Yesterday I visited two fantastic places , Ome and Mitake. Both of these villages are part of Tokyo even though they are both in the middle of a mountain range and are surrounded by forests. Many Tokyoites take the two hour train ride from central Tokyo to Mitake in order to escape the concrete jungle and get some really fresh air. Near Mitake many people enjoy the pristine beauty of the Tama river. With the possible exception of Washington DC, this place has more determined nuts per square meter than any other place in the world. I came across a veritable traffic jam of suicidal kayakers who appeared to be participating in a race to see who could dash their brains out the first. Don't tell me that their itsy bitsy helmets would have offered them any protection if they were hurled by the river's wild waves against the giant rocks on the riverside! I saw some more nuts climbing these same giant rocks. I have no idea why there are so many old movie posters in Ome. This place is not now , nor has it ever been the home of a movie studio, or the hometown of a famous movie director or actor. My guess is that it was the mayor or some such official who thought that by putting these posters all over the place they could attract visitors and rake in more of the tourist's Yen.