Robbie’s Inspiration – Thursday Doors: Oshino-Hakkai Third stop Mount Fuji & a book review #ThursdayDoors #MountFuji

You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2025/02/27/doors-to-and-from-errands/

The third stop on the Mount Fuji tour was the village of Oshino-Hakkai. It was much colder here than the previous two stops and very beautiful. There was a fascinating museum in this village which TC and I explored and that is the focus of this post. It was really interesting to see Japanese farming history on display in each of the small museums along the walk.

Picture caption: TC and I paid to go into this museum park. Each of the houses is a museum. Mt Fuji is in the background.

Picture caption: Close up of Mount Fuji

Picture caption: Me posing in front of the village and Mt Fuji.

Picture caption: entrance to the first museum. You have to take your shoes off to go inside.

Picture caption: Close up of the first museum

So what’s inside?

Picture caption: An antique record player and cabinet (with doors) and a sewing machine

Picture caption: A tiny Shinto temple – I hope Colleen sees this.

Picture caption: A tiny Buddist temple. It has a door. The papers are reposted fortunes.

Picture caption: Close up of the door to the tiny temple.

Picture caption: Travelling trunks – do lids count as doors?

Picture caption: Old Japanese coins

Picture caption: Replica of a traditional house

I’m closing with this picture of Sokonashiike Pond – a World Heritage Site

I am finishing this post off with a few YT videos of inside the other museum. BUT, don’t forget to read my review of Bridge to Nowhere: A Rascal Todd Adventure by Dan Antion at the end.

Bridge to Nowhere: A Rascal Todd Adventure by Dan Antion

What Amazon says

Pittsburgh reporter Rachael Todd has a hard deadline — and it’s personal. Her friend is a murder suspect. He knew the victim. He had a strong motive and a weak alibi. Rachael’s certain he is being framed, and she’ll have to live up to her nickname “Rascal” to clear him. Rascal sees a connection to an earlier crime. The clock is ticking as she digs through multiple layers of legal and bureaucratic misdeeds, crimes, and evidence that the police ignored.

Is a crime solved when the criminals are identified, or only after they are brought to justice? This is a mystery born from that question. The story includes many twists and turns, even after the crime is solved. It features characters, including the bad guys, that grow in ways that might surprise you, and well-researched circumstances that will take you from delight to frustration while moving you close to the edge of your seat—sound interesting? If it does, this book is for you.

My review

Bridge to Nowhere is a fast paced and exciting murder mystery which I thoroughly enjoyed. Rachel Todd, know as Rascal, is a new reporter for a small newspaper in Pittsburgh. She is an excellent investigative reporter but is anxious about her position as the ‘new girl’ in the team. Despite all her anxiety, Rascal has the support of her very experienced editor, Bernie, who is always on hand to provide guidance and insight, as well as the other members of the reporting team.

The story has a lot of action with plenty of intriguing twists and turns as well as an enjoyable character development aspect as Rascal settles into her new role, growing in confidence, and also engages more fully in her romance with bar tender, Terry. There are some references to Rascal and Terry’s backstory which is detailed in another book, but I was able to pick up the threads despite not having read that particular book as yet. Rascal’s cat, Bonkers, is a lovely touch and adds a great mood lightening aspect to the story as it becomes more intense during the unravelling of the plot lines. There are also references to Special Agent Slocum who I recognised from this author’s previous series although it is not necessary to have read that series to enjoy this standalone novel.

This is a book with which the reader must fully engage throughout as there are a lot of different characters and a lot of plot developments and twists. You need to pay attention and stay with the flow of the story. I enjoyed that aspect as I enjoy a good reading challenge with lots of interest factors.

Purchase Bridge to Nowhere from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D9HCLSJP