Sunday afternoon after band practice me and 3 women from work took the train to Shibu Onsen in Nagano prefecture. We arrived in time for supper, ate, and then geared up to do what you do in this small mountain village - hit the baths. The ryokans (inns) supply the yukatas (bathrobe style) and geta (wooden sandals)…

…which you can wear outside, all day, as you wander around narrow streets which, at night time, are free of cars.

We were lucky that there was a small summer festival going on. Wooden games for children and adults were stationed under street lamps casting a warm glow on everything. People were eating cotton candy and the most prominent sound was that of wooden geta clacking against the road. I love that sound.

Well, I will admit, the next day at 6am I was not in the mood for geta clacking but I did manage to mostly get back to sleep and in my dreams the noise turned into mystical nighttime geta clacking sound.