English Teacher for the Day

July 13, 1983, Wednesday

I'm still in Nyuzen. According to historical town records, the present town center was an important hotel town in the 17th century and attracted merchants to come and open their shops here. It turned out to be an important hotel town for me, too.

For the first time in a while, I got to sleep in until late morning, then got a haircut. Not really sure who I was getting it cut for, but I figured it would be best not to look too scraggly. I don't want to scare away people who see me on the road. It's bad enough seeing a skinny, dark, sweaty, half-naked guy hyperventilating all over the place. Later in the day, I did a bit of jogging on the grass again at the Nyuzen High School track.

Today, I was an English teacher, speaking with the high school English-speaking Club. It was fun interacting with the students. I love being in the small towns where the schools just have a special atmosphere that encourages friendliness and support.

The legs are still sore, especially in the knees and the hip joints. Whatever the case is tomorrow, I need to start up on the route again. Tomorrow I will head out to Kashiwazaki, in Niigata Prefecture.