So one day I went for a walk...

Today was a quiet day spent in the common area of my guest house in Osaka, intentionally avoiding the weekend crowds in the city. I spent much of the day sitting at the table in the common area watching live sumo wrestling on TV and continuing to hash out my revised plan. That isn't to say I spent the entire day inside. I did pop out a few times, mainly to the 7-11 for a cold drink, or as evening closed in, an easy bowl of udon. It was just after 6pm when I tucked into my convenience store udon, which rivaled many restaurant bowls I have eaten in western countries.  I returned to my planning, then headed upstairs to relax in my bed. A few hours later, as I was laying in bed looking at maps and wondering if i had eaten too early and if I would be hungry before bedtime, Takanori came up the stairs to the third floor and called out for me.  I slipped out of my bunk to find my host holding a small dish of tuna sashimi for me. I was by all rights very surprised.  Not...

Aside from a brief trip out to the the supermarket today to inspect possible food options for the trail, I spent most of my day locked away in my room furiously researching what my new plans might look like. After a long day of Google searches, pdf reading, and mangled translations my brain was frazzled.  I put my phone on my pocket and decided to head out to find a snack. And as it turns out I did not have to go far at all. Leaving my room I headed downstairs to the common area to say hello to my host Takanori, as I had not seen him at all today.  As soon as I rounded the corner he greeted me warmly from the table where he was eating dinner. As I approached down the hallway I could see there was a woman sitting with him and they were eating a home cooked meal. I was invited to sit and eat with them, and I was shocked and thrilled at the generous offer. Before I knew it Takanori had jumped up and  retrieved chopsticks and a dish, which was promptly filled by Takanor...