I started in Tokyo where I visited Shinjuku, Akihabara, and very briefly, Shibuya (my cell phone ran out of battery and I didn’t want to get lost). I then went to Kawaguchiko and hiked for 9 days, walking the Tokai Nature Trail, taking the bypass course through to Kurata outside of Fujieda, before heading back to Tokyo. I really want to walk the full length of the trail which goes from outside of Tokyo to outside of Osaka, and maybe the full length of Japan eventually (though that trip might be a bicycle tour instead)

I saw and experienced a lot along the way, but I definitely felt like I was missing a lot, and my anxiety around not being able to speak the language held me back a lot, or at least gave me unnecessary stress. So here I am learning the language so I can more effectively communicate and be aware of my surroundings for the next trip!