15 September 8

We'd been meaning to visit an area on the bay called Tsukudashima for ages. The guide book says that it is a small Edo-period enclave worth a wander. We found that there were some traditional old wooden houses

though most had been replaced with modern materials, but it does somehow still feel trapped in time. There is a dinky little red bridge over a narrow waterway, and a lovely shrine hidden away down a side street with fantastic carvings above the well, depicting scenes of the fishermen from Osaka who were given the land back in 1613.

As it was a public holiday (Respect for the Aged Day), lunch choices were very poor and I had to make do with noodles with shredded chicken which I had to painstakingly pick out. I can see why Nick gets fed up with my food pecadillos; indeed, sometimes I do too, when it proves so hard to find something suitable.

With time on our hands, we headed over to Gotanda, where we decided to get a playpen at Akachan Honpo. Needing exercise, we walked the two miles home in gathering gloom. The nights are noticeably drawing in now.