So one day I went for a walk...

Yesterday was not a great day, and salvaged only by the kindness of a local man I met on the road - in incredibly literal terms, standing on the road. Today I woke up a little late and my energy was low after going through the ringer yesterday.  I kept my plans modest, a trip to a nearby castle grounds to stretch my legs, then relax for the rest of the day. However, after yesterday's misfortunes, the universe flipped things on its head and served me up an unexpected day of non-stop smiles and a lot of laughs, and a short spell of stepping outside myself for good measure. "Actually, let's reverse things" --The Universe.  I set out this morning and headed down stairs to find breakfast. On the way down stairs I was greeted with an old familiar feeling; sharp pain in my right knee. Seems all my running and such yesterday did my knee injury no favours.  Thankfully, these pains dull over the course of the morning once things warm up, and today was no exception....

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...