This is the view from the room we'll be staying in tonight. It's probably not very clear from this tiny image, but that's the Pacific Ocean in the background. In the foreground is a shachihoko, a mythical fish with the face of a tiger and its fin pointing towards the sky. It is placed on the corners of a castle or palace to protect the structure from fire.

So you might be asking at this point "is Kurt staying at a castle?" Well, this place was billed to me as a minshuku, which is sort of the Japanese version of a Bed & Breakfast, and generally a step down from a ryokan. At any rate it isn't a castle, but neither is it your ordinary minshuku. Actually, its castle-like exterior makes it look like a love hotel.

At any rate, it's nice to be so close to the ocean. Naoko and I just came back from a nice walk down there, and now we're about to have our first bath with Kaika.