#13 Walking Around Japan Diary June 1, 2018 -

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June 1

6/1
The start of the third month. Today was mostly in the mountains. I was walking on mountain paths that almost no one usually uses, in places where even cell phone signals don't reach.
While I was sitting and resting, a hornet flew right up to my face, and I thought, 'If I get stung in the neck or something right here, I might die.'
I feel more lonely than usual in places where there is no signal. I think to myself, 'I really am a modern person.' To be continued.

I was carrying a poison remover just in case, but I never had the chance to use it. Thank goodness.

This was the first time I learned the term 'Ezo Tsuyu' (Hokkaido rainy season).

Thinking back on it now, it's crazy that I just sat there and slept for about 45 minutes in the very spot where I almost got stung by a hornet. Was I scared or not? I don't even know.

An amateur shouldn't think, 'White bread seems to have protein in it, so I can get my protein from white bread.'

Even now, when I hear 'XXX km to ~', I immediately think, 'If I consider 50 km a day, I can get there in X days...'

June 2

6/2
Today I went to an underground aquarium called 'Moguranpia.' It seems to be a repurposed oil storage facility. The aquarium itself was on the small side, but it was like a thick tunnel running underground, and the structure of the facility itself was interesting.
After leaving Moguranpia, I was following Google Maps and before I knew it, I was being led through the mountains. It wasn't just a 'mountain path,' it was completely 'the mountain.' There were no paths anywhere, it was painful because there were lots of thorny plants, and the slopes were incredibly steep. As I was thinking, 'I've been tricked by Google Maps,' I made it out of the mountain, only to be spotted by someone at a house right where I emerged, and they called out to me.
I thought I was going to get scolded, but it turned out they let me stay at their house.
'Staying at the house of someone I happened to meet that day' is a first for me. They even took me out to eat sushi. I ate the meat around a whale's blowhole. It was delicious. I was very lucky. It's amazing how you can have good encounters. To be continued.

I pushed my way through the mountains, and when I thought I was out, I was barked at by a dog. I thought, 'Oh crap, this is someone's garden!' and as I tried to sneak through, they spoke to me. While I was thinking, 'Are they going to get mad at me?', I explained that I was walking around Japan, and they said, 'There's nowhere to sleep ahead! Stay at our place!' I was so happy, thinking, 'Things like this really do happen!'

This tank was nice.

They took me to a sushi restaurant that looked kind of expensive. It was incredibly delicious. I want to eat the meat around a whale's blowhole again someday.

June 3

6/3
I set off while being seen off by the family who let me stay, and headed toward Aomori.
Right after I started, I was tricked by Google Maps again. As I went along the mountain path, the path disappeared halfway through. I didn't want to walk in the mountains anymore, so I had no choice but to turn back and take a different route.
I suppose there was a proper path there a little while ago, but it must have been buried by plants. I wish they would update it properly, but it must be difficult to check all the roads in Japan, so it can't be helped. From now on, even if Google Maps shows it as the shortest route, I'll avoid mountain paths if there are other roads.
And finally, I arrived in Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Honshu. I'm almost at Hokkaido. When I saw the 'Aomori Prefecture' sign, I was so happy that I accidentally said out loud, 'Oh, it's Aomori!'
At night, I watched the anime 'Yorimoi' (A Place Further Than the Universe), which I had been watching over the past few days, until the final episode. I think it's partly because I'm in the middle of my own journey, but I was crying my eyes out from beginning to end.
Since I started my journey, I've been watching Amazon Prime movies occasionally, and watching interesting movies like 'Leon' or 'The Devil Wears Prada' gives me energy. I thought that people who can create interesting, captivating things are amazing.
Also, I want to go to Antarctica. To be continued.

'A Place Further Than the Universe'—I was crying every episode, no exaggeration. When I finished walking around Japan, I wanted to shout, 'In your face!', but since there was no one around me who had told me 'You can't do it,' those words just hung in the air.

I was quite surprised by someone who guessed on the first try that I was 'walking around Japan.' In the end, I never met this person again.

June 4

6/4
Today, an older biker who used to be in the Air Self-Defense Force gave me food and said, 'Japanese people will help anyone! If you feel sick, rely on someone!'
In the evening, I met an acquaintance of Mr. Sekino, and they took me out for a meal and a bath. I ate something called 'Bara-yaki,' which is onions and beef grilled on an iron plate. I feel like I ate my fill of meat for the first time in a while. It was delicious.
The hot spring was also very pleasant. Ever since I started my journey, every time I take a bath, Misato-san in my head says, 'A bath is the laundry of the soul.' I think that's exactly right. Baths are the best. To be continued.

I ate so much Bara-yaki meat that I thought my stomach would burst; it was a happy scream.
The bath was amazing.

Ippei Hara, he sounds like a character from an old-fashioned manga.

June 5th

6/5
I walked a lot again today. There were many roads that weren't very popular.
I bought the sandals I had been planning to get for a while. Flip-flops. They're convenient. When I arrive at my sleeping spot and put down my luggage, taking off my shoes and socks and changing into flip-flops immediately makes my feet feel so much better. It's good. To be continued.

I'm only talking about sandals. I used to wear socks that were marketed as "hard to get tired even after walking for a long time," but those kinds of socks are always lightly compressing your feet, so when you reach your destination, you want to take them off as soon as possible. Plus, shoes get stuffy.

I like the "kusu-hisa" part of the string "I haven't seen a Sunkus in a long time."

Continuing to #14.