Ferrying across to the island, one of my go-to places (Oregale) was closed. That's the second time in a row, I hope the owner's okay. At my other hangout (Monpemaruke), I had (lunch on the treadle-machine table and) a nice long chat with the owner. I showed a picture of the "habucha" I'm growing from seed I got from her at Christmas, and learned about making tokoroten from scratch as she worked at cleaning batches of tengusa seaweed for it. Kurosuke the Cat was of course in attendance.

After boarding the ferry for the return, the steward (dressed in workman's dungarees like the pilot/captain) asked me what the green bottles on the bike were for. I told him they were for water, and he came back with the obvious question: water for you to drink? I said, um, yes, and that in the heat, water is more precious than gasoline (the best I could do with that curve ball). And we shared a laugh.

As I entered Nishio City on the way back, I passed a familiar tai-yaki place (Zen), promising taiyaki and cafe fare. This time I stopped to eat, and had a chat with the owner. She has quite strict standards for various aspects of cooking, and does hands-on training sessions for overseas tourists staying at a nearby hotel, featuring taiyaki and teppan dishes. She emphasized her university background in nutrition and use of non-allergenic and non-gluten recipes as required.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/5BD9k1YWRjzExNJYA

I'd left on this trip without a lock (!), and I wanted to check out a Lalaport along the way, so I stopped at a cycle shop just past a bridge over the river Yahagi. When I told the elder owner I wanted a 最低限 (just-enough) lock, he rose from his chair and fished out a tiny cable lock. I asked how much, and he waved dismissively: オマケにするもんだから. Then he laid eyes on my bike outside, and we had a fun time reminiscing about lugged steel frames, Campagnolo gear, and much else. 👍
https://maps.app.goo.gl/xjtxSgNH9bJc29917

At the Lalaport mall in Anjo, I secured the bike with my newly acquired tiny lock, and took a stroll around. Malls feel to me like hub airport shopping (Incheon, Chūbu, Taipei, Bangkok) and I was no longer hungry, so it was a short stroll. A teen girl toppled her bike just as I got back. I helped lift it, and her bag and phone tumbled out of the basket. No damage done tho, whew.

Separately, I saw a vending machine with a sign on it that a friend later pegged as an instance of green washing.