So one day I went for a walk...

It is just after midnight and my attempt to fall asleep early for a long walk tomorrow have been upended. As I lay in my bunk, slowly drifting off, I felt suddenly as though I were laying below a bridge and a freight train was rolling overhead.  It was the first of countless rolls of thunder, intensely loud and reverberating in my head. Roused by the storm I could not help but look, so I dressed and slipped out of my bunk to head downstairs.  The hostel was darkened for the night, with a small group in the common room enjoying a conversation.  I silently passed them by, unlocked the front door and found a covered spot to admire the spectacle. The sky had opened up suddenly, and with a ferocity that spoke of a some long standing grudge between it and the earth.  Sheets of lightning crashed across the sky one after the next, followed by seemingly unending rumbles of thunder. It made the rain seem less like scattered droplets falling at random and more like powerf...

It is the morning of October the 1st as I write this.  Back home in Canada it is still September. I have now been in Japan for one month. My most obvious purpose for coming here was to hike the Tokai Shizen Hodo trail through the mountains from Osaka to Tokyo.  That plan went out this window about 3 or 4 days in to the trip, with the final nail in its coffin the aggravation of my lingering right knee injury. It was very difficult for me to walk away from that plan; figuratively as I spent so much time researching and planning that hike, but also literally as I had to climb back down a mountain with a fucked up knee. After mulling it over, and waiting back in Osaka the late summer heat to pass, I settled on walking the old Tokaido road along the southern coast that once was once the link between Tokyo and Osaka in the Edo period.  This would let me follow the spirit of my goal, but save me from ruining my knee in the process, as the costal route profile is much smoot...

This morning I woke up early, much earlier than I normally do, even when home.  The reason: I was to attend a Zen meditation class at a temple on the far side of Kyoto. If I were only set to sightsee, I wouldn't have hauled my tired body out of bed so early, but this class only happens early in the mornings. I haven't been able to sleep as much as I would like, I have been having serious issues stopping my mind from racing, even more than usual. So with only a few hours of sleep on my belt, it was going to be a challenging day for a couple of reasons. First among those reasons; the bus.  Since my arrival in Japan I have actively avoided the bus on the premise that there is just more to go wrong on a bus than on the trains/metro lines (at least in my view of things). However, after researching how to reach this temple I became clear that the only route worth considering was a bus that would take me must of the way there. Knowing myself to be a horrifingly I'll equi...

The night air in Kyoto is warm, and the old Gion district I am in is quiet.  On the street two boys take turns practicing their baseball swing in the narrow street, one tossing badminton birdies to the other as I look on. Sitting in this warm nights air, leaned up against the guesthouse I am given plenty of time to think and reflect on my purpose here in Japan. I have met many travellers and told them my goal, to walk from Osaka to Tokyo, and inevitably their next question is "why?!".  They want to know the reason, the purpose for such a goal. The simplest answer, and certainly an honest one, is that I am seeking the physical challenge and adventure, working to slowly repair 15 years of neglect behind a desk.  But in reality there is more I hope to gain from my time here. I find myself at a crossroads in my life and career.  Burnt out from my last project, and doubting my value and validity as a Game Designer.  More than that though, questioning h...

On the road to Kyoto I learned that walking with the day bag packed with only what I need for the day certainly preferably.  Walking with my full pack, now weighed down with nearly useless camping gear, only makes the whole process a lot harder and slower. With this knowledge I've been planning at the road forward.  The next major stop is Nagoya, which is about 135km from Kyoto.  The biggest challenge in all of this is actually having confidence that I will have a place to sleep each night.  Now that I am following a mostly urban route, there is practically no options for legal camping.  Frustratingly though, there are very limited options for hostels or hotels either.  Despite being urban, much of the path is through small towns, and the options become extremely sparse.  So I have decided to try a large version of the strategy that I used to get from Osaka, using Kyoto as my HQ for the entire walk to Nagoya.  I have extended my stay at...

I feel that I have been extraordinarily lucky in my adventures here in Japan so far.  Everything I have seen and done has exceeded my expectations.  I have managed to find so many quiet joys in unexpected places. Today was not one of those days. To say that I had been looking forward to visiting the bamboo forest in Arashiyama for some time now would be accurate, and I think that this anticipation may well have left me unprepared. The entirety of Arashiyama is a very popular destination for sightseeing, and as such the place is inundated with people, and the tourist industry has built up around them. Every sidewalk is packed with people and shops, loudly selling all manners of things to them.  Temples are filled with photo snapping tourists posing for the camera.  Nothing felt quite right. I stopped in at Tenryu-ji Temple and wandered the grounds, but felt it hard to enjoy having to dodge strollers and selfie sticks every few meters. Even the Goshuin I rece...

This morning I set out south from my hostel with the intent of visiting Shorin-Ji temple, as I had heard that they have a very nice garden within their walls and unique Goshuin for those who visit. It was a short walk, approximately 3km, and was nestled into a neighborhood like so many temples and shrines throughout Japanese cities.  Were I not looking specifically for it, it would have been easy to miss. Nearly all temples and shrines have a small fountain with wooden laddles for performing a cleansing ritual before you enter. By now I have becomes quite accustomed to this step, but I was happily surprised when finding the fountain in this temple to be filled with vibrant flowers. I quietly washed my hands and mouth, following the bow familiar ritual, and proceeded further in to the grounds. Like most urban temples and shrines, the grounds were not massive, but they were immaculately kept.  I slowly strode along the path admiring the carpet of moss and stones that ...

Today I have been under the weather, an upset stomach leaving me lightheaded and with low energy.  So today I don't have a story of a new adventure, but small stream of consciousness about a part of my time here so far. By and large I receive two reactions from Japanese people I pass on the streets; I am either politely ignored, as though I do not exist, or I am greeted with bug-eyed stares and/or slacken-jaw amazement. The later of those two reactions is entirely the domain of the very young and very old.  Most of the time these looks of shock are with eyes filled with curiosity, but rarely I also see negativity in their eyes. Neither of these reactions bother me, I expected them before arriving.  I did not have any illusions of blending in here.  You don't show up as a white dude with freckles and a large, unusual red beard hanging off your face and think you will pass unnoticed. Very rarely however, there is a third sort of reaction I get, one of friendlin...

Tonight is my third night in Kyoto, and I am feeling quiet relaxed here, and the weather continues its decline towards a proper autumn. The narrow street my guest house is on. This ease and relaxation I feel here is certainly in part from simply being in Japan long enough that the stress of everyday things has largely waned. But I also feel a difference in style and tone here that also helps set me at ease. Today, despite a sore foot (a story for another time), I was able to casually wander the streets near my guest house and explore nearby temples and shops. I received my first two-page Goshuin from Hozoji temple. Kyoto is less dense, less crowded and very visually more traditional in style than Osaka. Life here feels just one step slower that it did in Osaka, and I appreciate that subtle difference. My stay here has also been made very welcoming with the discovery of a bustling and happy guest house, which I feel very lucky to have booked. In stark comparison to m...

I am sitting in back corner of the common area of my new guest house, listening to a Frenchman teach an American woman Japanese words as I think back over the last few days of walking. The trip to Kyoto was the first of 5 legs of my trip, and was the first time back up and moving since my calamitous first attempt.  And while I regret having to abandon my initial route, I am happy to now be moving again. The temperature during the past few days was warm, but manageable, hovering around 31C at the height of each day.  This, combined with a less vertical route meant a more achievable goal. I remember on the first attempt, in that first day, I drank 5L of water and barely urinated.  I was soaked, literally, in sweat, and exhausted after about 10km.  I saw this to illustrate the difference, as each day on this new attempt I was able to comfortably manage with ~2L per day.   The reduction in heat and humidity has made all the difference, taking thi...