Day 26: The road to Nagoya in stops and starts

On the road to Kyoto I learned that walking with the day bag packed with only what I need for the day certainly preferably.  Walking with my full pack, now weighed down with nearly useless camping gear, only makes the whole process a lot harder and slower.

With this knowledge I've been planning at the road forward.  The next major stop is Nagoya, which is about 135km from Kyoto.  The biggest challenge in all of this is actually having confidence that I will have a place to sleep each night. 

Now that I am following a mostly urban route, there is practically no options for legal camping.  Frustratingly though, there are very limited options for hostels or hotels either.  Despite being urban, much of the path is through small towns, and the options become extremely sparse. 

So I have decided to try a large version of the strategy that I used to get from Osaka, using Kyoto as my HQ for the entire walk to Nagoya.  I have extended my stay at the Hanakanzashi, as a bunk here is very affordable.  Options along the route can end up costing 5-10x more per night.  

With that math in mind, section hiking the route, stopping each evening and catching the train back to Kyoto is significantly more affordable., Even with the train costs.  Plus my bunk here is really comfortable.

Yesterday I put the first step of that plan into action, and to my delight, my legs responded with vigor.

Typically I will stop for a break every 6-7km, but yesterday when I stopped for my first break I was shocked to see the odometer on my GPS at nearly 11km. 

It's rewarding to feel my body rising to the effort despite nagging pain, and old injuries that have left me afraid of my body for decades (which is a story for another time). 

My goal is to keep a minimum pace of 15km a day, but clearly that isn't going to be a problem. The second half of the walk yesterday then saw me do another 12km before resting. 

Along the way I was also redeemed from my Arashiyama disappointment.  I opted to take a small hiking path and back road connection between Kyoto and Otsu, and on that tiny back path unfound my own little grove of bamboo without another person around.

Not manicured and pretty like Arashiyama, but it was all mine as I hiked through the hills.

Arriving in Otsu, about 23km behind me, my legs felt like they had more in them. This too surprised me.  Even with my day bag, my last 20km day on the way to Kyoto let me sore and tired by the time I got the end mark for the day.

However my old nemesis, chafing, gave me strong reason to bring things to a close for the day.  I hoped on the train and headed back. A few dollars later I was in Kyoto station, and walked the 2.5km back home. 

It was good to be back home. After a brief (and very necessary) cool shower I sat in the common area to relax.  Resting my hands on my legs I could feel the heat radiating from my quadriceps, and my body gently rocked slightly with the rhythmic flow of blood pumping through my muscles.  It was an immensely satisfying feeling.

But my satisfaction did not end there.  My friends Noeli and Maca invited me to join them as they headed out for dinner. Normally I would have been wiped and struggle to rise from the low tables, let alone walk a few more kilometres, but my body once again responded.  

My night ended with a satisfying sweet new treat: Melonpanna.  Essentially a rich sweet bread that you can eat on its own, or have cut open and filled with ice cream.

I went with the ice cream!

I had planned my walk times for the trip against a 15km average day.  When I extended my stay in Kyoto, I booked against that metric. So I have a bed here until the 10th, two more weeks.  At this rate, I have 4-5 days of walking to cover the distance to Nagoya.  

Guess I'll have lots of extra time on my hands for exploring here!