So one day I went for a walk...

It is November the twelfth, two thousand and nineteen. I am now 39 years old. Today was a brilliant day, quite literally, as there was hardly a cloud to be seen for miles. It was also my birthday. I stopped looking forward to my birthday a long time ago, as they became ever more depressing affairs. Not because of the fact that I was getting older, that doesn't bother me.  But rather that a life spent moving from place to place in pursuit of a career leaves little in the way of friends nearby to celebrate with.  It's extremely depressing when you have a small group of friends to begin with, then none of them show up to the party.  It's a good reason to shy away from festivities. This year however my birthday happened while on this adventure. Something that was most certainly not a coincidence.  It is significantly harder to be disappointed in a birthday when you find yourself in a place and state like this. ... I have dedicated a not insignificant amount of ...

Last night I slept poorly, the sort of sleep that has you feeling like you laid there awake all night, even though I know that wasn't truly the case. Perhaps it was the new and unfamiliar sleeping arrangements that kept me from a deep sleep, or perhaps it was a lingering concern about my hike today. When I booked my room, it was chosen out of financial responsibility rather than convenience or good location, as Saturday nights are stupid hard to book for. I ended up in a stylish Ryokan a few kilometers inland from the Yugawara coastline, snuggly set up a steep side street. When I made the booking I was entirely focused on the price, and didn't pay much attention to the amenities. Upon checking in I was happily surprised to discover that my stay included a breakfast. So after a soak in the onsen I tucked in early for my 8am breakfast appointment (you have to pick a time, you can't just roll up whenever you'd like). Breakfast was a traditional Japanese style...