Dodging Dragonflies

We had the perfect weather for biking this morning. It was overcast and cool but not too cold. The entire route through the Biei/Furano district was flat or downhill. We passed fields of onions, beets, and asparagus and hillsides of trees cultivated for lumber. With wildflowers of every color lining either side of the bike path, we communed with clusters of dragonflies, kaleidoscopes of butterflies, and clouds of grasshoppers. Their heavy, winged bodies collided with our shoulders, thighs, and even cheeks. It looked more like Spring than Fall and was pure delight.

For lunch, we enjoyed a dish of chicken biryani with spicy curry that was made even better with a local pilsner, Upopo.

The beautiful body of vivid blue water is aptly called Blue Pond and gets its color from the natural underground minerals.

The funny-named but stunning Waterfall of the White Mustache is just a few steps from our ryokan.

You can see in the last photo that we embraced the culture of wearing our robes to dinner, only to discover that we were seated on the ground. Yikes, good thing we wore another layer underneath! Gary figured out that he could get up from the table by shifting to his knees first, then doing a modified burpee to hoist himself up, all without flashing the room. It was quite the performance.Read more