The weather today is just cool enough, with just the right amount of sun and wind, that staying inside is just impossible.
After a morning spent attempting to work, and failing, I set off for a stroll in the sun. I went up to the little park near the house that I had visited on my first day in Japan. Then off down the northern side of the hill, towards Kanazawa-hakkei.
There is a small little valley there, between 2 steep hills, with a small canal running down the middle. Following the canal is a small little walkway with some extremely pretty houses, all covered in flowers. At the top of the next hill you get some nice views of Oppama.
Then off down the hill and up the next, which is much more countryside-ish. And as it doesn't feel like the city anymore I took the oportunity to do some wildlife viewing stops.
With at the menu a couple nice catterpilars, and a most amusing grey squirrel. I must have spent nearly 10 minutes watching him, as he picked the chestnuts out of the husks and threw the finished fruit out of the tree. He wasn't the least concerned about me, and I was quite happy that someone had left a convenient staircase right next to the chesnut tree. It was a bit unfortunate, however, that someone had also left a whole battalion of mosquitoes there.... And it was the continued presence of those mosquitoes, and not the disappearance of the squirrel that caused me to move on.
On the other side of that hill you get back onto the flat ground, but there are still a lot of very nice gardens here. Then you cross the train tracks and you're back on the main road to Kanazawa-hakkei. I did not care to attempt another mosquito-infested forest, so went off to the station. Where I did my civil duty by helping an american couple figure out which train they wanted to take.
A very nice stroll, on a perfect Saturday. I can't wait till the leaves start really turning colour though!
