Cycling the Seto Inland Sea, about the biking path that hopscotches across islands and bridges from Shikoku to Hiroshima Prefecture; Path of the Daimyo, about a hike with my teenage son on the old Nakasendo Highway.

Our first stop: Higashiya. Everything inside this modern tea ceremony & sweets shop was stunningly simple.

Japan's public transportation system is highly developed and amazingly well organized.