Aware that this was my shortest day (as my brother Mark reminded me in an email sent to my mobile phone, in my jogging days I could have run the 12km to Okazaki), I took my time getting ready and didn't depart until 9.45am. Another reason for my reluctance to leave the hotel was that it was raining, although it was so light I only made the decision to put my raingear on at the last minute.
Soon after leaving Chiryu I came across an impressive avenue of black pines that stretched for nearly half a kilometre. According to a plaque by the side of the road, some of these were originals planted in the 17th century, while others were replacements planted following the Ise Bay Typhoon in 1959, which uprooted many of the old trees.
At 11.50am I stopped to rest by a shrine. Next to the shrine entrance I saw a large monument and so I went over to see what it was. According to the sign in front of the monument, this area had been the site of an Imperial Navy air base during the Second World War, and the monument was dedicated to the young pilots who had trained there, many of whom ended up being sent on suicide missions towards the end of the war.
An hour later I reached the Yahagi River, which in the Edo period was spanned by the longest bridge on the Tokaido. I could see the city of Okazaki on the other side. The rain had eased, so I stopped to take off my raingear before crossing the river and entering the city. Soon after reaching the far side of the river I passed the premises of the Hatcho Miso Company, where the famous miso has been produced for the last five centuries.
Okazaki was a lot larger than I expected, but as usual I couldn’t find a lunch place I liked the look of. After wandering through the streets for a while I found myself outside East Okazaki Station. There was a tourist information desk inside, so I went in and got a map and asked for directions to JR Okazaki Station, where my hotel was. I headed off in the direction of my hotel, nibbling on the last of my Snacking Scroggin as I went.
It was after 2pm when I eventually passed a restaurant that took my fancy. I went in and ordered the salmon cream spaghetti set which came with a bottomless cup of coffee. It wasn't much further from the restaurant to my hotel, so I stayed there until just before 3pm. After checking in and did a load of washing. I'd planned to go to a jazz club that evening, so I then popped across to the station to check the train timetable.
It was raining again by the time I set off that evening for the Satin Doll Dining and Jazz Bar just north of Naka-Okazaki Station, two stops from JR Okazaki Station on the Aichi Loop Line Railway. I arrived at around 7.30pm to find the band going through their final practice session. I was the first patron to arrive. I ordered a gin and tonic and a cheese platter. A few more patrons drifted in before the quartet took to the stage shortly after 8pm. But there was something wrong; there were only three musicians! There was a drum kit in the middle of the stage, but no drummer. This wasn't the first time this sort of thing had happened to me in Japan. A couple of years ago I went to a concert at a jazz club in Shinjuku where the bassist failed to turn up. What made me feel doubly robbed on this occasion was that I liked the style of music the "quartet" was playing and thought the saxophonist and pianist were pretty talented. If only the drummer had been there I might have had a really good time. As it was, I nursed my drink and cheese and crackers to the end of the first set and then left, arriving back at my hotel shortly after 9.30pm.
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