The other day I took a little trip back in time with a friend of mine, bound for Sawara on the Chiba Prefecture. On Friday evening we caught an intercity bus at the Yaesu Exit of Tokyo Station, and an hour and a half later, we arrived at Sawara Station. The first thing on the agenda was dinner. As we didn’t know our way around, we asked a taxi driver, and went to the sushi restaurant he recommended. This was the right move! Everything was really tasty, and cheap. Not surprising, considering the famous fishing port of Choshi is so close by. Then we headed to an inn.

The next morning, to shake off the dust of the everyday world, we headed for Katori Shrine, a ten-minute drive. The early morning air was refreshing, and the shrine splendid, said to be deeply reverenced by the imperial family, and officially designated a nationally important cultural property. The priest at the shrine told us that Katori was numbered among the Three Grand Shrines of Japan, along with the shrines at Ise and Kashima. To be honest, I initially doubted this claim, but it turns out that in the Engishiki jinmyocho, an official roster of shrines compiled in the mid-Heian period (early 10th century), there were the only three shrines out of the 2,861 listed which bore the appellation jingu [meaning a shrine connected with the imperial house]. Suitably impressed, we humbly offered our prayers.

Afterward, we returned to the town of Sawara, where we visited the former residence of Ino Tadataka and its commemorative hall. Tadataka had been a local sake brewer, but retired at the age of 49 to take up the study of astronomy and calendrical science. Beginning with a surveying trip to Hokkaido at the age of 55, he walked the length and breadth of Japan until the age of 71, covering enough mileage to equate to a trip around the earth. The map of Japan that Ino compiled on the basis of his travels continues to astonish later generations with its detail and accuracy. No matter what age you are, with effort you can still make a contribution to society—Ino was certainly the model for "elderly people’s participation in the workforce."

Sawara developed as a town of merchants, an intermediate port for the transport of goods on the Tone River. Along the Ono River, a tributary flowing through the center of town, romantic old shops and merchant houses still stand. Here a variety of delectable products are produced—the local sake, shiromirin (white sweet sake for cooking) still made with Edo-period methods, and sesame oil that preserves a secret family recipe. We bought it all. For a late lunch, we headed for a soba restaurant with a local reputation for its handmade noodles. After topping it off with a bit of the local sake, we dozed off on the bus and suddenly found ourselves back at the Yaesu Exit. Our journey had been a full and satisfying 24 hours.

There are no doubt many other towns and villages with the charm of Sawara spread throughout the Kanto region and Japan as a whole. It would be wonderful if they were visited more often by travelers from Japan and from overseas. It would certainly contribute to the revitalization of local economies. And one more thing: if can finish up work a bit early on Friday evening, you can put your daily routine behind and have a little adventure.

Am I boasting if I say this is a way to strike a great balance between work and life?