Kochi Prefecture is located along the southern shore of Shikoku, the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. Shikoku is separated from the other islands by the Inland Sea and, before the completion of the huge Seto-Ohashi Bridge, we used to take a ferry across the Sea. From the bridge one gets a spectacular view of the Sea, the islands, and Shikoku. Sorry, but it’s still raining here off and on, mostly on.

At the center of Shikoku are rugged mountains that separate Kochi from the north side and, during the feudal are, potential invasion. Miki’s (my wife) family is samurai and they can trace their family back in Kochi for over 700 years. They were charged with defense of one of the few passes that permit access to Kochi. Not this one but, you get the idea.

We did not have time to do the tourism thing and, besides, we’ve been here many times before. Kochi has one of the few completely extant castles from the 1600s and I encourage you to do a Google for it and Kochi. An interesting feature of Kochi is the trolley system. Other Japanese cities have trolleys but, Kochi has preserved the older cars and has a few from Europe. We rode in one from Graz, Austria. The second picture is of the trolley ceiling.

One of my great pen epiphanies occurred a few years ago in Kochi. Almost ready to give up on Japanese pens and bored, with time on my hands, I asked Miki to look in the telephone book to see if there were any mannenhitsu (fountain pen) shops in the city. Without looking, she said there were none. Eventually, with some arm twisting, she looked and found this little shop, Hakuado. Hakuado has been run by the same woman owner since before World War II. She must be in her mid-late eighties and is still very active. At that time, several interesting pens found their way home with me and I was rehooked. I had to have more, and the rebirth began.

Hakuado is not an easy shop to find. First, you need to locate Obiyamachi, the large covered shopping arcade.

Then, find the movie theatre. Normally the entrance is through the side exit of the theatre but, the theatre is under renovation and access from the rear alley is the only way there.

Walking to the end of the alley there is a sign that says Hakuado in Japanese and a nearby door. Go inside and you find yourself inside a dress shop that opens to the mall. Do not go through the shop. At the rear of the dress shop is a stair you take to the third floor. Before going to the shop call first and be sure you have an interpreter. She is not open all the time and goes out whenever she pleases. You might need to leave a message. Thursdays she is closed. It truly amazes me she has new stock each time or, perhaps, it is stock she never showed before. Several interesting pens are now ensconced in my suitcase and bound for America.

During our visit a new collector friend was made and encouraged to take this picture.

Some of the pens we tried out. Look very closely. Yes, that is not a Sheaffer! Might be a Platinum!!! And, that is not a Waterman.

Neat little pen! Signed with red artists mark and in perfect condition.

Later we had dinner at a restaurant named Yana-ken that offered the most fantastic seafood. When you enter you take off your shoes and sit at low tables on the tatami-covered floor. The walls are partly decorated with shikishi (signed cards) from many famous actors, actresses, and sport stars who have eaten here. Fish is as close to live as possible and, if you are lucky, you can see the chef kill, clean, and fillet your dinner. One of the specialties of Kochi prefecture is tataki, smoked bonito that is eaten with scallions, onions, garlic and sauce. I took this shot in a hurry as it was disappearing before my eyes and had to shoo away the others.

You can also order fish grilled at your table on a hibachi. The things on the right are two halves of a huge live prawn, recently halved. It will move around for a few minutes before it finally dies, or is eaten.

We arrived in Fukui to discover the hotel we selected wasn’t what we thought it to be. Not even internet access despite what they represented online. There’s not much in pens in the city, or anything else. A bit further down the coast is an important penmaker in Tottori and another in Matsue. Maybe, next year.

Eiheiji Temple and Tojimbo were unexpected pleasures despite the continual on and off rain. Eiheiji is a 700 year old temple of the Zen school of Buddhism and it is huge. Set in the mountains in a grove of cedars over 100 foot tall, there are over seventy buildings of which about ten are open to tour. If you have ever had a fantasy of Japan, this might come close to it. It’s a trek getting there but it, and the scenery were worth it. In hindsight it is a good place to contemplate meaning in life and our role as human beings. If you think you see snow in some of the pictures, it is real. This is the mountains.

From Eiheiji, you can take an hour and half bus ride to the coast and Tojimbo. Good chance for some shuteye. Tojimbo is a large natural outcropping of rocks pushed upward by, I think, the tectonic plates. Looking closely you can see that some of the rocks have a hexagonal shape reflecting their molecular pattern.

Fukui and Kanazawa are part of the Echizan area of Japan and that means seafood and, especially crab. Along the coast crab and squid are commonly seen foods.

This was my lunch of roasted squid (upper left) and kani donburi (crab over rice and egg).

We’re in Kanazawa today. The first night the hotel blew our room reservation and we didn’t have computer access. They gave us another room today and here we are. Regarding access, should you have a wi-fi card, be sure it can be used in Japan. There are many places with free hotspots. In hotels most access is by Air Terminal and you need to make this known with your reservation. It is free but, there may be a limited number of available units. Also, the three prong plug found in America will not work on Japanese outlets. Unless you already have a converter, try getting an extension plug (allows three electrical devices to be plugged into one outlet) available at many shops for Y100 in Japan. Your computer will work without any problem.

One of the highlights of our trip was the visit to Wajima. There’s no train there anymore and the easiest way to get there is to take the first bus out from Kanazawa railroad station in the morning and return in the evening. The Noto Peninsula, where Wajima is located, is worth much more than a day trip and, if you can, rent a car to spend a day or two touring the area at your leisure.

Next, the real scoop on Wajima and makie.