So one day I went for a walk...

Tonight is my last night in Japan. I am sitting in my capsule bunk awash in souvenirs and gifts, figuring out how to pack it all into my limited baggage space. Normally I am pretty conservative when it comes to buying touristy things on a trip, but I have surprised myself on this occasion. I suppose being outside the norm was the entire purpose of this trip, so I have definitely embodied that with all the little trinkets I have bought for friends and family back home. One of a bajillion trinkets I have to find space for in my bag! I wasn't sure how I would feel to reach the end of the trip, and perhaps tomorrow I will feel differently once I reach the airport.  But right now I am looking forward to headed out and making my way home.  I feel very satisfied by my trip, by what I have accomplished and what I have learned.   Inside I can feel the mechanism of personal change slowly working, and outside I can see some more apparent changes as well. My l...

As the day of my departure approaches I am spending a few moments thanking myself for taking the time to track all of the gear I planned to bring on this trip. Having used a gear checklist template (courtesy of Andrew Skurka) i was able to keep track of the flurry of new gear I was purchasing. Without it, my planning addled brain would not have been able to keep everything straight and allow me to pack effectively now. The other benefit of this checklist was a constant tracking of my baseweight of my gear.  Each new package arrival meant a visit to the kitchen scale, which became resident next to my desk for these past few months of planning. The outcome of this constant tracking has been an easy analysis of my baseweight.  Being able to spot where all the weight in my pack is, and make informed choices on what should be exchanged for a different item to cut weight. My baseweight (excluding my clothing, food and water) prior to leaving currently sits at 10...