Day: March 25, 2025

The Basho Museum in Ogaki

David Del Testa
A sign advertising the sights of Ogaki, Japan, including a castle, a man on horseback, a fire tower, cherry blossoms, and a representation of the haiku poet Bashō

On our last full day in Japan, while the students did tourism or homework in Kyoto, I took myself to Ogaki, Gifu Prefecture, Japan to visit the Bashō Oku no Hosimichi [Narrow Road to the Deep North] Museum. We sent Mika back home at 4:40am. Sad to see her go, but hopefully to return soon.  Ogaki is about an ninety minutes east of Kyoto, and I took the Hida Limited Express there; I had had to purchase unreserved tickets, so… Read moreThe Basho Museum in Ogaki

From Fukui to Kyoto

David Del Testa

Relatively early on the morning of Friday, 21 March, we traveled to Kyoto from Fukui. We took the new Hokiriku Shinkansen to Tsuruga, and then did this crazy run to catch the onward-bound Thunderbird Limited Express. I think some additional thinking should have been carried out on this transfer point! The Hokiriku Shinkansen will not connect Tsuruga and Kyoto directly until perhaps 2045, but there are certainly signs of construction all along the way. After two hours on the train,… Read moreFrom Fukui to Kyoto