update nikko page

Signed-off-by: Robert Günzler <r@gnzler.io>

1 files changed, 60 insertions, 17 deletions

diff --git a/src/inc/nikko.md b/src/inc/nikko.md
index f0cf98d..4b3b957 100644
--- a/src/inc/nikko.md
+++ b/src/inc/nikko.md
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ toc: true
 
 <!-- TODO: header picture? -->
 
+## getting there
+
 Before leaving home I had gotten myself an international Drivers License, that
 gives you a permit to drive in many countries (outside the EU) for up to 3
 years. It only costs 15 EUR in Berlin and I had set the soft goal of driving in
@@ -19,9 +21,10 @@ For my first destination I chose [Nikkō], another common day trip destination
 from Tokyo that I had not done and conveniently located along the Tōhoku
 Shinkansen line. My plan was to take the train to Utsunomiya, rent a car from
 there and continue towards Nikkō, with the eventual goal being a hotel at the
-shores of Chuzenji-ko.
+shores of [Chuzenji-ko].
 
 [Nikkō]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikk%C5%8D
+[Chuzenji-ko]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Ch%C5%ABzenji
 
 So I start the day nice and early on one of the first trains out of Ueno
 terminal. It's another grey morning in Tokyo with the weather forecast
@@ -63,15 +66,20 @@ need anything more than a translation of the local drivers license into
 Japanese issued by the JAF[^jaf]. This costs ¥4000 and takes up to 2 weeks
 (according to their website). So there is no way I can work this out today.
 
-[^jaf]: https://english.jaf.or.jp/driving-in-japan/drive-in-japan/about-dltas
+[^jaf]:
+    [[https://english.jaf.or.jp/driving-in-japan/drive-in-japan/about-dltas]]
 
 <aside class="notice">
-    I applied to receive a translation on the same day from that Starbucks and
-    received the notification the next week. It seems that 2 weeks is a very
-    conservative estimate. A curious details is that you don't receive a PDF,
-    but instead a button to issue 7ELEVEN "Net Print Service" codes (that are
-    one-time use only), which you then take to a convenience store and print
-    out on their printer.
+    <p>
+        I applied to receive a translation on the same day while sitting at that
+        Starbucks and received the notification the next week. It seems that 2 
+        weeks is quite a conservative estimate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+        One curious detail is that you don't receive a PDF, but instead a button 
+        to issue 7ELEVEN "Net Print Service" codes (that are one-time use only),
+        which you then take to a convenience store and print out on their printer.
+    <p>
 </aside>
 
 Now that I am dependend on public transport my schedule is a lot more
@@ -127,15 +135,50 @@ full course Japanese breakfast, so rice and various side dishes
 
 At this point I still don't know how to get to my planned destination for
 today, the Senjogahara wet lands, 10km from the hotel.
-<!-- TODO: ??? -->
+<!-- TODO: is that distance correct? -->
 
 The other problem I am faced with is how to make it back to the station in time
 for the train back to Utsunomiya and eventually Tokyo. At the front desk I get
 told that the hotel provides a free bus back to Nikko at 11:00, but that is not
 helpful, since I have already seen the sights around there and want to explore
-the area in the exact opposite direction.
-
-
+the area in the exact opposite direction. After some research online I find
+that the same bus I came with yesterday goes aroud in a loop. So I decide to
+take off on foot for now and catch it on the trip back to the station later
+that day.
+
+## trails
+
+So I begin walking at the lake shore alongside the road, follwing the sign for
+the Lake Chuzenji Nature Trail. There are some larger information boards that
+tell the histories of a small memorial garden and the lake house. It doesn't
+take very long before I reach Shobugahama, where I start following the path
+towards [Ryuzu Falls]. The waterfall is on the way to where I want to make it
+today, so I put off my plan to find a bus stop that could take me to [Senjōgahara Marshland],
+and check them out first. I just follow the marked trail which takes me up the
+hill next to the falls and into a web of paths through a wooded area tracing
+the Yu river. 
+
+[Ryuzu Falls]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ry%C5%ABzu_Falls
+[Senjōgahara Marshland]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senj%C5%8Dgahara
+<!-- alt link: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3811.html -->
+
+At this point my plan has shifted to walking all the way up to the entrance of 
+the wetlands walking trail, exploring there and then finding a bus stop to take 
+me back to Nikkō. The weather is great and it surprises me how accessible the 
+trails around here are. Although after some kilometers I encounter a gate into 
+the Senjōgahara park area, which is apparently fenced off to keep deer *in*.
+I wouldn't mind deer, but the entrance is also plastered with signs warning the
+inclined hiker of bears!
+
+<!-- TODO: insert gate picture -->
+
+Once I arrive at the Senjōgahara Plateau Nature Trail, a raised wooden walkway
+straddling the open grassland, I start my GoPro and put in my OKM II microphones.
+[^rec]
+
+[^rec]: prior to leaving for Japan, I started experimenting with binaural
+    audio recording as a way to capture memories. I have a page with some notes
+    around the setup and some recordings here: {rec}
 
 <!--
 - explored temple grounds in nikko
@@ -144,12 +187,12 @@ x last bus to hotel
 x ordered dinner into the room - gyudon
 x bath looking onto drive way
 x simple japanese breakfast
-- didn't take free bus to station
-- senjogahara (lol monogatari)
-- walked along lake shore
-- twin-dragon falls(?)
-- walk through national park(?)
+x didn't take free bus to station
+x walked along lake shore
+x twin-dragon falls(?)
+x walk through national park(?)
 - was a bit afraid because of the bear signs
+- senjogahara (lol monogatari)
 - recorded my walk through the "wet lands"
 - 20km covered on foot that day
 - took the bus back from onsen town (need to find name)