About 70km south-west from Tomi’s place lives another friend, Mimiko. We went there for two days.
As Tomi’s favourite football club had won at the Asian tournament, he took the train with us up to Odawara and spent the afternoon with Mimiko and us.
This is a region for kaki and plums /prunes from which they make the famous umeboshi. And Mimiko lives right in the middle of fields that have either rice, plum trees or kaki trees.
Tampopo Plum in some juice 🙂 Robai
One particular species was already flowering (robai).
During a walk at nearby park we were surprise to discover that Pokémon frenzies was still on in Japan:
Plum trees are well taken care of in orchards.
Next day we first got into Odawara town, as Mimiko had some paper work that need to be checked in the town hall, a very functional building with open space workers mixed with visitors… all in total silence.
We then paid a quick visit to Kaoru at her working place, a private clinic where she works as a nurse with a specialty in lymph or so….
Then out of the main town to a temple in the nearby mountain/forest – Sotyoshu Daiyuzansaijo Temple. A great place to escape from the busy town and have a long walk surrounded by ancient trees and likewise goddess…
There is a free trunk in that picture! Walk just after the temple The temple protector, big nose with wings and wearing getta as shoes!
And then a last walk along then Sakawa river
