MORE IN JAPAN

we're in the country, wandering over mountains & through valleys.  it's rice planting time, the paddies are flooded & studded with the tips of fine green leaves.  we've driven through tiny villages & towns in 5 prefectures so far, & stayed in a traditional ryokan in one of the oldest hot springs in japan, built on a river in the forest of the hanamaki area. right now, for a change of pace (& the luxury of internet), we're in the washington hotel in yamagata city - a business hotel in the top of a commercial hi-rise building, on the 24th. floor.  the city reminds me of grenoble, surrounded by snow-capped mountains.  i'm watching a cooking show on tv.  it was cold in the north but now we're in a heat wave.  whatever the weather, i'm happy & having the time of my life.  

i eat a lot of noodles & seaweed.

my japanese vocabulary has quadrupled!  4 words now.  masa patiently answers my questions & is taking great care of me, seeing to everything.  without speaking & reading japanese it would be impossible to visit this country.   all signs are in japanese, of course, no one speaks english, of course, & i don't understand a thing.  it was only by accident we discovered that international atm machines are located in the post office. - not in banks.  and i'm happy to report that all toilet seats are heated & equipped with warm sprays - in gas stations as well as restaurants & hotels - everywhere.   even in the ancient spa!  

and kitch!  don't get me started.  this is a nation obsessed with kitch. teddy-bears, fake flowers, dolls, knick-knacks, whatnots...  not a blank space anywhere.   and loud, garish pachinko slot machine palaces in every town. they love it.