Today I learned the hard way that I didn’t get into good enough shape for this trip

46 comments

1. damn thats crazy

2. Ans that’s why, kids, you need to care of your health and eat properly.

3. Whenever it comes to
   Fitness if u want the easy mode fr ur base u needs to go above. Running especially long distances woulda made the walking a lot easier. Aand u doing hiking and not putting in some visits to well hike spots too sifh 😾

   Plus a month beforehand wouldn’t helped much ya woulda to been ideal started 6 months or more prior with any kind of training 😾

4. Sounds like a ton of walking, no shame in being tired out. I just got back from 7 days in Tokyo and my family was about done with walking the last few days. We are all in pretty good shape, over been hitting the gym 5 days a week … But still struggling by the end.

   My advice – adjust your schedule the last few days and enjoy best you can. It is what it is right now so make the best of it.

5. I hope your feet feel better soon!!! I find the really cushiony New Balance Shoes with the thick layer of foam are great for long days pounding pavement across Japan. Also look for public ashi yu (foot hot springs) if you can find them 🙂

6. i booked my japan trip in the beginning of the year, and gave my self a goal of loosing 20 lbs so i can enjoy the trip a bit more. i work a physical demanding job but i don’t get my steps in. and along with going to the gym 3 – 4 times a week i ended up losing 17 lbs. i’m 5 days into my 14th day trip and i already have a blister on my right fat toe. averaging 20K steps. there’s times when i come back to the hotel to catch a nap just to go out again.

7. I was 5’9” when I went in April. I wrote up a whole thing about my protocol. I too meant to do that kind of exercise but I never ended up doing it but I ended up ok. This was a guide I wrote up after I came back on a similar post to yours about walking and Japan: https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/13be5c0/feet_recovery_tips_after_walking_around_japan/jjca5nx/

8. It sounds like your shoes may be too small and/or poorly fitting. Our feet expand with heat and exercise, which is why my running shoes are a often a full size larger than my “street shoes” size. You might find relief with a new pair of sneakers.

9. I get sports tape, that stretchy kind for knees and low backs, and put it over areas that tend to blister before I go out. Stays put and protects the area being rubbed.

10. Good shoes make a good difference, especially if you’re not used to it. I walk a lot everyday since forever, however, after having knee surgery a few years ago, I was advised by my surgeon to get shoes with gel in the sole. Life changing. It’s so much better for the feet and the articulations, knees included ! I only go with gel Asics now, especially with long days of walking. I took mine in my last Japan trip, and I only was bothered with tired muscles despite walking ~15 km everyday (while my brother suffered a bit more with bad shoes).
    I hope your knee will be fine, get some rest and put ice on it, maybe you have a little inflammation!! And take it easy. I know it’s hard to refrain yourself when you’re so excited on a trip and want to see everything!! Hope you still have a great time in Japan!

11. I used a taxi quite a bit.

12. I know your situation, we always walk a lot on holidays (between 15-18 km a day) and I always wear my hiking shoes with hiking socks and sometimes I bring a knee bandage if I know this is weak at the moment. Or an ankle bandage to keep everything fixed/ more stable.

    But yeah, you need to be used to that amount of walking.

13. It’s down to shoes more than anything. I’m pretty hefty myself but I wear adidas cloudfoam and don’t get blisters. Was able to test it at music festivals this year, standing/walking all day

14. I think your shoes are not big or wide enough. There should be room especially when you walk longer distances, your feet will swell. Shoes might feel too big at first but it needs to accommodate you.

15. I moved here just shy of two years ago from California. My daily step count at home was in 2000-2500 step range. My daily average here is over 11000 easily. It’s no joke. I took like 5 months for my feet to stop crack and blistering.

16. Cool guide to proper shoelace alignment

    https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/s/YzmaRpQaJn

    Sorry that happened to you! I tweaked my knee a couple weeks ago in Tokyo and picked up some Loxoprofen patches. These worked wonders for me. I wore them for 12-hr on/off over three days. Big improvement. Bought an extra box to bring them home as i had never seen them before.

17. 8km…blisters….clinic
    Sorry, that is all just bonkers 😂

18. I hear ya, man! I just finished my trip on Saturday and after 2 weeks of 30-40k steps/day, I actually lost feeling in my middle toe

19. I’ve not clocked under 25k steps a day on my trip so far, and my most was the first day at 36k. It has been a huge shock to the system!!!!

20. Omg, $76 for all of that? I can’t walk INto any clinic, or even primary care, for that amount. The base charge at my doctor’s, without insurance) is well in excess of $200, and that’s before they even see you! Everything after that is extra. Our walk-in clinics, where you can be seen that day, are well over $300, without insurance. (Again, base fee. It only goes up from there.)

    Anyhow, I hope you recover quickly so that you don’t miss out on the rest of your trip. Happy traveling!

21. I’m very curious about your general health and physique. I don’t want to downplay your situation, but 8km is (in my opinion) not a lot. Not enough to have this happen like this at least. Like others have said it might be a shoe thing as well.

22. Get yourself a pair of Adidas Ultraboost, Asics or New Balances while you’re there. I’m a big Nike sneaker fan (for style only) but could never do a walking trip in them. You might also need to go up a half size too if your baby toe is raw.

    For me Ultraboost is my go to for travel. But after trying these all out, Asics for stability and comfort for sure.

23. On my way home from a month in Japan, half of which was spent in Tokyo. My longest day was 16kms which blew my mind as I’d never walked that much in a day before. Had I walked all that back home, I’d have crossed into the next town.

    Stupidly tried to do a day trip the next day and ended up feeling very wobbly and faint so I had to quickly taxi it back to the hotel and ended up sleeping for half the day. Really thought I was going to collapse! Eye-opener for how much I need to take better care of my health.

24. I’m just gonna bring my Crocs with me I can walk any distance with those and be fine

25. Your shoes are too small. That has nothing to do with your weight (am fat, and I have stamina).

26. I walked an average of 30km daily for 3 weeks while in Japan. I don’t know where did I got my strength from because I’m also a home working gamer, but it was great.
    Sadly, as soon as I got back home I turned into a couch potato again.

27. Blister have nothing to do with your fitness, you need good socks and good shoes.

28. Sometimes when I’m here in Japan I’ll budget in buying a pair of cute shoes from ABC-Mart or something that are good for walking. I feel like the options are always solid with getting shoes that are easy to slip on/off, are stylish, and then are designed for the general public that walks/rides the train.

    For me I’m ok with walking but then I realize how little I stand still in my daily life. It’s fine if I’m moving, but once I’m stuck standing in line or on a train, my feet and back start to hurt

29. i’m sorry man but what the hell did i just read

30. Damn that’s pretty affordable

31. Your most is 8km a day?! I was averaging almost 30km every day whilst in Japan

32. Maybe start pacing more? I pace alot at work to think. I was hitting atleast 25k steps a day in Japan and was only a little sore. I walked around 115 ish miles over my 10 day trip. People really weren’t kidding with how much walking there is.

33. Let’s not forget that there is good public transport and lots of reasonably priced taxis in Kyoto. THERE IS NO SHAME IN TAKING A TAXI. These threads threatening people with hours long walks and bodily injury just to see the sights never seem to consider that option. Sure, if you’re up for 15 miles a day of walking do it, but if that walking will leave you miserable and potentially injured grab a cab or jump on a bus!

34. > They didn’t know anything about my GeoBlue insurance coverage so they told me I was going to pay that day instead.

    Spot the US citizen

35. ??? Bro I run 8kms a day 💀 granted I’m probably much younger than you but this should really be a wake up moment

36. Haha I prepared for my Japan trip by walking daily for two months too 🙂 Japan’s nice

37. I wonder if this is more a shoe/fit problem overall. I went with probable PF and was walking with inserts around 14-18k steps daily for 15 days. I switched between my favorite Nikes with inserts and soft footbed new birk clogs. I didn’t get any blisters. I hope you are able to have fun the rest of the trip.

38. One important thing I learned about walking and blisters is that you must stop the instant it starts to hurt and don’t start walking again until you have fixed the problem, with bandages, different socks, loosening shoes, etc. Also if you find your socks falling down or getting sucked into your shoes you can tape them up with athletic tape and it really helps, even if it looks a little funny.

39. I’m reading this soaking my feet in an ice bath in Kyoto on day 8 of 10. Have one giant blister I’ve been babying since day 4.

    I feel you man.

40. I just got back from Japan and yea I had no idea I would be walking 10-15 miles everyday for three weeks. I hope you can get some rest.

41. I just returned from Japan as well and we were constantly walking 15-20k steps per day as well. I bought a couple of new pairs of shoes with me. A pair of sketchers slip ins and a pair of Hoka Arahi 6. The Sketcher slip ins were so convenient for visiting Temples. They were also comfortable that I didn’t even break out the Hoka’s.
    After the first couple of days I started to get a blister on my small toe but it was because I tied the shoes a bit tighter that day which squeezed my foot. As others said, maybe that’s what caused your blister?
    Hope you recover quickly and enjoy the rest of your trip!

42. I hope you feel better soon. 😩

43. Thanks for sharing your experience with a lot of humility. We have an America problem of people not thinking or caring about how their weight effects their life

44. 8km is nothing. Work on your health and get better shoes

45. Everyone is talking about how much they walk and how fit they are blah blah. WHY IS NO ONE MAD THAT THE COST IS ONLY $76.34??? In the US, it would be like $7,634. I hate our healthcare (for those in the states).

46. I weigh 130kgs approx, and obviously obese for my height. I normally just do taxis in between train stations and take breathers lol.

    It’s more expensive yes. But yeah.

    Also get better shoes. I use NB for their toe/arch support that makes may feet hurt less during long walks.