I didn’t sleep for crap and even had a couple of nightmares until I finally took some stomach medicine. The medicine is called Stomaze and is for overeating. At least I think it is because I just bought it from someone at a drug store near Granny Harajuku.

I was just thinking the last time I came it was about 47 years ago and my dad was about the age I am now. We also had crummy sleep and all he could do is complain. I had a great time and might even come again some day but I did make some mistakes. I just noticed another one: I’m kind of sunburned. Oh well.

I had breakfast and I think my thinking was correct to only get two of the four meals offered. The breakfast was pretty big. This picture is before they brought out the miso soup and the rice.

Hagi itself seemed a little spread out so I started looking for rental bikes online. I only saw something offering tricycles on Google Maps but ended up getting an old mama-chari from the hotel (the standard town bicycle). When I fnally saw a tricycle late in the day I knew I’d made a mistake. The bike on the left is the hotel bicycle. The two on the right are “TRICYCLES”. Notice what they don’t have? A THIRD WHEEL. Notice what they do have? A BATTERY AND AN ELECTRIC MOTOR. I could’ve used that today. My legs are shot. I’m not used to pedaling, and I’m certainly not used to pedaling a bike made for munchkins. Oh, and I think the Tricycle rates are cheaper than what the hotel charges. But I am fat and could use the exercise.

I didn’ t see the Tricycles until almost the end of the day, by a cafe I went to. The first thing I did was ride south across town to Hagi station to see about tickets for tomorrow. Turns out the Hagi station is unmanned and is mostly a railway museum. I found out when I got back to the hotel that the East Hagi train station (which was close to the shrine I visiited later) is the main train station.

OK, next ride is back to the middle of town to the Meirin Center, where they moved the tourist information from Hagi station. Meirin is an old school building where the children of the lord’s retainers (i.e. the kids of the rich and powerful) were educated. Eventually it was converted to an elementary school and now it’s a museum. A nice museum with history of the school as well as a display of the local geopark.

The next stop was Shoin Jinja. Yoshida Shoin was a guy my dad was kind of obsessed with.. He is known as the start of a small group of influential young people who were important in the Meiji Restoration. When Commodore Perry arrived to force open the Japanese borders, he tried to sneak onto the ship. He was rebuffed and then imprisoned by the shogunate but studied and taught while in prison. He was placed under house arrest where he continued to teach. Evenutally he was executed at the young age of 30. His students went on to become the first Prime Minister and start what became the University of Tokyo’s engineering school AMONGST OTHER THINGS. Kind of a badass. And he’s from Hagi.

Anyway, I went across town to the east to go to Shoin Jinja where they also have the house where he was under house arrest and the school next door that he moved from his uncle’s house. There’s also a museum that has his writings including those while he was in prison and before he was executed. He was a very eloquent man.

I knew it was a slog to get to his gravesite and the site of the house where he was born but obviously I’ve got nothing better to do and I don’t have the best reasoning when it comes to things like this.

Part of the reason it’s a slog is because it’s uphill. And it gets steep. I think we argued with my dad about this last time we were here. Well, I went up. Rode part of the way to his uncle’s house where the schoolhouse was originally located (it wasn’t that big). From there it got so steep I had to push the bike up the hill. Here’s the view from the grave area.

I was quite a way up. No wonder I feel like it was leg day at the gym. Here’s his grave as well as the graves of some of his followers.

There’s also a monument next to it that I think I remember so I bet we did slog up this damn hill with my dad.

It was way worse last time because we were here in the summer.

TIme to go west across town to the history museum. When I got close I passed a coffee roaster and after I got about a half-block away the aroma hit. So of course I went back and had a very good cup of coffee and a tasty Hagi orange pastry. I forgot to take a picture of those but here’s one of the store.

And of the roaster.

And of the pastries.

Also, this is kind of my sister’s thing, finding interesting cafes and such, and since I’m not taking any Wilkinson pictures today this’ll have to do.

The history museum was cool too. I’m learning Japanese history by seeing all the stories from the various prefectures and cities and Hagi and Yamaguchi Prefecture love being the heart of modern Japanese politics. They even had the “only display” of two oarfish, both in formalin and shown vertically. I’ve heard of oarfish and how rare they are so I was excited to actually see them.

One of the things I learned about is the castle town area right by the hotel. Although the Meiji government tore down most of the castles (maybe all of them?) the museum said there were some walls left. As I was taking the narrow neighborhood streets back to the hotel, I actually found some of them.

Parts of the castle are just parts of people’s houses now, and those were only a block from my hotel.

Anyway, I got back to the hotel about the time it started sprinkling. I’m not sure if it’s raining now or not since it’s dark out. Google says it’s raining but it’s been saying that all day. And most of the day it was beautiful out.

I had dinner at the hotel and I expected it to be a lot of food. It was. Fortunately, I don’t feel painfully full. Here it comes:

Did you see the fugu? Pork, beef, and fish. So good.

Anyway, tomorrow I have a five hour train ride to the next stop. At least I hope it’s only five hours. I take a local train for a ways and get on a Super Express. But there’s a notice that says that due to “issues” “some” of the Super Express trains are canceled. It’s a big warning that’s very vague. I’ll let you know tomorrow.