Today is the second day after completing my quarantine time. Quarantine is an interesting experience. Sometimes, it is so nice that I just get to stay home, but I'm just itching to get out at other times. I tackled jet lag well and just took some time to reflect and focus on devotions and do some more intentional connecting with people online. I wouldn't recommend always doing a two-week quarantine, but certainly, taking time to refocus and adjust isn't always a bad thing.
Having written that, I'm glad I'm finished quarantine and can again go out and about. My first day was spent at school with an interview, giving a tour to the family, connecting with the principals, and doing some other paperwork. I also went to pick up a colleague and his son from the airport in the evening. So it was a full day.
Today, I decided that it was time to hop on that bicycle and go for a bit of a ride. So I pumped up the tires and went for a bit of a ride. Here are some pictures I took as I rode along.
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| It's pretty green along the rivers. |
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| This is the Yanesegawa |
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| Many people go to the river to cool off. |
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| Well, hello there. |
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| This could be an advantage when the waters rise high. |
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| This flower bed looks like it's a bit wilder than it was a few months ago. |
I noticed this shrine and temple on one of the roads I regularly ride along. So I thought I would stop and walk through it, taking some pictures.
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| Lantern on the right. |
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| Lantern on the left |
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| Cleansing area |
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| Temple |
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| Some wood is ready for use. |
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| My view from the bench I was sitting. |
Certainly wasn't a terribly long ride at only 21 km and not terribly speedy at 15.9 km an hour. I certainly did some running back and forth a bit, but it was a nice ride. The temperature was somewhere between 35 and 39C, although there was a bit of a breeze.
Japan is a country with very few Christians (less than 1%), and there are several temples and shrines to be found. These do remind me of why I am here in Japan working at Christian Academy in Japan. So with that, you certainly can see God's beautiful handwork everywhere.
