7/18
Somehow, I ended up staying in Japan for another week.
However, this time it was completely unplanned. We only made the decision after we had already arrived in Japan. Since I suddenly had an extra week to spend in Japan, the first thing that came to mind was going hiking.
Because I had to stay in Nara in some specific days, I started looking for nearby mountains to hike. After discussing a few options with my trusted advisors (Mr. Gemini and Mr. ChatGPT), I discovered the Omine Okugakemichi (大峯奥駈道), together with the Kumano Kodo, forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The trail stretches from Mount Yoshino to Kumano Hongu Taisha, following the mountain ridgelines for about 80–100 km. Completing the entire route usually takes five to six days.
One of the most famous peaks along the trail is Mount Sanjō. It is also the only mountain on the trail that still follows the tradition of prohibiting women from entering. That’s the one I climbed today. Since we hadn’t planned on hiking at all during this trip, I hadn’t brought any hiking gear with me. It turned out to be a perfect excuse to buy some new gears! In fact, all I really needed was a moisture-wicking shirt and a daypack. Instead of hiking the entire trail, I decided to tackle some of its most iconic peaks as day hikes, since I didn’t have the gear for a multi-day trek anyway. Some of the routes involve quite a bit of elevation gain, but I figured I could handle them.
I kept planning the itinerary with my good listeners–my AI advisors, trying to decide which peaks to climb and how to arrange the route. Once we had a rough plan, I started booking accommodation along the way—although I’m still not quite finished yet. After booking the rental car, I was all set.
Speaking of rental cars, we suddenly ended up renting one for two days during our family trip in Japan. Since we were traveling with older family members, having a car really made life much easier. And with several people sharing the cost, it was quite affordable.
Since New Zealand also drives on the left, I have officially become a “two-way driver,” but I don’t think that’s really a thing. In baseball, a two-way player is someone who both pitches and hits. I’m probably more like a switch hitter who can bat from either side. So maybe call myself a switch driver instead(ha). Anyway… I guess that’s a bit off topic.
What I really wanted to say is that having a car gives you a wonderful sense of freedom. It makes you feel like you can go anywhere!
意外的獨旅
這次意外的自己”又”多留在日本一周多，而且是已經在日本旅遊時臨時決定的，多了這麼多時間，當然要找山來爬爬呀！因為我有幾天必須在關西奈良這邊，就想說找比較靠近這邊的山來爬爬，跟我的軍師智囊團（Mr. G & Mr. C）討論之後，發現了一條有登錄世界遺產的古道，叫做大峯奥駈道（おおみねおくがけみち），其實跟熊野古道還有高野山一起登錄“紀伊山地の霊場と参詣道”
大峯奥駈道是從吉野山一直到熊野本宮大社的原始信仰朝聖道，縱走需要5-6天在總長80-100kms，因為原本這次日本行沒有要爬山，所以我完全沒帶裝備，也沒辦法縱走，然後我就在日本買了一件排汗衫跟背包（爽），就準備分段走比較代表性的山，有幾座爬升都還不少，但我想說應該應付得來。而解其中一座山上岳（山上ヶ岳），我今天走的，周圍到現在還是禁止女性進入，也剛好適合我獨自來爬。
就一直跟智囊團討論要爬哪幾座，行程要怎麼排，有個雛形就住宿就邊找邊訂（還沒訂完），然後租個小車，就差不多了，說到租車，這次在日本跟老婆的家族旅行時也臨時租了一兩天的車，因為有長輩還真的比較方便，人多攤起來也不貴，在紐西蘭也是右駕，我已經是真正的左右開攻駕駛，可以說是Two-Way driver嗎？應該不行，棒球又投又打才能說是Two way player，我只能像是打者可以依照投手打左右邊而已，扯遠了（哈），我想說的有車開真的是有種自由的感覺，去哪裡都可以。
