The walking fool extra

2010-09-28T15:44:00.001+09:00

Done. I AM WALKING MACHINE.

2010-09-28T12:45:00.001+09:00

Thunder and lightning as I pass Shinjuku. 7km to go.

2010-09-28T10:10:00.001+09:00

Final day. Light rain. In the city.

2010-09-27T16:18:00.001+09:00

In Chofu. A good day despite the rain.

2010-09-27T12:44:00.001+09:00

Dogs in raincoats make me laugh.

2010-09-27T10:19:00.001+09:00

Still raining. Sheltering at McDs.

2010-09-27T07:21:00.001+09:00

Pouring down. Luckily I have waterproof skin.

2010-09-26T16:30:00.001+09:00

In Hachioji. A long, tough day, but satisfying.

2010-09-26T12:58:00.001+09:00

At the top of final pass. Tokyo here I come!

2010-09-26T07:32:00.001+09:00

One more mountain stage today, then two days on the flat. Legs a bit tired.

2010-09-25T15:34:00.001+09:00

Made it to Uenohara. It turned fine in the afternoon.

2010-09-25T13:17:00.001+09:00

Lunch on day 7. Still in the hills but the flat is in sight.

2010-09-25T08:15:00.001+09:00

Rained overnight. Cloudy and cool now. Still tired from yesterday. Only 20km today though.

2010-09-24T15:40:00.001+09:00

In Otsuki now. Made up time on the downhill stretch.

2010-09-24T12:48:00.000+09:00

Got lost in the clouds over Sasago Pass. Out of the woods now but behind schedule. Current temp: 15 degrees.

2010-09-23T13:37:00.001+09:00

Finished. Rained for a couple of hours. I'm over half way, but still have some passes to tackle.

2010-09-23T08:44:00.001+09:00

In the mid-20s today. A relief after yesterday's 35.7.

2010-09-22T14:07:00.001+09:00

Made it. My scrummy mix melted.

2010-09-22T12:44:00.001+09:00

Stopped at the Yamamashi Museum of Art. They have a Millet collection - and air conditioning.

2010-09-22T09:50:00.001+09:00

Another scorcher. 33 degrees. Short day though. Should be in Kofu by lunch time.

2010-09-21T15:40:00.001+09:00

Arrived in Nirasaki. A pleasant day's walk. Walked the last few km with a man from Nara I met yesterday.

2010-09-21T10:36:00.001+09:00

Just stopped at a sake brewery. They insisted I have a free sample.

2010-09-21T08:12:00.001+09:00

Oh no! Just been attacked by a ... rose bush.

2010-09-21T07:55:00.001+09:00

Long day ahead. Hot too. High of 32 forecast.

2010-09-20T15:52:00.001+09:00

Phew! That was a hard day's walk. Seemed a lot further than 19km.

2010-09-20T07:48:00.001+09:00

No injuries yet, but I may be getting a cold.

2010-09-19T15:35:00.001+09:00

Just got "roped in" to a festival, dragging a log to a shrine.

2010-09-19T12:01:00.001+09:00

Lunching in Chino.

2010-09-19T09:39:00.001+09:00

Leaving Kami-Suwa.

2010-09-18T16:21:00.001+09:00

Walked 5.9km. Hot, but not unpleasantly so.

2010-09-18T11:25:00.001+09:00

On a train, listening to The Chills.

2010-09-18T08:03:00.001+09:00

Breakfasting in Tokyo. At 10 I catchthe train to Shimosuwa, the starting point of the Koshu kaido.

Koshu Kaido - The Route

2010-09-16T09:31:00.003+09:00

(Click on image to view a larger version)

2009-06-21T09:06:00.003+09:00

To read an extended account of my Tokaido walk, go over to my main site at http://thewalkingfool.blogspot.com/.

2009-06-13T16:02:00.001+09:00

Time for a beer.

2009-06-13T14:54:00.001+09:00

I'm there. Nihonbashi. Unlike last time it's still light.

2009-06-13T14:34:00.001+09:00

On the move again. About 1km to go.

2009-06-13T14:16:00.001+09:00

Stopped for ice coffee and cheesecake!

2009-06-13T14:07:00.001+09:00

Turned the final bend. The end is in sight.

2009-06-13T13:47:00.001+09:00

2km to go.

2009-06-13T13:41:00.001+09:00

I'm too early. I'm going to have to stop for coffee.

2009-06-13T13:40:00.001+09:00

Ginza! They've closed the street to vehicular traffic to coincide with my arrival.

2009-06-13T13:19:00.001+09:00

Passing Hamamatsucho station, close to the hotel where I used to work.

2009-06-13T13:07:00.001+09:00

4km to go.

2009-06-13T12:55:00.001+09:00

Passing Tamachi station, near my old university.

2009-06-13T12:11:00.001+09:00

I'm in Shinagawa, looking for a lunch place.

2009-06-13T09:02:00.001+09:00

Crossing the Tama river. I'm now in Tokyo!

2009-06-13T07:46:00.001+09:00

Day 25. The final leg into Nihonbashi, 20km away. Will the toe hold up? Will the groin give way? And how will the nose cope?

2009-06-12T16:04:00.001+09:00

Kawasaki falls to the invading party of one. Tomorrow I swoop on the capital.

2009-06-12T14:52:00.001+09:00

Coffee and caking before the final push into Kawasaki.

2009-06-12T13:22:00.001+09:00

Back on the flat.

2009-06-12T13:17:00.001+09:00

Taken Kanagawa (Yokohama). No stopping me now.

2009-06-12T11:46:00.001+09:00

Lunching on deepfried oysters.

2009-06-12T11:07:00.001+09:00

Hodogaya conquered.

2009-06-12T09:49:00.001+09:00

Some steep little climbs this morning. But I've just been rewarded with a view of Mt Fuji through the haze, my first since Satta pass.

2009-06-12T08:44:00.001+09:00

Every morning my shadow follows me, every afternoon I follow it. I'm heading east.

2009-06-12T08:31:00.001+09:00

Leaving Totsuka.

2009-06-11T16:39:00.001+09:00

That's it for another day. I'm less than 50km from Tokyo now. Not many cabbage patches around.

2009-06-11T14:43:00.001+09:00

Passing through Fujisawa. The sun has come out.

2009-06-11T11:31:00.001+09:00

Lunch. It's stopped raining for now.

2009-06-11T10:29:00.001+09:00

Leaving Hiratsuka. Still raining.

2009-06-11T08:09:00.001+09:00

At home I usually start the day with a slice of toast and a cup of coffee. Today I had scrambled eggs on toast; two croissants; a bowl of cereal with fruit, yoghurt, fruit juice and milk; two cups of coffee; and a glass of apple juice.

2009-06-11T07:56:00.001+09:00

Yesterday the rainy season officialy began. Thls morning it's raining.

2009-06-10T14:33:00.001+09:00

In Oiso now. Coffeeing until check in at 3pm.

2009-06-10T12:38:00.001+09:00

A few spots of rain...

2009-06-10T11:40:00.001+09:00

Lunch. It's a pleasant morning, cloudy with a sea breeze keeping the temperature down.

2009-06-10T09:53:00.001+09:00

At Odawara. Having a quick look at the castle.

2009-06-10T08:02:00.001+09:00

Today I continue descending to Odawara and then head up the coast to Oiso.

2009-06-10T07:33:00.001+09:00

I love this hotel. Last night when I came out of the hot spring I heard the pianist in the restaurant playing My Foolish Heart. They have grapefruit juice. I love grapefruit juice. I don't want to leave.

2009-06-10T07:24:00.001+09:00

I'm alive.

2009-06-09T18:07:00.001+09:00

Plans for the rest of the day: eat, soak in the hotel's hot spring, sleep.

2009-06-09T17:26:00.001+09:00

Arrived at Hakone-yumoto at the end of another tough day.

2009-06-09T13:27:00.001+09:00

Lunching in Hakone. Nearly came a cropper on the slippery stone pathway coming down.

2009-06-09T12:37:00.001+09:00

At the top now. It's quite chilly, so I'm heading strahght down into Hakone town. I'm now in Kanagawa prefecture.

2009-06-09T12:07:00.001+09:00

Midday. It's taken me four hours to walk just over ten km.

2009-06-09T11:44:00.001+09:00

Still climbing. Another couple of km to the top.

2009-06-09T10:35:00.001+09:00

Snake! Over a metre long. Dead or playing dead. Got close enough to take a photo.

2009-06-09T10:07:00.001+09:00

Pausing to apply bug spray. Got two bites already.

2009-06-09T09:24:00.001+09:00

It's quite a bit cooler than yesterday, which is a relief. The pass is at 846m, and I'm climbing from more or less sea level.

2009-06-09T09:09:00.001+09:00

Having to negotiate some major roadworks at the moment.

2009-06-09T09:08:00.001+09:00

The calf came right overnight. The climb is going well so far.

2009-06-09T08:20:00.001+09:00

Today's goal is Hakone-yumoto, about half way between Hakone and Odawara.

2009-06-09T08:17:00.001+09:00

I'm in front of Mishima Taisha shrine, about to leave Mishima and climb the highest pass on the Tokaido: Hakone Toge.

2009-06-08T21:10:00.001+09:00

Didn't reach Mishima till 5pm. Right calf is quite sore. Hope it gets better by tomorrow.

2009-06-08T15:22:00.001+09:00

Stopped in Numazu for a coffee. About 6km to go.

2009-06-08T12:23:00.001+09:00

I'm in Hara. It's actually quite fine nowt although the top half of Mt Fuji, which is very close now, remains obscured by cloud.

2009-06-08T07:48:00.001+09:00

Today's goal is Mishima, some 25km away. The road looks pretty flat and straight. Tomorrow I hit the hills of Hakone.

2009-06-08T07:44:00.001+09:00

Back to the familiar cloudy sky this morning. It feelsas if yesterday morning's fine weather was a dream.

2009-06-08T07:38:00.001+09:00

At least they're playing jazz over the PA.

2009-06-08T07:27:00.001+09:00

This morning's coffee is the worst I've had all trip. Not all coffee vending machines are equal.

2009-06-07T17:57:00.001+09:00

It's my lucky day! Not only did I see Mt Fuji, but I just bought some things (sushi, salad, etc) for dinner at a supermarket and won all my money back.

2009-06-07T15:53:00.001+09:00

That's it for another day. Time to do some washing.

2009-06-07T14:16:00.001+09:00

It clouded over while I was inside the museum and Mt Fuji hasn't been visible since.

2009-06-07T14:14:00.001+09:00

Having a late lunch. I've just crossed the Fuji river, so I'm pretty close to today's goal.

2009-06-07T11:55:00.001+09:00

Arrived in Kanbara.

2009-06-07T11:06:00.001+09:00

I'm just about to leave Yui after looking at the Hiroshige museum. Spent a lot of time at the top of the pass taking photos.

2009-06-07T09:18:00.003+09:00

Wow! I'm at the top now. Amazing view of Mt Fuji. A bit of cloud to one side but amazing. Yesterday I saw the (flat) modern road along the coast and for a moment was tempted. Glad I took the dificult route.

2009-06-07T09:18:00.001+09:00

Damn. No cell phone coverage. Reached the top at about 8.30.

2009-06-07T08:20:00.001+09:00

Going up. It's quite hot already. I'm glad I'm doing this at 8 in the morning and not later in the day.

2009-06-07T06:57:00.001+09:00

Good morning! Beautifully fine today. I should have a great view of Mount Fuji as I go over the Satta Pass.