My Wallet Won, My Body Lost...
Last, last weekend after school, I made the questionable life decision to do a long, sweaty pilgrimage across Kansai just to save a few hundred yen.
The plan sounded smart in my head. Instead of paying over 1000 yen to go all the way to meet my boyfriend for dinner, I decided to take the cheaper route. From Sannomiya Station, I hopped on the Hankyu line to Juso, changed trains for Takatsuki, and then — because apparently I enjoy suffering — walked 1.5 hours to Hirakata Station for dinner.
Now, I love walking. I genuinely do. Peaceful strolls, nature walks, hiking trails — fantastic. But marching through Osaka in blazing heat and soup-like humidity while carrying a massive overnight bag full of textbooks, homework, and a laptop? That stopped being a “cute little walk” after about twelve minutes.
By the halfway point, I was drenched to a level that should honestly qualify as a natural disaster warning. My backpack felt like it contained several bricks and perhaps a small refrigerator. Every convenience store I passed became a spiritual checkpoint.
Still, I survived. Barely.
The reward at the end was dinner with my boyfriend, which successfully resurrected me from the mental grave I had peacefully entered somewhere around Takatsuki.
The truly concerning part is that I’m attempting this route again this week — except this time I’m walking even further. The new route is about two hours from Takatsuki Station. Financially, it makes sense. The trip only costs around 410 yen if I do the walking part, compared to over 1000 yen by train.
Physically? Spiritually? Emotionally?
We’ll see.
P.S. The view across Hirakata Bridge looked amazing that day!
—Emmy
