Wednesday found me outside, doing a lot of walking, but it was all for a work project, so, no Lucy the Dog and no proper camera, just an iPhone. But, as the saying goes, the best camera is the one you have with you and so...

I stumbled upon this tiny shrine deep in the backwoods. It's not a public one, so I didn't get any closer than this; what is most amazing about this is how common it is in Japan. Hike down any trail or side street long enough and you're bound to run into at least one small, family-owned shrine. It's one of the things I really enjoy about living here.

Back at the tracks, we had to stop our project for a while to let the track-inspection team pass by. A little inconvenient, but I'd rather have these guys hard at work than have Japan's rail infrastructure fall apart!

That's all I've got for this week, but, as always...