Chapter 45: CHAPTER FOURTY-FIVE

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CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

The next morning I went to the same coffee house I'd eaten my morning service breakfast at the day before. The atmosphere was not quite as nice as the one I'd eaten at in Kochi City, but still pleasant enough. And instead of classical music playing softy in the background, Japanese pops was. But since they were playing a Momoe Yamaguchi record album, that was fine with me.

"Well little buddy we're off to see what this Tatsukushi Marine National Park really has to offer. And without all that luggage strapped on to make it a lot more lighter for you. What do you think of that?"

Be-beep!

"Though I still don't believe it's anywhere near as fantastic as the Okusan keeps telling me. I mean, if it's that great why haven't I heard of it anywhere here in Shikoku before?"

Beeep!

"Wow little buddy," as we were putting back to the minshuku. "I'll be damned if the Okusan wasn't right about all the things she told me about Tatsukushi Park! All those things to do that I would have completely missed if she hadn't told me. And not only is it not mentioned in that damned guidebook of mine, I could just barely find it in my Shikoku Road Atlas it's so small and narrow. But it's definitely going to be one of the highlights of our trip this time."

Be-beep!

"Taking that ninety minute glass-bottom boat ride was really something. Who knew there were such beautiful coral reefs and tropical fish in Japan? I mean, we're in the Temperate Zone here, not the Tropic. And going into that inlet and walking along that tiny sandy beach was an education in itself. Seeing them up close, all those long strips of pipe-like coral rolls jutting way out into the ocean --it's like we were on a different planet! No wonder there's no easy walking trail along the waterfront here."

Beeep!

"But that really amazing Ashizuri Underwater Observation Tower was really out of this world! This time it was us humans stuck inside a glass bowl about seven meters below the surface of the ocean and all the tropical fish living nearby were the ones free in their ocean habitat to come and get a close look at us and then go back to their regular lives. And come and get a close look at us they did. I've never seen all those brightly colored tropical fish free in their own environment up that close before. So much more natural than seeing them stuck in some glass box cage in an aquarium. Both it and the glass-bottom boat ride were more than worth their inexpensive fees."

Be-beep!

"And ironically I could even get my hiking trail in. But it sure as hell wasn't the kind of hiking trail I was hoping for. Instead of a nice dirt path along the edge of the flat area overlooking all those coral cliffs, it was chiseled out of the sides of those coral cliffs! And narrow as hell. I was scared shitless the whole time thinking I was going to fall off it. Might not have been far enough a fall to kill me outright. But those jagged coral rocks down below it would have broken all my bones and ripped the shit out of me enough to pray it would kill me. And the few times I had to pass around someone coming from the opposite direction on that narrow ledge of a trail, I could tell both of us were scared shitless. Particularly since I had to let them pass around me on the inside, pressing my hands against the sides of the cliff to form sort a tunnel for them to duck under because they were all females. That's one trail I sure as hell am not going to take if we ever make it back to Shikoku again."

Beeep!

"Thank God it was only thirty minutes. But those were the longest thirty minutes of my life, believe me. Now let's get back to our minshuku and have dinner and celebrate the fact that I'm still alive!"

Be-beep!

Submitted: June 15, 2024

Romance romance japan gaijin travel-in-japan japan-1970s

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B Douglas Slack

I took a look at Tatsukushi Park on Google Earth. Looks like a wonderful place to spend at least a week exploring. Even the aquarium looks interesting, as well as the rest of the town. I never got that far South when I lived there. Most I ever got was Tokyo.

Bill

Wed, June 19th, 2024 10:28pm

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Where have you been, Bill? It took you almost 20 whole minutes to comment after I posted this chapter!
Seriously, my wife and had putted around Shikoku at least 6 or 7 times on our putt-putts back in the 70s and early 80s and stayed in Tosashimizu for at least 2 nights each time. But we never heard about it from anybody, even though the National Park was opened in 1970. Hence, the Okusan's remark about it not being very well known. I only learned about it during my research for this chapter through the internet and google, which of course didn't exist back then. If we ever go back again, you can be sure we WILL go to it then.

Ken

Wed, June 19th, 2024 7:16pm