The more I browse through the travel guide, the more overwhelmed I become. The words blend together, and given no point of reference in the cities or the country as a whole, none of it makes sense to me. There are thousands of temples, tons of ryokan, countless onsen. How am I supposed to make rhyme or reason of all of this? And how I am supposed to find a place to stay? Finally, I pulled myself together and made two big decisions: call Kimi Ryokan and book a few nights to start off in Tokyo; purchase a 21-day Japan Rail Pass.

Done and done. I feel so much better now, but I’m beginning to remember why I haven’t travelled by myself before. I don’t like making arrangements.