Numazu - the 12th station of Tokaido

Numazu is famous for it's fresh seafood today.  In the past, this location hosted a very powerful leader, so there remains a park where the old castle was.  Unfortunately nothing else remains from 400 years ago, so I decided to press on - on towards Hara-shuku.  I am going to walk as far as I can today.

The road in the city is complex - the streets change as the town changes, so the old Tokaido jumps from one street to the other.  Also the large streets have overpasses for walkers so that they don't get run over.  However, this overpass is painful when you have sore feet, sore back, soaking wet with 7kg load on your sholder.

The street becomes very narrow as I move forward.  I get splashed every time a car or a truck passed by.  Bad idea to walk in the rain.  After a while, I felt I formed another set of blisters on my toe from all the humidity.  Wet, heavy, miserable, painful - and hungry.

The local people do not have the custom to "eat out," so it is very difficult to find restaurants once you are outside the city.  I had no choice but to go into the first restaurant I spotted.  It was a restaurant called "humming bird," and, to my surprise, there I had the best pot pie I had in years.  Look at this!  (This has nothing to do with the Tokaido 400 years ago)

A good meal gives you a lot of power, and it also give you power to think.  I decided to walk to the next station town and end the day.  This is not work.  This is supposed to be fun.  I had completely forgotten why I was doing this.

So off I go, happily tredding down the road.  I saw another couple who seems to be doing the same thing I was doing.

They are looking at something several hundred meters away.  There must be something.  And there it was on the right hand side of the road, the Ichirizuka (4km sign) - my beloved sign of accomplishment.

This town is very nice.  I reached the Hara station at about 15:00.  Good time to end the day and get some rest back in the hotel in Numazu.

It is funny how you run across old friends.  While I was walking today, an old friend of mine pinged me on Facebook, and told me he was living in Numazu.  So we decided to get together and enjoy good food, sake, and talk at the famous "Saemaru Sengyoten."

He was passionate about his work, about people around him, and he gave me a lot of power and courage.  Friends are life's treasure. 

Thank you, and good night!