Day 19: The walk to Kyoto
I am sitting in back corner of the common area of my new guest house, listening to a Frenchman teach an American woman Japanese words as I think back over the last few days of walking. The trip to Kyoto was the first of 5 legs of my trip, and was the first time back up and moving since my calamitous first attempt. And while I regret having to abandon my initial route, I am happy to now be moving again. The temperature during the past few days was warm, but manageable, hovering around 31C at the height of each day. This, combined with a less vertical route meant a more achievable goal. I remember on the first attempt, in that first day, I drank 5L of water and barely urinated. I was soaked, literally, in sweat, and exhausted after about 10km. I saw this to illustrate the difference, as each day on this new attempt I was able to comfortably manage with ~2L per day. The reduction in heat and humidity has made all the difference, taking things from "serious concer