So one day I went for a walk...

Last night I slept heavily, and it was wise to skip the onsen. As much as I wanted to have that first try in the onsen, i was to tired and I simply couldn't imagine getting into a 42C onsen after a day in the blistering heat. After a night of rest and cooling down I woke up with the sun and prepared for my first attempt at an onsen. I won't lie, there was some nerves going on, as there is a lot of steps to doing the onsen properly.  Thankfully I caught a break in from the morning bathers, and just as I arrived, they were all showering to leave.  This helps take away any pressure and I slowly went through the new routine for the first time. If you aren't familiar with Onsens, there are a lot of how-to videos on YouTube which will tell you all about this routine. And actually SHOW you an onsen.  Given all the nudity involved, you will just have to use your imagination here. The one somewhat unique hurdle I faced; my beard.  You are never suppose to let long hai...

After a day of unbelievable heat, and a walk through the heart of Osaka, I arrived at my hotel for the second night - a traditional style ryokan. The closest I can come to describing this place in western terms is that it is the Japanese version of a spa hotel, complete with built in Onsens. I arrived later in the evening, particularly tired from the heat of the day.  Upon check in I was given a choice of dinner times, then escorted to my room. Much like my first night, this room was also a traditional Japanese style room, but this time a bit more luxurious.  The host explained there my towels for the onsen were, and pointed out my 'samue' which was the preferred attire for dinner and throughout the hotel during my stay. Note the socks - the true ninja turtle experience! With my new wardrobe sorted, I headed down for dinner. I knew only that I should expect a lot of courses, but beyond that I had no idea what was on the menu. Even with the menu I had ...

My second Goshuin, at a shrine nestled in the center of Osaka: Namba Yasaka Shrine.

One of my goals on this hike is to visit many temples and shrines along my route. In part to simply observe their beauty and appreciate the culture, but also to participate in a small way by praying and collecting Goshuin (temple stamps). My first stop of many to this end was at Sumiyoshi Taisha shrine, the largest shrine in Osaka. This is where you must cleanse yourself before entering the shrine grounds. Sumiyoshi Taisha is noteworthy not only for it's size, but also it's iconic and magnificent bridge leading up to the main shrine ground: The water is brimming with turtles and koei . Most shrines and temples have a small office where you can purchase a book to collect your Goshuin in, called a Goshuin-cho. Larger shrines and temples will have goshuin-cho that are unique to their grounds. I am very pleased that I was able to explore these grounds, pray here and then receive my first Goshuin! I am looking forward to collecting many more along m...

I've done a bit of reading and preparing for this trip ahead of time. One understandably important topic has been 'how to feed myself'. Much of my reading has lead me to understand that 7-11 in Japan is source of good, high quality food.  Until this morning I was skeptical, as 7-11 food in North America is at best a crapshoot and at worst, well... But this morning I ventured back to the local 7-11 armed with my research and a small recon trip last night after dinner. Here is what I picked out: "Tuna and mayonnaise" "Spicy rice" "Egg salad" Now I will admit that I had seen a lot of talk (read: ecstatic raving) the egg salad sandwiches from Japanese 7-11 from other travellers online.  So where that sandwich would have been an 'avoid at all costs' item back in north America for fear of food poisoning, I looked for it specifically. But more on that later. I am getting ahead of myself. The first item, tuna and mayo, turn...

After braving the trains from Kansai airport, it was a short walk to my hostel (wonderfully named the "Banana Hammock") for the first night. I arrived just after the sun had set, and was the last to check in for the night. I sat with the owner in the front room and we went through the check in process while we chatted.  He asked if I was only in Japan for one night, as I was checking out in the morning. I explained that I was here for 3 months, and that I was hiking to Tokyo. The look on his face morphed rapidly from confusion to disbelief to astonishment in rapid succession. "That will be 600km, and you are going to... walk??" "Well, actually my route is about 1000km, but what better way to see Japan, right?" I replied. His hand shot out and shook mine, a gesture I was not expecting in Japan. I am really begining to understand that what seems like an exciting (if not daunting) adventure to me borders on lunacy to most people I discuss it with....

I knew that no matter how hard I worked on planning for this trip I was bound to miss some detail and have to start adapting, I just didn't expect it to bite me in the ass 5 minutes after clearing customs! 😂 Landing was smooth and uneventful.  Osaka's Kansai International airport rests on a man-made island in the bay, which makes it incredibly cool by that fact alone. I was concerned about customs.  Had I do e my research correctly? Would they infact issue me a 90 day visa on my Canadian passport as I expected? Would I even understand what to do?? But all those fear evaporated.  I had many helpful staff making sure I was in the right place and doing the right thing. I arrived at the customs officer's desk and we chatted about my stay.  I explained why I was here; that I was hiking to Tokyo. His eyes widened in disbelief.   He was concerned about the length of stay I had written on the customs slip. I showed him my departing f...

Route planned: ☑️ Flights scheduled: ☑️ Gear purchased: ☑️ Gear tested: ☑️ Gear packed: ☑️ Checked-in for flights: ☑️ Nothing left to do: ☑️☑️ ...... It's a little strange sitting here the day before this trip with nothing at all to do.  The last 2 months have been wall to wall planning and preparation, with something important to do practically every day in order to be ready.  Now that I am ready, idle feels strange.  This sort of sudden stop, going from 100 to 0, it's not new to me.  It mimics my career, with game development projects running long, hectic days for months or years at a time, then the game ships and you feel stressed about, well, the lack of stress or things to do.  It's ironic to see this mirror play out in the lead up to this trip, as the main reason for taking this trip in the first place was to combat the burnout I have experienced in my professional life. I guess old habits do in fact die hard.  Hopefully this feeling of idle will settle well into the ...

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...