Day 7610: Mon, 2 November 2009

1966 Olympus Pen F meets 1961 Leica M3, while I drink an espresso...

In the morning I went about my daily business, and in the afternoon I had Yuki. We went to Germany to my ex's parents who happen to be my German eBay address. I had a camera sent there.

Olympus Pen-F... Half-frame camera from the sixties. A tiny SLR that has two portrait-format pictures on a normal picture, which gives you 72 photos per film.

I like diptychs.

I purchased a very small and very large camera within 10 days. Good. I'm hooked to good cameras.

Well, obviously.

Day 7609: Sun, 1 November 2009

Morning has broken...

(That's the view from our house)

Yuki woke us up around 7 AM and I went outside to look at the scenery. Breathtaking. Foggy, moody, the first rays of light breaking through the fog, cows wandering around, the scent of the air...

Nature is at it's best out there. Fall in all it's splendor. Too bad I didn't have any Velvia with me. But b&w is my medium and I stick with it.

We spent a very relaxing day out here, I slept a lot, did some sun bathing, took some pics, had lovely conversations and enjoyed myself thoroughfully.

This place is a blessing. Jack and Yuki love it out there, you can tell.

We left by 6PM and were home by 7:30.

I had two films to develop.

T-Grain. Not my cup of tea. I checked out Delta 100 over the weekend, and I just don't like it. I'll stick with the classic emulsions. So far Tri-X and Plus-X win hands down. The only sickening problem with Plus-X is the film curl. I have to weight down that darn film with a pile of books for days and it still curls like mad.

Day 7608: Sat, 31 October 2009

Like a painting...

We got up early and went to the countryside to visit Barbra. Her beautiful house was the perfect scenery for a relaxing week-end. Time to let go and relax.

It was wonderful, as always. We ate, laughed, hung out, walked, relaxed - the week-end I needed desperately. And the view from the house is unbelievable. Fall is here with all it's beauty.

Hey, I made it: I am up to date. Tomorrow's pic is already in the pipeline, the text is written, everything's done. Now we're back to normal. Enjoy!

Day 7607: Fri, 30 October 2009

Getting married...

Today our neighbours Patrick and Sandrine got married. In the morning I took the "official" wedding pictures and I chose Tri-X because the light wasn't great. I love the look of Tri-X, and the grain is beautiful. I shot it at full speed and souped it accordingly. I only had 15 minutes but it was fun photographing them. They're wonderful people.

Then I developed the films, scanned a few of them, made a wedding card for them and pinned one of the photos to their door. By then it was already time to pick up Yuki and look after him.

At 8 we went to the newly-wed couple's party.

Day 7606: Thu, 29 October 2009

Opening night...

During the day I did nothing important except some scanning and checking out my new camera.

But tonight we had opening night at the theatre. It was very good. The few things that didn't work during rehearsals have been fixed, and the piece was a great success. I must say that I am proud of my work. The light, the acting and the music are like one and complement each other.

Sabina came with me to Solothurn and enjoyed it very much. We had a great time. Olive looked after Yuki and we spent a lovely evening together.

Day 7605: Wed, 28 October 2009

Zeus and Neptune in a heated conversation...

We were in the end of our rehearsals and I did last minute changes to the music.

Then I rushed to Zurich where I bought a Toyo 4x5 inch camera with everything including film holders and film and lenses and you name it for a bargain price. I used to have a Linhof Technika a few years ago , but I sold it and always felt bad for doing so. It was time to get back into large format. It feels great to have a LF camera again. Need to get my darkroom equipment ready for it and I'm all set. Expect the first pics by mid-november.

After meeting the photographer who sold it to me I went to Solothurn at 2PM for a music rehearsal and later for a run through the piece again, with costumes, light and music. It was much, much better than yesterday. The video has been cancelled, which is, IMHO, the only right choice.

We were finished by 11PM and I was home at 0:30. Tired.

I've been feeling a bit tired lately. No more than 6 hours of sleep, sometimes less. Time for a break. When this is finished Sabina, Yuki and I go to the countryside for a few days. Looking forward to that.

Day 7604: Tue, 27 October 2009

Dark...

Again rehearsals in Solothurn. Tonight was terrible. Nothing worked, it was long and boring, with uninspired actors and the whole technical stuff constantly slowing everything down. A pain.

We'll have to sort that out.

Day 7603: Mon, 26 October 2009

Predators...

I did some work for the theatre in the morning, then scanned a few pics, and at 1:30 I left for Solothurn, where I stayed until 11PM. Took a train back and was home by 0:30. Sabina was asleep and so was Yuki. I watched him sleep. So beautiful...

The piece is coming along just fine.

It's still too long, she needs to cut a few dialogues. And there's still a technical overkill with too many elements that are pointless to the story. One of them being a beamer with video projections that look like crap. Gotta change that, throw it out...

But in the end, it'll be fine.

Day 7602: Sun, 25 October 2009

Yuki's first autumn fair...

Finished the music for the theatre, developed some film, scanned a few negs, and went to the auumn fair with Sabina and Yuki. Yuki got another balloon. He's in heaven.

An easy day.

Day 7601: Sat, 24 October 2009

Carousel...

We had a rough night. Yuki's behind is all inflamed and open. Horrible. We were told it was because of the acidity of his saliva, courtesy of his tooth eruption. Anyway. Both the teeth and the arse do not help his sleep. And ours for that matter.

Sabina had a gig today and a party after the gig, so I had Yuki all day. Not much else I could do. The autumn fair started today, so I went there with him. I met a few people and had a few chats. Yuki was completely blown away by the fair. We went on an old fashioned Carousel. First ride of his life.

Then we bought a balloon. He was the happiest human being on the entire planet.

Day 7600: Fri, 23 October 2009

Our future stage...

I got a lot done today. Worked through most of my list. Late afternoon I went to Josephine's home, the director of next years play in which my band will be playing, and we looked at the model of the stage. It will be nice. Then we had a creative discussion about several things.

I was back by 8 PM and I now have to look for Yuki while Sabina is having some fun. I'll develop some films. Time to prepare some Diafine for the winter.

Later: Yuki didn't sleep until 10PM, but then I got my Diafine ready and developed three films in one go. The great thing about Diafine is that you can throw everything into the same soup no matter what film and what speed. Then I did some scanning and uploaded a few entries of my diary. I'm getting there.

I was awake until 2:30. Very tired.

Day 7599: Thu, 22 October 2009

On one foot...

We had a rough night. Yuki's teeth are erupting and he sleeps badly.

I had to go to Solothurn again, yet another theatre rehearsal.

We were done by 2PM and was able to go home again. Sabina, Yuki and a friend of Sabina were at the zoo, so I joined them for a couple of hours. That was lovely. It was sunny and warm and I enjoyed this moment a lot.

Then I went home to get some work done, I have a whole list of things I have to finish for next week's opening night. Yet I found time to develop another two films. I'm almost done developing now. A few Diafine films and a couple of regular ones and I'm done. Then scanning, scanning and more scanning.

It's nice. Something you don't get with digital: I am travelling again. With every scan, memories of our trip come up and I am re-living what I lived back then.

I don't have a TV. I spend my spare time scanning. I think the time is better spent that way. At least I have something creative as a result.

I got a message from the doctor, looks like I had H1N1 after all. But otherwise, I'm fine. It just takes some time for me to get back to full speed, and the symptoms I have like stuffed nose, weakness, and coughing will soon disappear.

In the evening Sabina and I went to town as soon as Yuki was asleep, and went from bar to bar. It was like in the old days and I was very much in love with her. Then, at 0:45 Yuki screamed and I had to run home to look after him.

Day 7598: Wed, 21 October 2009

Tracks...

In the morning I brought Yuki to his daycare mother, he will spend his day there so we can get some work done.

I worked on the music for the new play and also managed to scan a few films, thus being able to update my blog. Developing is fun, but scanning is a pain. It takes forever.

At noon I cooked lunch for Sabina and me, and in the evening I picked Yuki up again. It's a pretty long trip with the tram and it was crowded. I'm not used to that anymore. When you live in the very heart of the city and are self-employed there's not much reason to commute. I became aware of how lucky I am to be able to live around those unpleasant necessities that are daily routine of so many people.

Anyway, Yuki was extremely happy to see me. He crawled towards me and extended his arms so I would pick him up, while cheering from joy. So cute and so rewarding. This is new for me. A new feeling. Priceless.

When I came back I had to work until late into the night.

Day 7597: Tue, 20 October 2009

Fun...

I had Yuki all day, while Sabina was working.

We had loads of fun together. He was extremely happy. We had coffee in town, went shopping together, played with his toys, checked out the apartment, went for a walk, cooked a meal together, while I explained all the moves to him, and I carried him for hours in the baby björn. He loves that. But it's back-breaking when you do it for hours...

I speak to him for hours. And he speaks a lot, too, but in his language. I get it, though...

Big news: His first tooth came out today!

Day 7596: Mon, 19 October 2009

Solothurn...

Today I went to the doctor, as I still feel weak. He took some blood samples and checked me. I seem to be healthy.

Later I went to Solothurn, a small Swiss city, to attend a rehearsal for the new play I did the music for. First time I saw it. It was fun. I came home really late because I missed the last express train and had to catch a local train that stopped in every village. A nightmare.

Day 7595: Sun, 18 October 2009

Sis' 'n wife...

We woke up early and had to get a train to Karlsruhe where we met with my sister to get Jack who had been holidayin' with his sister and my sister.

Our train, as always with Deutsche Bahn, was delayed by 50 minutes. We were waiting with freezing feet while they kept us there by delaying every 10 minutes by another 10 minutes. Lovely. After the perfect Japanese railsystem this was a painful reminder that I was back in Europe.

Around noon we met my sister and hung out with her for a couple of hours. It was lovely to see her. Then we drove back to Switzerland. The train was more than full, we had to sit on the floor. Courtesy of Deutsche Bahn. Yuki was nice to us, he slept throughout the trip.

Day 7594: Sat, 17 October 2009

Breakfastn'...

I spent a lot of time with Yuki today. All morning and most of the afternoon. He's adorable.

At noon we had brunch with Sabina's brother Sebastian who leaves for New Zealand today. I think it hasn't sunk in yet. He's gone. I believe Luciana and Millie will be very sad once they realize that Sebastian is gone. I mean, it's not really a trip you can do over the weekend if you want to see him. Sabina will need more time to realize.

In the evening we had Marian and Darik over for dinner. Nice to see them again. But our apartment was a total mess after they left and I was so tired like never before, so that wasn't too nice.

Day 7593: Fri, 16 October 2009

Sabina...

Lot's of scanning and developing today. I had the afternoon free and all I did was work on my pictures. And Yuki's daily-photo-film. Need to catch up with this project, too. Sabina and Luciana took the pictures while I was gone. They look, how shall I put it, funky, but at least the gap is filled. The movie looks amazing. It's already 12 seconds long by now.

In the evening we went to Luciana's and had dinner. The last dinner with Sebastian.

Day 7592: Thu, 15 October 2009

Yin and Yang...

Taking it easy. I got up at 5AM, jet lagged, and started developing a few films to use the time while everybody else was asleep. The task ahead is enormous. I don't know when I'll be done with everything. Develop and scan 740 pictures, write, upload - once I get behind the pile gets bigger and bigger...

Anyway, at 7:30 Sabina and Yuki woke up and we had breakfast, then Sabina went to work and I had Yuki all morning.

In the afternoon I did a few things like reading and answering my mails and opening the "analog" mail, and then scanned two films and developed another two. I'm doing everything in D-76 except for the 320 ASA pushed ones - I'll do these in Diafine.

So far I'm not really happy with my photographs. We'll see.

Later I had Yuki again, he's got a lot of energy. Sometimes too much if you're jet lagged... He's constantly busy with something and he's become really, really fast, so you have to constantly be on your guard.

But I enjoyed the day tremendously.

Day 7591: Wed, 14 October 2009

Cool hat...

This morning at 9 Yuki and I first saw each other again. It was a moving moment. He was surprised and shy first but within 3 minutes we were fine. Sabina,Yuki and I went for breakfast in town. Then she had to work and I spent the afternoon with Yuki. At 7 we went for dinner, but I was so tired I could not enjoy it, and at 9PM I just crashed. Jetlag.

Looks like I lost most of my readers due to my long break. Too bad... It's a lot of work to keeep this running. A lot of work.

Day 7590: Tue, 13 October 2009

Shinjuku...


Boarding...

We got up at 6AM, a last look of the impressive Shinjuku view through the hotel window and off we were on our way. Check out, walk to Shinjuku station in full morning rush, onto the Narita Express to Terminal 1, check in, off to Amsterdam, then to Zurich and finally by train to our hometown where we said goodbye.

I took a tram home and arrived at 9:30 PM. Sabina went wild, Yuki was asleep, Luciana, Millie and a friend of Sabina were at our place and I managed to stay awake until midnight before falling asleep.

Happy to be home. Everybody's alive and well. What more good I ask for?

Day 7589: Mon, 12 October 2009

Rainbow Bridge...

Matthew tries to read the menu...

Today was a long last day. We got up at 8 and walked around Tokyo all day. First we took the subway to Ariake, 有明, where I suddenly realized that the houses I saw looked totally familiar to me. It then dawned on me that this was the view I had looked at so many times a few years ago through a webcam. I did this panorama back then from 160 single shots I took with the webcam, which was quite a lot of work. Back then I dreamed of coming here one day and stand in front of these very buildings and now it actually was happening. In the meantime the bridge you see being built was finished, and a second one also, and the rough landscape on the bottom left was now a beautiful hangout for kids and their parents, and that's where we were hanging out today.

I sat there for a while contemplating my former dreams and the reality I'm living in now. I don't want to move to Tokyo anymore. I have a life I can look forward coming home to. I'm at peace now. Funny I ran into this neighborhood by accident. And quite amazing that I realized where I was in the first place.

Later we walked over the Rainbow Bridge, which was a very impressive walk, and then spent the rest of the evening in Omote Sando. Before going to sleep we crashed in a bar in Shinjuku until 1AM and had many drinks and lots of finger food, spending the very last of our money.

Our trip was coming to an end. It was a great two weeks, with some exceptions.

Day 7588: Sun, 11 October 2009

Bye bye... (the station chief was not amused...)

Busy Shinjuku...

Subway portrait...

Today we left Kyoto and took the shinkansen to Tokyo. First we had our usual breakfast and then off we went. Once we were in Tokyo we went to Shinjuku and found a hotel. Not very cheap, but OK. We chose Shinjuku because the Narita Express stops here, so on Tuesday we'll have an easy start into our long trip home.

After checking in we went on a camera tour, going from one store to the other in search of whatever. I was looking for an Olympus Pen (the old one) and Matthew was interested in some digital camera. But the prices were astronomical so we gave up. I bought a few convenient darkroom tools, though.

We spent the rest of the day roaming around Tokyo, there's enough you can do in this city. We went to Tokyo Tower and went up to see the city. Impressive! We had horrible food in a ramen restaurant, easily the worst food we ever had in Japan.

Tokyo is a crazy city. I once wanted to live here - well, I don't anymore. It's nice to visit, but I wouldn't want to have to make a living here. And I wouldn't want Yuki to grow up in a city of this magnitude. Small town boy - I think that's great.

Day 7587: Sat, 10 October 2009

Why does it take you so long??...

Light...

Empty...

A long day again. We were constantly on our aching feet from morning to evening. Today we went to Tofuku-Ji, a large temple complex, close to Tofuku-Ji station on the JR line. We shortly went there when it was the destination of our Inari hike, but it was already closed, so we decided to come back.

Good thing we did. It's a really beautiful place and we again spent a lot of time there. It's one of the five great Zen temples of Kyoto. Issa said:

Buddha's Nirvana
beyond blossoms
and wealth

At night: Kaiten zushi.

Day 7586: Fri, 9 October 2009

Kyoto from Daimonji-Yama...

In the forest...

Acorn over water...

Today we went for a hike again, this time a long one, as I was starting to feel better and stronger. We hiked up to the big 大, one of Kyoto's most memorable sights. The giant Kanji symbol for great is burning high on the flanks of Daimonji-yama during the annual Daimonji-yaki festival held on August 16.

From the big Dai you have a breathtaking view of Kyoto, with the view reaching as far as Osaka. Once we were past the platform, in the forest, we were alone. We hiked through the beautiful forest for hours. That's so great about Kyoto, take a bus to Ginkaku-ji, where there's a myriad of tourists, walk for a few minutes and you're alone in the forest. You'll meet a lonely Japanese hiker once in a a while, say hello, and that's it. No tourists, no foreigners, who btw get on my nerves in Japan, no stress, just peace and quiet.

When we came back we were quite tired, but nevertheless went to town and enjoyed Kyoto's night life in a Pizzeria. Needed a change in diet for once: Pizza and red wine.

Day 7585: Thu, 8 October 2009

Umbrellas...

Inari Tori...

Temple kitten...

Today we did this great hike starting at Kyoto Inari station.

Fushimi Inari.

Really amazing. It's very known: hundreds of red tori ligned up to form a tunnel in the forest. So absolutely beautiful. Since the weather wasn't great we were mostly alone. The mood was just fantastic. This would have been nice in color, but maybe the b&w has something, too. Imagine them in bright red at the top and black at the bottom.

We were hanging and hanging, taking pictures, walking, amazed, happy... Not many words were spoken, there was no need to speak.

We came back around 7 PM, after relaxing at the hotel for half an hour we went downtown for food and beer.

Day 7584: Wed, 7 October 2009

Leaves in the rain...

Little monks in the rain...

Today Taifun No. 18 swept over Japan, so it rained all day. I mean rained. We bought two umbrellas and went to a huge temple complex called Taizoin. It was really quiet and beautiful, and because of the strong rain there was no one around. Japan can be so beautiful... Like a huge museum, really.

We stayed there until 5PM, then I went to the hotel to have a nap, while Matthew kept strolling around the city.

At night we had a great hang in downtown Kyoto with lots of food and even more beer. After we returned to the hotel I called Sabina who was very well, I learned. Yuki was well, too, it was great to hear their voices. I even talked to Yuki and he was listening before trying to eat the phone.

Day 7583: Tue, 6 October 2009

Tiles...


Late at night...

While having breakfast we decided to leave the north and head for Kyoto. Kyoto is always great so why not go there. It was a fairly long shinkansen trip but I enjoyed it and we arrived at 3PM, found a hotel for a great price (tourist office), and were ready to rock by 5PM.

We went to Appareya!!!!!

My new readers don't know what I'm talking about, but the veterans may remember from our last trip.

We found it easily, got in, no customers, but the same two guys running it. They didn't remember us though, which was a bit of a turn-off. But how could they, really...

We had a feast. It was as great as 2 years ago.

A happy evening...

Day 7582: Mon, 5 October 2009

A few wishes...

Niigata aquarium...

Sushi bar...

This morning I felt good when I woke up. My first night I slept through since arriving in Japan. After having breakfast we walked through Niigata looking for something great without finding it. We walked for hours, went to the sea, the Aquarium, visited temples and parks. Apart from a couple of temples the city had nothing to offer. Too bad... I guess the north just isn't that happening after all.

After a few hours we gave up and went for a nap in our hotel which had windows facing a wall 3 feet away, and I felt really weak from my illness.

Around 8PM I felt strong enough to go out again, we found this fantastic sushi bar where we spent the evening eating and drinking. The sushi chef you see on the photo clearly was the boss.

The boss boss.

He kept all the orders which were randomly shouted at him from customers and still knew exactly who had what. He took orders, arranged them beautifully, and did the bill at the end, without taking notes - how could he, he was constantly busy producing the food.

How he did all this is beyond me.

We went to bed around 2AM, totally drunk.

Day 7581: Sun, 4 October 2009

名代そば...


Gods drink sake too...


Her best friend...

Thanks to Tamiflu my fever was back to normal this morning, so we were able to leave Hirosaki which, according to Matthew wasn't worth the trip anyway.

I still felt pretty bad, but was able to take a train to Niigata where we arrived after 5 hours. We looked for and found a hotel next to the station (a tip for travelers: always go to the tourist information at the station, they book you a hotel room according to your budget and they have much better rates than if you go directly to the hotel), and after checking in we went for a bite in town. I soon had to go back to the hotel, as I diddn't feel well and found out that I still had 38C (100F), so I took it easy and went to sleep.

Day 7580: Sat, 3 October 2009

Really, really sick...

After a horrible night I woke up at 6 AM with 39,6 C (103 F) fever. Completely sick. I am pretty sure I catched H1N1. They have flyers everywhere that you're supposed to tell the reception if you have flu-like symptoms, but I didn't want to disappear in quarantine in some hospital for ever. So I decided to stay in my room until this is over.

I spent a terrible day in my room. All alone. Pretty sad. By afternoon my fever had reached 40 C (104 F) and I started to get worried. That's when I took this picture. For Sabina and Yuki after my death. Maybe my last photo of the day.

I've reached the bottom. I thought a lot about Peter. I mean, I know I'll get better if I don't die tomorrow. He didn't know. For him it was a downward spiral. Statistically proven: you don't have a ghost of a chance. You feel miserable, and then you feel even more miserable. And then some more. Until you die. I still consider me lucky, even if I'm sick during my holidays...

Luckily, Matthew's mother is a nurse, and she didn't let him go to Japan without taking Tamiflu with him. That's when he told me he had some. I immediately took a tablet. I don't want to spend the rest of my holiday in this room...

Day 7579: Fri, 2 October 2009

Hirosaki Station...

We left Morioka at around 11AM after having breakfast at Café Shiki for the last time. We took the shinkansen and then a local train to a small town called Hirosaki. When we arrived we looked for a hotel, but they were pretty expensive, and so we kept looking. I finally found a businesss hotel, only written in Japanese, that looked reasonable. But when we came in they wouldn't take us, from the look the woman had I could tell that it was because we were foreigners. I hate that. It happens rarely, but it does happen. I guess this was the reason the hotel's name was only written in Japanese.

Anyway, we finally found something and when we checked in, I started to feel sick. I went to buy something at the convenient store in the station, but I could barely make it back, I was so weak. There was a flight of stairs I had to take, it took me forever.

I started to get a fewer, so stayed in my hotel room for the rest of the day. All I looked at was my room, the TV and the station and plaza in front of the hotel.

I felt like crap all day and all night.

Day 7578: Thu, 1 October 2009

Sapporo...


おみあげ...


Shadows...

Didn't sleep very well last night. I woke up at 1:30 AM and was awake for 3 hours. Jet lag is a pain in the ass.

After breakfast we took the train to a small town called Kakunodate. We rented a couple of bicycles and hung out in this little town all day. It wasn't the prettiest of all towns, but it had an old city and that was really beautiful.

The weather was perfect: sunny, yet cool and in the evening the light was really beautiful. It was a happy day. We were quiet and balanced, took many photos and enjoyed our trip. We're in Japan!

I still miss Yuki and Sabina. This is very different from last time when I had nobody I'd miss. My life has changed and I have something to look forward to when I get home. Home is home. Matthew's life has also changed. He's been single for a few years but recently fell in love with a woman he's known for 18 years. They always were into each other but never got together and then she got married to another guy and had kids. But she recently left him and now Matthew and her finally got together. A very romantic story. I'm very happy for him.

Anyway, at night we went back to Morioka and hung out in town until 11PM.

Day 7577: Wed, 30 September 2009

Cappuccino Shiki...


500 monks... (Hoonji)


Shinto rocks... (三石)

I've decided to give you more than one pic a day while I'm in Japan. Why not? There's so many beautiful things that I saw, I might as well share them with you. I am sure you don't mind.

After a relaxing night with a few wake-ups in between we left our ryokan at 9AM and walked around to look for a place for breakfast. Well, we found the greatest place on earth, Café Shiki. The guy who runs it has been doing so since 1988, and he's working 7 days a week, from 9AM to 11PM. We saw him do it, every day. His Cappucino and his breakfast sets are unheard of. Lovely chap.

Later we walked through the city to a large temple complex. We very soon fell into our old Japan mood, quietly contemplating the beautiful places we visited. One of the temples was closed so we had to ring at the door of the monk who runs the place. He was very friendly, showed and explained everything to us, and we had a lovely chat in Japanese. He told us he's only had three foreigners visiting his temple so far. And he loved my camera.

Very impressive was a hall with 500 golden monks, centuries old. There was almost no light, so it was dfficult to photograph without a tripod.

After a long day we chilled in our hotel room for a while, and then left for dinner in town. We found a small restaurant where we were the starts of the day. Everybody was very impressed that we came all the way from Switzerland and were able to read the Japanese menu. A completely drunk guy tried to speak to us in English and German and mostly failed trying to do so.

I miss Yuki terribly. How is he? Does he miss me? How does he feel?

Day 7576: Tue, 29 September 2009

A classic beauty...

We arrived at Narita, more or less OK. Exhausted, really. Didn't get much sleep. We exchanged our JR Rail Pass voucher and took the Narita Express to Tokyo station, where we hung out for a couple of hours before taking the Tohoku shinkansen to Morioka. It starts to sink in that I am in Japan. Tohoku East is a region I haven't seen yet. Looks nice. After arriving in Morioka, we checked into a simple ryokan, took a shower and went to town, heavily jet lagged. We soon found a nice restaurant where we ended the day with a wonderful meal and a few beers, what else...