It turns out that the recent rain and road closures are the result of a typhoon (“Jebi”) currently a few hundred miles off the southern coast of Japan. It is apparently the planet’s strongest storm so far this year (measured by wind speed) and is predicted to bring high rainfall, strong winds, battering waves and coastal flooding today. Needless to say, cycle touring and typhoons do not mix well. And given that we are right in Jebi’s path (red arrow), we decide to cut the trip a bit short.

Predictably, as soon as we change our flight and start riding back to Kanazawa, the rain stops and it turns into a beautiful day.

Back in Kanazawa, we pack up our bikes and spend the late afternoon walking through town. A small but beautiful and surprisingly lively city, Kanazawa is sometimes referred to as Little Kyoto for its well preserved historic architecture. What’s most interesting to us, however, is Kanazawa’s contemporary culture, which has a bit of a hipster vibe. There are far more young people than imagined given everything we read about Japan’s aging population, and the sense of personal style on display is strong and eclectic. In short, the people watching is outstanding.

One of the things that stands out to us here is the strong sense of social trust that allows things to operate in ways they couldn’t in other places. Take public bathrooms, for instance. If there were an Olympics for public bathrooms, Japan would win gold. Not only are they seemingly everywhere, often attractively designed and immaculately clean, but they all seem to have soap, and some even have hand cream, and occasionally flowers. Here are a few of our favorites.

Another sign of public trust is how often we see people maintaining public spaces, including basic park maintenance.Related to trust, there is an expectation of respect that underlies even the most basic social interactions. One of the most notable, to us, is with workers at the many road repair projects we pass along the way. Invariably, when directed to proceed, it is done with a bow and a smile.And then, of course, there are the road construction barriers themselves. By definition, the job of a road barrier is to keep people out. In most places, they convey rigidity and inconvenience and are impolite by their very nature. Here, to mitigate some of that impoliteness and inconvenience, and to lend an element of whimsy to an otherwise serious enterprise, barriers come in a variety of personalities. It’s almost as if they are saying, “Look, we are sorry about the hassle, so please enjoy a cute bunny or allow Hello Kitty to help keep you calm.”Thank you Japan. It’s been a wonderful trip, Typhoon Jebi and all. We can’t wait to come back.