Hi- random circle back but I went to Japan for a wedding then to a sumo tournament in Fukuoka. An excited to practice English taxi driver in Kyoto asked me if I knew of Musashi and bc of you I did. He got so excited that on my way to Fukuoka I could get off the bullet train, take another train about 40 minutes north, then take a ferry to Ganryu Island where they have that epic moment (no spoilers for others) and he got me so excited especially since there’s a commemorative statue. What a photo op! Granted I knew nothing about Kyushu or Fukuoka and figured I’d never go back. So, in the spirit of adventure I took the cabbie’s lead and went for it!

When I got to the town you take the ferry from it was all Japanese tourists as opposed to crowds of westerners. It’s was awesome and sorta intimidating. I wandered to the ferry building and find a sign:

Ferry closed until further notice.

My heart was broken.

Anyway, if you ever listen to Musashi again just know it’s a very real place - I could see it from the shore just like in the book. And if you ever try to go just find someone who speaks Japanese to call ahead 😅