Day 61: Halloween scares & unexpected kindness
It's Halloween evening here in Japan, and I am in my bunk in Shizuoka. There are definitely a fair number of people out dressed up for revelries despite the weeknight timing. And it's after dark that one normally associates all the scares of Halloween, but this year I got more than my fill in broad daylight. I have been looking forward to walking this section leading to Shizuoka for a few days now. The forecast was looking like sunny weather, and I had a stretch of Pacific coastline to follow for the a good part of the day. It seemed like an excellent confluence of factors coming together. This morning I set out and found the weather to be just perfect. The morning was warm, but overcast, as as the day progressed the clouds melted away leaving huge swathes of blue sky. The first half of my walk was mundane, moving through rural towns, with houses and farms lining my path. I stopped for my first break outside a Family Mart, which was near the coast, and situated between