Gordon: Last night, together with two Japanese cyclists, we slept in a small dormitory. The notable aspect of this experience was that we were sleeping in beds for only the third time on the trip. Most of the time we are sleeping on the floor on a thin futon rolled out on tatami mats. I find it comfortable enough, but in some ways it is not dissimilar to expensive camping. There are occasionally chairs on a surface adjacent to the tatami mats, but usually the only furniture is a low table. Ruth discretely places her folding camp chair on a futon (to protect the tatami) and I slump down against a wall or a folded futon. I enjoy the simplicity and cleanliness of the tatami rooms, but it is a bit of an effort getting up and down. I wonder if it becomes a struggle for elderly Japanese.
Ruth: Our ride/ walk today was over a corrugated peninsula with spikes of land jutting out in all directions. It was absolutely stunning. The google maps screen shot gives some sense of the landscape here.
