Thinking, thinking. Last weekend, halfway through a rather long session of itinerary-planning, I realised that much as I love to visit every city, town, prefecture, and village in Japan, there is not a realistic chance in hell that I would be able to do that with my limited time (hello my-forgotten-return-date) and the very limited budget. And maybe, more importantly, a rushed lets-plant-flags trip would defeat the very purpose of going on a vacation. So, I’m trimming the itinerary, staring at more web pages that don’t make any sense, revisiting this entry, and wondering where on earth my good mood has gone.

Forget, regather, realise, farewell. Rain sounds like whatever it hits. The roof of a car, the wet uneven ground, pale yellow raincoats, upturned palms, and empty words.