#13: [16-Feb-17]

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#3: [20-Oct-07]

#2: [07-Jun-05]

#1: [30-Dec-01]

02-Aug-2011 -- This is the 1^st out of 6 confluences that we reached on a 3-week trip through Honshū and Hokkaidō.

On day no.3 of our stay in Japan we rented a car in Central Tokyo. Getting out of the city under unfamiliar traffic conditions and left-hand driving wasn’t straightforward, but with the aid of a navigation device we managed to leave the mega-city and reach the town Mitsukaidō. In this little town (1.4 km from the CP) we parked the car and walked to the confluence. The walk became longer as originally estimated, because we had to follow Kokai River for a while until we found a bridge to cross it.

After zigzagging on the access roads to the rice fields, we finally reached the confluence which is located 40 m into one of those fields. Since the rice is grown high in August, we didn’t enter the field. We only were able to approach the confluence on a little concrete catwalk.

Interestingly, the confluence is for rental or even for sale. According to the signpost you simply call 52-5622 and you might be able to own this integer degree intersection. Who knows, once confluence hunting has become more popular than football, the owner might become famous or even rich!

We continued further north and stayed in the little mountain town Nikkō (日光市) which literally means sunlight city and houses the famous mausoleum of Shogun Tokugawa. We celebrated our success by having a beautifully arranged bento box.

CP Visit Details:

• Distance to a road: 350 m
• Distance to a track: 40 m
• Distance of parking: 1.4 km
• Distance to houses: 350 m
• Time starting the hike: 1:40 p.m.
• Time at the CP: 2:30 p.m.
• Measured height: 15 m
• Minimal distance according to GPS: 11 m
• Position accuracy at the CP: 3 m
• Topography: flat, some mountains in the far north
• Vegetation: rice paddy
• Weather: overcast, 23° C (felt temperature)
• Description of the CP: 50 km north-east of downtown Tokyo in the Region Kantō. In the middle of a grid of rice fields.
• Given Name: The Confluence for Rental

The story continues at 37°N 140°E.