Today I woke up without too much of a hangover, thanks to some precautions I took before going to bed last night. Kuniko was off to work, and so I had the morning to get my brain working again. It took a while – I tried to do my vocabulary drills and was making lots of stupid mistakes.
So, I put away the schoolbooks and took out a book that I’ve been meaning to read for a while. I got all set up in the living room, opening up the windows so that I could enjoy the cool breeze and fresh air from outside. I read through most of the morning, and then decided to take a walk and get some exercise.
Taking walks is a lot easier for me now that Google Maps has got Japan all set up. I took a look at the overhead satellite pictures from the southern part of Okubo, and then set out to find an ocean.
It wasn’t a long walk to get there – maybe about 30 minutes. When I got there I was really surprised at how nice the area was. I was expecting something a little more like Futami, all fishing boats and marina. Instead it was a lot more like Suma, with a beach that wasn’t really sandy but still nice. The best part was seeing all the houses and apartments in the area that enjoyed a view of the inland sea. The view went all the way from Shikoku on the right sweeping to Kobe on the left, with the Akashi bridge in prominent view. There was a nice biking/hiking path newly built as well.
Walking along the pathway I couldn’t help but wonder what it would cost to live here. Having a nice patio with an ocean view would be pretty nice. I was in Eigashima, which is pretty far from the beaten path, but who knew that they had such a great view and environment around here?
I walked a ways down to coast, seeing only two other people the whole way. I stopped at a shrine that was on the coast, and it had some newly built facilities – benches to sit and enjoy the view, and a covered area where you could sit and enjoy the shade and the view. I spent about 20 minutes here relaxing and taking in the sight, and then started walking back.
The rest of the day I spent reading, doing laundry, and cleaning. Not too exciting. Kuniko is getting home late tonight, so I’m just taking it easy (and staying away from beer). Tomorrow I’m going to head into work for an hour or two to get ready for next week, and Friday I’m going to be planting rice with Kuniko’s dad. The days of relaxation are coming to an end soon…
