░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░▓▓▓▓▓▓▓░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░▓▓▓▓▓▓▓░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ ▓▓ ▓▓ ▓▓ ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ ▓▓ ▓▓ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ⟣ ⛩ 日本旅行の記録 ⛩ ⟢ ≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈ ✎ ⛩ 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐠 ⛩ ✍︎ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ 𓅫𓄿 See also @leaflitter’s “•< karasuguisu trip >•” poetic, sweet & tiny updates! 𓄿𓅫 🗺️ Schedule: 𓆟 May 27-28 Tokyo/Zushi 𓆟 May 29 Tokoname (Aichi) 𓆟 May 30 Mie (Tsubaki Kaikan) 𓆟 May 31–June 1 Ise 𓆟 June 2-3 *Shikoku Island*(changed to Ōsaka due to typhoon) 𓆟 June 4 Kyoto 𓆟 June 5-6 Tenryukyo (Nagano) 𓆟 June 7-8 Tatsuno (Nagano) 𓆟 June 9-10 Togakushi (Nagano) June 11-12 Tatsuno June 13-16 Zushi (Kanagawa) **⏳ inevitable delays in updates here — updating daily in physical journal, transcribing during long train/bus journeys 🚃⌛️** ⏖⏖⏖⏖ 𓆛⏖𓆜⏖𓆝⏖𓆞⏖𓆟⏖⏖⏖ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ 6.7.2026 🛌 slept in ‘til 8! 😌 🏞️ walked Tenryukyo river trails and suspension bridge: as beautiful as we remembered, awe renewed. memories from a different season, and new experiences/ observations: 🍎 passed the apple farm we picked and tasted huge, juicy ringos at; 🪲 saw many beetles in their hard-to-watch end of life state (upside down, legs flailing); 🐛🪵🪾 witnessed the phenomenally strange “paulownia bagworm moth” larvae foraging, camouflaged in bits of tiny sticks; 🌷 enjoyed the presence of big, lovely purple bell-flowers. ♨️🧖🏻next, local onsen time! being out of practice, we respectively forgot certain procedural tasks, but figured it out as we went along and enjoyed the picturesque soak and sauna. 🍪🥮 the monthly market happened to be happening (timing 👌), so we took in the small stalls of local wares and got a couple of treats 🏚️ on the way we met friendly Aki-san, who we had seen in the Tenryudo the previous night. turned out she speaks perfect english— she told us about her husband from UK who is apparently the only foreigner living in town, and the trials and tribulations of buying an old house full of the previous owner’s things. 🎒back at the Tenryudo, we packed up our things, got brunch and headed for the 🚃 one-manned train to Tatsuno, ~3hrs. good rest and journalling catch-up. 🍵🧁 arrived in Tatsuno and felt like returning to a long-lost home. surprised our friend Hannah-san at her cafe, had a sweet catch-up chat and got some tasty muffins and tea. 🎨 she mentioned a puppet art exhibit going on down the street, so we mosied over. 👕 on our way there Seán found the perfect “TATSUNO TOWN” souvenir shirt with a local artist’s design 🤡 🍩 📚 👩🏼‍🎨 the art show was in the downstairs of the local “ki-tsu-tsu-ki” (woodpecker) donut/home goods shop, in which every item for sale was irresistibly wonderful. the same went for the kooky mixed-media dolls and collaged creatures downstairs in the “PICNIC” exhibit and sale. Nuno Ito Asobi, the artist, was present and fun to chat with. 🧇🥪 delicious GF waffle-sandwiches with soup, salad and tasty ume-cardamom drink @ Hannah-san’s 🤹🏻🪀 🎶😎 afterwards we peeked curiously into an all-ages venue that had dance music going, and a local artist’s insect paintings featured on the wall. many cool-yet-friendly young guys beckoned us in and ended up teaching us how to use the Japanese juggling-type toys—kendama—they were playing with while dancing to the DJ music. the whole scene was surreal, humorous and fun! 🚃 to Haba, where we found our hostel, were greeted by our hosts, and flopped into bed. 🥱😴 ⏖⏖⏖⏖ 𓆛⏖𓆜⏖𓆝⏖𓆞⏖𓆟⏖⏖⏖ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ 6.6.2026 🪡 sewed up the knee of Seán’s pants (2nd time) 🚙+🚶🏻‍♂️to Achi community centre- a beautiful, functional, accessible building. 🌾🌱 👣 🕷️🐸 to rice field: hands-on workshop led by local farmers! among tadpoles, water skimmers and big water-spiders, we planted rice sprouts, 5 at a time, barefoot and muddy— it felt so good! 🍲🫜 tasty yakisoba and pickled daikon lunch break with participants 👘 got dressed up in yukata/kimono: a surprise for us, and a challenge! 🕺🪭 geared up, we learn Bon Odori traditional circle fan-dancing from small village Niino. the context, history and lyrics really added a lot to the fun & understanding of the origins of the dance. 🌾🪭 next up, kagura dancing workshop with Mao’s teacher, Katogi-sensei, in which he relates this style of fan dancing to the motions of rice planting in the field. we spell our names creatively in 3 dimensions, and perform in pairs to Katogi-sensei’s powerful drum playing. 🎁 wanting to repay them all, we asked if there was merch to purchase. they took us home again to show us the merch they had for sale, only to insist on gifting us everything we had picked out. 🎁 Mao drove us back to Tenryudo, and we sneakily treated her to dinner. 🥱😪 long day of physical activity! zonk. ⏖⏖⏖⏖𓆛⏖𓆜⏖𓆝⏖𓆞⏖𓆟⏖⏖⏖ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ 6.5.2026 🍚🍳🐟 free breakfast: not great, but free! 🚃+🚌 to Nagoya, ~2hrs. more incredibly gorgeous scenery, forested mountains, hawks, egrets, swallows, sparrows, karasu, herons, kites… 🚌 to Achi, ~ 2hrs similar to above, and caught up on travel log journalling 🚙 our friend Mao picked us up, gave historical context about the town (shape of old houses= big rooms for raising silkworms to produce silk!) 🎭🥁🪕👩🏻‍🌾 arrived and Mao gave tour of her trad theatre/music/art/farming teacher’s property where she lives. comfortable and nostalgic for me: communal rehearsal room full of instruments; shelves of puppets, art materials, equipment… reminds me of my puppeteer-parents’ house growing up 🥬🍄‍🟫🍠 Mao cooked us beautiful late lunch of stir-fried maitake, cabbage, pork with rice, tofu, and my new fave: crunchy-slimy Nagaimo with ume. 🐸🪲🍄🐦 enjoyed a beautiful stroll, saw many critters— kaeru, Eurasian jay, hiyodori, wagtails, karasu, cool neon-orange fungi… ⛩️ stopped to pray at the local shrine, we were greeted at the torii gate by a tiny green kaeru :) 🌱🌾🪭 Mao and her sister apprentice invited us to attend the first day of their workshop series tomorrow: trad rice planting and trad dance! we accepted, of course 🚙 to 🐉 Tenryukyo, where we settled into our room at Tenryudo guest house 🍲🥂 Izakaya dinner of miso corn ramen, yaki saba teishoku and non-alc ume sour. 🐝🦂💉🥃 after ordering, we notice on the counter in front if us: a huge jar full of giant hornets drowned in amber-coloured liquid, with a sign saying オオスズメバチ酒 (giant hornet liquor), 300¥ each. no, we didn’t try it, but apparently it’s a thing! *shudder* 💤 flop into bed. ⏖⏖⏖⏖𓆛⏖𓆜⏖𓆝⏖𓆞⏖𓆟⏖⏖⏖ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ 6.4.2026 🧠🫠 feeling our brains starting to deteriorate a bit from long days, train-station/city navigation, and language comprehension/speaking 🚃 to Rokkōmichi, Hyogo, to find a cafe recommended to us by our Oiso/Tokyo friend Takaya-san. 🔎☕️ 🍰 managed to find it despite it’s extremely minimalist exterior. clearly they were surprised when us two gaijin sheepishly opened the door and entered. very sweet place: chillest vibes, no-cameras rule, gentle jazz. they only served coffee (and clearly experts at it) so had our rare delish decaf latte/iced ko-hee with a slice of exquisite cheesecake. 🎒 wandered into a tiny outdoor outfitters store looking for some local merch, the friendly owner called us “professional travellers” when he heard the details of our trip, being surprised (standard reaction we have come to expect) about where we had been/were going (“middle of nowhere?!” places). i bought a zipper pouch from him (‘cause I needed one— not just ‘cause it had a bird on it 😉) 🍳🍅🍚 finally had my first “omu-rice” and enjoyed it 🚃 to Kobe to find another recommended cafe, tired brains = forgot to put our travel backpacks in a coin locker, tired trekking 🍵🍨 tasty sencha lattes and vegan ice cream from the cafe; ⚠️ 👾 🟨 rare spotting of a Playdate sitting on the shelf along with their exclusive JP zines! apparently the Japanese official is a regular at the cafe 😮. we had our Playdate with us and exchanged game recommendations :) 🥟🥒🍙 awkward to-go gyoza dinner due to there being no public seating anywhere, so had to stand outside the only acceptable place to eat in public: FamilyMart. 🚃 to Kyoto, navigated to “POCKET HOTEL”, which, as the name suggests, has tiny rooms just big enough for a futon. comfortable enough though, and cheap, and of course spotless. and, the friendly woman who checked us in used to live in Victoria! 🥱😴 super exhausted, zonk. ⏖⏖⏖⏖𓆛⏖𓆜⏖𓆝⏖𓆞⏖𓆟⏖⏖⏖ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ 6.3.2026 🚃 to Nankou bird sanctuary: industrial-area-turned-overgrown-mosquito-land, a haven for insectivores. 🐦 🕷️ 🦀 swallows, sparrows, cormorant, egret, karasu, starlings. robber flies, spiders, cicadas and one red-clawed crab (??!) on the trail. 🦅🥚 amazing bird-event flyer at the train station = obviously we have to go find it today 🍱🎟️ cashed in our free lunch tickets from hotel at the surprisingly fancy and delicious restaurant— 2 big lunch sets and 2 tasty drinks for ~900¥ (like $8 CAD)?! 🚃 to Ōsaka Natural History Museum. 🦜🦤🦩AMAZING bird exhibit! So in-depth, tons of birds displayed, skeletons, videos, and hilarious comic-style illustrated infographics explaining habits/behaviour/interesting facts. dangerous bird-gift shops afterwards… 🪻🪷🌳 tickets covered entry into attached botanical garden, nice stroll through 🍵🍰 found a cute cafe down a random alleyway—this happens a lot here—Nagai Culture Centre. matcha and treats in/on handmade pottery, sweet chats with barista who’s fave show was filmed in Vancouver. 🚃 and🚶🏻‍♂️to kofun park: tranquil, beautiful, high Qi. saw first “trash line spider”; karasu, herons, turtles. bird bell-carillons, guy practicing saxophone, resting hot air balloon. 🍱 chewy mackerel set for dinner, zonk. ⏖⏖⏖⏖𓆛⏖𓆜⏖𓆝⏖𓆞⏖𓆟⏖⏖⏖ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ 6.2.2026 🍙 conbini breakfast 🥚🐣🐻 first “gachapon” capsule machine — was hoping for a conger eel but got a cute wombat instead; after some research I discovered that there is a 37-yr-old wombat in a Japan zoo named “Wain”— the longest-lived wombat to date! previously: 🌀🌧️ typhoon warnings, so sadly had to cancel our trip to Shikoku island. instead: 🚃💺 to Ōsaka through rice fields full of egrets 🍜 udon (even GF chewy brown rice noodle option!) 🚶🏾🚶🏻‍♂️stroll to buddhist temple; 🪷 botanical garden; around zoo area 🍨 🍦🍡🌰🧋Seán gets a crazy triple-decker houjicha parfait 🏨 “hotel apartment” check-in; super affordable, spacious, clean and comfortable— a nice lux place to hunker during a typhoon 🍖🍗🥓🍢 yakiniku dinner w/ crunchy cabbage leaves & grilled onigiri. 🗼🎟️🎯 lively Shinsekai area carnival games: - ring toss (i failed completely but got the consolation prize of an Umaibo! yesss) - samurai archery, we each got one shot on the marker :) very sparsely populated due to pending typhoon, yet only lightly raining. (the next day, the lines for these games were 20-ppl long, way too crazy!) 🖥️⌨️🛜 internet cafe— Seán’s first?! nice chunky keyboards, free soft drinks. 📺 Japanese TV zone-out at hotel; MJ dance-impersonator show; grandma cooking channel; typhoon weather channel ⏖⏖⏖⏖𓆛⏖𓆜⏖𓆝⏖𓆞⏖𓆟⏖⏖⏖ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ 6.1.2026 ⛩️🪾🙏 gorgeous small shrine grounds one block from our inn; prayers to ancient tree kami. 🍊🥤fresh-squeezed “i-JOOZ” from vending machine 🍲🍙🍵 breakfast - special treatment from sweet Cafe Pei owner who made me an onigiri (instead of toast) to go with his delicious bacon & root veg dashi soup and floral jasmine tea. Seán got an anko-butter and mochi sando and a tasty houjicha latte. ⛩️ 🙏🌲🌳 Ise Jingu (oldest shrine in Japan) outer shrine visit. beautiful ancient cedars; billowing, rolling mountains; thickly-hatched roofs nurturing beds of seedlings; turtles; koi; hilarious jungle crow vocalizations; water-mushi; swallow-like birds diving for food on the water’s surface… 🥛 Seán continues local milk sampling: Yamamura milk from “Everyday Milky” 🥩 mouth-watering wagyu beef bowls for lunch &🍦 ice cream treat back at Milky 🚌 to ⛩️🙏🌲🌳 Ise Jingu inner shrine. Spirited Away bridge and more of the same awe-inspiring scenery as outer, massive breathtaking trees. 🌿 becoming obsessed with Lemmaphyllum microphyllum, semi-succulent green penny fern that creeps artistically on bark and stone alike. 🚌 back to outer, strolled the lane of shops. 🍬🚽 Received long, animated explanation of Edo-era medicinal candies that help with constipation 🦈💀 walked by a fish shop that had *whole* dried sharks, swordfish, sting rays (?), etc hanging on the walls 🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛🌆 sat & watched as dozens of karasu gathered quietly on a rooftop, patiently waiting for their respective flying mates before taking off in small groups or pairs to their roosting spots. ⏖⏖⏖⏖𓆛⏖𓆜⏖𓆝⏖𓆞⏖𓆟⏖⏖⏖ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ 5.31.2026 ⛰️🥾⛩️ - early morning gorgeous ~30min hike up steep stairs to Atago/Jinshu shrine. 🙏 to 🔥 deity and 8 million Kami. 🫘🐌🕸️- natto strands floating in the air while we chow down our big breakfast at the Kaikan. 🎁 - kind kannushi Akimoto-san gifted us some tea & treats 🧎🏻‍♂️‍➡️🧎🏾‍♂️‍➡️- Chohai (morning prayer) in the Haiden: very powerful norito chanting with full room of voices in unison. we both individually discover that sitting in kneeling prayer position on tatami mat after a big hike results in pins-&-needles, feet & legs go completely numb🦵⚡️😅 🎟️🍵 - generous gift of 2 tea ceremony tickets from another kind kannushi-friend ⛩️🚶🏾🚶🏻‍♂️✨ - amazing, exclusive tour from Ochiai-san of the awe-inspiring grounds, buildings, prayer stops, history and customs, concluded with a tea ceremony at the beautiful tea house 🍚 - lunch at the Kaikan: tasty torimeshi 🎁 - becoming absolutely spoiled with yet another gift, this time tsubaki towels from Gon Gugi Shiba 🌱🌾👩🏻‍🌾 - beautiful rice-planting ceremony. purification at main hall, procession with local musicians, rituals, traditional planting, and dance performances to bless the rice fields for a good harvest. Weather agreeable the whole time, not too hot. 🍡🍦- frozen maccha jelly-sicle and bakery treats on the walk back; maccha “stick-style” ice cream at Kaikan. the surrounding area is lush with tea-fields so all the tea is local 📸 - lucky encounter with Guji Yamamoto-san: chats, laughs & a photo together ⛩️ - last-minute Ema writing, hung near Ame no Uzume no Mikoto’s shrine 📸 - fun last photo with Ochiai-san, got photo-bombed by 2 old local troublemakers, characters straight out of a Miyazaki Hayao film 🚙 - ride to Kameyama station, gave gifts to Ochiai-san and for Guji-san. arrived right on time to catch our tiny two-car, one-manned tiny 🚃 - to Iseshi station. beautiful long ride through rice fields and lush mountains 🍙🍗 - dusk check-in to tiny hotel room, conbini dinner courtesy of Family Mart. 😪💤 - zoooooonk. ⏖⏖⏖⏖𓆛⏖𓆜⏖𓆝⏖𓆞⏖𓆟⏖⏖⏖⏖ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ 5.30.2026 🎒🔐- pack up, coin locker stash 🏺🐦‍⬛- beautiful Tokoname pottery route wandering; museum omiyage delights: conger eels and karasu jizō! 🍂⛩️ - Seán takes a mysterious @leaflitter-lined forest path on a whim: it leads us to our first Shinto Shrine, where we temizu & pray 🥖 🐄 - tasty bakery, famous Tokoname bottled milk 🐠🎏 - many special fish: pottery fish, lucky fish swimming in pots, painted fish, tile fish…!! 🍙 - found out that the old house we slept in becomes a musubi take-out restaurant by day: grabbed lunch 🚃 - to Meitetsu-Nagoya station 🥤- mistakenly took an earlier (crowded) train than we needed to, so, found some softer drinks (spiced cola, elderflower) and ate awkwardly in busy Nagoya station 🚃 - to Kasado station. 🫢 - bad idea: ate a natto-egg musubi on the (thankfully, mostly empty) train, much to Seán’s chagrin. sticky, stringy goodness. 🚙 - arrived perfectly on time to meet Ochiai-san (Shinto kannushi) outside the sweet tiny rural station. got acquainted and got a tour of the Kaikan (Shrine guest house), some of the Shrine grounds and history ✨⛩️🧎🏻‍♂️‍➡️🧎🏾‍♂️‍➡️🌊✨- incredibly honoured to have received a private purification ceremony and ritual evening waterfall Misogi— extremely powerful and soul-cleansing!! ♨️ - dipped in the tiny flaming-hot Kaikan onsen 🍱🍚🥓🥬🥢 - devoured large teishoku Kaikan dinner. noticing increasing appetite after busy days! keep saying “how am i not full yet??” 🛌 - zonk! ⏖⏖⏖⏖𓆛⏖𓆜⏖𓆝⏖𓆞⏖𓆟⏖⏖⏖⏖ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ 5.29.2026 >> 強い匂い・うめおばあちゃん・おみやげ・ツバメ・カモメ・やきにくtsuyoi nioi, ume, obachan, omiyage, tsubame, kamome, yakiniku. 🪰- stinky air in Zushi potentially due to bioluminescent plankton on the beach 🥃- local umebōshi and umesu with breakfast @ Misuzu’s 🚃🚃- back to Ōiso 👵🏼- sweet old woman gave directions, walked with us and told us many many things that we could only grasp a bit of. good listening/communication practice! 🐦‍⬛- stopped by Sayaka’s sweetly-curated tea shop across the street from the station. her coworker (overwhelmed by us gaijin, no english) helped by calling Sayaka and we chatted over speaker phone to arrange meeting up. bought some more omiyage and an amazing local artist’s insect art book. tender gift exchange and heart-warming conversations about insects, spiders, crows and shrines. 🪹- barn swallows in Ōiso station, shelves built for them to nest in the open station, cute bird poops all over the walls hehe! 🚃- to Atami. good gull/kamome art around. lunch near station: oyakodon and soba soup 🦶- free hot community footbath outside station! soaked for a bit. 🚅- to Nagoya, listened to & edited bird field recordings so far. 🚃- to Tokoname, pottery town. 🏠- navigated to cute attic tatami room. 🦇- 10+ bats flying around us at sundown, mixed with swallows: day & night bug-eating shifts meet! 🍖- adorable family-run izakaya; yakiniku dinner, made it through the offals and thoroughly enjoyed the rest. a 6-yr-old gave us a recommendation of the rice & egg soup, which was indeed delicious. ⏖⏖⏖⏖𓆛⏖𓆜⏖𓆝⏖𓆞⏖𓆟⏖⏖⏖⏖ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ 5.28.2026 >> incredible, magical day of hiking, bird-listening, cute cafes, soothing live music and new friends. 🥾- morning hike up and down a lush, tropical forest mountain in Zushi. Discovered 2 ancient topographic burial mounds at the top: awe-inspiring. Many many Uguisu and other birds, sonic bliss #1 of the day. 🫚- Cinema Amigo marketplace treats and chats; Beach Muffin lunch with Misuzu-obasan, such a sweet vibe in a 140-yr old house; Enjoyed a natural ginger cola. 🚃+🚃- to Oiso! gorgeous, misty walk to hidden gem venue/cafe, navigated by Seán’s instinct and crow-guides. 🎶🍵🌿- Architectural genius, ambient musical wizardry by our “Good Ojisan” Miyauchi Yuri who we finally got to meet and hear live— sonic bliss #2 of the day! 😊✨- Made 3 new friends: Yuri-san 🎶🎹🎸; Takaya-san, impromptu helpful translator and conversation partner; and Sayaka-san, skilled, kind & tender tea-drink concoctor. 🥢- Dinner at recommended chicken restaurant near train; mis-aimed meander back to station 🚃- back to Zushi. 🧺- laundry & zonk! ⏖⏖⏖⏖𓆛⏖𓆜⏖𓆝⏖𓆞⏖𓆟⏖⏖⏖⏖ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ 5.27.2026 >> still in the air; read part of ‘The Tao of Pooh’. 🛬- Narita airport. 🌽- first vending machine bev: drinkable corn pottage in a tin bottle— was super hungry ∴ it tasted amazing. 🚃&🚃- to Zushi, counted as many karasu (crows) as we could see. 🧭- attempted to navigate with memory alone to 日本のおばさん Misuzu-san’s apartment; got a bit lost nearby but she happened to be walking by right as we were making our third wrong turn :) 😪💤 mega-zonk! ⏖⏖⏖⏖𓆛⏖𓆜⏖𓆝⏖𓆞⏖𓆟⏖⏖⏖⏖ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ⟣⟣time travel through sky⟢⟢ ⏖⏖⏖⏖𓆛⏖𓆜⏖𓆝⏖𓆞⏖𓆟⏖⏖⏖⏖ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ 5.26.2026 >> ride from kind brother to YVR; ZIP AIR 🛫; moomin game & playdate on flight; ate Japanese baby food to tide over hunger; first attempt at hand-drawn pixel art on paper. ⏖⏖⏖⏖𓆛⏖𓆜⏖𓆝⏖𓆞⏖𓆟⏖⏖⏖⏖ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ 5.25.2026 >> getting ready to head to Vancouver, tomorrow morn flight to Japan! 🌰- Turkish uber driver shared his home-roasted hazelnuts with us, they were delicious; maybe even worth missing the bus for! 🎆🪩🎇🎶- incredible, epic live folk/electronic music performance for a proper cap-off of @leaflitter‘s bird day. ⏖⏖⏖⏖𓆛⏖𓆜⏖𓆝⏖𓆞⏖𓆟⏖⏖⏖⏖ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ 5.21. 2026 >> three-week journey around Japan with @leaflitter starting in five days ~ planning to log intermittently here on the spesh fish! ⏖⏖𓆜⏖𓆝⏖𓆞⏖⏖ ░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░▓▓▓▓░░ ░░░▓▓▓▓░░░ onigiri ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ ▓▓ ▓▓ ▓▓ ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ ▓▓ ▓▓ ▓▓ ▓▓ ▒▒ ▒▒ shinto torii ⏖⏖⏖⏖𓆛⏖𓆜⏖𓆝⏖𓆞⏖𓆟⏖⏖⏖⏖ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ∻ ▓▒ ▒░▒ ▒░▒ ▒░▒ ░ ▒░▒ ▒░▒ ▒░▒ ▒▓ ▒ ▒ ░ hello! ░ ░ ░ ▒ i'm wingy scruffhead. ▒ ░ _ ░ ▒ ⎛⦿⩥ ▒ ░ __⎛⎠_⎠__ ░ ░ ⎝="=__="=⎠ ░ ▒ ⎛⎛⎛⎠⎝⎛⎞⎛⎞⎞ ▒ ░ ⎠⎛‹●›‹●›⎞⎝ ░ ▒ ⎠⎠|❍ ⋅⋅ ❍|⎝⎝ ▒ ░ \ ⏝ / ░ ░ | ︺ | ░ ▒ ...⨼ ⦦... ▒ ░ ⎛:::⎝︿︿︿⎠::::⎞ ░ ▒ ▒ ░ some things i often am: ░ ░ ░ ▒ ⟿ bird-musician ♫ ▒ ░ ⤑ habitual doodler ✎ ░ ▒ ⤳ creative prob-solver ✂︎ ▒ ░ ↝ lichen-looker ⚘ ░ ░ ↣ food-&-tea savourer ☕︎ ░ ▒ ▒ ▓▒ ▒░▒ ▒░▒ ▒░▒ ░ ▒░▒ ▒░▒ ▒░▒ ▒▓ ✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎ ✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐ ✐✐✎✎ ✎✎✐✐ ✎✎✐✐ ᙏᗅiᒫbox ⚘ 𝔐𝔞𝔦𝔩𝔟𝔬𝔵 ✐✐✎✎ ✐✐✎✎ ✎✎✐✐ ✎✎✐✐ ▓▓▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▓▓ ✐✐✎✎ ✐✐✎✎ ▓░░▓▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▓░░▒ ✎✎✐✐ ✎✎✐✐ ▓░░░░▓▒▒▒▒▓░░░░▒ ✐✐✎✎ ✐✐✎✎ ▓░░░░░▓▒▒▓░░░░░▒ ✎✎✐✐ ✎✎✐✐ ▓░░░░░░▓▓░░░░░░▒ ✐✐✎✎ ✐✐✎✎ ▓▓▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▓▓ ✎✎✐✐ ✎✎✐✐ ✐✐✎✎ ✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎ ✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐✎✎✐✐ ▒▒▒ ▒▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ ▒ ▒ ▒ ▒ ▒▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ #feac84 from jeffy: "in response to your request for bird stories - the other day I saw two crows standing in a gravel lot, and one looked like it was pulling a worm out of the ground. But on a closer look, its beak wasn't touching the gravel; it was more like an exaggerated pantomime of the motion. Beak opens, head lowers, beak closes, head lifts, repeat. The other crow was standing a foot to the right, watching. I wondered if maybe it was a parent teaching a new skill. That's their secret to know :)" #014169 from jakewelch: "I have an American Robin mother in the tree outside my window who's built her nest. We're anxiously awaiting for her little blue eggs to appear. A month or so ago, we saw a Red Tailed Hawk in Prospect Park standing on the ground in some brush. We watched for a while and realized it had something under it's talons. Suddenly it took flight with a squirrel hanging below. It was quite the sight!" ▒▒▒▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒▒▒▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ ▒ ▒▒ ▒ ▒▒ ▒▒▒▒▒ ▒▒▒▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ 5.11.2026 oh my goodness, @jeffy i just noticed your crow observation-- what a neat and ౾~mysterious~౾ thing to behold! i've watched a field of crows after the rain pulling up worms, but not to eat-- they were seemingly just playing a game! they'd pull a worm up, then jump straight upwards as if startled, and then pick up the worm, fling it aside, search for the next one, and repeat. 𓄿 𓅀 𓄿 i have endless questions for the crows... most recently i've been watching them scraping up what i thought were chestnut blossoms (but maybe it's those flat tree-seeds that have been everywhere lately--which tree are they from?), anyway they're scraping them off of the road, side-beak style, with a seemingly full crop, ready to feed babies. strange that they seem to prefer eating the car-smooshed ones instead of fresh, but now that i think about it, maybe it's 'cause it's easier to access the seed after being run over...? i watched one doing this for 5 mins yesterday, being side-eyed by crow but continued about its mysterious business. crows, pls explain. 5.10.2026 @jakewelch thanks for the great bird observations! good catch, red-tail! any eggs yet in the robin's nest? ✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎ 𓅰 𓅬 𓅭 𓅮 𓅷 𓅯 𓅭 𓅬 𓅰 ✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎ 𝓳𝔬𝔲𝔯𝔫𝔞𝓵 𝔃𝔬𝔫𝔢 ✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎ 𓆜 𓆝 𓆞 𓆟 𓆜 𓆝 𓆞 𓆟 𓆜 𓆝 ✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎✍︎ 4.5.2026 #92917a birds i saw 𖥶 and/or heard ♪ today: #fca060 ♪𖥶 american robin #916152 ♪𖥶 bewick’s wren #b54e3c ♪𖥶 house finch #3d211f ♪𖥶 juvenile towhee #d3b224 ♪𖥶 golden-crowned kinglet #d7207d ♪𖥶 anna’s hummingbird #aa9fa2 ♪𖥶 bushtit #120f22 ♪𖥶 american crow #eadbd3 ♪𖥶 glaucous winged gull #181716 ♪ common raven #806151 ♪ dark-eyed junco #2c2c2d ♪ european starling #4e9cbe ♪ peacock #d99c4e ♪ rufous hummingbird #bd9a33 ♪ golden-crowned sparrow ★ today’s highlight ★ bushtits! i watched a pair building their soft, sock-like nest only about 15 paces from our front door!! eeee my heart melted with love for them ♥︎ 🧦🐦 ♥︎ i hope they have many wee ones that learn to eat and grow and chirp in their cozy, mossy sock. 🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚 ⩻ question of the day ⩼ i wonder if bushtit bbs just poop in their nest, or do they make fecal sacs like cavity nesters, since they have an enclosed nest? hmm! i must learn more...* *answer: indeed, bushtit nestlings are in the fecal-sac crew! so tidy. if only human babies could evolve to have such an ingenious system..! other creatures: black-tailed deer european wall lizard house fly bee-fly (bombilius major!) american sand-wasp? leggy ▓▒░░▒░░▒░░▒░░▒▒░▒▒░▒▒░▒▒░░▒░░▒░░▒░░▒▒░▒▒░▒▒░▒▒░░▒░░▒░░▒░░▒▒░▒▒░▒▒░▒▒░░▒░░▒░░▒░░▒▓ ☞ ⤞why am i here?⤝ ☜ while inspecting a pile of @leaflitter, a little leggy-fish-bird skittered out and invited me to join their special fish party. how could i refuse? here are a couple of my special new leggy fish-like friends (and others): ︿︿⌠ ৲ o°˚ ⩘ ⫸⊂{⊂{⦿≺ -{hi!} ⫸{(⦿3 >●}}< ⦦⊂{⊂/ °˚o ˇ ` ⎩ ⎩ ৲৲ ° ∝ ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ ⫸{((⦿3 ″ ° ❍ ∝ ৲৲৲৲_⩘ ∝ o ⫸⊂{⊂{⊂{⦿≺ -{i spesh?} ৲৲ ° ˘⎩˙⎩˘ }{{●≺ ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ ″ 𓆑𓆑𓆑𓆑𓆑𓆑𓆑𓆑𓆑𓆑 𓆉 notable update logs 𓆉 𓆑𓆑𓆑𓆑𓆑𓆑𓆑𓆑𓆑𓆑 2.22.2026 >> became a special fish! 3.08.2026 >> added s'more ascii spesh fish 3.10.2026 >> added some "lists" for the first time 3.24.2026 >> playing around with these ░▒▓ things 3.25.2026 >> testing new mailbox-zone 4.05.2026 >> creating a journal-zone 5.01.2026 >> prompt: anyone have a good bird story they recently experienced or heard? 5.21.2026 >> created Japan trip log zone