Hi everyone! This sub was so incredibly helpful to me in the planning process - I was deeply grateful for everything I learned, so I thought I'd post a trip report now that we're back!
About us: We're a 30s couple from the Midwest US. We're pretty experienced travelers (South America, UK/Ireland, Europe, lots of places in the US), but this was our first visit to Asia and first visit to Japan. As travelers, we love getting out on foot, local food/drink (especially street food), live music, nerd shit, weird art/vending machines. Also, my partner is a cis guy, but I am a trans masc person who is visibly trans (post-op in a few ways, but not passing/not stealth).
Dates: May 13 - May 29
What we did: Tokyo Kyoto Osaka Hakone Back to Tokyo
Tips and tricks:

• Definitely get your walking training in ahead of time! We walked 10 miles a day on the trip. We're pretty avid backcountry camping/hiking fans who regularly put in 8 - 10 miles on the trail (not to mention taking our dog for multiple walks a day in the neighborhood), so I figured we'd be good - but it was A LOT, especially since you're also trying to translate and navigate at the same time. Japan is not generally a super accessible place from a disability perspective; benches and public seating areas are not common. I found myself wishing I'd packed a collapsible seat of some kind, tbh!
• Good shoes a must! Merrell Moabs are my go-to for hiking, but for this trip I went with Nike Dunk 6 high-tops, which rocked. My partner went with Onitsukas and didn't do as well - he wound up buying inserts partway through the trip, which helped.
• Work on a little Japanese ahead of time! We came in with about a dozen words/phrases, which was honestly truly helpful. So many people are so kind and thoughtful anyway, but it was an appreciated gesture that we had planned ahead and were trying our best. Google Translate's camera feature (Google Lens) was a life-saver for translating written words on signs!
• We had a great experience with Ubigi for an eSIM. The days of purchasing an actual SIM card or even a burner device (like we used to do when backpacking in Europe) are long past. We hooked up our Ubigi eSIMs beforehand, flipped the switch when we got there, and we were golden. Just in case, we'd set up our Verizon coverage to include a Pay-As-You-Go international plan, but we didn't end up using it. We also didn't use half as much data as we thought we would - we both came home with extra GB on our Ubigi plan still. We didn't do a PocketWifi and I don't think we needed it - Ubigi did most of the heavy lifting, and free WiFi at various places did the rest.
• Fly into Haneda, not Narita - way closer to Tokyo city center.
• Get your Suica right away at the airport - our beloved Suica got us through so many things! We also withdrew some cash and split it up between us - we withdrew a few more times on the trip and it worked like a charm. (Just make sure it's an international ATM that includes your card type - not all of them do. Also, notify your bank you'll be traveling, so your card doesn't throw a flag!) We used our credit card as well - the Chase card was accepted pretty much all places CCs are, but many places remain cash-only, especially bars and restaurants.
• Had a great experience using the Friendly Limousine Airport Bus service straight from Haneda to our hotel area.
• I booked shinkansen tix ahead of time, so I got nice discounts on weekday Green Car tix for two - but I really needn't have worried, there were plenty of seats available day-of.
• Don't bother with shinkansen for Kyoto to Osaka - we wound up just hopping on a local with our Suicas and it was fine.
• Don't bother with the Romancecar from Hakone back to Tokyo - it's fastemaybe a nicer seating experience, but just hopping on a local with your Suica is an order of magnitude cheaper.
• Look things up in Japanese if using Google Translate; use Tabelog for restaurants if possible. Google Maps in English is more touristy reviews/reactions.
• Tokyo Skytree was hit-or-miss - only real letdown of the trip.
• Tokyo teamLab PLANETS was completely worth it - absolutely worth the hype in my opinion.
• Queer and trans travelers - I felt completely safe, but as a plus-size trans masc nonbinary queerdo, I stuck out like a sore thumb. I didn't feel in danger, but I was absolutely aware that I did not fit in. Stares were common, especially from older men and young kids. (Weirdly, local women seemed more friendly and curious about me!) Just be prepared for it and remember you're not in any danger physically - it's all just curiosity.
• I have to thank this subreddit for recommending Hakone, especially for the tip to book a ryokan with private onsen access. We had an absolutely beautiful experience at Yamanochaya in Hakone, which included both a private "onsen" soaking tub in our room and private 1:1 access to a larger, actual hot spring onsen on the property. I otherwise would not have been able to experience a real hot spring onsen at all, as they are gender-segregated. Thank you, /JapanTravel!

Because I'm a nerd, here's the actual breakdown!
DAY 1 ARRIVAL 📍 Flew into Haneda; made it to our hotel (lovely experience at Hotel Plaza Sunroute); had our first world-famous konbini 7/11 experience; walked around Shinjuku; went out for dinner at Ryu no Miyako Inshokugai - talk about jumping in the deep end 🍣 Onigiri and vending machine green tea; little whipped cream treats; Nagahama ramen and sesame mackerel donburi 👣 10,400 steps 🏁 4.8 miles
DAY 2 SHIBUYA 📍 Meiji Shrine and Gardens - got goshuin and omamori; Harajuku, went to 7/11; back to the hotel for a nap; Shibuya, including Don Quijote, Center Gai and Dogenzaka Street; Nonbei Yokocho for late night 🍣 7/11 (plum onigiri and corn/mayo sandwich, some kind of spam musubi situation, matcha roll); Ichiran coin-op ramen with extra chashu and a matcha tofu custard thing; banana shock smoothie at Shibuya109 in Center Gai; chicken and pork belly yakitori with beers at Morimoto; brown sugar shoju and shoju-infused Oolong tea cocktails at Tight Bar (strong recommend for this joint!); grilled squid, octopus, and okonomiyaki for afters at Tsukishima Monja Kuuya Shibuya 👣 32,000 steps 🏁 14.5 miles 😮‍💨
DAY 3 SHINJUKU 📍 Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden; Shinjuku area (including Disk Union, Disney, Onitsuka); Kabukicho and Kabukicho Tower; GODZ metal bar; Golden Gai; Omoide Yokocho 🍣 7/11 (onigiri, matcha filled roll thing, royal milk tea, tomago sushi, strawberry donut, cafe latte); many types of dango (sesame oil, soy sauce, and apricot mochi were our favs); McDonald's (weirdly good chicken sandwich with yuzu radish topping, vanilla custard chocolate pie, white grape soda); yummy little warm imagawayaki filled with adzuki bean paste + royal milk from depachika); a couple of Asahis at GODZ; simple yakitori snacks at Golden Gai (including some… mystery offal items); back to 7/11 for drunk matcha ice cream and waffle snacks 👣 28,800 steps 🏁 13.0 miles
DAY 4 ASAKUSA 📍 Went out for coffee; walked around Kinarimon Gate and Nakamise; toured Asakusa Shrine, Senso-ji Temple, surrounding Shinto and Buddhist shrines; stopped for sushi and mochi; went for a walk up Sumida River; dipped into Shoden and Imado shrines; crossed Kototoi Bridge to Tokyo Skytree; went up Tokyo Skytree; back to Senso-ji for night photos; capped off evening with gyoza 🍣 Lattes at cute puppet theater coffeeshop (espresso, dandelion tea); 7/11 for breakfast-y fuel; strawberries from a street stall at Nakamise; sushi lunch; beautiful mochi + tea dessert; grilled gyoza, soup dumpling gyoza, shoujo Oolong tea cocktail for afters 👣 25,500 steps 🏁 11.66 miles
DAY 5 JIMBŌCHŌ, AKIHABARA 📍 Train to Ichigaya - notable French-inspired neighborhood; breakfast at local French café; Yasakuni Shrine; Kanda River walk by Hosei University; Tokyo Daijingu Shrine; Jimbōchō Old Book Town; walked from there to Akihibara; hit up noodles, arcade, nerd shops (comics, TCGs/CCGs, retro video games systems, TTRPGS, etc); gachapons; hit up the bizarre rare vending machines 🍣 Vending machine coffee and milk tea; yummy French pastries (bacon and sour cream roll, quiche, sour cream raisin custard thing); had to try some avocado and cheese Doritos; cold udon with duck broth soup, curry rice for Chris; fish-shaped taiyaki with custard cream dessert treat; dope gyoza place ("weekday" version with pork and cabbage, shrimp and chili mayo, yakitori with tare, and shogayaki with onions) 👣 Forgot watch at hotel - we’ll say 10,000 steps 🏁 Guessing about 5 or 6?
DAY 6 TEAMLAB PLANETS, TRAVEL TO KYOTO 📍 Hit up teamLabs, had an amazing time exploring the exhibits - the infinite light crystal room was our fav; train to Tokyo Station; lunch at underground Ramen Street restaurants under the station - went with Soranoiro, one of the few veg/vegan ramen shops in Japan - delicious; shinkansen to Kyoto; out for nightlife in Kiyamachi-Dori and Pontocho 🍣 Quick 7/11 snacks; train snacks (pocky, coffee, little teriyaki cutlet sandwich); Soranoiro ramen bowls; killer yakitori we fried right at our table in izakaya in Pontocho (honestly probably a meal highlight of the whole trip); brown sugar shoujo; 7/11 for ice cream on the way back 👣 18,900 steps 🏁 8.63 miles
DAY 7 KINKAKUJI, NISHIKI, GION 📍 Kinkakuji Temple; bus back to Kiyamachi-dori; spent whole afternoon walking and eating street food at Nishiki Market; back to hotel for rest, laundry, rooftop drink; out for nightlife in Gion 🍣 Family Mart for coffee and doughnuts; Nishiki Market Street street food delights - seared yakitori style crab stick, little octopus chuka idako on skewers, kara-age on skewers, sea squid croquettes and beer, strawberry and adzuki bean mochi balls; mimosas and red wine; Kyoto Gion Okaru - geisha-decorated izakaya with insane curry udon bowls and beers; picked up box of mochi dango for dessert 👣 20,200 steps 🏁 9.07 miles
DAY 8 SHRINE DAY 📍 OK, this is a lot:

• Yasakajinja (we happened to be here while a young couple was having a Shinto wedding ceremony!)
• Yasui Kompira-gū (built 1170, shrine for ending bad relationships and starting new ones, has special stone that you pin your wishes to - many young girls will crawl through the stone to mark a breakup or wish for love)
• Kennin-ji (built 1202, large grounds - among the oldest in Kyoto);
• Reigen-in (part of Kennin-ji grounds, a Zen teahouse with a tea garden where they served adzuki bean buns with tea made from the actual hydrangeas of the tea garden outside!)
• Zenkyoan (boar shrine which we initially thought were cute hedgehogs)
• Kyoto Ebisu Shrine (dedicated to fishermen - we happened to be here during the shrine's annual mikoshi festival - a battalion of locals in traditional clothes, hoisting and dancing with the mikoshi around the neighborhood)
• Kodai-ji (built 1606, gorgeous grounds - we skipped the tour)
• Hōkan-ji/Yasaka Pagoda (dating back to 589 and rebuilt in 1400s, huge black 5-story pagoda featuring massive shakyamuni pole inside and reliquary of a bone of the Buddha in the foundations)
• Ryōzen Kannon (built 1955 after WW2, massive Buddha statue and active Buddhist temple)
• Of course the world-famous Kiyomizudera (built 778, enormous Kyoto-red temple with beautiful buildings spiraling up into the forest)

🍣 Hotel coffee, tea, cream puffs; adzuki bean buns with tea made from the actual hydrangeas of the tea garden at the shrine; dope bento box lunch; got takeout fast food donburi and fizzy lemonade 👣 22,800 steps 🏁 10.39 miles
DAY 9 FUSHIMI-INARI 📍 Fushimi Inari, the famous shrine of over 1,000 torii gates - super amazing (and intense!) summit of Mt Inari! Back to Nishiki Market for reward street food and drinks; back to hotel for a rooftop drink and soak; finally out for soba at Kawamichiya Ginka in Pontocho. 🍣 Snack pack on our hike (sausages, cheese, some kind of fish meat/cheese stick, and surume - sweet chewy dried squid stuff); orange smoothie; conveyor belt sushi; strawberry mochi roll; whisky highball and red wine; massive soba spreads (chicken seared with wasabi/yuzu/horseradish dipped in ponzu sauce, fried soba noodles in a rich soup, cold soba noodles dipped tsukemen-style in a really amazing umami soy sauce soup, tempura shrimp and veggies, a hot soba noodles in a clear broth soup) 👣 27,600 steps 🏁 Supposedly 12.3 miles, but that hike to summit Mt Inari was something else 😤
DAY 10 TRAVEL TO OSAKA, SHINSABASHISUJI, AMEMURA, DOTONBURI 📍 Beautiful brunch on the bank of the canal in Kyoto; local train to Osaka-Umeda; checked into Osaka hotel; walked around Shinsaibashisuji and Dotonburi a little bit; scoped out Amemura ("Ameri-mura") for dope American-inspired Japanese streetwear; wandered up and down street food stalls in Dotonbori; swung by Namba Hips (mostly pachinko); found a couple of fun little hole-in-the-wall places (little Japanese craft beer brewery, retro video games bar) 🍣 Brunch at Kawa Cafe (croque monsieur, ramen, tea and delicious apple tart); takoyaki, cheesy waffle shaped like a massive 10yen coin, sweet chili hotdogs from stands in Dotonbori; dashi gose craft beer (by Derailleur Brew Works) from Umineko, shots at Space Station bar 👣 19,500 steps 🏁 9.01 miles
DAY 11 NAMBAYASAKIJINA, DOTONBURI 📍 Morning Japanese breakfast at a wonderful little 24-hour diner; Hozen-ji (moss shrine); Kamigata Ukiyo-e Museum across the street (focusing on Osaka woodcuts celebrating Dotonburi's kabuki and entertainment history); Nambayasaka-jinja (lion head shrine); Den Den Town (Osaka's Akihabara); ended up at a cozy little kushikatsu bar which actually was playing the Tigers game (away game vs the Swallows at Tokyo); street food waffles for dessert; hit up a late-night batting cage - ended up at Round1 (a big multi-floor arcade complex) and did the rooftop batting cage! My partner won a giant plushie for me from a claw machine! 🍣 Dope traditional japanese omelette and fish breakfast; cute macarons from market stand; Family Mart for snacks before nightlife; skewers, beer, and highballs from Dotonbori kushikatsu place; ridiculous nutella, whip, and strawberry stuffed waffle from Waffle Khan 👣 29,100 steps 🏁 13.31 miles
DAY 12 KUROMON ICHIBA, OSAKA CASTLE, DOTONBURI 📍 Kuromon Ichiba Market for street food; Osaka Castle Park and Nishinomaru Gardens; toured Osaka Castle and museum all the way up to the top; subway to Tanimachi-9-chome subway station for amazing live jazz at Sub Jazz Cafe. (This was amazing! Akira "Ro" Hasegawa (sax) and Yukie Fujikawa (keys) - Ro is also the owner and was bartending on this particular night too.) Out to Don Don for killer yakiniku and beer; found our way to Oboradaren, an Tokunoshima-themed island vibes bar and music spot where there was a great live band playing fun island vibes beach rock - big crowd of 40s+ Japanese women who knew all the songs, wound up drinking passionfruit chuhai and joining them in the conga line around the bar 🍣 Oden hot pot, wagyu skewer, otoro sashimi, crab gratin in the half-shell, bracken green tea soy cakes at Kuromon Market; ice cream sandwiches at Osaka Castle; milk tea, little roast beef sandwich, and cheesecake at Sub Jazz Cafe; yakiniku-style wagyu, ribs, ox tongue, assorted mushrooms; passionfruit chuhai and red wine at the island vibes spot; taro and brown sugar boba teas 👣 23,000 steps 🏁 10.42 miles
DAY 13 KAIYUKAN, SHINSEKAI, DOTONBURI 📍 Fun trip to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan; quick pass through Shinsekai; lunch at spot where you can fish your own catch from an indoor fishing boat pool; out for one last Dotonburi night - wound up getting konbini snacks and sitting on the waterfront talking and people-watching for hours 🍣 Not a banger food-wise, but interesting little spread at the fish-your-own place - huge prawn for grilling, kara-age, and fatty tuna nigiri for Max, tempura veggies and whitefish with doteyaki for Chris; from Family Mart, fruit smoothie, ice cup, and KitKat for Max, onigiri and lemonade for Chris 👣 19,100 steps 🏁 8.64 miles
DAY 14 TRAVEL TO HAKONE, HAKONE SHRINE 📍 Bombed to Shin-Osaka for an early shinkansen to Odawara; trained to Odawara to Hakone; dropped luggage off at ryokan, then bus to Motohakone; saw Hakone Shrine and Onshi-Hakone Park (as well as a segment of the actual Old Tokaido!); returned to ryokan for the night, where we were treated to a gorgeous 1:1 kaiseki from a Michelin-star chef, private hot spring onsen, and private in-room hot spring bath 🍣 Konbini snacks before shinkansen; snacks and coffee on train; late lunch in Motohakone (curry and soba, pork cutlet); incredible, massive multi-course kaiseki and sake for dinner, plus strawberry cake, champagne, and more sake for dessert 👣 13,900 steps 🏁 6.26 miles
DAY 15 HAKONE OPEN AIR MUSEUM, TRAVEL TO TOKYO, LAST NIGHT IN SHINJUKU 📍 Woke up in gorgeous ryokan; leisurely kaiseki breakfast with leftover cake; final soak in the private onsen; Hakone Open Air Museum - very cool; had kind of a challenging trip back but finally made it from Museum back to ryokan to bus stop to Hakone-Yumoto to Odawara to Shinjuku to the hotel 😮‍💨 Considering the last night as our real "last night" of the trip, our final night out in Tokyo was all just extra icing on the cake - went out for yakitori skewers and Asahi Superdrys in cozy alley in Omoide Yokocho, found really wonderful cake and tea dessert open late also in Omoide, hit up 🎵 Donki! 🎵 for a final round of bulk snacks and souvenirs, ended up on a late-night excursion to find Park Hyatt Hotel (featured in Lost in Translation); finished night at hotel watching the city go to sleep from our balcony 👣 22,700 steps 🏁 10.3 miles
FINAL SCORE 📸 Pics: 1,929 👣 Steps: 337,700 🏁 Miles: 153.78 (we averaged 9.6 miles per day, every day, for 16 days) 🇯🇵 “Nihongo jōzu!”: 4 (I know more proficient Japanese speakers are insulted, but it's honestly a pretty nice comment when you're at my level) 👶 Comments on how young we look/how we can’t possibly be celebrating our 10-year wedding anniversary: 3 ✨ Gratitude: Infinite.

I first tried paddling a few years ago in Austin, loved it a ton. Any time we go to a lake or river I would look for a paddle boarding booth. Beginning of this year I decided i'm going to buy myself a paddle board! I bought a ROC on Amazon simply because I'm new to it and wanted to make sure I keep up with it before I buy a good quality board for $600+.
With that said, when I'm in the lake there are other paddleboarders, kayaks, and plenty of boats. I always stay close to the shore because I'm not sure if there is an unspoken rule that I can't be out deep in the water unless I'm on a boat or something. I want to go into the deeper parts of the lake (always wear a life jacket) but I don't see many boarders over there, mostly jet skis and boats.
Sometimes I get off of my SUP and will just swim or lay back in the water and I get a lot of boats and jet skis stopping and asking if I'm alright. Love that they're looking out for me but wanted to make sure that I'm not missing something.

I want to try something new (being that IT industry is a bit tough especially when I don't have a car atm) so I figure I'd try joining in commercial fishing in BC. It seems like entry was surprisingly easy (probably means the job is tough/not favorable and I can see why since I think I'd make less than the min wage at least until I get raise after my first trip). It's 6 hour rotation job (meaning working 9 hours on avg not sure if weekends are off but I think I may have to assume working everyday until ship returns to dock).
Company I work for is
Osprey Marine Ltd.
Mariner Seafoods Ltd
I'm determined and hard worker (no drama/drug issues) but my small concern is stamina. I'm not overweight and in early 30s but I tried paving briefly in the past when I was in mid 20s and it nearly killed me. I could not understand how someone could stand on steel toe 9-12 hrs (even during break when you don't have to sit down). Needless to say, I got laid off within 2 weeks. I found an IT job that pays much better after so it wasn't much of a loss but I fear it could happen again. The company said since I'm a greenhorn most likely I won't be doing any significant heavy lifting and it'd be more like line cook job processing the catches. So that might be better (+ it'd be colder not hotter and I can handle cold better than heat with warm clothes).
Pay seems a bit effy as it's not hour based and depends on how productive fishing is (and how soon they can fill the boat). 3k-3.2k CAD before tax in 2-3 weeks. Seems pretty good except that it's at 9 hday (and worse if working on weekends).
I was also told that it's common for people who survive the first trip and prove they are reliable and hard worker to get advancement/payraise fairly quickly. Pay range was 3200 - 5000 per trip (or more as the pay depends on how much productive fishing is) so I am hoping I would be able to make 5k+ a month since trip should take 2-3 weeks.
------------------------------------------------------------
Gross Pay / Lbs
$0.0045
Fuel Cost (calculated at end of trip)
($0.0015)
Crew share after fuel deductions
$0.0030
Earnings After Fuel Deductions (crew share x 1,200,000 Lbs) *The boat can hold up to 1.3 million pounds so there is potential for higher earnings.
$3,600.00
Trip Deductions (will vary by trip) (Food, internet, gloves, cleaning supplies, etc)
~ ($600.00) ---------------------------------------------------------------
I would appreciate any insights/wisdom you'd have for me as I'm excited but also nervous about starting something new like this especially coming from a guy who usually work as a field tech/office tech in IT with little manual labor.

I'm trying to get educated, so hopefully you all can help me out here and direct me towards resources where I can learn more. My wife and I want to get a boat, probably looking for deals over the winter time, and I'm curious what my options are and what options are best.\
I want to preface we're kinda hippies and really not hard to please. We're going to be happy on the lake even if it's slow, little bumpy, We live near so many lakes I hate to never get to enjoy them. All the lakes are decent sized and connect with big rivers, so handing Saturday chop would be nice, but we'll be out on weekdays a lot.
Wanting something that could be pulled behind a small SUV rated for 1500-2000lbs. Probably could handle a little more and we'd just take back roads nice and slow.
Want something with or capable of having a bimini top.
Speed doesn't matter to us. 20mph would be a fine.
Don't care about skiing or tubes.
We want to explore and stop at marinas.
I like steering wheel vs the handle on the outboard.
Fairly reliable or at least reliable with enough maintenance. (lot of mechanic experience)
comfortable for 2 people, less comfy, but potentially 4-5 people (not necessary, but would be a nice feature.)
Around 5k or less. ( 2k and we buy a brand new outboard motor ) something like that.
I've considered doing a jon boat and making it have nice seats and a top.
Looked at aluminum v hull boats
fiberglass v hull boats
Pontoons seem to be too big no matter what to pull
Maybe this doesn't exist and if so that's ok. I see a lot of stuff used, but can never tell if it's garbage or not lol

Hi again all,
https://imgur.com/a/tiQYxvm
Have the following sets for sale/trade:

• 42115 Lamborghini Sian w/box, instructions, extra bits - (ships built as shown). Saying this is 99.9% complete as it may be missing a minor part or two, but I don't think it is. Has all panel pieces/tubes/etc as you can see - $275
• 910004 Winter Chalet - New in Sealed Box - $350
• 910011 1950s Diner - New in Sealed Box $215
• 6077 Forestmen's River Fortress - Complete with box and instructions! - $350
• Star Wars May 4th Promo Bundle - Death Star, X-wing polybag, Coin - $70
• GWP/VIP Bundle - Pirate's Playground, Moving Truck, Easter Basket, 4x4 Ambulance Rescue, Pirate Ship Adventure Ride - $120

Minifigures:

• Muppet or Disney minifigures - Looking to trade for any of Robinhood/sheriff/Wizard Mickey/Stitch/Kermit/Swedish chef
• Classic Space/knight/forestmen minifigs - TBD, need to price out before I take offers, but if interested I'll get back to you once I've gauged condition and better sorted them.

​
If you have items for trade, I am interested in sets that are open but complete with instructions, box optional. Interested in:

• LotR Attack on Weathertop
• LotR Orthanc
• PotC Silent Mary
• PotC Blackpearl
• Lego Movie Metalbeard's Seacow
• Ninjago City
• Ninjago City Docks
• Lion Knights' Castle

​
Thanks for looking!

Hey everyone,
I’m wondering what apps / new sources you all use for Chicago news. Last night (06/08), the Citizen app reported that there were police & fire dpt looking for bodies in the river. I heard the helicopters and confirmed with FlightAware that it was CFD flying around.
I went to google it today to see what happened and nothing shows up. Does anyone know what happened last night? It was closer to Lincoln Park/Bucktown area (I believe). Last I heard it was two kayakers and a dog whose boat got flipped — but this is all from citizen. But I can’t find any of this on the citizen app today!?!!?
Anyways, please drop some suggestions, I’m not trying to pay for Citizen. (Fuck NextDoor).
TL:DR; what apps / news sources are you using to find information about the city?

Direct orders from Command:
Attack; (North-East) Blackstone hills, (North) Grongate.
Defend; (North) Crystal Ice Fields, (North) Thurshamrar.
Hold; (North-West) Ilkarya's Barrier, (North-West) Bilrost.
​
Tip for fighting Samurai~
Samurai are strong believers in spirits, So if you are ever fighting near a river bring a snake. This may trick the Samurai into believing it is the spirit Kiyohime, A woman that transforms into a serpent to chase you and breathes fire. Though this tale is specific, it may save your life.
​
News from the front
The Vikings have been pushed North by our armies and now have little left to defend, yet it is time to hold and fortify our border. In our great push we have neglected the Eastern flank, and now the Samurai take advantage of the victories we won. The Samurai have claimed more territory than expected and command has said to cull this threat before it becomes overgrown. Currently it seems that the opportunistic Samurai have begun to amount an alarming army on our northern border, as reports of scouts even being seen in Mt Ignis! We cannot ignore this looming menace and so we must hold our shields against the Vikings and point our swords at the Samurai!
With victories come confidence, and with confidence comes ignorance. We can not forget we are alone in this war, and the only ones we can trust is ourselves! May your swords be sharp and your shields strong.
View Poll

A couple years ago a really bad storm resulted in my dad & I’s pontoon boat getting two microscopic holes being punctured in the pontoons after pushing up against our dock. We were given the option to sell it or pay to keep it. Dad wanted to sell it, but after a year of convincing him otherwise, he agreed we should keep it. So my dad went to get ahold of the insurance company to see if we can buy back our boat, but they haven’t gotten in touch. It’s been a year since we tried getting in touch to buy it back and we haven’t gotten a word back. Our original offer was also that we had until early July to buy it back or it’s gone, so we have about a month left but if they haven’t gotten back to us for an entire year, I don’t know what we’re supposed to do. One of our friends in insurance got us in touch with a very helpful lady who dealt with our house fairly quickly (which was also damaged and not dealt with insurance wise after a year) but we were told that the boat was being dealt with by different people. We’re really in a tough spot because we really want our boat on the water but the insurance company is really just not helping us in the slightest.

Hi there. We're super excited to finally get to go to Japan. It will be our (husband and myself) first trip. We're retired so not youngsters but are pretty fit but not big adventurers. We like to have a little more time to discover things and not be going from dawn to dusk every day. So we're planning a week in Tokyo, 2 nights in Hakone, a week in Kyoto, 5 nights in Osaka/Kobe, 2 nights in Koyasan, 2 nights in Hiroshima and 4 nights in Fukuoka. We'd like to see the highlights and find some gems that are off the beaten path, without being too difficult to get to. Thanks kind Reddit folks!
Here's what I've planned so far by day.
- I'd particularly love comments on if my plans seem reasonable or if days should be broken up bc of logistics.
- I'd also love any suggestions on nearby places off the beaten path that we shouldn't miss. We have room in this itinerary to add a new place if it's truly special. I've done a lot of global travel but never been to Japan so I feel like this trip is to see the biggest hits and see if we can discover a few gems. We're hoping a month gives us time to do both.
- Do you see any red flags with the itinerary? If you hate the hotel I've picked, pls let me know why.
- I'm super excited about the food in Japan and you'll note I've planned to visit a lot of them. If you have suggestions for places that aren't too touristy but you loved your meal, please let me know. I'll be flying blind. Any gluten free suggestions are particularly helpful. We eat early so hopefully can avoid the crowds.
- I'd love to ebike part of the Kurushima Kaiko route. My husband would not enjoy this so it would be solo so I just want to take the better part of a day and do part of it and then train or ferry back to Onomichi. Does anyone know if there is a train or ferry that leaves later in the day from the Innoshima or Ikuchi island that returns to the mainland so I can ride back to Onomichi? And are bikes allowed on trains or ferries?
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Tokyo. Arrive 3 pm. Go to Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo Marounichi 1 Tokyo Tower / VR Ctr / Shinjuku Gyoen Ntl Garden / Shibuya Ctr & sky at night / Shinjuku Yokojo 2 Senso-Ji / Kabuchiko 3 Mishima sky walk in Yokohama 4 Unclear if Teamlabs is open in Tokyo but if it is, we'll probably visit 5 6 7 Eat Sushi Yajima (res-req) Omoide Yokocho area Obei sushi- heard this was good local sushi. Any thoughts on this? 

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Hakone at Hakone Kowakien Tenyu 1 Coffee at Timuny / Open Air Museum / Owakudani 2 Lake Ashi 3 Food suggestions in Hakone? I am gluten free and eat at odd hours so didn't want to buy the preset dinner but am open if it's excellent where we're staying. 

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Kyoto at Hotel Granvia Kyoto 1 Kiyomizu-dera / Kiyumizuzaka / Ninenzaka / Sanneizaka / Hanamikoji 2 Fushimi Inari Taisha / Nishiki Mkt 3 Arashiyama / Tenruji Temple / Romantic Train / Hozugawa River Boat 4 Kinkakuji Temple / Kurama to Kibune hike / Pontocho to eat 5 Yasaka Shrine / Nazenji Temple 6 Eikando Temple Eat Matsusaka Bamboo Higashiyama Sanjo 

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Osaka/Kobe stay at Tokyo Stay Osaka Hommachi 1 Osaka Castle / Dotonburi 2 Shinsekai / Teamlab Osaka 3 Himeji Castle / Kobe Chinatown 4 5 Eat Mouriya Honten (res-req) 

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2 nights at the Koyasan at Koyasan Shukubu Ryusein. I don't have anything planned here bc I figure it will just be hanging out at the onsen and walking the grounds.
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Hiroshima stay at Hotel Granvia Hiroshima 1 Site loop bus / Rabbit Island / Onomichi 2 Atomic bomb dome / Peace Museum / Shukkien Garden / Itsukushima 

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Fukuoka stay at Miyako Hotel Hakata. We booked Fukuoka for an off the beaten path experience but if you have a better city/area, please suggest. 1 Bike tour 2 Nokonoshima Island / Ohorikoen / Tenjin to eat 3 Asian Art Museum / Tsukasa to eat 4 

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Fly out of Osaka at 6 pm
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This is long story because I want to document every little detail I can remember from this life changing experience since its still very fresh in my memory.
TL;DR at the bottom.
I’ve had a re-occurring dream every so often where I’m on a boat in an ocean in complete darkness with a group of random people. Most times I just walk around talking with different folks, sometimes I go out on the deck, but there are no stars, no moon, no lights at all except for the lights coming through the windows from inside. Complete blackness in every direction. The boat looks like an oversized tugboat with three levels of interior spaces and a large main deck. The boat is a little run down, seems like its been through some storms and is well weathered and banged up, its just floating along in a pitch black environment in a body of water with small waves lapping at the sides. Inside there are different rooms with different groups of people in each room doing different activities and other random stuff. Not much to think about and nothing of any significance ever happened in this re-occurring boat dream over the years, until last night.
Let me pause for a moment and mention that I have lucid dreamed off and on most of my life, I have a hard time triggering it, but when it does happen, I can usually do some crazy things in the dream world. I would say i'm well versed and experienced in lucid dreaming but not an expert, but I have successfully dream jumped in past lucid dreams.
This dream started out after a WBTB (Wake back to bed) method of lucid dreaming. I entered REM sleep and stepped into the dream on the 3rd floor of the boat and chatted with a random woman, and moved throughout the floor interreacting with different folks. Lucidity was triggered shortly after by my wife coughing in bed next to me so I was able to hear that in the background of the dream and I suddenly realized I was sleeping and became lucid. I was balancing right on the line between the physical world and the dream world, but I focused hard on remaining in the dream. As I take in the scene from this new lucid perspective, I can't seem to change anything about the scene. I could control my actions but I could not control the scene or any of the characters. I figured, alright lets try jumping out of this boring boat scene into something more fun and entertaining. I went through my preparatory process to jump out, concentrating on the scene I wanted to go into, and nothing happened. tried again and nothing. Then a third time, and nothing, strange. I’ve done this many times before where the scene would usually fade out to a bright white empty canvas and the new scene builds off that.
The woman was standing there watching me and looked very confused.
Her: What are you doing?
Me: I'm trying to jump out of here
Her: Why would you want to do that? this is your boat
Me: What do you mean this is my boat?, I'm just in a dream
Her: This is your boat, you don't normally leave until after we dock
Me: What are you talking about?
She gets closer and whispers in my ear, "this is your boat, you own this boat, and you own everything on this boat, all these people here are you"
Me: what do you mean all these people are me?
The wheels are turning in my head, "these people are me?" and it takes a few seconds to come to the shocking realization of what exactly is going on here.
Me: You mean everyone here is a version of me? is everyone here a past life?
She stepped back, slowly smiled and nodded her head and then a wave of energy that felt like goosebumps combined with a pressure wave just radiated across my body and I fell backwards to the floor. The shock of what I just realized brought me to the verge of waking up. The scene was starting to collapse and I could start feeling my bed, pillow and blanket on my body but I was not going to leave this dream on a cliffhanger like that. I concentrated as hard as I could, and as determined as possible and forced myself back into the dream, slowly trying to stabilize my consciousness back into the scene. I am normally not successful going back in after it starts fading from a shock like that but this time it worked!
I'm back on the boat, jump to my feet, and so many thoughts are racing through my head. Suddenly a bell rings and the woman says, "we're about to dock, this is when you leave" I realize I have only a minute or two at this point to try and gather as much info as possible before I wake up. The first thing I realized I must do, is count all the people. I have to know how many reincarnations are here. I want to start at the bottom floor and work my way up, going room by room, hopefully ending at the helm. I immediately run all the way down to the first floor, as i'm running downstairs I make a mental note to try and remember and the rough age, race, gender, clothing style or anything else unique that may stand out from each individual to ponder on later.
I hit the first floor and bust through the first door in the hallway like the cool aid man just tore through a wall of a building and there are several people standing around jamming out to some music, "oh, this must be all the lives I lived as a musician" 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, clothing styles range from 1920's to 1980's. Next door, two middle aged women that look like they're cooking dinner in a kitchen, they must be chefs, 6, 7, next door, 8, 9, 10, cowboy hat, Indian garb, next door 11, 12, 13, and so on. Door after door, the count goes higher, up to 20 now, most common characteristic so far is mostly middle aged folks from different time periods and different regions of the world within the last 200 years.
Next floor up, level 2, kicked in the first door, this was the sports room, about 8 people here, mostly basketball players with football and soccer player mixed in, this must be why I used to be able to sink 3-pointers like nothing when I was 15 years old. total count of 28 now, next several rooms, 29,30,31,32,33,34,35, 2 Asian men, one middle eastern woman, a monk, other random normal looking people, until I got to the last room on this floor. This room was the largest room, had the most people, and was the most emotional for me. I bust through the door, and its the kids room! I literally gasped as I looked around at just over a dozen or so toddlers and young children playing games on the floor with some young teenagers mixed in. My heart absolutely sank for all these lives I lived that were cut short for whatever reason. I took a few moments to walk through the group and put my hand on the head of each young child as I counted them off as they peered up at me with a look of endearment on their faces. I had to keep moving though, time was running out. total count of 50 now.
Back up to the third floor, room by room, this is the floor I started on so I had a general idea of who was up here, 51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60, a mix of male and female, ranging from mid 20's to mid 50's. I get through all the rooms and start frantically looking for the staircase up to the helm, who's steering this boat? who's controlling this thing? how do I get up there? as I frantically look around, suddenly I sense the boat bump the dock as it slides into its berth. Its only a matter of seconds now, I don't even bother to try and look out the window to see what was out there, I was scrambling around looking for the door to the top of the boat to see who or what was in control of this thing. At that moment I come face to face with a past life, older gentleman with glasses, thin body and balding head.
Him: Calm down, everything is going to be okay
Me: There are 60 people here! I exclaimed
Him: No, there are 66 people here and we are all you.
At that moment a powerful force immediately started dragging me backwards out of the scene and I fought hard against it, I was pushing hard to stay to find out more, I wanted to know more, I wanted to interview every single life and for a few seconds I floated above the floor fighting against the forces, but eventually it overcame my efforts and pulled me out of the boat and the scene disappeared. I woke up in my bed in a pool of my own sweat and my heart racing as I jumped up in bed in shock at what just occurred.
Out of the 60 people I counted in less than 2 minutes here is a very rough breakdown:
Gender - about 40 male, 20 female Race - about 8-10 black, 3-4 Asian, 2-3 Indian, 1 middle eastern, 1 Tibetan, 2-3 Hispanic and the rest mostly white
Age - this surprised me the most, 15 children under 15, less than 5 above 60 and rest in between. It’s seems more than 2/3rds of my past lives died before age 40. (I’m currently 46)
Time period - it seems all past lives lived within the past 200-300 years based on the clothes I saw, with most in the past 100 years, which reinforces the fact I believe that reincarnation is not linear with time and lives do overlap with other lives along the same earth timeline.
Takeaways
I no longer believe our consciousness is destroyed when our soul is wiped during the reincarnation process. I believe the consciousness and memories from each lifetime is removed and transported to this higher dimension storage realm where they are collected for each soul for some sort of future retrieval. Kind of like a safety deposit box for holding all the souls lifetime experiences.
This experience has completely humbled me, I thought I was an old soul that lived hundreds if not thousands of past lives, boy was I wrong. 25% of my past lives didn’t make it to adulthood, which was shocking to me. Most wisdom comes with age so I now consider myself a young soul with limited experience in this world. A lot of things do come easy to me, like sports, music, cooking and other activities but I realize these skills were practiced and perfected in previous lives.
It’s a little comforting knowing my current life experiences and memories will be saved and transferred to the boat realm for safekeeping after this body’s death, but also a little uneasy about that because who knows no long this will go on for? Do these past lives just wait around for eons while more past lives continue to arrive with the main soul occasionally stopping by to visit?
At what point does the main soul say that’s enough, go and collects all of the past lives, absorbs their life experiences and memories and moves onto something else? So many questions.
TLDR: I became lucid in a seldom re-occurring dream where I'm on a boat with a large group of people surrounded by complete blackness only to discover all the other occupants of the boat are all my past lives. All 66 prior life experiences, memories and consciousness from each life my soul has lived on this planet so far are all stored on this boat like a safe, hidden in a higher dimensional realm that I have visited many times before, but this time I was lucid to understand what it was.

GAME SWAP THREAD!
Shipping is included in the price (unless otherwise specified)

I AM OPEN TO OFFERS =)

Misc

• River City Girls 1 Commemorative NES Box + Soundtrack CD NEW(it doesn't include the game, it was a convention exclusive item) (PICS) : 40 shipped

Playstation 4/ PS3

• Worse than death(new): 45 shipped
  
• Inside iam8bit edition (new): 35 shipped
  
• Dark Devotion NEW: 70 shipped
  
• Dangun Feveron NEW: 65 shipped
  
• River City girls PAX variant ps4 NEW: 55 shipped
  
• Control Ultimate Edition NEW: 18 shipped
  
• Cotton Fantasy Strictly Limited Games Version NEW ( this version includes Manual): 45 shipped
  
• Revenge of the bird king (new)(PICS) : 50 shipped OBO
  
• Divinity Original Sin (CIB but doesn't work, the disc doesn't have any large scratch but doesn't work on my ps4 pro)(PICS):13 shipped
  
• Arcana Hearts 3 CIB (the art label has some water damage on the back) (PICS):25 shipped
  

Playstation 1/2

• Ape Escape 3 (CIB, Resurfaced, the data area looks almost pristine, It had some very light cracks in the center but applied a bit of glue as a precaution, the DVD was tested and works fine) (PICS)): 50 shipped

3DS/DS:

• New 3ds Black Friday edition, console( TN displays, bottom one has screen protector) + original stylus + additional Mario faceplates + Generic charger + Mario Maker loose : 250 shipped F&F(PICS))

Switch:

• The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Wood Plaque Nintendo Switch GameStop BonusNEW : 40 shipped
• Shadow man Remastered classic edition NEW : 110 shipped
• Darkwood (PICS)): 100 shipped
• Shantae Risky's Revenge PAX Oversized GB Edition NEW: 55 shipped (PICS))
• Shantae PAX Oversized GB Edition NEW: 55 shipped (PICS))
• Streets of Rage 4 Collector's edition (with Statue) CIB: 110 + shipping
• Mighty Fight federation CIB: 40 shipped (PICS))
• Turok (regular foil cover edition) NEW: 50 shipped
• Turok Classic Edition NEW (PICS): 110 shipped
• Furi definitive edition NEW (PICS): 80 shipped
• Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes New (PICS): 50 shipped

Gameboy/ Advance:

• Dracula Densetsu II JP version of Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge (Box, manual and cartridge, the box has some damage on the front and a bit sun faded on the sides)(PICS): 60 shipped
• Konami Krazy Racers PAL version CIB(PICS): 50 shipped
• Lady Sia PAL version loose(PICS): 22 shipped

Wii/ Wii U:

• Silent hill Shattered memories (Box only, has some water damage steins) (PICS): 20 shipped

Nintendo 64:

• Ogre Battle 64 Registration card only(loose): 45 shipped ( or will trade for Goemon 64/Adventure registration card)

SNES/ Super Famicom:

• Soul Blazer Box ( Original box cut inside a plastic rental box, it looks quiet neat) (PICS): 27 shipped OBO

PC ENGINE/DUO:

• Arcade Card DUO (PICS): 70 shipped

Original Xbox:

• Monster Braided Component cable (high quality cable) (PICS): 65 shipped

Xbox 360:

• Lost Odyssey ( Box + Manual + disc 3 and 4, also includes disc 1 but doesn't work)(PICS): 15 shipped

I personally love the caves with winding rivers inside. After the Upheaval is over, I’d do a cave boat tour. Just need to trains those goblins.

Working on trying to find some cats in a deep disused clay pit in Missouri. Info if it helps:
Approx 4 acre private lake, only fished by a few family members and friends these days, though in the past I know people have caught some big cats on limb lines, and years ago people fed catfish near the bank.
Its a former clay pit, so basically a very steep drop from the bank around 80% of shore line. There are a few shallows that are a little tougher to get to. We have a small dock and a jon boat.
Water, right now, is very clear. Like 10 feet visibility. We're gonna try some dock lines (floating dock over about 20-40 feet of water) and maybe jugs, but I'd like to try some bobbers an poles for fun with the kid.
We have great luck with bass and crappie on plastics, and the occasional bluegill or sunfish. Right now we can catch medium to small bass hand over fist, with an occasional big boy.
I see a lot of advice on here relating to moving water and ponds, but I'm not sure how applicable that is here. I'd love to hear any suggestions. I've got some box store stink bait, access to cut bait if I want to use the bass/crappie/sunfish I guess, and can always rustle up worms or hot dogs. I hate treble hooks but will deal with them if necessary. I'd love to be able to toss some bobbers or just a line on a pole from the bank where the yard meets the lake, but the bottom there is preeeety far down (40-50 ft), so I'm not sure where to suspend. I wouldn't mind catching a big un, but I'd be happy just to see what we can get.
Oh, if it matters, the lake is cut off from outside streams most of the time, but in very wet times, a nearby creek will mingle with it. That probably hasn't happened in over a year.
Maybe too much info, maybe not enough. Any advice appreciated, thanks all.

Teotihuacan was built on a geodetic grid system (a power center) in perfect sacred geometrical alignment with the cosmos to harness the energy of earth and sky. To understand it, we must go back to the original truth of the purpose. advanced design of Teotihuacan suggests that ancient builders had knowledge, not only of architecture, but of complex mathematical and astronomical sciences. The term 'Teohuacan' was found inscribed halfway across the globe on monuments in China, the term means 'place of the sun'(*our translation is 'Place to tie up the sun)Mercury, Hermes was the great Messenger, which also speaks for the planets quick trips around the sun. An aerial view shocked many researchers, but following the traditions we know what every pyramid was used for. Circuit Board-Teohuatican with two large processor chips— the Sun Pyramid and the Moon Pyramid. . One of the most interesting things about Teotihuacan is the finding by archaeologists of the extensive use of mica embedded in numerous structures. This mineral is found 3,000 miles away in Brazil and it is found in all buildings, housing complexes, temples and along the roads so basically this mineral is all over Teotihuacan.
The pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan contained considerable amounts of mica in layers up to 30 cm. Human use of mica dates back to prehistoric times. Mica was known to ancient Indian, Egyptian, Greek and Roman andChinese civilizations, as well as the Aztec civilization of the New World. The earliest use of mica has been found in cave paintings created during the Upper Paleolithic period (40,000 BC to 10,000 BC). The ancient civilizations & their inexplicable similarities are only shocking when one has disregarded our ancestors traditions as 'mythical ', which is a mistake made by academics only recently.
Mica is stable when exposed to electricity, light, moisture, and extreme temperatures. It has superior electrical properties as an insulator and as a dielectric, and can support an electrostatic field while dissipating minimal energy in the form of heat; it can be split very thin (0.025 to 0.125 millimeters or thinner) while maintaining its electrical properties, has a high dielectric breakdown, is thermally stable to 500 °C, and is resistant to corona discharge. Muscovite, the principal mica used by the electrical industry, is used in capacitors that are ideal for high frequency and radio frequency. Phlogopite mica remains stable at higher temperatures (to 900 °C) and is used in applications in which a combination of high-heat stability and electrical properties is required. Muscovite and phlogopite are used in sheet and ground forms.
The Maya Codex Vaticanus records faithfully the very ancient oral traditions of Central America. In one curious passage it states that “in the First Age, giants existed in that country(Mexico). "These 7 who escaped from a deluge , arrive in Cholula and there began to build a tower… in order that should a deluge come again he might escape to it.” Nahuatl language it’s named Tlachihualtepetl (‘artificial mountain’). Originally it was named Acholollan (‘water that falls in the place of flight’).
-Olmec(Xi)-had two different religious associations (gya-fa):the jaguar-man or humano-feline cult and the humano-bird cult. The humano-feline cult was called the nama-tigi by the Olmecs, while the humano-feline cult was called the kuno-tigi..Xoc Bas Birdman
The Teotihuacan(Tlalocan )mural depicts a range of mountains covered in rolling clouds and mists, below a brilliant red sky dominated by the huge figure of Tláloc, the Maya/Aztec god of celestial waters. Falling from Tláloc's open hands are flaming droplets of celestial water, likely representing the high-resonance isotope of protium, that overtly reference the ignition of celestial water vapor to form HHO plasma. The differentiation of celestial waters from terrestrial waters through the infrasonic evaporation of water vapor corresponds to special modern water purification processes involving the separation of resonant lightwater (protium) from dissonant heavy waters deuterium & tritium
The plumed headdress of Tláloc is comprised of radiating feathers of green and red hues, representing the colors of auroral plasma. Three arching red plumes stand out from the other green plumes of the headdress, extending from either side of the central figure and from the foreheads (pineal glands) of the two smaller figures in profile, representing the three frequencies of sound that generate nonlinear standing waves. Rising above the giant central figure of Tláloc is a majestic twisting Tree of Life image, composed of intertwining plumes of yellow/green and pink/red aerial HHO plasma that appear identical to modern photographs of the plasma discharges of red sprites.
Tláloc, God of Celestial Water, god of the vapor that rises, from the earth warmed by the sun after the rains, god of the mist that ascends from the valleys at dawn, god of the water that returns to its source in the clouds that swim over the highest peaks, god of the humid incense from which rise the copal prayers and the prayers of sacrifice
Tláloc is the return of vapor that strains to rise, is the return of time that strains to remember. Tláloc, God of the Fight Against the Current, with whose aid the hero battles against the torrent toward his own origin and beginning, towards the wings of his soul, the wings that Tláloc hides in the hero's past
The cycle of years is past - the waiting ended. Come - reunite, pilgrims, for the sky is in flames! From Xochicalco to Teotíhuacan the red spreads one step, another step, and another, only twelve short steps from the cave of the womb to the final conflagration
The red skies depicted in the Teotihuacan mural are also directly referenced in the Pyramid of Fire Codex, when it states that "the sky will be in flames" that will spread from one pyamid to another, as the worldwide netwrok of pyramids and sacred sites become activated to bath the area in the brilliant infrared and ultraviolet-A light of aerial HHO plasma plumes.ancient, unknown science designed to create energy directed up is excavating the tunnel.
-The geoposition of Teotihuacan pyramid complex (19.68°N 98.83°W), reveals a nonlinear (or Fibonacci-based) resonant alignment with respect to the Great Pyramid of Giza, being 7,684 miles away or 30.9% of the Earth's mean circumference (of 24,892 miles)..which is also observed in the Paracas petroglyphs.
The Sanskrit descendant cultures of Asia express the same essential interpretation given by the Maya culture of Central America; identifying the planet Mercury as ‘the fast runner’ that takes ‘quick flight’ around the sun, having a short orbital period of approximately 88 days. Among Nahuatl cultures, the art of running was crucial to the functioning of society, enabling the rapid conveyance of messages over long distance.
Mercury is the link (messenger) between the gods (higher principles) and humankind. In the ancient art of alchemy, such as in Hermeticism, Mercury, sulfur, and salt were the Earth's three principle substances that represent the trinity in creation. As sulphur is the symbol for the active principle, mercury is the symbol of the passive principle.The symbol of Mercury is the cosmic womb being incubated by the cross of the four elements of creation - earth, air, fire and water. Mercury is the messenger in Astrology as it is in mythology. It is the planet of day-to-day expression and communication. Mercury's action is to take things apart and put them back together again. It is an opportunistic planet, decidedly unemotional and curious. Mercury not only rules communication, it represents coordination. Thought processes, ideas, and sensory information from both unconscious and unconscious sources all need to be coordinated and understood.
Ive said before that the mercury was used to accomplish communication wth the Gods, The fluid metal element mercury was extolled as generating the luminosity of the blood of gods, for its threefold biophotonic extension of human longevity, whereby adepts of the alchemical arts were able to attain long lifespans. Mercury was closely associated with its extreme volatility, which must be carefully controlled to achieve positive results. Mercury was considered an ethereal element for its low boiling point of 357°C. When heated above this temperature, quicksilver will rapidly vaporize as toxic fumes inspiring an association with quick flight: ‘mercury has wings’.
A number of the Mesoamerican pyramids there are key components designed into their construction that act as magnifiers. These components appear to be important in the creation, magnification, and distribution of telluric fields.Pyramid & Scalar WavesEarly Irrigation of Teotihuacan
Provenance od Limestone used in Teotihuacan
Identification of Pyrite & Hematite
• Water, either moving naturally including rivers or cenotes (found at El Castillo at Chichen Itza) or by artificial canals or tunnels, similar to the Temple of Inscription found at Palenque.)
• Geo-magnetic fields. Naturally formed telluric fields that have high and low period throughout day and night.
• Pyramid design. The specific pyramid shape appears to greatly enhance the telluric fields that pulse up and into the center of the chamber.
• Pyramid interior fill. At a number of pyramids, rocks that are good electromagnetic conductors fill the interior of the pyramids and are used to enhance the pulsing field. Rocks that have veins with quartz, granite, and other electrical conducting properties appear to be favored. Characterization of lime carbonates in plasters from Teotihuacan, Mexico: preliminary results of cathodoluminescence and carbon isotope analyses
Dr Burke &Dr Brooker research determined that each location had been chosen because of its naturally occurring telluric energy field that pulsed up and into the structure or surrounding area. Also Burke and his research partner Kaj Halberg discovered electro-magnetic signatures that measured impressive charges on top of the pyramid. In a series of scans, the readings showed an average change of 908 volts over a short period of time, which was concentrated in the early morning hours. As ive stated in the past, this is the ideal time for sungazing. The pineal, contains magnetite & creates its own magnetic field. This was once a universal practice at Sacred sites, in 2009 until Nov 2012 The grand maya council held 52 full moon ritual of the new cycle where we visited sacred sites around the world and brought back these rituals. Burke mentions the readings and states, “These voltages might sound lethal and if it were a household current they could be. However, static electric charge in the air is a different type of electricity and even a thousand volts is not dangerous.” His discovery of pyramid field generation is fascinating, but what he actually uncovered was a means of generating and perhaps distributing electromagnetic energy within a pyramid complex. Which aligns with the term used for the ancient Egyptians, the Great PrNtr-house of Nature, or house of energy).
Stanford edu-Native American & Polynesian population The Genetic Evidence for 2 founding populations has constantly confirmed our traditions, the idea of independent invention is absolute nonsense. Theres an overwhelming amount of evidence, "believe" is a term unfamiliar to Dogon culture & ive yet to see the point in such a thing. If preconceived biases have clouded the minds of the majority, and they ignore evidence thats their fault. The age of the Fourth Sun, the Age of the Black Headed People (Aztec), or the Age of Heroes (Inca). This is the era in which Quetzalcoatl appeared in Mexico -- tall of stature, bright of countenance, bearded, and wearing a long tunic. His staff, shaped like a serpent, was painted black, white, and red [reminiscent of American Indians' mythology of three races of Man]. The staff was inlaid with precious stones and adorned with six stars.
-Between the 14th and 16th centuries during the Aztec era, Quetzalcoatl was worshipped as the patron of priests, the inventor of books and the calendar, as well as the protector of goldsmiths and other craftsmen..Shamanism, was invented in west Africa & brought to the Mesoamerican civilizations. The Aztec oral traditions say that Quetzalcoatl & his followers brought these beliefs ,and came from the East across the oceans. This is now corroborated by genetic, skeletal remains, artifacts, you name it. Quetzalcoatl was just a High Priest of Anu. The Gold tipped spears,or as Columbus calls it ' guanin 'to the Indians of Hispaniola. Samples of which sent back to Spain on a mail boat, and the proportion was found to be identical to what was being forged in African Guinea.
Moche Reed BoatThe Xi(Olmec) were a mix of a Polynesian/Oceanic elite aristocratic people accompanied by priests of the Orisha(Yoruba)/Mende(MalinkeBambara)responsible for introducing the religious practices and astronomical worship of the Mother Goddess complex (Venus, the Dogon Sirius observation and the Venus worship of the Olmecs, the use of the ax in the worship of Shango among he Yoruba of West Africa and the use of the ax in Olmec worship as well as the prominence of the thunder God later known as Tlalock among the Aztecs).It was R1b-V88(Yoruba) that were known as magicians to the Mayans & local Aymara over in Bolivia because of their knowledge of acoustics, which they have preserved from the Nile Valley (Anu colleges of Heliopolis).
Again, we see Toward the end of the Fourth Sun, wars between the gods were taking place. [The Battle of the Titans?] The gods' war brought havoc to the land; wild animals overran mankind, and Tollan was abandoned. The fourth Sun had begun 5,042 years before the time of the Codex Vaticano-Latino 3738 (1533). The time the Fourth Sun ended is not stated, but the Codex was written during the Fifth Sun. The Fourth Sun may have perished by means of the Jaguar. The Fifth Sun is referred to as the Age of Kings by the Incas.

I recently came across the book "Three Men in a Boat" by Jerome K. Jerome, published in 1889, while working my way through classic works of literature...and instantly fell in love! This is the most humorous, heart-warming, informative, inspirational and, occasionally, insane book I've ever read, which tells the story of three men and their dog on a boating holiday across the River Thames in a skiff.
Unfortunately, while working my way through the text, I came across several words whose meaning have changed over time, several phrases that are no longer in current usage, historical facts and figures that are not commonly known, references to poems, books and songs that have long since been forgotten, and so on. I thought that this was a shame, so I annotated the text. But, I may have gone a bit too far in my annotations, which is why I call this the ULTRA-ANNOTATED EDITION.
I've published my ultra-annotated edition through Amazon/KDP. But, no matter how many e-mails I send to Amazon/KDP or online chats I have with them, they refuse to allow me "Editor" status and they have not linked the three editions (Kindle, paperback, hardcover) together properly so clicking those links takes you to someone else's book. Grrr!!
Because of this, I've uploaded a free PDF to archive.org. Here's the link ==> https://archive.org/details/three-men-in-a-boat-ultra-annotated-edition. Note that I give a more detailed explanation of my annotations there.
Now, it's your turn, gentle readers. As I mention on the archive.org page for the book, I am neither a scholar nor an academic. (With that said, I'm the nutcase who typed in thousands of mathematical formulas appearing in my Kindle/paperback edition of Leonhard Euler's "Elements of Algebra". Yep, that's me!) You may disagree with some of my annotations and, if so, I would like to hear from you. If you find any errors, disagree with an annotation, would like me to include more annotations, etc., please let me know. The book's e-mail address appears on the "NOTES ON THE ANNOTATED EDITION" page. I'd like to have the book as clean as possible for the start of the school year this fall so that school children can download the ultra-annotated version sans errors for class and not have to purchase the book.
Thanks and Enjoy!

I recently came across the book "Three Men in a Boat" by Jerome K. Jerome, published in 1889, while working my way through classic works of literature...and instantly fell in love! This is the most humorous, heart-warming, informative, inspirational and, occasionally, insane book I've ever read, which tells the story of three men and their dog on a boating holiday across the River Thames in a skiff.
Unfortunately, while working my way through the text, I came across several words whose meaning have changed over time, several phrases that are no longer in current usage, historical facts and figures that are not commonly known, references to poems, books and songs that have long since been forgotten, and so on. I thought that this was a shame, so I annotated the text. But, I may have gone a bit too far in my annotations, which is why I call this the ULTRA-ANNOTATED EDITION.
I've published my ultra-annotated edition through Amazon/KDP. But, no matter how many e-mails I send to Amazon/KDP or online chats I have with them, they refuse to allow me "Editor" status and they have not linked the three editions (Kindle, paperback, hardcover) together properly so clicking those links takes you to someone else's book. Grrr!!
Because of this, I've uploaded a free PDF to archive.org. Here's the link ==> https://archive.org/details/three-men-in-a-boat-ultra-annotated-edition. Note that I give a more detailed explanation of my annotations there.
Now, it's your turn, gentle readers. As I mention on the archive.org page for the book, I am neither a scholar nor an academic. (With that said, I'm the nutcase who typed in thousands of mathematical formulas appearing in my Kindle/paperback edition of Leonhard Euler's "Elements of Algebra". Yep, that's me!) You may disagree with some of my annotations and, if so, I would like to hear from you. If you find any errors, disagree with an annotation, would like me to include more annotations, etc., please let me know. The book's e-mail address appears on the "NOTES ON THE ANNOTATED EDITION" page. I'd like to have the book as clean as possible for the start of the school year this fall so that school children can download the ultra-annotated version sans errors for class and not have to purchase the book.
Thanks and Enjoy!

Many homeowners are about to try to sell out VERY SOON.
The pressure to get out before the ship sinks is very REAL.
We are in the morning session of the second day of a 5 day test.
Remember these full cycles take years to play out.
People now finally realise that INTEREST RATES WONT BE CUT ANYTIME SOON.
Rates will be much higher for much longer.
People know they just can’t hold on any more.
With mass job cuts and recession incoming, things are only going to get MUCH WORSE.
AI is also taking jobs at an unprecedented rate. I previously hired 3 freelancers to do 3 seperate jobs that I can now do better, by myself using chat GPT, Midjourney and other tools.
Maybe those who sell soon will come out relatively unscathed and can start again debt free.
There is no shame in that.
Many are realising that they seriously over leveraged and it is time to drop their ego and sell up.
They have sold their JetSki’s, boats and cars, but it is not enough. The hospitality /retail workers who used mum and dad as guarantors for 1.5million dollar loans are more common than many think.
Mum and dad are pressuring them to sell, so they don’t go down with the sinking ship too.
A hive mind is spreading through homeowners nationwide “Quick let’s sell while those sheeples dialled into mainstream media still think property is booming and are buying in on FOMO”
Smart?
This mass feaanxiety mindset is spreading fast.
Smart investors are getting out NOW.
They know the normal spring selling season will add an abundance of supply in itself to start the snowball to roll down the hill. This could turn into an avalanche as the recession takes hold.
People about to face the mortgage cliff know they MUST GET OUT NOW, before they go down with the sinking ship too.
Migrants won’t be saving the market. Many are heading back home and telling their loved ones not to come over due to the cost of living. Inflation remains rampant and will for years to come.
The rental issue is isolated to the big cities and won’t save the broader market. Here on the coast there is an abundance of rentals. No rental shortage here. House prices have been flat for months. No spike here.
Time for prices to resume their downward trajectory…..
How low will they go?

We are cruising in August with our 5 year old and 3 year old. It’s our first cruise, usually when we travel we use car seats in the plane and then have them for our rental car for our trip. We travel pretty often, but don’t know what to do for the cruise. I don’t want the car seats taking up space in our small room, but obviously I want my kids to be safe. We will need the car seats in Tampa… but once we get on the boat can we use them for excursions? Some of the excursions include drives sometimes an hour away! Has anyone brought a car seat they have been able to use for this?
If we will not be able to use them on the excursion busses, we can leave them with a friend in Tampa. I am unsure of safety laws in the countries we are traveling to, Mexico, Honduras and Belize.
Thanks!
Edit* We are specifically interested in the Deluxe Beach Break at Playa Maya in Cozumel, Roatan Sloth Monkey Iguana interaction, and the scenic wildlife river safari in Belize.

I finish my breakfast to the protests of Shadow. “I don’t want to hear it. You don’t need to eat. You’re just being difficult.”
Shadow rubs his face on my leg. “That’s what I thought. You were just bullshitting. I’m surprised you and Pops don’t hang out more.”
I get up and clean the dishes. Then I finish dressing. Today is going to be a scorcher so I’ve opted for linen pants and a linen shirt. Shadow continues his protests at me leaving. I pick him up. “How dare I leave more than six feet from you? The gall I posses.” I say as I rub his head. “The day is young and people may need my help. Besides, don’t you have work to do? I saw a mouse scamper by just last night.”
Shadow meows.
“A tricky adversary? I can relate. I’ll be back around lunchtime.” I say as I lower the protesting Shadow.
I sigh to prepare myself for the heat that is about to hit me. I open the door and walk out.
Yup.
It is going to be nasty today. As I walk through the town, I pass Cecil sitting on his porch.
“Morning Papa Bones.”
“Morning Cecil.” I say as I open the gate and walk into his yard.
“Your a better man than me braving this heat. My white ass would burn to a crisp.”
“Not going to lie. It’s not going to be fit for man or beast today.” I say as I sit down on a rocking chair. I see a pitcher sitting on the table in between us. “What’s that?” I ask.
“Mojito. What a glass?”
“It’s a little early but sure.”
Cecil pours a glass and hands it over.
I take a sip and cough. “Merde.”
“Yup. The only thing to do today is get shitfaced.” Cecil says.
“What’s in this? Rocket fuel?”
“Not that far off.” Cecil says.
“Not going to lie. It’s refreshing.”
“Mildred doesn’t have many talents but one of them is making an excellent mojito.”
I take another sip. I suppose one way to get past the heat is to get drunk.
“What’s going on? I head a man as entered the town. Vincent is his name, I believe.” Cecil says.
“Correct. I think he is passing through. Hope so anyway.”
“Our little town is growing. Two new families just moved in.”
“I’ve heard. Haven’t met them yet.” I say.
“I’ve met the white family. They seem nice. They seemed completely charmed by Ayzian.”
“Ayzian does have its charms.” I say before taking another sip of the refreshing, minty, lime green rocket fuel.
“Haven’t met the other family yet. Heard they were nice as well.” Cecil informs me.
“You’ve given me an idea, Cecil. I think I will go meet our new neighbors.”
“Quite neighborly of you Julian. They will like that.”
“Well, we aren’t northerners.”
“God and the Loa has blessed us in that regard.” Cecil says before taking a sip of his drink.
“I’ll drink to that.” I say before we clink glasses.
I finish my drink and put the glass down. “I should go.”
“No need to rush off. Stay awhile.” Cecil tells me.
“I can’t sit around and get shitfaced with you all day.”
“Well, if you change your mind. I’ll be here. Hey, if you see Pops. Tell him if he wants his ass kicked again in dominos. He knows where to find me.”
I chuckle as I get up. “I will absolutely tell him that.”
I walk down the path to the gate. As I continue my walk. I see one of the houses of the new families. From what I see. It’s just mom dad and daughter. I stop at the gate and wave at them. “Hello.”
The father stops his yard work and walks towards me. I hold out my hand. “I’m Julian. Welcome to Ayzian.”
He shakes my hand. “Hey, I’m Bill. That’s my wife Suzan and our daughter Mary.”
“Well, Bill. How are you finding Ayzian so far?” I ask.
Susan over hears this as she walks up. “It’s been wonderful so far. Everyone has been so nice. Sweetheart, come here. This is Julian.”
The little girl walks up and I kiss the back of her hand. “Enchante”
“What did you say?” Mary asks.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you were a princess.” I say.
“No, she absolutely thinks she is one.” Bill teases.
“Daddy!” Mary cries.
“Well, I hope you find Ayzian to your liking.” I tell them.
“So far, so good.” Susan tells me.
“We’ve heard about this man named Papa Bones. We are kinds anxious to meet him.” Bill says.
“Well, you’re in luck. I’m Papa Bones.”
Mary giggles. “That’s a funny name.”
I smile as I lower myself so we could be eye to eye. “It is a title of my region. Voodoo.”
“Voodoo?” Asks Mary.
“Yes. Ayzian was founded on Voodoo. This place was created by free slaves and the white people that helped them. All are welcome here.” I tell her.
“Cool.”
“Very cool. You can find out more at our library.”
“Can me go, mom?” Mary asks Susan.
Susan smiles at her. “We sure can.”
I stand. “I should go. If you ever need anything. Don’t hesitate to ask.”
“We won’t.” Bill says as he holds out his hand.
Before I shake it. I notice Bill has biker tattoos on his forearm. We shake and I leave.. I continue my walk. I’m buoyed by meeting the first family. I go directly to the house of the second family. I knock on the door and it is opened by the husband. He is a large black man. Covered in gang tattoos.
“Can I help you?” He asks.
“I’m Papa Bones. Community leader. I just wanted to welcome you to Ayzian.”
“Thanks brother. Not sure we will stay. I didn’t realize so many white people lived here. My family is looking for a place we can feel safe.”
I’ve encountered this attitude from people before. People from the big cites are the worst offenders.
I give the man a smile. “White people also helped found Ayzian. All are welcome here. The white people were also hunted by slave owners and would have been killed along side their black brothers. To paraphrase Dr. Martian Luther King. Only the quality of one’s character matters here.”
“Yeah. I’m sure you believe that.”
“I do. Everyone here does. If it helps, over half of the town is mixed now.”
The husband cuts me off. “Can I help you with something?”
“Just wanted to welcome you to Ayzian. What is your name by the way?” I ask.
“Jerome. Have a nice day.”
Jerome shuts the door in my face.
I walk down the path to the street.
He just needs time. Ayzian gives everyone a clean slate to start over. This is a place of healing. Time is the thing needed for some people. Ayzian works in mysterious ways but it always works. During my walk, I enter the town park. As I do, several kids run up to me. “Papa Bones!”
“How are you kids doing today?” I ask.
“Doing good. Hey, are the stories true?” A girl asks me.
“What stories?”
“About how you helped Vincent destroy the sky monster.”
“It didn’t happen like that. Vincent told you a tall tale.”
“He said you would say that.” A boy says.
“Did he now?”
“He said you would be mad at the truth.” Another boy explains.
“I will talk to him. Take any story from him with a grain of lies.”
“Vincent says people that don’t look good in stories, their version is full of lies.” Another girl says.
“Not true. If you will excuse me. I must talk to Vincent.”
I leave the children as they run back into the park to play. This conversation has irritated me. I will have to use sterner language the next time I talk to Vincent. In fact I will do that now. Id bet money he is staying at the bed and breakfast. So I go there and enter. Magdalene the owner greets me. “Julian. Nice to see you.”
“Nice to see you too. Tell me, is there a man named Vincent staying here?” I ask.
“Why yes he is. Paid for a whole month upfront. Such a nice man.”
“I see. Is he here now?”
“No. He left after breakfast.”
“Did he say when he will be back?” I ask.
“No. He didn’t. Want to leave a message for him?”
“No. I’ll find him. Thanks anyway.” I say.
I leave the bed and breakfast. I stand out front with my hands on my hips and think for a second. I have few ideas where he could be and with a lack of options, I head towards the swamp outside of town. It payed off the last time a stranger came to town. As I walk, sweat starts to cover my body. Thankfully I’m still a little buzzed from the mojito earlier. It does help with the heat but man, I could use a glass of cold water now. As I near the outskirts of town, I head in the direction of Amos’s house. When I get there, I see him on the dock. Repairing his airboat. “Hey Amos. How are you?” I call out.
Amos stands and looks at the airboat. “Be better if this piece of shit was fixed.”
“Something happen or is this routine maintenance.” I ask.
“That Goddamn Major Gator attacked my boat.”
“Holy shit. You’re lucky to be alive.”
Amos gives me a dismissive wave. “Oh, some overgrown lizard don’t scare me none. The son of a bitch did a number on my boat. This has become personal. Mercy can’t get down here soon enough.”
“Yeah. I could use her tracking skills myself.” I reply.
“Enough about me. What brings you by?”
“New man is in town. Goes by the name of Vincent. Have you seen him?”
“Nah. Heard of this feller however. Ain’t seen anything strange in the swamp for a couple weeks or so.” Amos explains.
“You heard of him out here?” I ask.
“Went into town a couple days ago. Seems everybody was abuzz about him.”
I wipe the sweat off my face. “Yeah. That’s part of the reason I want to talk to him.”
“Why? He been acting funny around the kids?”
“What? No. Nothing like that. He just been telling them some fibs. That’s all.”
“Oh ok. Sorry. No. I haven’t seen him around here.”
“Thanks, Amos. Oh, by the way. Pops wants to do a catfish fry. He may be hittin you up soon.” I say.
“Yeah. Talked to him yesterday. He’ll have his catfish by the weekend.”
“Ok. I’ll leave it to you then.” I say.
“See you later.” Amos goes back to work on his airboat. As I leave I hear him mumble. “You Motherfucker……”
I walk back into town. I head directly to Pops. I enter the air conditioning and damn near pass out. I sit down and sigh. Marcus walks out of the kitchen in the back. “Hey, Julian. What do you need?”
“Ice water and lots of it.”
Marcus hands over a glass filled to the brim. I take a sip and say. “Perfect.”
“Anything else?”
“Where’s Pops?” I ask.
“In the back. Want me to go get him?”
“Nah. I’ll go back there.”
I take the glass and drink as i enter the kitchen. “Old man. You in here?” I call out.
“Right here. What the hell do you want?” Pops says as he walks out of the walk in freezer.
“Need to talk. Need so,e words of wisdom. Don’t know anyone wise so you’ll have to do.”
“Well. Talk. Chop up those sausages as you do. You know how I want it done.”
I grab a knife and some sausages. I start cutting eighth inch pieces like I was taught.
“What’s bothering you?” Pops asks.
“This new guy, Vincent.”
Pops hurumphs. “Marcus has told me about him.”
“He is lying to the children and it’s bothering me.”
“I’m sure he casting you in a poor light is not helping.” Pops adds.
“It is not. I’m trying to leave my ego out of it.”
Pops stops cleaning the crawfish. “You need to be kind but firm with him when you talk to him about this.”
“I thought I was.” I say.
“Heard he told falsehoods about the Loa as well. They may deal with him themselves.”
I finish cutting the sausage. “I doubt I’ll be so lucky.”

My brother (Simon-31M) and I (27F) don't exactly get along; my choices reflect that. I was tasked with a difficult decision and chose my nephew over my brother. While this might sound bad, I don't believe I am in the wrong. I believe my actions are entirely justified in a country of war and horror. However, as of writing this, I am sitting on the couch, waiting for death to visit me and wondering if I made the right decision. The only person I saved was my nephew. I didn't even save myself. Could I and should I have saved my brother too?
For context: My brother and I have had a strained relationship since the death of our father. We were both kids and while we grieved, my brother was consumed by revenge and joined a band of rebels (when he promised our mother he wouldn't). Our mother eventually found out and had a heated confrontation with my brother, in which he arrogantly blamed her for the death of our father. That night Simon left our mother in tears, and I had never hated anyone more in my life because I knew he meant every word. A few months later, the northern army invaded the refugee camp and killed most refugees, including our mother. Luckily my twin sister and I left unharmed, unlike our brother, who was shot in the head and left with brain damage. At the time, I only cared about two things: protecting my family and settling the score.
A few years later, I was 17 years old, and I had hired a woman to take care of what remained of my brother. I reconnected with an old man I had met at the refugee camp. He taught me about history, weapons, and music. But most importantly, he taught me how to kill. I eventually earned an integral role in a networked rebellion. Unlike the rebels my brother joined, this rebellion was calculated and strategic. They chose targets purposefully and made sure it was worth it. One of which was the highest-ranked general in the northern government. Because of my role in the rebellion, I was the one that eliminated him and thus partially fulfilled my thirst for revenge. Meanwhile, I have to come home to a 21-year-old brother who allows himself to be treated like a baby by everyone around him. I remember wishing he had died at the refugee camp alongside my mother. Simon was once a confident and enraged rebel fighter, but my memories of him were forever stained by the images of him as a giant man-baby who drools on himself.
I think the day I lost my sister was when I honestly gave up on my brother. She was killed by a drone strike. Devasted, I locked myself in the shed for a week and wouldn't let anyone in. My sister was the last thing I had tried to protect, and I barred everyone from her room after her death. I spent the next few years avoiding Simon and letting his doting nurse completely control his care. I'm sure Simon was also upset about Dana's death, but I could never bring myself to talk to him about it. I doubt he would've ever been able to understand the kind of pain I was going through. I wasn't even sure if he could still sympathize or experience that kind of pain. Apparently, the loss of my entire family wasn't enough because the Northerns came and arrested me. I was imprisoned and tortured for seven long years until I confessed to crimes I did and did not commit. It was revealed to me that the man that brought me into the networked rebellion was the one that ratted me out. However, this information did not affect me; it felt like the universe was only beating a dead horse.
The war ended a year ago, and I was released from prison. After being released, I went home to find a plaque on my mailbox reading "Karina and Simon Chestnut." My brother was apparently well enough by then to carry on a conversation, get married, and even father a child! While I was being waterboarded, Karina and Simon were playing house. My nephew Benjamin was already six years old by the time I was freed and met him for the first time. I moved into the shed behind their house because I found being on a hard floor more comfortable than the cushy bed they wanted me to sleep in. They seemed pretty happy knowing that we lost the war. I disagreed with their way of thinking and their ideology and even considered leaving the home that I no longer recognized. That was until I spent more time with Benjamin. He was clearly curious about me and what I was doing in the shed. He reminds me of myself when I was his age. I'm unsure whether it was because I had spent seven years alone in prison or because the last person I felt close to died a decade ago, but I started feeling something toward this kid. I knew I had to protect him when the opportunity for ultimate revenge presented itself. I was asked if I would release a deadly virus in the United States. I could accomplish everything I'd been looking for, but it would come at the cost of millions of innocent lives. I thought about talking to Simon about it, but I knew he wouldn't approve of what I was about to do. Benjamin helped me feel joy again, and if I could save him, maybe all of the pain and suffering our family has endured would be worth it.
So I did. I saved him. The virus would be released, with or without my help, so I had to act fast to get him to safety. Very early in the morning before the sun had risen and everyone was still asleep, I packed Benjamin's belongings and woke him saying I had a surprise. Excited for an adventure, he followed without question, and I led him to the river to a boat that would smuggle him to Anchorage - far away from the virus. He's only seven; he has a whole life ahead of him, unlike his father and I - both broken and scarred by what we have endured.
So am I a bad person for saving my nephew and not my brother (and his wife)?

Hello, I would like to seek fellow redditors opinions, input and recommendation on how I could better finetune my itinerary better. There's only so much I can think of, and plan as an individual, but with everyone's input and comments I can further refine and enhance the travel experience before I set foot into Japan. Do forgive me in advance for the theorycrafting wall of text.
I know it may be difficult to review the itinerary, so to make the review easier I have broken the itinerary down into specific sub-groups e.g. Shikoku, Kinki etc. Specific questions that I have are bolded.
Thank you in advance for taking your time to provide your opinions!
-------------
Baseline information

• 32M, average fitness, solo traveller
• Public transport only (challenge); I have a driver's license but I have not drove a car for god knows how long so I would prefer not to test it against the green hills of Shikoku
• Interest: anime (select few), experience autumn/nature, visiting secluded spots, and just trying random stuff
• JP language skill: rudimentary at best (N4), but I will not shy away from speaking in simple, broken japanese or use a translator to communicate. Reading/interpreting kanji is not a problem (in general).
• Visit history: Visited twice (once to Hokkaido for ~8 days, and once toKyoto and Osaka for 8 days
• Will probably travel around with a (slightly) oversized luggage at ~166cm (A+B+C), that’s the only one I have with me. This will be a problem on the Shinkansen (but hopefully not so much on sightseeing trains/limited expresses).
• Will be visiting during (almost) peak autumn at 11 November, and will depart on the 16th of December
• Jet lag is unlikely to be a problem (1h time difference), but nevertheless I will maintain a low tempo on the first day to acclimatize to the environment
• Only thing firmed as of now is the air ticket, everything else is up in the air.
• I like planning/min-maxing to some degree, though I recognize that I may not fulfill all objectives during the trip and I am totally ok with that [its just a guideline or framework to give the holiday some structure, that’s all.] FWIW, I personally like traveling at a high tempo pace like some japanese travel show do (e.g. ローカル路線バス乗り継ぎの旅)

​
Specific goals/objective:

1. Experience Shikoku in autumn (specifically the views at Iya Valley) and in other prefectures (thus making nature sightseeing more of a priority this time round)
2. Experience Kanazawa for anime stuff
3. Experience the Shimanami Kaido in full (including any sightseeing spots in between the 6 island chains)
4. Bonus - try as many sightseeing trains as possible.
5. Bonus - if weather, time and schedule permits, try skiing as an option in Nagano.
6. Bonus - stay in as many onsen ryokans as possible, without breaking the bank.

​
Locked-in prefectures [i.e. I will definitely go to those prefectures no matter what]:

1. Shikoku (as per above objective)
2. Hiroshima (because its on the opposite end of the Shimanami Kaido)
3. Kanazawa (for anime related reason)
4. Tokyo (that is my starting and end point so it has to be included by default)

All other prefectures are basically float i.e. I am open to consider dropping said itinerary for something else based on your suggestion that aligns with my preferences/interest. Most of the other locations I added are prefectures that are often next to each other, or well-connected (apart from the initial Tokyo Kagawa jump via Sunrise Seto/Shinkansen).
​
Wait-list prefectures (prefectures that I want to go, but I don’t think I can realistically fit in without dropping other locations):

1. Snow skiing at Nagano (depending on how cooperative the weather is in early-ish December (would 2 days be sufficient?))
2. Ehime, Kochi expansion [spend 1-3 more days]
3. Izu Peninsula (~2 days, via Saphir Odoriko)
4. Nagoya + lower Nagano (Kiso Valley) (~3 days)
5. Ishikawa expansion [1 extra day at Kaga]

I am open to dropping a few days in Tokyo/Osaka etc to make that trade off [currently kept 3 days free for further development]. Alternatively, if the planning can be better optimized based on your inputs I might be able to do one of those without compromising on the base set. I would like to hear your opinion on what locations you would drop in the itinerary to make time for one of the above.
​
General planning philosophy:

1. My itineary adopts a breadth approach (cover as much area as I can humanely possible without rushing/touch-and-go) as opposed to depth (i.e. spending much more time within Shikoku than what I allocated); though I would be open to considering more days at selected locations if you have strong recommendations. My thought is to experience how different autumn is at various parts of the country (if possible), and maybe winter too (to a certain degree).
2. Due to the nature of my travel, I note that luggage logistics is a critical consideration when moving between prefectures; my thought is to park that luggage at the next hotel as quickly as possible so that I can free myself for sightseeing within the vicinity, or leave the luggage at the hotel after I check out until I am ready to travel to the next location. I will need to send (quite a fair bit of) emails to the hotels to confirm on this prior to booking.
3. I will attempt to minimize transit time between prefectures to no more than 2~3 hours a day to avoid having excessively long transport days (except the initial Tokyo Kagawa jump).
4. Because of the long trip, I will also need to factor a bit of downtime at night for administrative stuff (e.g. catching up a little bit on work, laundry etc).

---------
Shikoku (~7 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. I will need to exploit Limited Express trains as much as possible to minimize downtime between the 4 prefectures. Fortunately, for the most part these train frequencies are almost hourly, thus missing one train isnt too deadly consequence-wise.
2. The transfer between Kochi and Ehime [Matsuyama] is oddly quicker via express bus as opposed to trains (!)
3. For Kochi, my opinion is that it is best explored on car instead of public transport [it’s a really wide prefecture]; I feel that 1 day may not do it justice, but it is probably adequate for exploring the city centre as a whole.
4. There's a fair bit of uncertainties while planning this leg so I would deeply appreciate any advice you may have.
5. This current iteration is unable to weave in the Shikoku Mannaka Sennen Monogatari sightseeing train [四国まんなか千年ものがたり] ; if you people think its something not to be missed do let me know and I will reshuffle my timetable as such.

Day 0: Tokyo Kagawa (Sunrise Seto) [Saturday, 11 Nov]

• Touch down at Narita at 1720hours
• Transfer to Tokyo Station via NEX or Skyliner
• Settle administrative matters at the Midori-no-Maruguchi (e.g. get all the booked tickets etc from JR Pass, for Shinkansen and all other sightseeing trains) at Tokyo Station.
• IF Sunrise Seto ticket is obtained via the JR West portal booking, chill till 2200 and take Sunrise Seto to reach Kagawa (Takamatsu) at 0700 the next day. Try to snag the ticket online (likely via the japanese portal since there's no option to buy Solo Deluxe through the english/international website. Otherwise, compromise and go for Single)
• IF Sunrise Seto ticket is NOT obtained, proceed to take the furthest possible Shinkansen westwards (probably Okayama) and rest for the night.

Day 1: Kagawa (Takamatsu) [Sunday, 12 Nov]

• Chill around Takamatsu. Drop luggage at coin locker OR the hotel (near JR Takamatsu ideally)
• Look at whats left of Takamatsu Castle en route to the port.
• Day trip to Naoshima or Teshima to visit the art museums (Chichu Art Museum, Lee Ufan Museum etc).
• Ritsuin Garden in the evening (closes 1830)
• Find an eatery with Sanuki Udon for dinner if possible.

Day 2: Kagawa (Kotohira) Tokushima (Iya Valley) [Monday, 13 Nov]

• Morning trip from Takamatsu to Kotohira (either via JR or Kotoden). Visit Kotohiragu [includes inner shrine] and Kanamaruza Theater
• Return to Kotohira to pick up luggage, transit to Oboke via Limited Express Shimanto [Takamatsu Tadotsu Oboke]
• Retire at a local hotel around Oboke. If time permits, take the chance to explore around Oboke Gorge itself.

​
Day 3: Tokushima (Iya Valley) [Tuesday, 14 Nov]
[Post-research note: I realized that there is NO public transport to Mount Tsurugi on a weekday. I will have to rent a taxi direct to Mount Tsurugi, make the 'climb', then thereafter take the taxi down to the other attractions. I am inclined to just go full hog on the private taxi and rent it (almost the whole day, probably 7~8 hours for 4300yen/hour) to save the trouble.
Otherwise, I will need to hike downhill which can be rather rough since its just a single lane road (looking at nearly 10++ km) so I think it wise not to penny pinch in the interest of both time and safety.]
Spend the day at Iya Valley.

• Take a taxi after breakfast to zip to Mount Tsurugi and speedrun it to the mountain peak (aka using the chairlift to speedrun a good chunk of the mountain) about 2.5 hours ~ 3 hours as per the Iya Valley guide
• Taxi from Mount Tsurugi chairlift down to Oku-Iya Niju Kazuraashi and cross it (~1 hour estimate)
• Taxi down to visit the mannequins/scarecrows at Nagoro Village (~3km downhill from Oku-Iya). (~1 hour estimate)
• Check out the Peeing Boy Statue (~0.5 hour estimate [its just looking at the statue that is overlooking the entire gorge is it not?])
• Cross the outer vine bridge Iya-no-Kazurabashi (~1 hour estimate)
• Taxi back to Oboke, and retire for the day (~0.5 hour estimate, thus looking at about ~8 hours taxi rental total, with some leeway for lunch break)

​
Day 4: Tokushima (Iya Valley) Kochi (Kochi) [Wednesday, 15 Nov]

• Transit from Iya Valley [Oboke] to Kochi via Limited Express Shimanto (again) after breakfast. (~1 hour transit)
• Park luggage at hotel [ideally near JR Kochi Station], then proceed to mill around Kochi, visiting places such as Kochi Castle [高知城] and Harimaya Bridge[はりまや橋]
• Transit to Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum [高知県立坂本龍馬記念館] via local bus which is also near Katsumatsura Beach incidentally. Chill at Katsumatsura Beach in the evening
• Return to JR Kochi, dinnesupper at Hirome Market (ideally to try out Kochi's speciality seared bonito). [is visiting the market more preferable during lunch OR dinner?]

​
Day 5: Kochi (Kochi) Ehime (Imabari) [Thursday, 16 Nov]

• Complete any remaining items in Kochi in the morning, then transit to Imabari via train (Kochi Tadotsu Imabari), via Limited Express Shimanto (yet again!) and Ishidzuchi**[TBC: this might be better done via highway bus instead which is faster at ~2-3 hours]**
• Drop luggage at Imabari for the next 2 days, either at Sunrise Itoyama OR Cycle no Ie. [both are well positioned for the Shimanami Kaido, and are also one of the selected hotels eligible for the Sagawa luggage transfer.] Ideally done just around lunch time, so that there's still the better half of the day to explore Imabari.
• Spend the remainder of the day visiting Imabari Castle (closes 1700) and Towel Museum (slightly out of the way) (closes 1800) [TBC: I note this place is quite out of the way from Imabari itself, even the JP website suggests taking a taxi (!) there from the nearby train station. Might have to drop this).
• Attempt to try some Ehime-related food specialties e.g. Taimeshi (Sea Bream), Ehime oranges, Champon for the next 2 days

​
Day 6: Ehime (Matsuyama / Imabari) [Friday, 17 Nov]

• Take the Limited express train Ishidzuchi to Matsuyama day tripping. (~1h one-way).
• Explore Matsuyama Castle, and the nearby Matsuyama Ropeway Shopping Street
• Visit Shiki Memorial Museum
• Visit Dogo Onsen [and attempt to soak in the waters if possible].
• Also consider looking at Ishiteji (石手寺) beside Dogo Onsen.
• Bonus: Subject to train schedule, if possible, attempt to secure tickets for the Iyonada Sightseeing Train (伊予灘物語), Futami leg [双海ふたみ 編] , and also visit JR Shimonada Station (JR下灘駅) at the same time.
• Bonus: visit Yawatahama Port where the movie Suzume took reference from,
• Return to Imabari via the same Limited express Ishidzuchi and retire for the night.

Day 7: Ehime (Imabari) Hiroshima (Shinamani Kaido) [Saturday, 18 Nov]
I am of the opinion that 1 day in Shimanami Kaido is adequate if I attempt just the main route which is about 80km [as a test run, I did 70km and finished it within 6-7 hours with lunch breaks included]. For now I will plan for two full days, however should I truncate it down to one day later, I will add an extra day to either explore Matsuyama or Okayama.
​

• Start off at Sunrise Itoyama [watch the sunrise, have breakfast here, cafeteria opens at 0700, rental opens at 0800] OR Cycle no Ie. Do paperwork to send luggage over to the next accomodation via Sagawa.
• I will (probably) follow the recommended 'extended' route on Cycle no Ie's website and do the following:
  • Take the west coast for Oshima (~13km) and cross to Hakatajima, with possible stop on:
    • Mount Kiro Observatory Point [I am aware that there's a steep incline so this would be contingent on my physical/mental status by then].
    • Nagahama Beach
• Take the coastal route for Hakatajima (~17km) and cross to Omishima and enjoy the coastal scenery
• Take the coastal route (again) for Omishima (~41km) (or lesser depending on how I'm feeling at that point) , with possible stop on:
  • -TBC: Okunoshima (there is apparently a ferry route to the well-known rabbit island via Omishima port. Not sure if anyone else have tried this particular route and if this is a better approach than going through Tadano-umi (though I would acknowledge that there's historical stuff to visit in nearby Takehara), and I would not be able to buy rabbit food in advance).[Based on Google Earth estimate, its about 3km for the entire island loop - seems doable within 2 hours to tour the poison gas museum with a bike and pet some rabbits).
  • Oyamazumi Shrine Treasure Museum
• End the day at WAKKA (Omishima) OR Guesthouse NEST / Soil Setoda (Ikuchijima) just beside Kousanji / The Hill of Hope (closes 1700). If possible, visit before closing, otherwise defer to next day.
• Try the ice cream at Dolce at Ikuchijima if possible.
• Bonus: if for some reason I am still ahead of time at this juncture (<1500), proceed to finish Innoshima and Mukaishima, then take a ferry to backtrack to Wakka/Soil Setoda or cycle back (last boat is ~1700) and rest; however, the next day I will zip straight to Onomichi via ferry after breakfast.

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Hiroshima + Yamaguchi (~4 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. Onomichi is a pretty good base to jump to Okayama to explore Okayama, Kurashiki or Tomonoura with the Shinkansen accessibility, but it is impossible to cover them all within a single day. If I finish the Shimanami Kaido within a single day or finish it early on the second day, I will have that extra time to visit those.
2. There's another sightseeing train etSETOra from Onomichi to Hiroshima but it only operates on Monday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday. For now the schedule could fit the train timetable pretty nicely.
3. Would anyone suggest visiting Miyajima in the morning or in the evening? This would help me determine the order for the Kintaikyo Bridge/Miyajima day trip. Watching the sunset at either destination is pretty good in my books.

​
Day 8: Hiroshima (Shinamani Kaido Onomichi) [Sunday, 19 Nov]

• Continue from Ikuchijima towards Innoshima and Mukaishima (~18km) via the western coast route after breakfast, with possible stops on the following areas:
  • Innoshima: Innoshima Flower Centre, Shimanami Beach [open to more suggestions]
  • Mukaishima : there seems to be a lot of brunch places like Willows Nursery etc, soak the view at Mukaishima Rest Park [TBC: open to more suggestions]

Ideally reach Onomichi just around lunch or earlier. Chill for the rest of the day, and if I'm still up for it, explore Onomichi, including but not limited to:

• Exploring the cat alley
• Visit the exhibits at Onomichi City Museum of Art
• Consider walking to Senkoji and Onomichi Hondori Shopping Street
• Look into trying Onomichi-style ramen.

Retire at a guesthouse/hotel near JR Onomichi that I have forwarded the luggage to.
​
Day 9: Hiroshima (Onomichi, Takehara+Kure OR Tomonoura OR Okayama) Downtown Hiroshima) [Monday, 20 Nov]

• Mill around Onomichi in the morning (if not done yesterday), with a side trip to EITHER Takehara/Kure OR Okayama/Kurashiki OR Tomonoura (choose one):
  • Takehara: stroll along the historical townscape [and look if they have any Tamayura-related merch], Okunoshima (if not done during the Shimanami Kaido leg / Kure: look into trying Kure curry/Niku-jaga and visit the Yamato Museum
  • Okayama: Okayama Castle (zip via Shinkansen) / Kurashiki : Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter
  • Tomonoura: stroll along the townscape during the day (zip via Shinkansen, transfer to local bus)
• Return to Onomichi (no later than 1400), board the etSETOra sightseeing train at 1437, and zip to Hiroshima. Enjoy the sunset along the coastline.
• Retire for the night at Hiroshima proper, probably near JR Hiroshima OR the bus terminal. If time permits, take a gander along the streets and see what takes me from there.

​
Day 10: Hiroshima (Downtown Hiroshima) [Tuesday, 21 Nov]
Spend the day surveying Hiroshima proper.

• Peace Memorial Park (平和記念公園) and Atomic Bomb Dome
• Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims (国立広島原爆死没者追悼平和祈念館)
• Hiroshima Castle
• Orizuru Tower (おりづるタワー)
• Shukkeien (縮景園)
• Optional: Mazda Museum / Kure (if not done the previous day)
• Try to source for Hiroshima-specific food: Okonomiyaki, Dandan Noodles

​
Day 11: Hiroshima (with a day trip to Yamaguchi) [Wednesday, 22 Nov]

• Daytrip to Yamaguchi [Shin-Iwakuni] to visit Kintaikyo Bridge via Shinkansen. Also stop by the nearby Iwakuni Castle.
• Try Tonosama Sushi at Iwakuni if possible.
• Take the local train back to Miyajimaguchi and take the boat to Itsukushima.Take the time to stroll around the island and perhaps watch the sunset at the torii gate.
• Exit back to Hiroshima via boat to Hiroshima Port direct, and transit back to hotel.

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Shimane + Tottori (4 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. Matsue becomes the main jump point for Shimane just because of the subsidized highway bus from Hiroshima, and ease of access towards Tottori later. There's no direct train between Hiroshima and Izumo/Matsue (!).
2. Tottori is really wide size-wise, to the point that it feels more efficient to have two separate hotels in two nights (Kurayoshi/Misasa Onsen + downtown Tottori) rather than one hotel for two nights (i.e. downtown Tottori). Could be just me making excuses to get into an onsen ryokan however.
3. Is there anything interesting at Yonago (Tottori) that I should take note of? Based on my initial survey nothing in particular pops up (other than the Tottori Prefectural Flower Park).
4. Skipping Tottori Castle since it doesn’t seem to be interesting at first glance. Any other interesting things to at Tottori downtown (or nearby)?

​
Day 12: Hiroshima Shimane (Matsue) [Thursday, 23 Nov]

• Make good use of the 500yen highway bus from Hiroshima to Matsue. (3.5 hours transit). Fortunately the frequency is not too bad (7-8 buses per day, looking at 0800 departure or later); if there are still outstanding places to visit in Hiroshima I will visit them in the morning.
• Check in at a hotel near JR Matsue, and proceed to trawl around Matsue with whatever daylight is left. (TBC: am considering taking a few stops down to Tamatsukuri Onsen 玉造温泉 or Matsue-shinjoko Onsen instead of the typical hotel. Does anyone have any positive experiences there?)
• Attempt to spend the afternoon at the Adachi Museum of Art. Local train to Yasugi, transfer to free shuttle.
• Chill off in downtown Matsue for the night. Prowl for Shimane-specific food such as Naniwa Zushi (浪花寿司), Shijimi clams (しじみ), Izumo soba, Izumo Zenzai (出雲ぜんざい).
• Bonus: visit the Tottori Prefectural Flower Park for the winter Hanakairo Flower Illumination at Yonago at night [which is just beside Matsue. Free shuttle bus at Yonago bus terminal].

​
Day 13: Shimane (Izumo / Matsue) [Friday, 24 Nov]

• Day trip from Matsue to Izumo. (JR Matsue JR Izumo, swap to Ichibata local rail to Izumotaisha-mae)
• Take a stop at Izumo Taisha, as well as the nearby Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo (島根県立古代出雲歴史博物館)
• After lunch, return to JR Matsue and proceed to Yushien Garden (由志園) via bus. Enjoy the sunset over the garden.
• Stop by Matsue Castle on the way back.

​
Day 14: Shimane (Matsue) Tottori (Kurayoshi) [Saturday, 25 Nov]

• Transfer from Matsue to Kurayoshi in the morning via Super Matsukaze Limited Express (~1h).
• Settle down luggage at Misasa Onsen, then proceed to hike up Mitokusan Sanbutsuji Temple (三仏寺). Cater extra time just in case I have to wait for another fellow to pop up to climb in pairs. Estimated climb time excluding wait is about 2-3 hours both ways?
• Excess time to be spent sauntering Misasa Onsen and its nearby area such as the Nijisseiki Pear Museum [二十世紀梨記念館（なしっこ館)] and Kurayoshi Historical Quarter.
• Retire at Misasa Onsen for the night. Bonus: watch the constellations at night at Misasa Onsen on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday, 2100JST. Current plan does not fall within those 3 weekdays
• Bonus: take a short detour to Conan Town (postnote: not a big fan of the show).

​
Day 15: Tottori (Kurayoshi Tottori) [Sunday, 26 Nov]

• Transfer from Kurayoshi to Tottori (~35minutes transfer) in the morning, and proceed to tour around Tottori.
• Drop luggage, take a local bus to Tottori Sand Dunes, and visit the nearby Sand Museum.
• Transfer northwards to Uradome Coast via local bus and spend the remainder of the day there. Watch the sunset over the coast.
• Return to downtown Tottori, stroll around and call it a night.

​
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Hyogo, Kyoto, Osaka , Nara, Mie (10 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. Kinosaki Onsen is intentionally designed to be a slow-paced leg to recover [and also to make time to enjoy the onsens].
2. The limited express train between Kinosaki Onsen and Osaka stops by Himeji thus I thought of resting a night there instead of doing day trips via Osaka.
3. Osaka itinerary does look sparse but that is in large part because I have already visited most of them in the past. Nevertheless, I would like to experience how different it is in autumn compared to summer [based on those few destinations that I loved going previously].
4. I have kept one float day to decompress, OR shift to any of the other prefectures (TBC).
5. There are (multiple) special limited express train by Kintetsu; they're not covered by JR pass but nevertheless I would love to ride on those as an experience. The Kintetsu pass covers the basic fare only but based on my preliminary cost estimate, it is still worth getting it.
6. Is it feasible to compress Himeji and Kobe to a single day?
7. The itineraries for Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Mie are flexible since they're literally beside one another - makes it particularly easy to shift around base on ground situation.

​
Day 16: Tottori (Tottori) Hyogo (Kinosaki Onsen) [Monday, 27 Nov]

• Settle any outstanding sightseeing spots in the morning if required in Tottori, then transfer to Kinosaki Onsen via the Sanin Line.
• Make a pitstop at Amarube ('Sky Station') and marvel at the engineering work.
• Deposit luggage at the ryokan (or put in the coin locker), and stroll around and enjoy Kinosaki Onsen [after all its an onsen town].
• Try to hit as many of the 7 external onsens that are usable. Retire for the night here.
• Optional: go up the ropeway and oversee Kinosaki Onsen in the evening (last ride up ~1630)
• Optional: take a short hike up to Onsenji Temple.

​
Day 17: Hyogo (Kinosaki Onsen + Northern Kyoto (Amanohashidate) day trip) [Tuesday, 28 Nov]

• Optional: take a (very) early start to the day to Takeda Castle Ruins and witness the 'floating castle' effect in the morning (<0800).
• Day trip to Amanohashidate via ToyookaKyotango Railway. Do the funny bend-down pose on the bench at Amanohashidate View Land, and see how it feels like looking at the world inverted.
• Cross the sandbar and look from the other side (Nariaiji Temple / Kasamatsu Park)
• Select one of three additional side-trips:
  • EITHER take a local bus up to Ine to look at the Funaya + sightseeing boat,
  • OR local rail down to Maizuru to look at the Maizuru World Brick Museum + eat at the Michi-no-eki;
  • OR reverse to Toyooka spend time in the city itself e.g. Izushi Castle Town
• Return to Kinosaki Onsen, and continue experiencing the remainder of the onsens. Retire for the night here. Optional: ride the Aomatsu sightseeing train back to Toyooka.
• Optional: Take a trip to Ankokuji Temple (安国寺) in the evening. Likely to visit post-peak autumn which means less than ideal viewing conditions.

Day 18: Hyogo (Kinosaki Onsen Himeji) [Wednesday, 29 Nov]

• Transit from Kinosaki Onsen to Himeji via Limited Express Hamakaze (~2 hours).
• Deposit luggage at the hotel or the coin lockers at the station, then proceed for sightseeing.
• Walk along the Miyuki Street Shopping District which is en-route to Himeji Castle.
• Himeji Castle sector : Himeji Castle (姫路城), Kokoen (好古園)
• Take a local bus at Himeji Castle to go to Mount Shosha and hike up Engyōji Temple (圓教寺)
• Optional : Stroll along Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History and/or Himeji City Museum of Art which is beside the castle, OR Shosha Handicraft Museum which is just at the foot of Mount Shosha
• Optional: Make a detour to the Japan Toy Museum near Koro station (~30 minutes from JR Himeji). Closes 1700.
• Look for Hyogo-specific food: Kobe beef, steamed pork buns, sobameshi, himeji oden, etc

Retire at Himeji for the night.
Day 19: Hyogo (Himeji Kobe) Osaka (Dotonburi) [Thursday, 30 Nov]
Day trip to Kobe, before continuing further down to Osaka.

• Check out from Himeji, transit further down to Kobe for another stop before Osaka. Place luggage at the holding facility within the Shinkansen station.
• Take a visit to the Earthquake Memorial Museum (人と防災未来センター) to look at the devastation wrought by the 1995 earthquake.
• Stroll along Kobe Harborland (神戸ハーバーランド) and Meriken Park (メリケンパーク) , look at the Kobe Tower since its closed till 2024 for renovation, and look at the damage caused by the earthquake
• Optional: Head westwards to Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art.
• Optional: Hit up the ASICS Sports Museum (アシックススポーツミュージアム)
• Look at the engineering feat that is the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge and the nearby Akashi Kaikyo Bridge Exhibition Center at Maiko. (Suzume no Tojimari)
• Return to Shin-kobe, pick up luggage, and transit to Shin-Osaka via Shinkansen, and then to Dotonburi/Shinsaibashi. End the (long) day in Osaka.

Day 20: Osaka [Friday, 1 Dec]
Osaka Nostalgia (acid) trip, speedrun edition: revisiting places that I want to go again

• Day trip to Mino Park and revisit the waterfall (I loved visiting it previously) via the Hankyu line in the morning.
• Zoom down to the Osaka Aquarium after lunch and walk around it (Minoo Umeda Honmachi Osakako Station).
• From there, race towards Abeno Harukas and watch the sunset/nightview at Abeno Harukas.
• Bonus: revisit Sumiyoshi Taisha if time permits.
• Spend whatever time remains at night at Nipponbashi Denden Town (shops close at ~2000) and Dotonburi (some stores are still open near midnight) and/or Shinsekai (新世界).

Day 21: Osaka (Nara day trip) [Saturday, 2 Dec]
Spend a day in Nara.

• Zoom from Namba to Nara via Kintetsu (note: non-JR)
• Explore Todaiji Temple, Kokufuji Temple, Isuien Garden and Kasuga Taisha.
• Optional: pass by Naramachi (奈良町) on the way back.
• Take the Kintetsu line down to Mount Yoshino. [TBC: subject to whether I am too early or late for the koyo.Based on last year's prediction I am about 1-2 weeks too late. Might swap this out to a Uji day trip instead in Kyoto.). Spend time walking around the Shimo Senbon and Naka Senbon and experience the autumn.
• Transfer back to Osaka. Bonus: take the Blue Symphony back to Osaka instead of the typical train. (non-JR)

Day 22: Osaka (Mie day trip) [Sunday, 3 Dec]
Day trip to Mie.

• Take the Iseshima Liner from Tsuruhashi Station (near Namba/Dotonburi) to Ise. Bonus: take the Hinotori from Osaka to Tsu, then transfer to Mie. (non-JR)
• Hit up Ise Jingu (伊勢神宮) [both inner and outer] and Okage Yokocho (おかげ横丁)
• Try to eat Matsuaka Beef or Ise Udon for lunch.
• Head westwards to Futamiokitama Shrine (二見興玉神社) / Meotoiwa Rocks; and if further time permits, go to Toba for the Ama Viewing Platform.
• Take the returning Shimakaze Limited Express train back to Osaka (note: only one train at 1630; if this train is missed, change to normal express trains). (non-JR)
• Retreat back to Osaka for the night. Consider doing any other night activities in Osaka if time, and body permits.

Day 23: Osaka ('north' Kyoto day trip) [Monday, 4 Dec]
(north) Kyoto day trip.

• Take a stop at the Kyoto Railway Museum. Optional: also consider heading to To-ji Gojunoto first if I reach Kyoto way early before 10am.
• Walk back to Kyoto station, and take a bus northwards to Kyoto Manga Museum.
• Hop on the bus direct from the Manga Museum to Kinkakuji. [bus 15]
• Select one of two side-trips:
  • EITHER head westwards to Arashiyama (note: already visited once in the summer but I still think it nice to visit in autumn/winter this time round). Bonus: experience sunset along the Togetsukyo Bridge.
  • OR head eastwards to Higashiyama (closes 1700), Philosopher's path etc (did not visit these in my past trip here so there's the 'new' factor, but it is going to be a physically taxing day. Also, most likely will reach here nearing evening i.e. closing time thus there's a limit to how much I can visit realistically).

Whichever choice, return back to Osaka for the night. Look out for Kyoto-specific food such as Yudofu, Saba Sushi, Warabi Mochi, Nishin Soba (にしんそば) etc.
Day 24: Osaka ('south' Kyoto day trip) [Tuesday, 5 Dec]
(south) Kyoto day trip edition (mainly Uji and Fushimi).

• Zip from Osaka to Kyoto via Keihan to Uji Station.
• Spend the better half of the morning in Uji.
• Visit the Byōdō-in and the nearby Tonoshima and Tachibana Island.
• Hike up to the Daikichiyama Observation Deck to oversee Uji as a whole. On the way down, explore Ujigami Shrine.
• Take the chance to buy some Uji tea as gifts to relatives. Have lunch along the Omotesando Road.
• Head further northwards to Fushimi, and do another hike up Fushimi Inari. (Note: visited once in the past but I liked the experience thus I would like to do it again.) Bonus: if its done in the evening.

Head back to Osaka and retire for the night. Consider doing any other night activities in Osaka if time, and body permits.
Day 25: Osaka (wildcard) [Wednesday, 6 Dec]
Spare day to do whatever I feel like doing OR reallocate this to another prefecture. Intentionally left blank for later planning
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Kanazawa, Gifu+ (4 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. Is it likely for the skiing season to open around 9~10 December at Shiga Kogen or Nozawa Onsen? Would very much like to try skiing for fun, but am uncertain if the snow condition would be satisfactory by then. Some of the skiing website indicates that these two destinations are usually the first to open. I would like to seek advise on this if possible [never skiied before].
2. As an additional question to point 1, is 2 days adequate just to get a flavor on skiing?
3. Kanazawa is a pretty solid jump point to Shirakawago/Takayama via express buses (~1 to 2 hour one way).
4. My initial planning considered going to Kurobe Gorge (Toyama) but apparently the railways are closed from December onwards. Please correct me if I am mistaken.
5. Another sightseeing train in Kanazawa that I can fit in nicely in my current plans (花嫁のれん), runs on Mon/Fri/Sat/Sun.

Day 26: Osaka Ishikawa (Kanazawa (Kanazawa cityside)) [Thursday, 7 Dec]

• Zip from Osaka to Kanazawa via Limited Express Thunderbird in the early morning (~3hours; ideally the 0740 or 0810 service). Drop luggage at the hotel near JR Kanazawa and explore the cityside.
• Have lunch at the Omicho Market (近江町市場), OR at Higashi Chaya District.
• Stroll around Kanazawa Castle (金沢城, Kanazawajō) and the nearby Kenrokuen (兼六園) / Seisonkaku Villa (成巽閣, Seisonkaku) .
• Consider visiting one or more of the nearby museums if possible:
  • D.T. Suzuki Museum OR
  • National Crafts Museum OR
  • 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art
• Optional: Head southwards to Myoryuji Temple + Nishi Chaya District.
• Optional: Head northwards to Higashi Chaya District (if not done for lunch).

Any outstanding spots not completed today, to be rolled over to the next 2 days (if possible).

• Retire in Kanazawa for the night. Be on the lookout for Kanazawa-specific food: Gold-leaf ice cream, oden, hanton rice
• Optional: have a stay at Yuwaku Onsen for at least one night for anime-related reasons. (Hanasaku Iroha)

​
Day 27: Ishikawa (Kanazawa cityside) / Gifu (Shirakawago, Takayama) [Friday, 8 Dec]

• Day trip to Shiwakawago and Takayama via Nohi bus (non-JR, ~1h). Grab the morning bus express bus to Shirakawago and explore the place in the morning. Experience early snowfall (?) there. Optional: visit Ainokura on the way towards Shirakawago.
• Take another express bus down to Takayama for lunch (~1h travel time).
• Explore what Takayama has to offer. Stroll along the old town near the bus terminal and visit the Takayama Jinya. If time permits, stroll along the Higashiyama Walking Course.
• Optional: pay a visit to Hida Folk Village.
• Return to Kanazawa via Hida Limited Express to Toyama Shinkansen to Kanazawa, OR take the same Nohi express bus directly back (non-JR).
• Retire at Kanazawa for the night. Last express bus from Takayama to Kanazawa is 1630, arrive at 1845. Alternatively, head northwards to Toyama via JR and transfer to Kanazawa.

​
Day 28: Ishikawa (Kanazawa cityside / outskirts) [Saturday, 9 Dec]
Side trip to Wakura Onsen / Nanao for anime-related sightseeing. (Insomanics after Class, Hanasaku Iroha)

• Zoom from Kanazawa up to Wakura Onsen/Nanao via Limited Express Noto Kagaribi. Do some sightseeing related to Insomanics after Class and Hanasaku Iroha.
• Do some train spotting with two anime along the Noto Railways. Stop at Nishigishi station for some sightseeing. (non-JR)
• Return to Kanazawa in the evening from Wakura Onsen via the sightseeing train Hanayomenoren [花嫁のれん, last train 1630).
• End the night at Kanazawa.

Day 29: Ishikawa (wildcard) [Sunday, 10 Dec]
Spare day to do whatever I feel like doing OR reallocate this to another prefecture. Intentionally left blank for later planning
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Tokyo (~6 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. Specific interest to target: anime/vtuber stuff, music (piano in particular), bookstores etc.
2. This is the point in time I should go ham on souvenier purchase if I have not done so. I'll probably get an extra cardboard box or duffel bag to lug with me to the airport to store extra stuff.
3. Would like to seek recommendation on where I should set my base for the 5~6 days here. For now I am planning to pit at Ginza, subject to availability and cost. My thought is that as long as its along the Yamanote line everything rolls I suppose.
4. Hard pass on Golden Gai on the Shunjuku leg (I do not drink).
5. There's way too many to list in terms of what I would like to do in Tokyo, but I have listed items that are of particular interest to me first within the available time frame. If you have strong opinions on specific locations do let me know.

Day 30: Ishikawa (Kanazawa) Tokyo (Ginza) [Monday, 11 Dec]

• Zip from Kanazawa to Tokyo via the Hoririku Shinkansen in the morning (just north of two hours). (TBC : If I can optimize my schedule better, I can try squeezing two days here for a stop at Nozawa Onsen / Shiga Kogen (Nagano) for a short ski experience).
• Deposit luggage at one of the Ginza hotels (TBC: subject to cost; might swap for another location later on)
• Explore ('south') Tokyo with the remainder of the day.
• Marvel at the architecture that is the Tokyo Station and its surrounding.
• Visit the Imperial Palace.
• Head south towards the Mori Art Museum (closes 2200)
• End the night with a stop at Tokyo Tower (closes 2230).

Day 31: Tokyo (Shibuya, Shinjuku and Nakano) [Tuesday, 12 Dec]
Explore ('west') Tokyo, namely Shibuya, Shinjuku and Nakano.

• Start off with an early day visit to Meji Shrine / Yoyogi Park.
• Head up to Shinjuku. Spend the remainder of the morning and lunch exploring Kabukicho, Hanazono Shrine and Omoide Yokochō (ideally have lunch here). Also make a pit stop at Kinokuniya's flagship store at Shinjuku.
• Head northwards to Nakano Broadway and trawl for anime goods for several hours (closes ~1900)
• Head south down back to Shibuya and experience the crossing in peak night condition. Walk around and soak in the atmosphere. Optional: stop by the Ishibashi music store at Shibuya (closes 2000).
• Cap off the night and look at the night view at Shibuya Sky (closes 2230). Zip back to the hotel at Ginza.

Day 32: Tokyo (Akibahara, Asakusa and Sky Tree) [Wednesday, 13 Dec]

• Kick off the day with a morning visit to Asakusa (i.e. Sensoji).
• Transit over to Tokyo Skytree to watch the Tokyo cityscape in the day.
• Trawl around Akibahara for the afternoon. (Animate, Sega claw machines, etc).
• Also stop by Ochanomizu for sightseeing (Suzume no Tojimari)
• Zip back to the hotel for the night. If time permits, stop by the two flagship music stores along Ginza: Yamaha Ginza and Yamano Ginza. Also, visit Itoya Ginza (stationary store).

Day 33: Tokyo (Kamakura day trip OR Ikebukuro) [Thursday, 14 Dec]
EITHER take a day trip Kamakura, OR explore northern Tokyo (Ikebukuro)
Kamakura leg:

• Make a detour to Used Tyre Market Sagamihara Store to experience the retro vending machines. Then head southwards to Enoshima.
• Look at the giant Buddha statue and stroll along Hasedera.
• Take the Enoden to Enoshiima and explore the island.
• Take the JR back to Ginza and retire for the night.

Tokyo (Ikebukuro leg):

• Visit Otome Road for otaku related stuffs.
• Trawl the usual suspects such as Bic Camera etc.
• Make a stop at the Mejiro Gardens.
• Visit the Waseda International House of Literature (The Haruki Murakami Library) at Waseda University.

Day 34: Tokyo (wildcard) [Friday, 15 Dec]
Spare day to do whatever I feel like doing OR reallocate this to another prefecture. Intentionally left blank for later planning
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Day 35: Tokyo Home [Saturday, 16 Dec]

• Contemplate life at the hotel, doing whatever I feel like for the morning and early afternoon. Bonus: have an early breakfast at Tsukiji Market in the morning if staying at Ginza.
• Clear any last minute administrative matter (if any), or do (very) last minute sightseeing/buying. Most likely limited to Ginza and Akibahara.
• Get a nice lunch omakase to cap it off if possible. (taking recommendations if anyone has one, ideally meat/beef centric instead of just sushi).
• Head off to Narita from Tokyo Station via NEX just after lunch at 1430 1530 to Narita, flight at 1830.

END
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If you're still reading up to this point, here's my own personal ramblings/thoughts on JR pass usage:
I have thought of two ways of doing this for the first 21 days:
a. easy-mode : just get 21 days JR global pass before the price hike at 60450 yen, OR b. hard-mode: get a 7 day JR global pass (to cover the NEX fees, the basic fee on the Sunrise Seto to Shikoku, as well as limited express trains within Shikoku) (29650) + 5 days for JR Okayama Hiroshima Yamaguchi Area Pass (15000) + 4 days for JR Sanin Okayama Area Pass + 5 days for JR Kansai Wide Area Pass (10000) for a total of 59230.
The initial conclusion was to go with option A since that reduces the administrative burden, but I realized the individual passes do have its own perk which truimphs over the global JR pass. For instance, the Sanin Okayama Area Pass provides a (minor) discount for the Adachi Museum of Art; the Kansai Wide Pass covers the Kyotango route between Kinosaki Onsen and Amanohashidate which the global JR pass does not cover, JR Okayama Hiroshima Yamaguchi Area Pass covers JR buses within Hiroshima for free, therefore I am inclined to go with the hell option (option B) as it stands.
For the remaining 14 days, I could also get the global 14 day JR pass at 47250 yen but it is not worth it at all, because I will be relying largely on Kintetsu for the Osaka/Kyoto/Nara/Mie leg which the JR pass most certainly does not cover.

• For the Osaka/Nara/Mie/Kyoto leg, I intend to make good use of a mix of both local metro and the Kintetsu rail pass for 5 days (4900). If I do exploit Kintetsu's limited express train to its fullest, I should be able to save money by buying the pass. The Osaka Amazing Pass at 2600yen a day does not make financial sense for me this time round, given how little I am exploring within Osaka.
• For the Osaka Kanazawa, Shirakawago and Takayama leg, the preferred pass of choice is the Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass over the global JR pass, in large part because this pass fully absorbs the Nohi highway bus fees (which can rack up quite a lot at ~8000yen for a return trip between Kanazawa and Shirakawago/Takayama). Also this absorbs the Thunderbird fee. One major issue with my current plan is that it does not cover Wakura Onsen nor the sightseeing train.
• For the final Kanazawa Tokyo leg, the preferred choice is the Horuriku Arch Pass that covers the direct Shinkansen back to Tokyo, and the NEX fees to Narita when I depart from Tokyo. Will only break even with the pass at best unless I make a stop at Nagano.

So all in all, there's quite little incentive to get the global JR pass after I worked out my schedule, apart from the initial 7 days for the Sunrise Seto jump which the All Shikoku Pass will not cover.
Through the hodge-podge of multiple area passes, it works out to around 102890 yen for the whole trip of 35 days, contrast with 107700 yen for a 21 + 14 global JR pass. While there's a minor cost saving doing the hard way which sweetens the deal, the additional minor perks associated with the area passes sells it for me, as I would had to pay more out of pocket to cover non-JR pass buses/rails and such which would add up to much greater cost than I would had anticipated. Also, if I did this trip post-price hike in October, the calculus becomes a no-brainer: avoid the global JR pass like the plague.
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Thank you very much for your opinions, suggestions and advice in advance!