Sisters in Japan, Day 12: Jogasaki Coast and Atsugi

Sister, sister! We woke up to another overcast day. We wanted to walk along the Jogasaki Coast because the shoreline is spectacular.

Looking down the street from K’s House (to the right if you’re facing the hostel)

Screen Shot 2019-10-04 at 6.02.01 AM — We parked in the starred parking lot and walked along the coastline within the circle, more or less.

We didn’t have a lot of time so we decided to hit the paved trail by the suspension bridge and lighthouse. First, we headed left and I walked on the shoreline rocks for a bit. Then we went back to the path, crossed the bridge, and went to the top of the lighthouse. We were there for about an hour. We were rained on once, but that’s when we escaped to the lighthouse. The clouds were very dramatic, so it was just as pretty as when I went before on a sunnier day.

After our walk, we got in the car. I wanted to stop at the MOA Museum of Art in Atami. I had seen several posters advertising the exhibit Thirty-six Views of Mt Fuji, a famous collection of woodblock prints by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849). Once again, we took a completely ridiculous route that consisted of steep uphills with two-way traffic on roads that were, at best, 1.5 lanes wide.

The museum was a gem! Its size is quite manageable. It seems that there is usually a stellar special exhibit with a few rooms of exquisite permanently displayed crafts, mostly statues and ceramics. There is a full-size Noh theatre where performances are held, as well as a famous golden tea room (replica) used by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1586 to really wow the emperor (paraphrase). The museum would also have spectacular views on a sunny day. Our visit was during a time of cloud and fog, so we missed out on that.

The most famous image. Although this photo confuses me- did I take a picture of a print in the gift shop or is this the one? Since the explanatory placard was my next photo, I think it’s real?

We were kind of rushed because Brady wanted to get back for the base open house, which we kind of missed partially due to timing and partially due to the lower-than-usual turnout due to the weather. But someone special was home waiting for us…

Yes, LR was home and so excited to see his Mom. He also thinks his favorite aunt is pretty cool. We headed out for sushi where we had a delicious feast, as evidenced by our stack of plates! It was sisters and LR time because Ricardo had gone into Tokyo to hang out with some visiting pilot friends.