In 60 Days I'll be in Tokyo

It's hard to believe that I will be in Tokyo in just two months. I still have a ton of things to take care of and a ton of training to do. But despite all the work and preparation, or perhaps because of it, I am getting excited for this trip. I have been telling my girlfriend, my sister, my parents - really anyone that will listen to me - how excited I am about this.

 But more than anything, I am motivated by the fact that this will essentially be the first serious thing I've ever done in my life by myself. Those of you who know me know that I've been out of school (graduated) since May of last year, working a crap job that involves me fixing other people's problems for lousy compensation. Sitting there for hour upon mindless hour I didn't simply lament the terrible state of my semi-professional life. I thought about what this year "off" was supposed to be about. It was supposed to be (at least according to my academic advisor!) about me figuring out where I should go to medical school, and perhaps more importantly about me figuring out who I am - that is - the essence of me. 

Sitting trapped in a cubicle wasting hours of my life for minimum wage made me realize that I was also wasting perhaps the one great opportunity I would have in life to do something extraordinary, and to find out a little bit about myself in the process. The truth is that I have always been afraid of doing new things, and especially by myself. That is, until I started sitting in my cubicle. I am looking at the Nakasendo as not only an amazing opportunity to see Japan but also as a chance to experience something powerful on my own.

I keep coming back to a few important quotes that have been stuck in my head recently. The first one is simple: "Be the man you want to be." For so long I have been either going through the motions or just too scared to man up and become the person I want to be. Walking the Nakasendo is a part of becoming who I want to be. As Alan Booth describes what he ultimately took away from walking through Japan in The Roads to Sata, "I think I've learned a bit about Japan and a lot about myself." I can only hope to be so fortunate.

Distance Walked Today and Yesterday: 2.5 Miles

Total Distance Walked: 10.88 Miles