! And even though clear skies were predicted, it seemed to have snowed during the night. Plus, I just couldn't get proper rest... snored awake multiple times.

The drivers of the Minami Alps Forest Road Bus sometimes share insights about the scenery and the maintenance of the forest road, as if struck by inspiration. They also slow down when there are rare flowers blooming along the road, pointing them out to passengers.

For Golden Week, I was dreaming of climbing one of the Southern Alps peaks that would require an overnight stay. However, with the expected heavy snow this time of year, a tent-based traverse was definitely beyond my current skill level.

The "overwhelming scale" caught my eye. That poster with Tofukuji right in the center in big yellow font on a lime green background, surrounded by a lively bunch of Five Hundred Arhats – it really grabbed my attention. It talked about a "large-scale exhibition of Tofukuji, a major Zen temple in Kyoto, with overwhelming scale, where everything is beyond standard." I was really keen to go before it got too crowded, especially since the exhibition ended during Golden Week.