15 October 2024: The town of Kani is the constant waypoint for rides to Gero Onsen from Nagoya. After the western route past Kasugai Country Club proved to include something close to a mountain hiking trail, and the eastern route via Seto and Tajimi proved to parallel speedy traffic over a nerve-rattling distance, this jaunt explores a middle route that merges with the Toki River. A fun ride, but without happy news on that front.

A simple recipe Mieko used early in our marriage, as rescued from a note wedged in one of her cookbooks. The bran readily available in Japan is rice bran, which is bland and dry in baked goods, so this version is jazzed up a little with with sultanas and brandy.

One of the cooking adventures from my side that met with Mieko’s approval … apart from the number of pots it leaves in its wake.

20-21 September 2024: Wherein I explore an alternative north-bound route to that used in the July excursion to Gero, and face a trade-off between convenience and solitude.

A thin pancake batter.

A recipe from Mieko’s kitchen (dated 1999), with modifications.

Visits to a nearby pottery district, always a sentimental journey.

A small tourist village near a gorge famous for its display of autumn leaves.

16-18 July 2024: A casually planned three-day ride to a popular hot spring resort. Surprises included: an unridable hiking trail; a flat tire repair challenge in a rainstorm on a mountain road after dark; a midnight map reading failure; and the kindness of strangers.

21-25 May 2024: A sentimental multi-modal journey to Tokyo and the Kantō plain to visit old friends and make new connections.