Yakusugiland is deep in the island center, and after a very short drive, we parked at the trailhead.  Big national park.

First, we stopped at a spectacular bento shop, a real hole-in-the-wall, in a village.  Taxi drivers and truck drivers were stopping, too, to buy bento.  I have enough Japanese to request a bento of karaage and a bento of o-sake.

So imagine how in an ancient mori of cedar trees it felt to sit on rocks, surrounded by moss, and eat bento with hashi.  That’s right: Magical.

We took the longest route, marked in purple on the maps, and it took, oh, about two and a half hours.  One of the most beautiful hikes I have ever experienced.  Never been in a cedar forest before.  We crossed bridges five times: Small and narrow, two suspension.

Driving on the left: A challenge until I realized that if you watch the line of the right to position the car, you are alright.

Tonight back at Sankara it will be Japanese dinner with Italian touches and shochu of mugi and shochu of emo.