At Sushi Sasaki, a small counter in Toyama city run by Sasaki-san and his wife, I sampled a variety of fresh nigiri and sashimi, washed down with a few glasses of local sake.
By the time we reached 7th Station, I felt sufficiently acquainted with Mr. Sasaki to broach the question that had been blazing in my mind: Why had he chosen to make his life inextricable from this mountain?