47.5 km with Nishiarai-Takenotsuka History and Culture course and P. L'Automne

Rain in the morning, so I waited an hour before it at least was thin enough that I could not see the splashes in the street and someone was not bothering with an umbrella. It still rained light for a few hours.

Had an okay run. Went very slow the whole way, which was 47.5 km. I was very tempted (after 4 hours running) and willing to extend the run to go back to L'Abricotier, since they are a top priority in a sense and I would just have to change where I turned to go by them, but I finally talked myself down into sticking with the plan. Left knee was not happy most of the time, but doesn't seem any worse and I don't feel anything when I'm not running (when I rested for a little, it felt completely fine and didn't really get more than annoying for the whole run). I'll try more complete rest for 48+ h and taking anti-inflammatories for the next could days and see if things go any better.

Still trying to figure out my next run. I'm busy on the weekend, so I'm taking a Monday off (also, to catch up on shopping, sleep, laundry, or whatever I'm low on after being busy). If I did them in order, after this one should be Shimabata H&C course, but that one goes by La Rose Des Japanais, which is a far shop I really want to get back to but is closed Mondays. Instead, maybe, I'll jump ahead to Sunamachi-Kasai-Mizue, which is less far but long. Originally, I planned to visit a shop I remember as being good but haven't posted on, but then the run would be little long for my next run, if I try to keep my increases to 10%, so I think I'll skip that cake shop, which is not a high priority and not so far by itself. I can pick up cake when I come back through Ginza or go by Isetan later. With that shop out, I save 3 km. Of course, then I'll have to think once again about how to increase Shimabata H&C course run, which I already added visits to Chiba and Saitama prefectures to stretch it to 49 km.

Today's target, the Nishiarai-Takenotsuka History and Culture course, comprises the Shimane-Rokugatsu Temple Tour Walk and the Ikou Temple Town Walk (according to my translation of the Japanese names), as shown on my map and is just over 7 km by my calculation. It's okay. There are few nice temples to go by and much of the last bit is on a stone paved sidewalk along an artificial irrigation channel (which sounds better than drainage ditch). I don't really need to come back up here, though, probably, but I haven't planned that far ahead.

The cake was at L'Automne, which I remembers as good without really evaluating it here. It's a nice shop, spacious, modern, and elegant. There are three two-person tables for eating in, which I did, and they didn't make me buy a drink (milk or yogurt would be great, but I think they just had tea and coffee), though had some reasonable cake and drink specials. I stuck to just the one cake, though. Not sure how that works out for them. They have to wash dishes, but save a box and bag. The custard and fruit was a nice touch, but the glass of water was more important. The cake is call Collage, for 540 yen, and is a thick layer of chocolate mousse, a medium layer of pistachio mouse, and a thin layer of raspberry between, covered in chocolate with a crunchy nut base. And it was definitely good. The raspberry is gelatin, but the mousses are without I think, or at least I remember being told that about their cakes on another day when I said it would take 2 h to take some mousse cake back home (back when I was doing long walks). Everything was good, and sometimes chocolate mousse is not for me, so I'm actually satisfied (it was better than today's Seven-Eleven donut, which was a Sweet Cream Donut, I think), but there was not really anything to make it excellent. Still, they're nice, so I'll look forward to getting back there some time.

Definitely Excellent Tokyo cake shops and Kyunakasendo History and Culture course

Haven't been able to train because of a cold, so I didn't try increase my distance. Also, very slow. I had gone out early in the morning, as there was a pause in the raining and the weather report then was rain at 1 mm/h from noon to 6 pm (whereas <1 mm at 9). The heaviest rain was coming back, although naturally from 1 pm it's been dry.

I manged 7.62 of slow running to get to the start of the Kyunakasendo History and Culture course.

The first part is the Land of "Yukari" Yoshino Cherry Walk from Komagome Station through a winding  path around cemeteries to Koshinuka Station and then as the Itabashi Guest House Walk continues up the same road to Itabashihoncho Station. There was one confusing marker that I had to go back and check early on (it was rotated, so I misinterpreted its recommended route) and the main straight shot switches sides of the road a few times with no warning (there isn't really any mechanism in their system from crossing the road and continuing in the same direction, other than to put a marker on the other side of the road and hope people notice). Due to some doubling back, it as a very slow 6.67 km.

During the H&C course running, after the 1 hour mark of the today run, I stopped at a 7-11 for a Caramel & Crunch Donut, which is 317 kcal, 2.8 g protein, and 120 yen. This is a good donut. And a donut is cheap, convenient cake. So when I buy fresh cake, I want something better than a donut, something excellent, to feel that it was worth the money and effort.

I just got slower from there for the next 5.05 to French Pound House. I choose this because it is close to the route (which I followed back, at least the long straight bit) and I had had written that it was good but never posted about it. I chose L'automne, which is kabocha (pumpkin/squash) with almond clusters on top and layers of vanilla, caramel, and chocolate cream, for 395 yen + 8% tax. I ate in, so there was also Early Grey teat for 450 yen + tax. The cake was good, although the cake part was a little different, sort of pancake like, in being a little rubbery, in the sense of resisting my fork, but no taste or texture problems. The taste was fine (the kabocha taste seems to go fine with the others, although its contribution is subtle). As I said, the cake was only good, so I could as well have had another donut.

If the previous was super slow, the last 6.75 km home was ex-super slow, but I don't need to track below very slow, so I'll just say that I ran 7.6 slow and 18.5 very slow.

Continuing the discussion of yesterday, of having identified 7 definitely great cake shops (sells enough great cake while avoiding good or worse cake) and 2 that are tentatively ranked great but need further review, I have 35(?) excellent cake shops. Doing the math, that's four time as many, so I should top up all my greats to 8 cakes before I worry about bring my excellent ones to 2 cakes, though I have to make use of the opportunities I have, and my first priority for the weekend is doing new history and culture courses.

The few definitely (relatively) excellent cake shops are as follows:

(1) Aigre-Douce. Near Mejiro Station. This is so French, I see French people visit there. Definitely some excellent and great cakes. It's a pretty big place and does a lot of business.

(2) Au Bon Vieux Temps (Kawata Pere Fils). Way out there in Oyamadai, two stations west from Jiyugaoka.

(3) Bigarreaux. On Sazae-san street south from Sakurashimmachi. Not huge, and only two tables for eating in, but nice.

(4) Fraoula. Actually, for cake, this fails as excellent, because of too many good and an only okay cake, but some excellent/great baked goods (croissant and bostock, particularly).

(5) Lettre d'Amour. In Shirogane. Has café. Never seem to be very busy, though.

(6) Origines Cacao. In Jiyugaoka. Very close to being great.

(7) Ryoco. In Takanawa, not so far from Lettre d'Amour. No café and very busy (expect a line or early sell-out).

These all started out as Great or "Worthy", which is why I've had enough visits to nail down their excellence. The other 28, which I won't list, will require time to sort through. I hope to get there, but don't want to divert too much attention from the great shops.