I went to a shrine, but the entry fee was pretty steep, so I didn't go in. I'll be coming back with my parents and Bates, so I decided to only visit the free shrines.

While I was at Nishi Hongan-ji, I got talking to a French guy. Sorry to be rude, but he was really annoying. It wasn't a conversation, it was his monologue. It was like listening to a really boring podcast. No matter how many times I said I had to go, he wouldn't stop talking. Being that convinced you're so interesting is pure conceit. When I finally escaped, I was relieved.

Lately I've been in touch with a friend of my uncle's called Ed. Ed has been working in Tokyo for twenty-five years, so he knows Japan well. He's been helping me out recently, and he recommended some jobs too. He suggested a coffee shop chain called Ogawa Coffee, so I wrote a CV and an application and applied. When I sent them to Ed to check, he made lots of useful corrections. Even though he's busy, he took the time to help me, and I'm really grateful.

I wanted to know what kind of coffee shop Ogawa Coffee is, so I went to take a look. There are several in Kyoto. I ordered an iced coffee and the mochiko toast with vanilla gelato, and both were delicious. I talked to one of the staff as well. I asked what the job is like, and they explained it to me. I was hungry, so I forgot to take a photo.

The shrines I visited:

Kiyomizu-dera Heian Shrine Yasaka Shrine

In the evening I went to an internet café, charged my phone and other things, and read some manga too. I read 24 pages of Ari no Ō and 20 pages of Blue Lock. I want to read all of it, but with the time limit I can't, which is frustrating. There's never enough time.

I'll say this now: the part written below is boring. It's just something I wrote to process my feelings. This is your notice that you don't have to read it! Before starting this blog I decided I'd post everything I wrote, so most of this is written for myself.

There are two reasons I write this blog:

I knew I'd run out of time to message everyone. So this blog is written as an update for all of you. I'm writing it for my future self, as a record of my memories. I don't know why, but my memory is really bad (probably because I got hit a lot in Muay Thai. Just kidding, Mum!). Lots of amazing things have happened in my life so far, but I've forgotten most of them. I'm like an old man. So I think that when I'm 80 and not doing anything, I might want to read this blog. (On top of that, it's Japanese practice too.)

I wanted to write something about that second reason. Memory and legacy are things I find truly fascinating. I really love my whole family, and I respect all of them. It's because they've all been a good influence on me that I've become who I am today. I'm truly lucky. Even so, the person I respect most is probably my grandad. He got through difficult times and became the person he wanted to be. He didn't worry about what people thought, and he became his ideal self. There must have been many sacrifices too, but he knew himself well and worked hard. His drive is really impressive as well. And yet, even though he lived an amazing life, none of it has been recorded. He gave everything to his family and friends. Those events stay in the moment they happened. I think there's a beauty in that too. For me, nostalgia is a combination of "what happened", "the place", and "the time". It's because of that combination that looking back on a certain event feels nostalgic. Because it will never happen again, it feels sad too. Relationships are the most important thing of all. Even if Grandad's life isn't recorded, everyone was greatly influenced by him and became better people. When we talked, he was curious about Japan, but he may not have understood my motives. Even so, he was really open-minded and supported me. Even when everyone has different interests and ideals, we can respect each other. My ideal, the person I want to become, is probably different from everyone else's, but I'm really trying my best. It's because my family has been such a good influence that I'm able to try. So my reasons are somewhat vague, and I don't fully understand them myself, but I'm also writing this diary to show my gratitude to my grandad.

I've been feeling stressed lately. I think there are reasons why I've started feeling this way, so I'm going to try writing them down now:

The gap between the countryside and the city is too extreme, and it's stressing me out. After a day of cycling through countryside with nobody around, I'm suddenly plunging into a huge city. It feels stranger than I expected. I've started to become aware that I'm worrying about how people see me. Even though the tour is wearing me out quite a lot, I don't notice it in the moment. If I became aware of the stress while touring I wouldn't be able to act, so I ignore it. When I rest, I get some mental breathing room, so all the built-up stress comes welling up at once. There's ordinary everyday stress too, of course. I always overthink, so I fret even when there's no need. I have to find a home and a job. When I have time I look for an internet café and write applications, but switching from a touring mindset to an application mindset wears me out too. I'm always too hard on myself. When I'm stressed, I tell myself off. I often blame myself with things like, "you're so lucky, so why are you stressed? Other people are truly suffering, so why are you the one complaining?"

I don't know why, but at one point I felt some really intense stress too. Maybe it's because I feel like everyone is looking at me strangely. Two men were laughing while looking at me as well. I'd had enough by then, so I wanted to ask them what was so funny, but I managed to hold back. It's probably not that, but I always end up wondering if it's racism, especially in the countryside. Well, as I said before, I think I'm overthinking.

Even so, 99 percent of this trip is really fun, and I'm making memories I'll never forget. I'm working hard at the cycling and getting fitter. My Japanese is improving bit by bit. I'm enjoying myself. I'm meeting amazing people. My horizons are broadening. I'm becoming more outgoing, and my communication skills are improving. I'm thinking about my family and friends and feeling grateful. I'm overcoming problems on my own. This is no time to be feeling stressed.