Day 2 - Thoughts About Our Inner Powers, Hot Springs Walking Tour Of Northern Japan

 

Day 2 - Thoughts About Our Inner Powers, Hot Springs Walking Tour Of Northern Japan

We woke up early, at 6:30am, not feeling fully rested.

But we knew that this was normal, for it takes a bit of time to adjust to walking all day.

The weather forecast did not look promising for a long walk, so we decided to walk less today and add more kilometers to tomorrow’s walk, when the weather is supposed to be nicer.

After a great breakfast, we started walking.

The day was so cloudy and rainy, that we didn’t even take our wide brimmed hats with us.

That was a big mistake.

The unwritten rule is “Always take your hats!”

Soon the rain dried up, and the sun was shining on us.

Jules tied his bandana on his head, to protect his head from the sun, and I used my spiritual powers to befriend the sun, instead of getting burnt by it.

Neither of us had any sunburn at the end of the day.

I had made a very quick recovery from yesterday’s sore and blistered feet, and was able to walk at a quicker pace.  

Besides not taking our cowboy hats, Jules also wore just a t-shirt under a sweater, instead of his long-sleeved walking shirt, which provides much better sun protection.  

The area we walked through was not particularly scenic.  It felt like the suburban sprawl of Akita city.

By noontime, we had gone about 10 km.  

We walked mostly on a secondary road that was lined with houses, but with very few shops and almost no restaurants or cafés.  

Google maps showed us that there was a small Italian restaurant run by a friendly woman who makes very good food, but as we entered her little restaurant, she told us that she was fully booked and had only a counter space for one person.

We turned away from an Italian trattoria for lunch that had only one seat at the counter available.

We weren’t really hungry, we just wanted to sit somewhere to relax and to rest.

The area has so few places to eat and no real cafés, that the few places that are open, are often filled by local women who wish to dine out or meet their friends.

From the secondary road, we joined the busy national road.

It was a four lane, noisy thoroughfare with sidewalks.

We were hopeful of finding a place to sit and have a rest break, and possibly eat a small lunch.  

The local McDonald’s turned out to be our only option.

There were no other places to eat.

So we headed to the McDonald’s, where we got a spacious table and clean toilets.

We ordered a fish burger and a side dish of steamed edamame with corn, rather than the customary French fries.

While we ate, we talked about how you have to be humble as a pilgrim, and to let go of your desire for comfort and pleasure.

Yes, I would have preferred to eat in a lovely little restaurant, rathan in a fast food chain, but that option wasn’t available to us.

We have to learn to be fluid like a river, flowing with ease, instead of being rigid and difficult.

After we felt rested, we walked another 4 km to the nearest train station.

We had to walk faster in order to catch the afternoon train, or risk waiting for the early evening train.

As we walked faster, I was thinking about the fact that there is so much power and energy beneath our feet, and most people don’t even notice it.

Mother earth is a powerful force.

These forces are available to us to harness and use, and all it takes is to be tuned into the powers available to us, and learn how to use them.

One of the ways you can harness the cosmic energies is by practicing deep breathing.

It can be done while seating, or walking.

You breathe in from the belly and pull the air into the chest area, then up into your shoulders and head.

It is a way to bring air into the brain, where you can ask it to help you redirect your thoughts and ideas.

 

It is so important to listen to your thoughts ALL the time.

They are creative.

As you are a god, you are the creator of your experiences.

You choose the experiences you have, by your focus and your thoughts.

You could just as easily travel between dimensions, meet wonderful masters and learn universal secrets that are available to all who do not dwell in self sorrow and beliefs in human mortality and limitations.

Anyway, those were my thoughts as we walked by many car dealerships, with no places to sit and rest.

We made it to the train station in time, and took the train back to Akita.

The buffet dinner in our hotel offered an abundance of local foods, and it was nice to taste all the variety of foods that are famous in Akita.

Mindful of taking only small portions, we really enjoyed the fresh food so delicately prepared.

The food in Japan is famously good, and it is true that there is a movement to use only locally sourced ingredients.

Even the rice is grown locally and not imported from other regions of the country.

Besides the food, I was very excited about the Onsens (hot springs) that we will be visiting and staying in during this 30 day long walk.

We will be covering approximately 500 kilometers, and I have looked for unique places offering different hot springs experiences, even if they are hard to get to and very remote.

Sending you love and light,

Tali

Total walked today - 15 km.  

Total walked to date -  44 km.