Ollie Diary day15

May the 29th

We set off early for my last Wednesday here to return to Hiruzen region. Ryota and Mako-san drop me off at the beginning of Nakahiruzen hiking trail, the central mountain of the three peaks that form Hiruzen. I set off for three hours of exploration on my own, an hour and a half of tough climbing, followed by an hour of slippery descent. The previous day's rain had left the paths muddy, but it also revealed the good scents of the forest, cut wood and moss.

Several markers indicate the climbed height, to give hikers a bit of encouragement.

On the way, I found a square of purple silk. I asked passers-by for it, but it wasn't theirs. So when I came across a small temple, I hung it up there. What belongs to the mountain, stays in the mountain.

Once at the top, I met a lady who offered me some coffee sweets to restore my energy, which I swallowed while enjoying the magnificent view before heading back down.

Once back, at the foot of the mountain, a tap draws fresh water from the Shiogama spring and it's a pleasure to enjoy it after the hiking.

We then spent a short moment in Hiruzen Jersey Land, a strange park dedicated to cows and milk, with activities - possibly ? - and a restaurant. But in the end, all we could see in this vast, empty place were a few cows in the distance... and a big plastic cow (which, nonetheless, I still enjoyed) !

We set off again to eat at Suitonbo, a lovely restaurant where I tried wild boar gyozas and rice flavoured with mountain vegetables.

The end of the afternoon was spent at the youth center, where we all met up for dinner. Hosomi-san taught me some kanji, and then Hitomi-san, a friend of Mako-san's, came along with an army of nail varnish to take care of her hands before the upcoming wedding. Everyone left and we stayed here in the night, chatting, doing puzzles while we waited for all the nail varnish to dry. I even got a one-nail job! All in all, just felt like home.