Well, I am here at Haneda Airport waiting for my flight back home.  What?  What about your hike?  I have had to change my plans.  Last night, I discovered that my Japanese money wallet with my credit cards in it was missing.  After tearing apart the hotel room, I figured it must have dropped out of my purse after I paid my cab fare last night.  I am normally so careful with stuff like this, but I slipped up last night.  Luckily, I had my passport and my American money in a separate wallet, which was safe in my room.  After some long hard thought, I didn’t think I had enough American money to last me another week.  I didn’t lose that much Japanese money, and I locked the credit cards, but still, what a disappointment.  I was able to get a seat on a flight for this evening, and didn’t even have to pay an arm and a leg to change.  It could have been so much worse, but I still feel like the biggest dummass in the world.

In the meantime, please enjoy this picture of beautiful Kegan Falls.

Yesterday I took a guided day tour to Nikko, which is about 2 hours outside of Tokyo.  It is nestled in the mountains and is chock full of history.

We visited a beautiful shrine where the first and third shoguns are buried.

One of the buildings had carvings of monkeys depicting the human life from birth to motherhood.  One of the carvings depicts childhood and is the origin of the phrase “Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.”

Today, I walked through the Yanaka neighborhood and it was lovely.  Many old temples and graveyards that were lovingly attended.  I toured the Tokyo National Museum and saw many beautiful and ancient objects.  

Still a battle with the blistering heat and humidity.  

And saw my old friend Godzilla!

Yesterday was my eagerly anticipated day at the Sumo Grand National Tournament.  I had a great seat, although all seats are pretty good in this arena.  I arrived at 9am to see the preliminary bouts and didn’t leave until 4pm.  I would have stayed longer to see the top ranking players, but I was just too tired.  

I enjoyed every minute of it.  The bouts are pretty short, but they are action packed.  Plenty of grappling, snarling, slapping, punching, kicking, and belt grabbing goes on.  A couple of times, both players hit the ground at the same time and the judges had to be called to make a decision.  My field glasses came in very handy and allowed me to see the action up close.

I have several videos, but I am having some problems getting them posted here.  Stay tuned!

My first full day in Tokyo and it is beastly hot and humid.   I walked around the Harajuku area and tried not to melt.  Just when I thought I would faint away, I saw that I was in the neighborhood of Cat Cafe Mocha!  I hadn’t intended on stopping here, since I did that the last time, but I sure could use some AC, a cold drink, and some cat therapy.

I’ve been reading up on sumo techniques to prepare for attending the basho in Tokyo on September 18th.  What a fascinating sport!  I am overwhelmed with all the minutiae.  Here is a video that focuses on a new young rikishi named Roga and breaks down his technique.  It’s a bit long, but if you watch it for a few minutes, you’ll see how intricate the sport can be.
​https://youtu.be/1b5tf7qPu8I

I leave for Japan in three weeks!  I've got my Sumo Tournament ticket ordered.  Hopefully it will be delivered before I leave!

Here's a list of things I want to do during my four days in Tokyo:
Attend Sumo Wrestling Tournament
Tour Tokyo National Museum
Do walks #2 and #5 from book Tokyo Walks
Shop for pearl earrings
Go to Art Aquarium Museum
Go to TeamLABS Borderless
Go to Bar Centrifola and watch the bartender show
Walk through any interesting neighborhood!  
Shop Uniqlo Flagship store in Ginza
​Go to the top of Tokyo Tower and/or Tokyo Skytree

I'm gearing up for another trip to Japan!  This time, I will spend four days in Tokyo, and six days hiking the Michinoku Coastal Trail.  

I'm hoping to attend the National Sumo Wrestling Tournament in September.  I also want to spend some time in the Tokyo National Museum.  

The MCT caught my attention on Oku Japan's web site.  It is a trail on the NE coast of Honshu Island.  Not a pilgrimage, like the Kumano Kodo, but should be inspiring to walk along the path of the coast.

More to come!  Stay tuned!