Thinking Allowed: Day 38-40: Kitakamigawa Kasen to Shiogama

Day 38: Kitakamigawa Kasen to Ishinomaki

Hours walked: 6:45 to 1:30

Distance walked: 22 km

Cumulative: 815 km

It rained and blew a bit in the night, but everyone was fairly well-rested and our tents were dry in the morning. This made for a fast pack-up and some loitering around at 6am eating cereal out of the bag.

Tova had yet another off morning. Eventually we decided to give her some ibuprofen, chewable tablets which had been slightly pre-chewed by a month of friction. Tova eventually swallowed the larger chunks, but morosely tossed a small handful of powdery ibuprofen towards the verge. Unfortunately, the wind all-too-predictably caught it and -woosh- straight into Tamar’s inflamed eyes. It was definitely a low point. Minutes later, as we wordlessly trudged onward,

we saw a dying deer. It was lying at the side of the road in some bushes. It was moving its nose a bit and breathing a bit but it looked like it was going to die. Depressinggggg

But once the ibuprofen kicked in she perked up wonderfully, and the second half of the walk was actually pretty good. We saw an antler. It was pretty bumpy and very white. There was a long stretch with neither sidewalk nor shoulder, but it wasn’t the worst and we were rewarded with Michi-no-Eki Joubo Santo, quite a charming rest stop.

All of these rest stops, by the way, have upbeat synth music playing which sounds like Super Mario. Jakob always feels like he should be jumping on koopas or climbing up vines in there.

Also we found Tomaberry…take a second to guess what it is. Yep, you got it: tomato-flavored ice cream! Tamar took one bite and exclaimed, “this is not good ice cream!” Then she quickly glanced around, abashed, but we all think this rest stop has taken the local specialty a bit too far. Levi absolutely loved it and cackled with joy as she spooned it up. We got delicious cherry tomatoes to compensate. Probably a good thing we didn’t get the ice cream pizza: soft serve with tomato sauce and two kinds of cheese! Zadie sobbed heartbroken when she lost her face towel, but Tamar managed to find an identical one the same day.

The last few kilometers into Ishinomaki were easy as pie. 22-km days feel way easier after long slogs! We stayed in yet another Route Inn, and since we’d arrived well before check-in, we stashed our backpacks and headed out to the mall. We ate truly delicious udon noodles with ginger, scallions and daikon. Zadie says they shouldn’t have made the daikon so powdery, and maybe they should add tofu next time. Nonetheless, we wolfed down four large portions while Levi snoozed. Dinner was also scrumptious - sushi, baguette with Boursin, boiled eggs and cherry tomatoes, and inari. We’re showered, bathed, laundried, and feeling a good deal better.

What an antler

Unclear how much of the grossness is due to translation

Darkness falls on our hydraulic campsite

Japan has such scenic beaches!

Day 39: Ishinomaki to Nobiru

Hours walked: 8:30-3:00

Distance walked: 20 km

Cumulative: 835 km

We had a shorter day today, so one of our rooms woke up at 7 am - though the other did at 6. Eventually our groggy contingent rejoined the others at breakfast and we got started.

It was a super hot and sunny day, so we kept getting frozen Aquarius bottles and refilling them over and over to stay cool. Tamar had the unenviable job of wearing the baby on her back while carrying a parasol to protect them both. But a massive thunderstorm was expected to hit at 11, so we enjoyed the sun while we could.

After skirting Ishinomaki, we walked along the outer edge of Matsushima Air Base. This was great: we had a nice paved levee trail, with lots to look at and no cars. We saw military transport planes land, and at least 50 people lined up with cameras on tripods - seems like planespotting is popular in Japan. Later, jet planes screamed across the sky in tight formation.

Next we passed a playground that looked so nice we backtracked half a kilometer to the entrance. Everyone got ice cream cones from a vending machine. Tova only managed to play about 5-10 minutes before stopping because her back hurt, but Levi had a grand time on the slides with Sophia and Zadie.

Crossing a bridge, we saw people standing chest-deep in the river with diggers and buckets… probably catching crayfish or river crabs, we figured. Tova made up a game where everyone invents a magic power related to, say, clouds, and then the most creative one wins.

At 11, we geared ourselves up for the big storm … and then it just never came. “It’s not even drizzling!” Aurora exclaimed. It was equally a relief and disappointment. When our path forked, Sophia, Tova and Zadie took the levee while we bigger people amused the baby. Eventually we joined them and enjoyed the views of the river and ocean.

It was 34 degrees and the sun came back out for our last kilometers - brutally hot! We found a vending machine, but it only had milk water. Let’s just say it wasn’t a big hit. “It tastes like soap, but it’s cold!” We were so grateful when our road ducked behind a knoll and we got a bonus kilometer of shade.

Tonight we’re staying at Kibotcha, an elementary school that was devastated by the tsunami and rebuilt as a disaster education centre, complete with indoor playground. Our room has six cozy bunk beds. Each got a name based on its letter: Ant, Boiling, Cicada, Dragonfly, Earwig, Hornet. Tamar and Jakob went out for soft serve, then we all had a humble dinner of cherry tomatoes, yellow peppers, cucumbers, yogurt with banana, and watermelon for dessert.

Levee walking

Levi walking

Kibotcha - our home for the night

Day 40: Nobiru to Shiogama

Hours walked: 9:00-1:00

Distance walked: 10 km

Cumulative: 845 km

Today was a change of pace: island-hopping! After walking 5 kilometres to Miyato peninsula, we were met at the dock by Masanori Suzuki-san. He was a weathered and enthusiastic fisherman in his seventies, who delighted the girls with his fast and flashy piloting. We saw thousands upon thousands of bamboo poles sticking out of the water - a massive oyster farm. Suzuki-san took the scenic route, showing us Inujima (Dog Island), an osprey nest, traditional warehouses chiseled into the water, and a tiny hole cut through a rocky island which he drove us through most thrillingly.

We then got to enjoy some cute little hikes on Nono Island and Katsurashima Island. Walking on Nono was a smooth stroll, seeing the few houses that these fairly wild islands have. Our second trail was heavily overgrown in a creepy way: we walked on dark paths lined with bamboo and shaggy with spiderwebs. Even the various bites we got just added to the ambience.

It was all quick, though, and we reached the end of Katsurashima with a free hour on the beach. Tova, Zadie and Sophia splashed happily in the water, relieved to escape the mugginess; and we each had half a nashi pear and a handful of spicy snack mix for lunch.

Then: Sendai, which has always been this mystical destination - we’ve been seeing signs ever since “Sendai: 450 km” - but it turns out our trail doesn’t even go through it! So we decided to take a train in from Shiogama and take a rest day. A crowded train, a short walk, and then we reached the Hotel Monterey, which is much much fancier than our usual digs. Tomorrow we’ll walk not at all, which should be a lovely break!