caught a long wind

I'd like to write a bit more about some personal experiences in Japan and not so much my thoughts on my twice a week train ride to Sakanoichi.

Winter has been pretty cold here.  Ohio is a hell of a lot colder, but Ohio also has heating systems and insulation in all homes and buildings, which is not the case here.  My apartment is on the 3rd floor and about 10 feet from the ocean, no heating system or insulation.  I have one room I sort of seal off with a space heater and gravitate around.  I have only been in one building in Japan that had heat or insulation, and that was a nursing home.  Let's see, I have worn a winter coat in the classroom for the last month!  I immediately thought of some Thoreau inspired civil disobedience, intentionally getting pneumonia or something, but it's not really my battle .. right? Tehe.

So, with that background, it is much to my delight that it has gradually gotten warmer in February.  Saturday it was in the high 40s and completely sunny.  I live right on the coast of Kyushu, so I decided to take my single speed beach cruiser (i.e. bicycle) out to uncharted territories.  I rode down the coast past the familiar limits of my city.  Before I set out,  I picked up some chocolate covered peanuts and a quart of milk. Ahh ..

Very nice ride, riding along the coast is very flat.  Every mile or so there are small fishing villages and ports.  I crested a hill and there was a little path going off into the woods.  Intrigued, I parked the bike and followed.

I like to think there was some kind of warning sign on this path, because it was unbelievably unsafe.  There was a sidewalk width strip of concrete that went out for about 15-20 feet without any guardrails.  On either side was a nearly vertical drop of 40 feet to rocks and the ocean.  Creepy!  At the end of it the walkway were crumbling stairs, also with no guardrail, that led to a big drop to rocky ocean death. At one point, there were no stairs, but some kind soul tied a rope to a tree so you could sort of climb down.  ありがとう to that person! This picture doesn't quite do it justice, but the end of that path is about a 40 foot vertical fall into magical danger.

 
Just beyond this and to the left were two Buddhist statues, hidden behind a red curtain, red scarves tied around their neck, and candles and incense to burn.  I couldn't find a lighter to use.  Too bad .. Continued down until I reached what I was after -- a beautiful promontory, 20 feet out into the ocean, surrounded by the ocean with the coast of Kyushu looping around.

Yep.  I parked it out there and ate some yummies.  Periodically the waves hit the rocks so hard that water bounced up onto me.  Really peaceful, warm, ah.  After a half hour, I got up to return to my bike.  A bit surprised and excited for my return journey: