Today I am checking my plans; spcially the plan for Asuka and Yoshino. I started with finding the optimal connection between both cities and Oosaka. Then I realized that the shrine and the temple I want to visit are not in Asuka, but far outside. There are 20km between them too.

This requires a change in train routes. Tennoji is not the perfect starting point anymore. This happens if a plan is to good, to optmized. There is no space for changes and deviations. This reminds me of my studies, the lessions about optimziation rules. Looks like I worked with a local maximum with steep flanks. Not stable if problems occure.

Now I have to live with it. I can manage, somehow. If necassary I will use a taxi to get to the shrine. The Hasedera temple is just a 2km walk from the train station. From the shrine to Asuka is a different story. There is a pass. A taxi should do the distance in 10 minutes. The new plan involves some money. Taxi are not cheap in Japan.

And another construction side is back on my schedule. Wakayama. There is only the castle and some stuff I am not interested. Kobe instead? I don’t want to think about it again. I skip the decission until I am at KIX. Just do a coin toss or something like that.

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The packing list is created. With the stuff I already piled up it looks more like a shopping list to me. The technical equipment complete: Slate, charger, power cells, camera and all the cables. Socks and shirts atr also complete. But jacket, pullover, winter jacket, functional clothes, cap, gloves; even winter sockes are not in stock. For some things I could use my bicycle equipment. But this is heavy and not built for long walks.

Jack Wolfskin and GlobeCamp are just around the corner. Looks like I need some strong booze too. After I checked the prices I could use a drink. Thermo socks for $52, throme underpants for $91, a winter jacket for $400. Wow. Looks like I have to wait for the next sale. And I didn’t checked for gloves and pants. I have to solve this problem somehow. But how?

I move this isseu to next week. If the departure is close and time is short, decisions are made easy. Over the weekend I will search my closet for a solution. The cap was easy. $14. I will use the ski mask from my motor cycle. Also the pants; without the protectors. I have to buy gloves. But I need them anyway.

Bleibt Unterwäsche und Jacke. Als Hose nehme ich die Motorradhose; ohne Protektoren. Und der Rest … am Montag.

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Today in a week I am sitting in an airplane to Oosaka. Today the JRP arrived. All the hotels are booked. And the fligt ticket is ready to be used. The minus 7 days countdown also means, that I have to start to assort my equipent and my cloths. Tomorrow I will check for missing stuff I have to buy. Rechargeable batteries are at the top, since the last times I always got stopped by a dead camera sooner or later. On temperatures below zero a full power cell is crucial, because they will loose half of their capacity. And I need to clean up the house. I will not return from holiday back into this actual existing chaos.

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This is the first time I check the train connections for the whole holiday. Sometimes I checked a single connection or checked a connection the day before the trip, but I never made a detailed plan like now. This time it is necassary. Like I mentioned before: The frequent change of the hotels and the multiple stops at one day need a good plan. And there is the problem of early darkness.

There is one construction side left: The busses. I have to use a bus instead of trains on 4 days. Everytime I have to reserve a seat in advance. If how no clue how to do this.

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It is Monday. And Monday is Murphy’s day. So the day starts with the overture to armageddon: The security personal on the airports is on strike. Without these idiots they have to shut down the check in of the airports. Hey, if you don’t like your job, quit. But do not stand between me and my holiday. I have a very short fuse.

Fist snow and chaos that shut down Frankfurt airport. From now on I will have a close eye on Hamburg and Schiphol. If there is trouble in the air, I will counteract. For now the strikes starts in the morning and end in the afternoon. If so, I will check in a day early and spend the night at the gate. 11 hours at the gate is not my idea of a holiday, but if I am in, I am in. And i still have the lounge access for a shower and breakfast.

Snow report: The northern coast has a half meter of snow; in the mountains 1m is reported. Hokkaido is close to the 2m. The area around Nagano too.

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