We are zipping through Japan, desert people in awe of the waters all around us and the attention to cleanliness and precision. Yesterday I got all wet in our rainy alpine hike, and I was sure it was curtains for me after the 6 k forest path, but somehow pulled through and enjoyed it. Today we travelled to Hakone, famous for its volcanic mineral baths and tried the waters – I think it would have meant much More to me if I had been Shinto and felt the power of the earth, But I’ve been spoiled by Jewish cynicism and all I could think of was the term in Yiddish goyishe naches