DYA717 August 27, 2016 Hamamatsu
This Toyoko Inn is a small one. They only had 6 breakfast tables and about 4-5 sitting spots on the counter. Fujieda is apparently not a major tourist stop so not many foreign visitors and we never had the mad rush for this morning’s breakfast. Looks like almost all Nihonjin in this hotel. Continental breakfast is available at 6 a.m. You get gohan, miso shiru, bread, butter, jam and coffee/tea. At 7 they started the regular breakfast. Shucks, no NATTO to share with you folks but then maybe, y’all need a break – no NATTO pictures. Kekekeke
I Googled the weather – 80% humidity, high 80’s, and 40% rain. I said NAY, no need umbrella. Caught the local train to Hamamatsu City. Boy it was bumper-to-bumper. You’re not bumping into the person next to you shoulder-to-shoulder but bumper-to-bumper if you know what I mean. When it gets full, people turn around, and back into the train forcing everyone to back into each other. Uuuuuuuuuh, UJI! After about 9-10 stops, my fingers were cramping from hanging on to the overhead strap. Whew was a relief to get off the train into the hot and humid city air. The closest tour spot was the birthplace of Hidetada, the 2nd shogun of the Tokugawa era. There is only a well (now dry) remaining. BUT, they had a map of other Tokugawa significant sights to see, called the Ieyasu Tokugawa Promenade Walk and Hidetada’s well is #1. I decided to take them up on that challenge. The sign points to #2 so I tried to follow that map. #2 was Hachimangu Shrine. Nice place. #3 was a small Shrine called Tsubokihime Kannon. OK so I found that one OK.b I headed out to #4. I never found it. I ran into #7 which is the Hamamatsu Castle remains. A sign pointed to #6 Ieyasu’s Kakematsu or pine tree. I think I found it but It didn’t have the nice Promenade sign. Then # 8 was a monument to Honda Higanokami Tadazane which is 1600m in the general direction where the arrow points which is about 1 mile (0.994 mi). I walked and walked and just gave up. I crossed a street found #10 which was the Monument of Natsume Jirozaemon Yoshinobu. Then looking across the street I found #8. I didn’t have a good map printed out.
OK, so I got to #10, missing #4, #5, #11-15. Looks like something to look forward to on another trip. I’ve been walking roughly 2.5 hours so I figure I better hydrate. Stopped at a Mini-Mart and got a Pocari Sweat drink. It’s something like Gatorade I think. Ingnorin g #11-15, I continued to backtrack to look for #4 and #5 on my way back to the train station. Never found it – just sweated a lot. I went to the train station, didn’t feel hungry so I got me one small musubi. I got on the 2:11 p.m. shinkansen for Hamamatsu to Shizuoka and transferred to a local train back to Fujieda. Got off the train around 3:05 p.m. and it was raining! Gee, shoulda’ve heeded that 40% warning and brought my umbrella! No sweat! Good thing I only had a short 25-yard dash from the eave of the train station to my hotel.
Checked e-mails, scrubbed up, etc and then it was time for dinner! 5:30 went across the street for dinner. I just grabbed a KA-SU KA-SA or something li’ dat at the hotel’s front door. Means loan umbrella. Just grab any umbrella in the rack and return any umbrella when you return. The restaurant I went to was called Watami. It is a chain restaurant throughout Japan. First thing I took off shoes and stored in locker. Then I was handed an English menu. Boy, was I that obviously a foreigner? No sweat, I ordered some stuffs. Everything was ONO!