Day 39, April 21 (Sun)

I slept a bit long, ate a leisurely breakfast, then drove with Kaori to Tsuruga, which is in the southernmost part of Fukui-ken, on the ocean. We went for a sort of crafts exhibition, which was pretty fun. Kaori has many craft skills, making jewelry, clothing, and all sorts of other things, so she really enjoyed it, and I enjoyed it for her. 

We walked around the port a little, stopped by a couple tiny museums. Tsuruga is proud of its part in the Trans-Siberian train route. The first museum had some information on the trains, which was actually pretty cool (old maps and things),

the second museum was all about how Tsuruga helped Polish orphans (from the Siberian war in the 1920s-ish) and Jewish refugees (from the 1940s). I guess because of the train route, fleeing to Japan was easier than going other places? Not sure. Or they fled everywhere.

We stopped on the way back at a view point where the ocean stretched out before us under the clouds and occasional rays of sun. 

On returning, we picked up some snacks, then sat in my room and chatted, went for a walk, then sat and chatted some more until the daylight had gone. 

New words:

suisen = narcissus

suzuran = bell lily (lily of the valley)

tanpopo = dandelion

satsumaimo = sweet potato

hazakura = young leaves with cherry blossoms

harinezumi = hedgehog
umami = flavor