Hey guys, So I'm out of town this weekend staying in Niagara Falls and we go to get dinner this weekend and my right blinker does that really quick blinking noise. Get out of the car and sure enough, the bulb is out! So, I'm not anywhere near the regular place I go to for parts (I usually just ask the guy at the counter) and don't want to buy the wrong one at Canadian Tire. Could anyone tell me what bulb a 2011 Chevy Equinox takes for the back right turn signal?

I've seen so many people on this sub complaining about how the CGI looks in The Flash. It's okay to point out whether it looks unfinished or not, but I do take issue with people saying it looks "lazily rendered".
Regardless of the variety in quality...

CGI IS NOT LAZY! THERE'S AN INSANE AMOUNT OF WORK INTO IT THAT GOES UNNOTICED.

To the people that are constantly comparing The Flash to Man of steel, take into consideration the context of their productions. Back in 2013, there was only one DC film and that film didn't go through major changes during filming and post-production (thank you Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder and Christopher Nolan). Ten years later and we've had for the most part 2 films per year. The Flash has apparently been through A TON of changes during its production, much like Green Lantern. Meaning that VFX artists have to abandon shots and scenes they had been working on for weeks to work on new ones.
Another major factor is that with the rise of streaming platforms, a lot more projects get green-lit. A good example is how Disney used to have their projects scheduled much more separately, but ever since the launch of Disney+, they have a lot more projects with all the different franchises they distribute. We have a Star Wars show, Marvel films and series, live-action remakes every single year.
Another thing is that several major VFX studios have been sadly closed and many smaller ones are starting out. And it seems like a good number of VFX artists prefer working at smaller studios because they don't feel overworked with really tight schedules and indecisive clients.
I miss the times when people would just view special effects as a tool to tell a story.

• In what is considered to be one of the best action sequences ever made, the train fight from Spider-Man 2 has some of the most jarring digital shots that look much less convincing than some from its predecessor. But people don't really care because of how creative the overall choreography and camera work are.
• People watch King Kong (1933) and they know that what they're looking at is a 20+ inch articulated puppet. But they don't care because they're more invested in the way the character acts, to the point that many cry when said puppet falls from the Empire State Building model.
• A more recent example is Aquaman. That movie's CGI wasn't particularly realistic with its physics and didn't look 100% finished at times. And some people had pointed this out in their reviews. But the reason the visuals were still praised is because of how they were used, as well as its vibrant colors and its gigantic scale. Which is why there was this big debate among audiences on whether or not the movie should've been nominated for best SFX.

I'm not saying that movies or artists are immune to criticism. I simply wish people weren't so dismissive of how hard the craft of animation and CGI is, as if it was so easy to produce.

I’m a rising freshman attending UMD in the Fall planning to take calc 2 (I’m an atmospheric and oceanic science major) that semester. When I looked over the topics the course covers, I saw parametric and polar functions as part of the curriculum, which I know is usually covered in precalc. However, due to Covid setting my class behind in algebra 2, we spent a good amount of time in precalc reviewing prior topics we didn’t dive deep enough into, leaving us with practically the last week of school to learn parametrics as we were really behind, and we didn’t even get to cover polars. Obviously it’s good to have some prior knowledge when learning a topic but I have next to none, and I’m really concerned how that might impact my grade in that class. In calc 2 do they teach or review the basics of parametrics and polars and if they don’t, are there any good additional resources other than Khan Academy and the Organic Chemistry Tutor on YouTube? Thank you!

So my last post a few days ago on this subject I was describing my experience.
I decided to make this one to update.
The tapes making it to wave 3 had brought back so much fear and anxiety.
Two first ones I processed well.
The third one now, I feel I can describe better.
I do not know if it was OBE but I was like floating and seeing things in different location ( which felt like in real time).
The anxiety and pain of what I saw stayed with me for the next 5-6 days. I was in real life but stuck in emotions from this.
I had 3 days where I cried so much, hardly ate… Felt I was falling apart from the inside.
Then it’s like a voice snapped me awake and I was so confused with the panic I had felt the last days.
Since that, it has been two nights with great sleep, lots of calmness and clarity… feeling very very in control.
I’ll take that I went through a major purging. I had not seen reviews describing anything like this before starting the tapes.
So I do see the benefit. The improvement is as brutal as the episode I went through. I don’t know that I am able to get to the tapes again anytime soon. I am just too worried to be stuck again in that weird place.
Has anyone done the tapes under the supervision of a professional hypnotherapist for example ? I would love to continue but with someone who can ensure I get out of whatever state I got into.

As always, thank you to u/SpacePaladin15 for the wonderful universe that is NoP
Thank you to u/cruisingNW for proof reading and helping me out of some hang ups, you're the man! Honestly LoM wouldn't have gone very far without him! If you haven't you should absolutely go read Foundations of Humanity! It's very good.
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Memory Transcription Subject: Christopher A. Dewey, Human Merchant Sailor, Venlil-Human Exchange Participant
Date [Standardized Human Time]: August 29th, 2136, Very Early Morning.
We got a message an hour ago from Videk, ordering us to report to Hangar-08 to start On-Stick training; and to bring our bags! I guess the guy had wanted to get as much out of the day as he could. That or he wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.
Videk met us at the doors to the hangar, a small travel bag sitting on the floor by his side, tail swaying slowly as he watched us approach. “Good Waking, Taisa. Good Waking… Christopher.” An improvement, I’ll have to ask Taisa about that talk they had.
“This,” He continued, motioning to the shuttle parked in the hangar behind him with his tail. “Is your training shuttle: registration C1-0V3R-HR-EX.Your first On-Stick training assignment will be to follow appropriate lift off and departure procedures, plot and follow a course to The Capitol on Venlil Prime, seek permission to land from the proper authorities, and land safely and legally following those permissions. All of this, while following proper procedure and regulations. All of this will be graded.”
As he speaks the door behind him slides open, revealing a broad hangar bay, heavy clamshell doors dominate the far wall. At the center of the bay sits a stout craft painted white and black, a pair of stubby wings jutting from its sides flowing into a pair of engines flanking a singular tail. Venlil script is painted at the root of the tail and on the top of the rear ramp.
“Upon arrival in the Capitol you will have some paperwork to do at the U.N. offices with regards to your habitation. I will need to pick up some equipment from the training facility at the landing fields. After our respective errands, let’s say half a claw, we will meet up back at the shuttle and from there you will be plotting an in-atmosphere route to Shadetree, Sunward of the Capitol, to drop me off and wait for me to install and calibrate the remote instructing equipment. Once that is completed, you will plot another in-atmosphere course to Heartwood River, concluding this paws evaluations. Do you have any questions?”
I shook my head, and Taisa flicked her ears, in what I believed was a negative. “Very good, load your stuff and we’ll begin immediately.”
After a few minutes of finding places to tie off our belongings and get everything situated, I sat in the pilot’s seat and ran through the pre-flight check with Taisa. We caught a pair of faults in the starboard fuel delivery units. Videk seemed pleased we had caught them, and that he hadn’t had to tell us they were there. I could feel a slight smile tug at the corner of my mouth.
Devious little bastard makes for a damn good instructor.
Once the preflight was complete I closed the rear ramp and hailed the flight control tower. “Tower this is shuttle C1-0V3R-HR-EX requesting clearance for departure, place us enroute to Venlil Prime with planned landing zone of Capitol Shuttle Field 13-Bravo.” A Human voice came back over the line, a bit of mirth in their voice. “Shuttle, Tower, you are clear for departure, opening bay doors now. Good luck and Godspeed.”
The doors to the station hangar yawned open, filling the viewport with the void and all its stars beyond as I slowly brought the shuttle off the hangar floor, easing it out through the opening. I reached over to the nearest display and opened the Nav-computer interface, plotting our course to VP, and then on to the Capitol landing fields. Once I was confident I had the proper navigation commands and sequences set I called over Videk to have him review my work.
He gave me a quick flick of his tail before saying “Looks good, Christopher. Feel free to spool and jump when you’re ready.”
Videk’s approval given, I reached over and pushed forward on the throttles, engaging the drive and hurtling the shuttle into subspace.
It. Was. Beautiful. Everything seemed to stretch, stars in the distance turning from pinpricks of light into brilliant colorful streaks, lengthening as we bounded through the void. Lines of light far off in my periphery zip past like tracers as the ones before me feel as if they’re pulling me in with their kaleidoscope of color. The hum of the shuttle fell into the background while I became entranced by the light show in front me, picturing myself on the set of one of those old sci-fi shows I would watch with Pa on the weekends. The Future my ancestors had imagined was Here, right before my eyes and at the tips of my fingers! This view was… Hypnotic. The simulator couldn’t hope to do it justice.
Two hours. That was it.
Two hours to travel what, until very recently, would have been considered an insurmountable distance for Humanity. Dropping from Sub-space into the proximity of Venlil Prime was another astoundingly brilliant view. Scorched white deserts flowing into massive swathes of golden sands cut by the occasional streak of blue before blending into a beautiful verdant mix of turquoise and green fields, with vast lakes and rivers dotting the forests, flowing into wide marshy wetlands. Before finally, the curve of the planet fell away from its star, allowing the fading sunlight to showcase glittering city lights dotting the countryside.
The thrusters burn to life, crackling and thrumming with power as they drive us forward through the void to the beautiful marble before us. I flip two switches on the overhead, tapping the leftmost display to call up the local channel list and place a hail to the Capitol’s landing fields to request clearance and pad assignment. A quick ping, signifying my hail had been acknowledged, chimed over the console speaker.
“Capitol Shuttle Field 13-Bravo this is Shuttle C1-0V3R-HR-EX requesting clearance for landing at an available pad of convenience.” “C1-0V3R-HR-EX, you are cleared for landing, 13-Bravo, direct to pad Charlie-5.”
The Flight through the Void may have had some feeling of familiarity and nostalgia to the old Sci-fi shows at home; but in-atmo had the far better view! Rolling turquoise fields and towering thick trees, with their canopies tilted greedily towards that unmoving sun, falling away to a gargantuan metropolitan area, its architecture entirely alien yet still somehow familiar. Massive skyscrapers soar to touch the sky, reflecting light in brilliant angles and colors, the space below them populated by squat sturdy buildings and deep black roads. The Venlil going about their lives below look like ants as I ease off the throttle, taking the speed down to prepare for the final approach. The display on the viewport flags my landing area with a small pip guiding me in, slow and easy.
The cabin jostles slightly as the ship settles onto its landing gear. Videk seemed impressed; his ears up as he tapped away at his data pad! Taisa’s tail sways happily back and forth as she runs through the diagnostics of the landing, checking system status reports.
“Looks like we’re all clear. Videk do you have a time we should try and be back by?” Taisa beeps, showing the flight instructor the console in front of her.
“I just need to pick up the equipment and get it linked up, that should only take about a half a claw. Walking to and from the landing field and the U.N. Offices should put you at about the right time.” Videk turned away and made for the ramp; Taisa’s talk helped, and he was clearly trying, but he was still a bundle of nerves around me. His fur was so puffed out it looked like he was holding more static than a thunderhead.
As we stepped out of the artificial gravity of the shuttle I felt like I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. My first step faltered making me stumble down the ramp and bounce off the… soft pavement? “Oh, forgot about that.” Videk winced sympathetically, “Our gravity is about twenty percent more than earth’s, so be careful. Falls are likely to hurt a little bit more here.”
“Would’ve been nice to know first, Videk.” I groaned, rolling myself over and sitting up, luckily the visor hadn’t fallen off; I would need to add one of those new back braces and some knee compressors to that order of stuff from home. “Do you know where the U.N. Offices are? Or should we just ask around to find our way there?”
“I do not, but you should be able to get directions on your pad. I trust the two of you can figure it out, so I’m going to go get the equipment I need. I will wait for the two of you with the shuttle once I am ready.” With a parting flap of his ears, Videk turned and walked away; flicking the tip of his tail back and forth as he did.
“Alright then,” I grumbled, forcing myself up off the pavement, swaying as I found my new equilibrium. “let’s get going. Can you pull up those directions?” She nodded slightly, flicking her ears forward. “Got them up already! You alright there?”
“I’m fine.” I grunted, rolling out my shoulder a little. “Feels like I weigh a quarter ton, but I’ll get over it with time. Lead the way.”
After a few minutes of walking we were off the landing fields and into the streets of the city. My boots sinking into the pavement a little with each step, just like on the landing field. “Taisa, what is this stuff? I figured it was just to make landings a little softer on shuttles but it’s everywhere! Looks like pavement but it gives like rubber; why are your roads like this?” “Anti-stampede concrete.” She stated, matter of factly, like that meant literally anything to me. My silence must have tipped her off that I wasn’t getting it as she focused one eye on my visor. “Oh… I guess Humans wouldn’t need that. It’s to help reduce stampede fatalities, it’s the same reason the roads and buildings have gentle curves, no sharp angles.” Looking around at the way the groups of Venlil flowed through the streets I realized she was right, what I had thought was a futuristic aesthetic design was just to keep people from killing each other against walls or trampling them into the ground when they got scared. How strange… and slightly worrying.
“Weird, that sounds like some crazy wonder material. Bet we’d have a bunch of uses for it back on earth.” My eyes watched the tips of skyscrapers towering above us, “How far out does it say we are?”
“Only a little further, about one and a half kilometers.” She responded, a slight pant in her voice. I wasn’t in the best shape, cardio wise, but I couldn’t imagine getting winded after 10 minutes of walking; guess all that talk about the Venlil having less stamina than us was right.
The U.N. Office complex was a series of giant flowing buildings built on a large park area. It wasn’t any design I had ever seen so I figured it had to have been an existing complex that just got turned over to the U.N. for their uses.
Passing through the heavy glass front doors we found a wide receptionist's desk, with several Humans sitting behind it, answering questions and directing people where they needed to go. One of the receptionists, a short dark haired woman with a visor obscuring her face, beckons us over. “Hello! How can I help you today?” “H-Hi!” Taisa beeps excitedly, her tail swaying behind her confidently as she takes a deep breath and straightens her back. “We’re part of the ‘integration’ experiments, we were told we need to fill out some forms for habitation. Where do we go to do that?” “Oh! Congratulations! That would be Suite 216-B” The receptionist answered, excitement in her voice as she pointed to a room on the map infront of her.
“Thank you!” Taisa responded, turning to head up the stairs behind the receptionist's desk. Halfway up the stairs she swiveled her ears over to me before saying. “Sorry, I figure if I’m probably going to have to work with Humans other than you for this I should try and at least work on being able to talk to them.” “It’s alright,” I chuckle, patting her shoulder. “That’s a great idea and you’re doing alright!” Walking down the hallways we saw prints of landscapes from Earth, Machu Picchu, the Uyuni Salt Flats, The Grand Canyon, YellowStone, Hạ Long Bay, The Zhangye Mountains and Plitvice Lakes. I pointed out the places I had been to as we walked past them, finally stopping at suite 216-B.
The door was open so we knocked, getting a quick ‘enter’, before stepping in. A man sits behind a desk, the top covered in organized files and folders, a placard on his desk declares his name as ‘Obediah Kamara’ with a small Liberian flag stamped beside it.
His visor obscures his face as he looks between the two of us before beginning. “I presume you are…” He sorts through a couple of the files and folders before stopping on one and opening it, pulling out a document packet. “Christopher Dewey and Taisa. Correct?”
We both respond in the affirmative as he gestures for us to take the seats across from him, sliding the documents across the table as Taisa’s pad pings on her belt. “These are agreements to ensure that you,” He starts, looking at me. “Understand the rules in regards to your habitation here on Venlil Prime. I understand that part of your integration will be taking you off world to and from Earth, these rules primarily apply to your time here. We ask that you remain considerate of the provided rules and guidelines on the ship if you are carrying Venlil passengers. Taisa, those are the terms, conditions, compensations and requirements for your family to house a human when the two of you are present. Virtual signature of that document is required within the next 3 of your ‘paws’.” Taisa stiffened a little bit, likely thinking about her Mother’s response to my arrival; that was something we were probably going to have to have a talk about later. I had an idea for the short term, at least. I ran through the paperwork real quick and it was all pretty simple: don’t be without the visor or some kind of face covering in settings where you couldn’t guarantee that an unprepared Venlil wouldn’t see you, avoid aggression, speak quietly, no eating meat, animal products or byproducts, no hunting local wildlife; bit odd considering I didn’t even have a bow or a gun but rules are rules, I suppose.
“Sounds good to me,” I said, signing the indicated portions of the document. “When are my items supposed to get here?”
“We don’t expect your requested items to arrive for another week or so, for now you’ll have to make do with what you brought with you.” Obediah responded, shuffling the packet of papers back into the folder they had come from. “With that complete you are free to go. I understand you have training to complete, so I wish you good luck with your endeavor. If you have any questions or needs with regards to your habitation you can contact Sam, their details will be forwarded to your communication devices.”
I caught Taisa’s tail twitching as her ears swiveled nervously out of the corner of my eye; even with her attempts to push through it I think the amount of Humans around was starting to get to her. Still, she was doing better than I think a lot of Venlil would be able to manage. I reached over, gently tapping my hand against her paw, trying to ground her a little before motioning to go, she nodded slightly as she flicked her ears.
“Thank you, Obediah, we’ll be sure to get into touch with them once we get their contact. Have a good day!”
Taisa and I stood, exiting the room and making our way out of the building, stopping to look at another picture or two along the way. Something needed to be done about possibly not having a place to stay to put my, and more so Taisa’s, mind at ease. I figured I could sleep in the shuttle, if I had to. It wouldn’t be particularly comfortable but I could certainly do it; I’d need a mat, maybe a sleeping bag or some blankets and a pillow.
I had no clue where I was going to get my hands on those, or at least a set of them big enough for me to actually use.
Then I saw the temporary units in the field near the offices. Men and Women in U.N. fatigues were milling about the area. Barracks? That could solve the problem, if they’re willing to help out a man in need, of course.
“Hey, Taisa, I need to make a stop real quick.” I state, walking briskly towards the largest of the buildings. “What’s up?” She asks, ears focused on me as she tilts her head a little.
“Well, I was thinking, I don’t think your parents, your Mom especially, won’t, uh… won’t want me around. At least not for a little while until she gets to know me better.”
“I think you can get past it, she’s not that bad… It’ll just be tough.”
“Oh I’m sure I can get past it, but I’d rather not just sleep in the grass in the meantime.” “I don’t think she’d make you sleep in the grass…” “I like being prepared, if she doesn’t want me in her house I’m not going to push the issue.”
“I just… I hope it doesn’t come to that, I’m not going to let her toss you outside like an animal.” She sighs quietly as we push through the front door of the barrack building.
A desk manned by a napping U.N. Marine with Private ranks stuck to his shoulders filled the space beyond the doors. He stirs as the doors clank shut behind us before scrambling to throw on his Visor as he notices Taisa.
“Hello, Uh… Can I help you? This area is for active U.N. personnel only.” He starts, his voice finding its authority only about halfway through the statement.
I stand straight, trying to muster the stern demeanor I’d found in my father and his friends so often when they tried to get something on base after their retirements. “Easy, Private. It has come to my attention that my accommodations lack proper bedding.” “O-Oh, uh, I apologize…” He stammers out, searching for something to say, likely looking to find a way out of trouble for sleeping on duty.
“Sir.” I state. “What’s your name, Private?”
“A-Alvarez, Sir.”
“Alvarez. I’ll remember that, Alvarez, how about we make this quick, you get me a wrap of blankets, 3 pillows and a bedroll and I don’t find your commander to report your… lack of enthusiasm.”
The private snaps to attention before firmly stating. “Yes Sir! I’ll be right back, Sir!”
As the private turns and walks away crisply I hear Taisa whistle with laughter a little beside me. “I’m surprised that worked.”
“You’d be surprised what a hard voice, straight back and the right slacking Private can get you if you just don’t go pushin' it too far in your story.” I whispered with a wink.
After a few minutes of waiting Private Alvarez returned with a duffle bag, stuffed full with blankets and pillows, as well as an inflatable bedroll under the other arm. “Here you go, Sir. Will this be ok?” He asked, passing the items over to me.
“Perfect, thank you Private.” I took the bundle of bedding and turned to the door, before turning my head back over my shoulder, “Oh, and Private? Do try and get proper rest before duty.”
A shaking “Y-Yes, Sir.” followed Taisa and I out of the door.
The first half of the walk back to the landing field was quiet, I was scanning the skyline again, I just couldn’t get over the fact that I was on another planet. Taisa however had her ears pinned back, her paws lightly holding her tail tuft as we walked.
“What’s got ya down?” I asked, watching the herd of Venlil glide around us as we came, trying their best not to get too close to me.
“I’m… concerned.” She sighed, the tip of her tail twitching between her paws.
“About?”
“My mother, what she’ll say… What she’ll do.”
“I can’t exactly say I know what her reaction’ll be… But, whatever it is we’ll just have to deal with it. It’ll probably take time, but we’ll get by.” I soothed. She let go of her tail, placing the tip of it on my back, but her ears didn’t let up at all.
The rest of the walk to the shuttle was quiet as she fidgeted with her paws, trying to take her mind off of the subject. Videk was there waiting for us, a few crates secured to the cargo area of the shuttle that weren’t present before.
“You two ready?” He asked, flicking his tail at us.
“I think so.” I responded, stowing the bedding in an empty compartment as Taisa flicked her ears.
We ran through our preflight checklist again, finding another pre-placed failure from Videk waiting for us, this time in the starboard control surfaces. Once the check was done we radioed the tower for clearance to take off and set an in-atmo course for Shadetree to drop off Videk. It was a short hop, about a half hour of flying or so before I had to call ahead for clearance to land again.
Most of the flight from the Capitol to Shadetree had been rolling turquoise and green hills or open fields of produce growing in the everpresent light. A sudden dense forest rose from the fields, thick dark brown trees with fluttering golden leaves stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction. A sudden break in the forest revealed a clearing for the Landing field, much smaller than the one at the Capitol. The city was built under the canopy of the trees, giving it a constant filtered light casting down through the shifting leaves. It was certainly a beautiful town, I’d have to come back to visit some day. Maybe once Videk had warmed up to me a little bit more.
As the ramp fell ,a small cargo truck arrived alongside the shuttle to collect Videk and his equipment. I offered to help but the Venlil driver just about ran when I started talking so I figured it was probably best to just keep out of it. Once the cargo truck departed, Taisa came back up to the cockpit, plopping down in her seat, and looked through the viewscreen at the trees beyond. The soft hiss of the ramp closing marked the finality of Videk’s departure.
“So, how are you feeling about Venlil Prime so far?” She asked, one eye on my face as I finally slipped the visor off.
“I like it! Between the beautiful scenery, interesting architecture and hanging out with you and Shamrock, here I’m having a great time!” I responded, rubbing my hand on what amounted to the shuttle's dashboard.
“... Shamrock?” She asked, her tail swaying in what I figured for amusement.
“Yea! Remember how I told you Humans like looking for patterns? Well it works on words and numbers as well. The tail number for the shuttle could be taken to spell ‘Clover-HR-EX’, or just clover for short. Clovers are a type of plant on earth that a few cultures believed to be lucky, one way or another. One of the nicknames for them was a Shamrock!”
She laughed at me.
“You are such a dork.” She said, wiping a tear from her eye as her tail whipped back and forth. “It’s a good name, usually shuttles don’t get one. I think it fits.”
I chuckled, a thought crossing my mind. “Think we could get any shuttle-grade paint? Preferably green, yellow and black?” She raised an eyebrow at me as her ears cocked at different elevations. “Oh? Someone feeling a little artistic?”
“Well, I could always paint a Shamro-” I was interrupted as the ping signifying we were being hailed sounded off. “We’ll finish this later.” I said, pointing at her as I accepted the hail.
Videk’s voice bled through the speakers. “Ok, looks like the connection is secure. Let’s go ahead and run through getting you familiar with the software, it should be quick and easy.”
It was not.
It took two hours. After a lot of trial and error, stop and go flights to test the connection and a few near misses with an especially tall tree we had gotten the system setup such that Videk was confident it would work in an emergency if he needed to step in. With that all squared away Taisa and I settled in to get on our way to Heartwood River. Sleeping on the blow up mattress or on a real bed hardly mattered at this point, I just wanted to sleep.
The overall flight time was set to be about an hour and a half, not too bad and man was the view beautiful: rolling fields, roaring rivers, pristine skies and alien forests abounded across the countryside. We had just passed over Hidden Plains when Taisa and I were just settling back into talking about her parents and our best route to try and handle them, when the hail system chimed and immediately spat out a harsh tone without acknowledgement, the same one the simulator used for distress calls.
“Mayday Mayday Mayday. Report of shots fired at residence housing humans. Need immediate medical evac at The Berrypatch Farm in The Grove, 11 minutes Night-ward from Hidden Plains. Hailing all airborn craft, we need a medical evac immediately!”
I immediately returned the hail. “This is cargo shuttle C1-0V3R-HR-EX. Responding to Mayday from the Grove. We are en-route to render aid. Hold tight, we’ll be there.”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Taisa tighten her flight harness as I reached for the throttle.
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Hello, I would like to seek fellow redditors opinions, input and recommendation on how I could better finetune my itinerary better. There's only so much I can think of, and plan as an individual, but with everyone's input and comments I can further refine and enhance the travel experience before I set foot into Japan. Do forgive me in advance for the theorycrafting wall of text.
I know it may be difficult to review the itinerary, so to make the review easier I have broken the itinerary down into specific sub-groups e.g. Shikoku, Kinki etc. Specific questions that I have are bolded.
Thank you in advance for taking your time to provide your opinions!
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Baseline information

• 32M, average fitness, solo traveller
• Public transport only (challenge); I have a driver's license but I have not drove a car for god knows how long so I would prefer not to test it against the green hills of Shikoku
• Interest: anime (select few), experience autumn/nature, visiting secluded spots, and just trying random stuff
• JP language skill: rudimentary at best (N4), but I will not shy away from speaking in simple, broken japanese or use a translator to communicate. Reading/interpreting kanji is not a problem (in general).
• Visit history: Visited twice (once to Hokkaido for ~8 days, and once toKyoto and Osaka for 8 days
• Will probably travel around with a (slightly) oversized luggage at ~166cm (A+B+C), that’s the only one I have with me. This will be a problem on the Shinkansen (but hopefully not so much on sightseeing trains/limited expresses).
• Will be visiting during (almost) peak autumn at 11 November, and will depart on the 16th of December
• Jet lag is unlikely to be a problem (1h time difference), but nevertheless I will maintain a low tempo on the first day to acclimatize to the environment
• Only thing firmed as of now is the air ticket, everything else is up in the air.
• I like planning/min-maxing to some degree, though I recognize that I may not fulfill all objectives during the trip and I am totally ok with that [its just a guideline or framework to give the holiday some structure, that’s all.] FWIW, I personally like traveling at a high tempo pace like some japanese travel show do (e.g. ローカル路線バス乗り継ぎの旅)

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Specific goals/objective:

1. Experience Shikoku in autumn (specifically the views at Iya Valley) and in other prefectures (thus making nature sightseeing more of a priority this time round)
2. Experience Kanazawa for anime stuff
3. Experience the Shimanami Kaido in full (including any sightseeing spots in between the 6 island chains)
4. Bonus - try as many sightseeing trains as possible.
5. Bonus - if weather, time and schedule permits, try skiing as an option in Nagano.
6. Bonus - stay in as many onsen ryokans as possible, without breaking the bank.

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Locked-in prefectures [i.e. I will definitely go to those prefectures no matter what]:

1. Shikoku (as per above objective)
2. Hiroshima (because its on the opposite end of the Shimanami Kaido)
3. Kanazawa (for anime related reason)
4. Tokyo (that is my starting and end point so it has to be included by default)

All other prefectures are basically float i.e. I am open to consider dropping said itinerary for something else based on your suggestion that aligns with my preferences/interest. Most of the other locations I added are prefectures that are often next to each other, or well-connected (apart from the initial Tokyo Kagawa jump via Sunrise Seto/Shinkansen).
​
Wait-list prefectures (prefectures that I want to go, but I don’t think I can realistically fit in without dropping other locations):

1. Snow skiing at Nagano (depending on how cooperative the weather is in early-ish December (would 2 days be sufficient?))
2. Ehime, Kochi expansion [spend 1-3 more days]
3. Izu Peninsula (~2 days, via Saphir Odoriko)
4. Nagoya + lower Nagano (Kiso Valley) (~3 days)
5. Ishikawa expansion [1 extra day at Kaga]

I am open to dropping a few days in Tokyo/Osaka etc to make that trade off [currently kept 3 days free for further development]. Alternatively, if the planning can be better optimized based on your inputs I might be able to do one of those without compromising on the base set. I would like to hear your opinion on what locations you would drop in the itinerary to make time for one of the above.
​
General planning philosophy:

1. My itineary adopts a breadth approach (cover as much area as I can humanely possible without rushing/touch-and-go) as opposed to depth (i.e. spending much more time within Shikoku than what I allocated); though I would be open to considering more days at selected locations if you have strong recommendations. My thought is to experience how different autumn is at various parts of the country (if possible), and maybe winter too (to a certain degree).
2. Due to the nature of my travel, I note that luggage logistics is a critical consideration when moving between prefectures; my thought is to park that luggage at the next hotel as quickly as possible so that I can free myself for sightseeing within the vicinity, or leave the luggage at the hotel after I check out until I am ready to travel to the next location. I will need to send (quite a fair bit of) emails to the hotels to confirm on this prior to booking.
3. I will attempt to minimize transit time between prefectures to no more than 2~3 hours a day to avoid having excessively long transport days (except the initial Tokyo Kagawa jump).
4. Because of the long trip, I will also need to factor a bit of downtime at night for administrative stuff (e.g. catching up a little bit on work, laundry etc).

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Shikoku (~7 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. I will need to exploit Limited Express trains as much as possible to minimize downtime between the 4 prefectures. Fortunately, for the most part these train frequencies are almost hourly, thus missing one train isnt too deadly consequence-wise.
2. The transfer between Kochi and Ehime [Matsuyama] is oddly quicker via express bus as opposed to trains (!)
3. For Kochi, my opinion is that it is best explored on car instead of public transport [it’s a really wide prefecture]; I feel that 1 day may not do it justice, but it is probably adequate for exploring the city centre as a whole.
4. There's a fair bit of uncertainties while planning this leg so I would deeply appreciate any advice you may have.
5. This current iteration is unable to weave in the Shikoku Mannaka Sennen Monogatari sightseeing train [四国まんなか千年ものがたり] ; if you people think its something not to be missed do let me know and I will reshuffle my timetable as such.

Day 0: Tokyo Kagawa (Sunrise Seto) [Saturday, 11 Nov]

• Touch down at Narita at 1720hours
• Transfer to Tokyo Station via NEX or Skyliner
• Settle administrative matters at the Midori-no-Maruguchi (e.g. get all the booked tickets etc from JR Pass, for Shinkansen and all other sightseeing trains) at Tokyo Station.
• IF Sunrise Seto ticket is obtained via the JR West portal booking, chill till 2200 and take Sunrise Seto to reach Kagawa (Takamatsu) at 0700 the next day. Try to snag the ticket online (likely via the japanese portal since there's no option to buy Solo Deluxe through the english/international website. Otherwise, compromise and go for Single)
• IF Sunrise Seto ticket is NOT obtained, proceed to take the furthest possible Shinkansen westwards (probably Okayama) and rest for the night.

Day 1: Kagawa (Takamatsu) [Sunday, 12 Nov]

• Chill around Takamatsu. Drop luggage at coin locker OR the hotel (near JR Takamatsu ideally)
• Look at whats left of Takamatsu Castle en route to the port.
• Day trip to Naoshima or Teshima to visit the art museums (Chichu Art Museum, Lee Ufan Museum etc).
• Ritsuin Garden in the evening (closes 1830)
• Find an eatery with Sanuki Udon for dinner if possible.

Day 2: Kagawa (Kotohira) Tokushima (Iya Valley) [Monday, 13 Nov]

• Morning trip from Takamatsu to Kotohira (either via JR or Kotoden). Visit Kotohiragu [includes inner shrine] and Kanamaruza Theater
• Return to Kotohira to pick up luggage, transit to Oboke via Limited Express Shimanto [Takamatsu Tadotsu Oboke]
• Retire at a local hotel around Oboke. If time permits, take the chance to explore around Oboke Gorge itself.

​
Day 3: Tokushima (Iya Valley) [Tuesday, 14 Nov]
[Post-research note: I realized that there is NO public transport to Mount Tsurugi on a weekday. I will have to rent a taxi direct to Mount Tsurugi, make the 'climb', then thereafter take the taxi down to the other attractions. I am inclined to just go full hog on the private taxi and rent it (almost the whole day, probably 7~8 hours for 4300yen/hour) to save the trouble.
Otherwise, I will need to hike downhill which can be rather rough since its just a single lane road (looking at nearly 10++ km) so I think it wise not to penny pinch in the interest of both time and safety.]
Spend the day at Iya Valley.

• Take a taxi after breakfast to zip to Mount Tsurugi and speedrun it to the mountain peak (aka using the chairlift to speedrun a good chunk of the mountain) about 2.5 hours ~ 3 hours as per the Iya Valley guide
• Taxi from Mount Tsurugi chairlift down to Oku-Iya Niju Kazuraashi and cross it (~1 hour estimate)
• Taxi down to visit the mannequins/scarecrows at Nagoro Village (~3km downhill from Oku-Iya). (~1 hour estimate)
• Check out the Peeing Boy Statue (~0.5 hour estimate [its just looking at the statue that is overlooking the entire gorge is it not?])
• Cross the outer vine bridge Iya-no-Kazurabashi (~1 hour estimate)
• Taxi back to Oboke, and retire for the day (~0.5 hour estimate, thus looking at about ~8 hours taxi rental total, with some leeway for lunch break)

​
Day 4: Tokushima (Iya Valley) Kochi (Kochi) [Wednesday, 15 Nov]

• Transit from Iya Valley [Oboke] to Kochi via Limited Express Shimanto (again) after breakfast. (~1 hour transit)
• Park luggage at hotel [ideally near JR Kochi Station], then proceed to mill around Kochi, visiting places such as Kochi Castle [高知城] and Harimaya Bridge[はりまや橋]
• Transit to Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum [高知県立坂本龍馬記念館] via local bus which is also near Katsumatsura Beach incidentally. Chill at Katsumatsura Beach in the evening
• Return to JR Kochi, dinnesupper at Hirome Market (ideally to try out Kochi's speciality seared bonito). [is visiting the market more preferable during lunch OR dinner?]

​
Day 5: Kochi (Kochi) Ehime (Imabari) [Thursday, 16 Nov]

• Complete any remaining items in Kochi in the morning, then transit to Imabari via train (Kochi Tadotsu Imabari), via Limited Express Shimanto (yet again!) and Ishidzuchi**[TBC: this might be better done via highway bus instead which is faster at ~2-3 hours]**
• Drop luggage at Imabari for the next 2 days, either at Sunrise Itoyama OR Cycle no Ie. [both are well positioned for the Shimanami Kaido, and are also one of the selected hotels eligible for the Sagawa luggage transfer.] Ideally done just around lunch time, so that there's still the better half of the day to explore Imabari.
• Spend the remainder of the day visiting Imabari Castle (closes 1700) and Towel Museum (slightly out of the way) (closes 1800) [TBC: I note this place is quite out of the way from Imabari itself, even the JP website suggests taking a taxi (!) there from the nearby train station. Might have to drop this).
• Attempt to try some Ehime-related food specialties e.g. Taimeshi (Sea Bream), Ehime oranges, Champon for the next 2 days

​
Day 6: Ehime (Matsuyama / Imabari) [Friday, 17 Nov]

• Take the Limited express train Ishidzuchi to Matsuyama day tripping. (~1h one-way).
• Explore Matsuyama Castle, and the nearby Matsuyama Ropeway Shopping Street
• Visit Shiki Memorial Museum
• Visit Dogo Onsen [and attempt to soak in the waters if possible].
• Also consider looking at Ishiteji (石手寺) beside Dogo Onsen.
• Bonus: Subject to train schedule, if possible, attempt to secure tickets for the Iyonada Sightseeing Train (伊予灘物語), Futami leg [双海ふたみ 編] , and also visit JR Shimonada Station (JR下灘駅) at the same time.
• Bonus: visit Yawatahama Port where the movie Suzume took reference from,
• Return to Imabari via the same Limited express Ishidzuchi and retire for the night.

Day 7: Ehime (Imabari) Hiroshima (Shinamani Kaido) [Saturday, 18 Nov]
I am of the opinion that 1 day in Shimanami Kaido is adequate if I attempt just the main route which is about 80km [as a test run, I did 70km and finished it within 6-7 hours with lunch breaks included]. For now I will plan for two full days, however should I truncate it down to one day later, I will add an extra day to either explore Matsuyama or Okayama.
​

• Start off at Sunrise Itoyama [watch the sunrise, have breakfast here, cafeteria opens at 0700, rental opens at 0800] OR Cycle no Ie. Do paperwork to send luggage over to the next accomodation via Sagawa.
• I will (probably) follow the recommended 'extended' route on Cycle no Ie's website and do the following:
  • Take the west coast for Oshima (~13km) and cross to Hakatajima, with possible stop on:
    • Mount Kiro Observatory Point [I am aware that there's a steep incline so this would be contingent on my physical/mental status by then].
    • Nagahama Beach
• Take the coastal route for Hakatajima (~17km) and cross to Omishima and enjoy the coastal scenery
• Take the coastal route (again) for Omishima (~41km) (or lesser depending on how I'm feeling at that point) , with possible stop on:
  • -TBC: Okunoshima (there is apparently a ferry route to the well-known rabbit island via Omishima port. Not sure if anyone else have tried this particular route and if this is a better approach than going through Tadano-umi (though I would acknowledge that there's historical stuff to visit in nearby Takehara), and I would not be able to buy rabbit food in advance).[Based on Google Earth estimate, its about 3km for the entire island loop - seems doable within 2 hours to tour the poison gas museum with a bike and pet some rabbits).
  • Oyamazumi Shrine Treasure Museum
• End the day at WAKKA (Omishima) OR Guesthouse NEST / Soil Setoda (Ikuchijima) just beside Kousanji / The Hill of Hope (closes 1700). If possible, visit before closing, otherwise defer to next day.
• Try the ice cream at Dolce at Ikuchijima if possible.
• Bonus: if for some reason I am still ahead of time at this juncture (<1500), proceed to finish Innoshima and Mukaishima, then take a ferry to backtrack to Wakka/Soil Setoda or cycle back (last boat is ~1700) and rest; however, the next day I will zip straight to Onomichi via ferry after breakfast.

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Hiroshima + Yamaguchi (~4 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. Onomichi is a pretty good base to jump to Okayama to explore Okayama, Kurashiki or Tomonoura with the Shinkansen accessibility, but it is impossible to cover them all within a single day. If I finish the Shimanami Kaido within a single day or finish it early on the second day, I will have that extra time to visit those.
2. There's another sightseeing train etSETOra from Onomichi to Hiroshima but it only operates on Monday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday. For now the schedule could fit the train timetable pretty nicely.
3. Would anyone suggest visiting Miyajima in the morning or in the evening? This would help me determine the order for the Kintaikyo Bridge/Miyajima day trip. Watching the sunset at either destination is pretty good in my books.

​
Day 8: Hiroshima (Shinamani Kaido Onomichi) [Sunday, 19 Nov]

• Continue from Ikuchijima towards Innoshima and Mukaishima (~18km) via the western coast route after breakfast, with possible stops on the following areas:
  • Innoshima: Innoshima Flower Centre, Shimanami Beach [open to more suggestions]
  • Mukaishima : there seems to be a lot of brunch places like Willows Nursery etc, soak the view at Mukaishima Rest Park [TBC: open to more suggestions]

Ideally reach Onomichi just around lunch or earlier. Chill for the rest of the day, and if I'm still up for it, explore Onomichi, including but not limited to:

• Exploring the cat alley
• Visit the exhibits at Onomichi City Museum of Art
• Consider walking to Senkoji and Onomichi Hondori Shopping Street
• Look into trying Onomichi-style ramen.

Retire at a guesthouse/hotel near JR Onomichi that I have forwarded the luggage to.
​
Day 9: Hiroshima (Onomichi, Takehara+Kure OR Tomonoura OR Okayama) Downtown Hiroshima) [Monday, 20 Nov]

• Mill around Onomichi in the morning (if not done yesterday), with a side trip to EITHER Takehara/Kure OR Okayama/Kurashiki OR Tomonoura (choose one):
  • Takehara: stroll along the historical townscape [and look if they have any Tamayura-related merch], Okunoshima (if not done during the Shimanami Kaido leg / Kure: look into trying Kure curry/Niku-jaga and visit the Yamato Museum
  • Okayama: Okayama Castle (zip via Shinkansen) / Kurashiki : Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter
  • Tomonoura: stroll along the townscape during the day (zip via Shinkansen, transfer to local bus)
• Return to Onomichi (no later than 1400), board the etSETOra sightseeing train at 1437, and zip to Hiroshima. Enjoy the sunset along the coastline.
• Retire for the night at Hiroshima proper, probably near JR Hiroshima OR the bus terminal. If time permits, take a gander along the streets and see what takes me from there.

​
Day 10: Hiroshima (Downtown Hiroshima) [Tuesday, 21 Nov]
Spend the day surveying Hiroshima proper.

• Peace Memorial Park (平和記念公園) and Atomic Bomb Dome
• Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims (国立広島原爆死没者追悼平和祈念館)
• Hiroshima Castle
• Orizuru Tower (おりづるタワー)
• Shukkeien (縮景園)
• Optional: Mazda Museum / Kure (if not done the previous day)
• Try to source for Hiroshima-specific food: Okonomiyaki, Dandan Noodles

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Day 11: Hiroshima (with a day trip to Yamaguchi) [Wednesday, 22 Nov]

• Daytrip to Yamaguchi [Shin-Iwakuni] to visit Kintaikyo Bridge via Shinkansen. Also stop by the nearby Iwakuni Castle.
• Try Tonosama Sushi at Iwakuni if possible.
• Take the local train back to Miyajimaguchi and take the boat to Itsukushima.Take the time to stroll around the island and perhaps watch the sunset at the torii gate.
• Exit back to Hiroshima via boat to Hiroshima Port direct, and transit back to hotel.

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Shimane + Tottori (4 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. Matsue becomes the main jump point for Shimane just because of the subsidized highway bus from Hiroshima, and ease of access towards Tottori later. There's no direct train between Hiroshima and Izumo/Matsue (!).
2. Tottori is really wide size-wise, to the point that it feels more efficient to have two separate hotels in two nights (Kurayoshi/Misasa Onsen + downtown Tottori) rather than one hotel for two nights (i.e. downtown Tottori). Could be just me making excuses to get into an onsen ryokan however.
3. Is there anything interesting at Yonago (Tottori) that I should take note of? Based on my initial survey nothing in particular pops up (other than the Tottori Prefectural Flower Park).
4. Skipping Tottori Castle since it doesn’t seem to be interesting at first glance. Any other interesting things to at Tottori downtown (or nearby)?

​
Day 12: Hiroshima Shimane (Matsue) [Thursday, 23 Nov]

• Make good use of the 500yen highway bus from Hiroshima to Matsue. (3.5 hours transit). Fortunately the frequency is not too bad (7-8 buses per day, looking at 0800 departure or later); if there are still outstanding places to visit in Hiroshima I will visit them in the morning.
• Check in at a hotel near JR Matsue, and proceed to trawl around Matsue with whatever daylight is left. (TBC: am considering taking a few stops down to Tamatsukuri Onsen 玉造温泉 or Matsue-shinjoko Onsen instead of the typical hotel. Does anyone have any positive experiences there?)
• Attempt to spend the afternoon at the Adachi Museum of Art. Local train to Yasugi, transfer to free shuttle.
• Chill off in downtown Matsue for the night. Prowl for Shimane-specific food such as Naniwa Zushi (浪花寿司), Shijimi clams (しじみ), Izumo soba, Izumo Zenzai (出雲ぜんざい).
• Bonus: visit the Tottori Prefectural Flower Park for the winter Hanakairo Flower Illumination at Yonago at night [which is just beside Matsue. Free shuttle bus at Yonago bus terminal].

​
Day 13: Shimane (Izumo / Matsue) [Friday, 24 Nov]

• Day trip from Matsue to Izumo. (JR Matsue JR Izumo, swap to Ichibata local rail to Izumotaisha-mae)
• Take a stop at Izumo Taisha, as well as the nearby Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo (島根県立古代出雲歴史博物館)
• After lunch, return to JR Matsue and proceed to Yushien Garden (由志園) via bus. Enjoy the sunset over the garden.
• Stop by Matsue Castle on the way back.

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Day 14: Shimane (Matsue) Tottori (Kurayoshi) [Saturday, 25 Nov]

• Transfer from Matsue to Kurayoshi in the morning via Super Matsukaze Limited Express (~1h).
• Settle down luggage at Misasa Onsen, then proceed to hike up Mitokusan Sanbutsuji Temple (三仏寺). Cater extra time just in case I have to wait for another fellow to pop up to climb in pairs. Estimated climb time excluding wait is about 2-3 hours both ways?
• Excess time to be spent sauntering Misasa Onsen and its nearby area such as the Nijisseiki Pear Museum [二十世紀梨記念館（なしっこ館)] and Kurayoshi Historical Quarter.
• Retire at Misasa Onsen for the night. Bonus: watch the constellations at night at Misasa Onsen on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday, 2100JST. Current plan does not fall within those 3 weekdays
• Bonus: take a short detour to Conan Town (postnote: not a big fan of the show).

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Day 15: Tottori (Kurayoshi Tottori) [Sunday, 26 Nov]

• Transfer from Kurayoshi to Tottori (~35minutes transfer) in the morning, and proceed to tour around Tottori.
• Drop luggage, take a local bus to Tottori Sand Dunes, and visit the nearby Sand Museum.
• Transfer northwards to Uradome Coast via local bus and spend the remainder of the day there. Watch the sunset over the coast.
• Return to downtown Tottori, stroll around and call it a night.

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Hyogo, Kyoto, Osaka , Nara, Mie (10 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. Kinosaki Onsen is intentionally designed to be a slow-paced leg to recover [and also to make time to enjoy the onsens].
2. The limited express train between Kinosaki Onsen and Osaka stops by Himeji thus I thought of resting a night there instead of doing day trips via Osaka.
3. Osaka itinerary does look sparse but that is in large part because I have already visited most of them in the past. Nevertheless, I would like to experience how different it is in autumn compared to summer [based on those few destinations that I loved going previously].
4. I have kept one float day to decompress, OR shift to any of the other prefectures (TBC).
5. There are (multiple) special limited express train by Kintetsu; they're not covered by JR pass but nevertheless I would love to ride on those as an experience. The Kintetsu pass covers the basic fare only but based on my preliminary cost estimate, it is still worth getting it.
6. Is it feasible to compress Himeji and Kobe to a single day?
7. The itineraries for Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Mie are flexible since they're literally beside one another - makes it particularly easy to shift around base on ground situation.

​
Day 16: Tottori (Tottori) Hyogo (Kinosaki Onsen) [Monday, 27 Nov]

• Settle any outstanding sightseeing spots in the morning if required in Tottori, then transfer to Kinosaki Onsen via the Sanin Line.
• Make a pitstop at Amarube ('Sky Station') and marvel at the engineering work.
• Deposit luggage at the ryokan (or put in the coin locker), and stroll around and enjoy Kinosaki Onsen [after all its an onsen town].
• Try to hit as many of the 7 external onsens that are usable. Retire for the night here.
• Optional: go up the ropeway and oversee Kinosaki Onsen in the evening (last ride up ~1630)
• Optional: take a short hike up to Onsenji Temple.

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Day 17: Hyogo (Kinosaki Onsen + Northern Kyoto (Amanohashidate) day trip) [Tuesday, 28 Nov]

• Optional: take a (very) early start to the day to Takeda Castle Ruins and witness the 'floating castle' effect in the morning (<0800).
• Day trip to Amanohashidate via ToyookaKyotango Railway. Do the funny bend-down pose on the bench at Amanohashidate View Land, and see how it feels like looking at the world inverted.
• Cross the sandbar and look from the other side (Nariaiji Temple / Kasamatsu Park)
• Select one of three additional side-trips:
  • EITHER take a local bus up to Ine to look at the Funaya + sightseeing boat,
  • OR local rail down to Maizuru to look at the Maizuru World Brick Museum + eat at the Michi-no-eki;
  • OR reverse to Toyooka spend time in the city itself e.g. Izushi Castle Town
• Return to Kinosaki Onsen, and continue experiencing the remainder of the onsens. Retire for the night here. Optional: ride the Aomatsu sightseeing train back to Toyooka.
• Optional: Take a trip to Ankokuji Temple (安国寺) in the evening. Likely to visit post-peak autumn which means less than ideal viewing conditions.

Day 18: Hyogo (Kinosaki Onsen Himeji) [Wednesday, 29 Nov]

• Transit from Kinosaki Onsen to Himeji via Limited Express Hamakaze (~2 hours).
• Deposit luggage at the hotel or the coin lockers at the station, then proceed for sightseeing.
• Walk along the Miyuki Street Shopping District which is en-route to Himeji Castle.
• Himeji Castle sector : Himeji Castle (姫路城), Kokoen (好古園)
• Take a local bus at Himeji Castle to go to Mount Shosha and hike up Engyōji Temple (圓教寺)
• Optional : Stroll along Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History and/or Himeji City Museum of Art which is beside the castle, OR Shosha Handicraft Museum which is just at the foot of Mount Shosha
• Optional: Make a detour to the Japan Toy Museum near Koro station (~30 minutes from JR Himeji). Closes 1700.
• Look for Hyogo-specific food: Kobe beef, steamed pork buns, sobameshi, himeji oden, etc

Retire at Himeji for the night.
Day 19: Hyogo (Himeji Kobe) Osaka (Dotonburi) [Thursday, 30 Nov]
Day trip to Kobe, before continuing further down to Osaka.

• Check out from Himeji, transit further down to Kobe for another stop before Osaka. Place luggage at the holding facility within the Shinkansen station.
• Take a visit to the Earthquake Memorial Museum (人と防災未来センター) to look at the devastation wrought by the 1995 earthquake.
• Stroll along Kobe Harborland (神戸ハーバーランド) and Meriken Park (メリケンパーク) , look at the Kobe Tower since its closed till 2024 for renovation, and look at the damage caused by the earthquake
• Optional: Head westwards to Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art.
• Optional: Hit up the ASICS Sports Museum (アシックススポーツミュージアム)
• Look at the engineering feat that is the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge and the nearby Akashi Kaikyo Bridge Exhibition Center at Maiko. (Suzume no Tojimari)
• Return to Shin-kobe, pick up luggage, and transit to Shin-Osaka via Shinkansen, and then to Dotonburi/Shinsaibashi. End the (long) day in Osaka.

Day 20: Osaka [Friday, 1 Dec]
Osaka Nostalgia (acid) trip, speedrun edition: revisiting places that I want to go again

• Day trip to Mino Park and revisit the waterfall (I loved visiting it previously) via the Hankyu line in the morning.
• Zoom down to the Osaka Aquarium after lunch and walk around it (Minoo Umeda Honmachi Osakako Station).
• From there, race towards Abeno Harukas and watch the sunset/nightview at Abeno Harukas.
• Bonus: revisit Sumiyoshi Taisha if time permits.
• Spend whatever time remains at night at Nipponbashi Denden Town (shops close at ~2000) and Dotonburi (some stores are still open near midnight) and/or Shinsekai (新世界).

Day 21: Osaka (Nara day trip) [Saturday, 2 Dec]
Spend a day in Nara.

• Zoom from Namba to Nara via Kintetsu (note: non-JR)
• Explore Todaiji Temple, Kokufuji Temple, Isuien Garden and Kasuga Taisha.
• Optional: pass by Naramachi (奈良町) on the way back.
• Take the Kintetsu line down to Mount Yoshino. [TBC: subject to whether I am too early or late for the koyo.Based on last year's prediction I am about 1-2 weeks too late. Might swap this out to a Uji day trip instead in Kyoto.). Spend time walking around the Shimo Senbon and Naka Senbon and experience the autumn.
• Transfer back to Osaka. Bonus: take the Blue Symphony back to Osaka instead of the typical train. (non-JR)

Day 22: Osaka (Mie day trip) [Sunday, 3 Dec]
Day trip to Mie.

• Take the Iseshima Liner from Tsuruhashi Station (near Namba/Dotonburi) to Ise. Bonus: take the Hinotori from Osaka to Tsu, then transfer to Mie. (non-JR)
• Hit up Ise Jingu (伊勢神宮) [both inner and outer] and Okage Yokocho (おかげ横丁)
• Try to eat Matsuaka Beef or Ise Udon for lunch.
• Head westwards to Futamiokitama Shrine (二見興玉神社) / Meotoiwa Rocks; and if further time permits, go to Toba for the Ama Viewing Platform.
• Take the returning Shimakaze Limited Express train back to Osaka (note: only one train at 1630; if this train is missed, change to normal express trains). (non-JR)
• Retreat back to Osaka for the night. Consider doing any other night activities in Osaka if time, and body permits.

Day 23: Osaka ('north' Kyoto day trip) [Monday, 4 Dec]
(north) Kyoto day trip.

• Take a stop at the Kyoto Railway Museum. Optional: also consider heading to To-ji Gojunoto first if I reach Kyoto way early before 10am.
• Walk back to Kyoto station, and take a bus northwards to Kyoto Manga Museum.
• Hop on the bus direct from the Manga Museum to Kinkakuji. [bus 15]
• Select one of two side-trips:
  • EITHER head westwards to Arashiyama (note: already visited once in the summer but I still think it nice to visit in autumn/winter this time round). Bonus: experience sunset along the Togetsukyo Bridge.
  • OR head eastwards to Higashiyama (closes 1700), Philosopher's path etc (did not visit these in my past trip here so there's the 'new' factor, but it is going to be a physically taxing day. Also, most likely will reach here nearing evening i.e. closing time thus there's a limit to how much I can visit realistically).

Whichever choice, return back to Osaka for the night. Look out for Kyoto-specific food such as Yudofu, Saba Sushi, Warabi Mochi, Nishin Soba (にしんそば) etc.
Day 24: Osaka ('south' Kyoto day trip) [Tuesday, 5 Dec]
(south) Kyoto day trip edition (mainly Uji and Fushimi).

• Zip from Osaka to Kyoto via Keihan to Uji Station.
• Spend the better half of the morning in Uji.
• Visit the Byōdō-in and the nearby Tonoshima and Tachibana Island.
• Hike up to the Daikichiyama Observation Deck to oversee Uji as a whole. On the way down, explore Ujigami Shrine.
• Take the chance to buy some Uji tea as gifts to relatives. Have lunch along the Omotesando Road.
• Head further northwards to Fushimi, and do another hike up Fushimi Inari. (Note: visited once in the past but I liked the experience thus I would like to do it again.) Bonus: if its done in the evening.

Head back to Osaka and retire for the night. Consider doing any other night activities in Osaka if time, and body permits.
Day 25: Osaka (wildcard) [Wednesday, 6 Dec]
Spare day to do whatever I feel like doing OR reallocate this to another prefecture. Intentionally left blank for later planning
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Kanazawa, Gifu+ (4 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. Is it likely for the skiing season to open around 9~10 December at Shiga Kogen or Nozawa Onsen? Would very much like to try skiing for fun, but am uncertain if the snow condition would be satisfactory by then. Some of the skiing website indicates that these two destinations are usually the first to open. I would like to seek advise on this if possible [never skiied before].
2. As an additional question to point 1, is 2 days adequate just to get a flavor on skiing?
3. Kanazawa is a pretty solid jump point to Shirakawago/Takayama via express buses (~1 to 2 hour one way).
4. My initial planning considered going to Kurobe Gorge (Toyama) but apparently the railways are closed from December onwards. Please correct me if I am mistaken.
5. Another sightseeing train in Kanazawa that I can fit in nicely in my current plans (花嫁のれん), runs on Mon/Fri/Sat/Sun.

Day 26: Osaka Ishikawa (Kanazawa (Kanazawa cityside)) [Thursday, 7 Dec]

• Zip from Osaka to Kanazawa via Limited Express Thunderbird in the early morning (~3hours; ideally the 0740 or 0810 service). Drop luggage at the hotel near JR Kanazawa and explore the cityside.
• Have lunch at the Omicho Market (近江町市場), OR at Higashi Chaya District.
• Stroll around Kanazawa Castle (金沢城, Kanazawajō) and the nearby Kenrokuen (兼六園) / Seisonkaku Villa (成巽閣, Seisonkaku) .
• Consider visiting one or more of the nearby museums if possible:
  • D.T. Suzuki Museum OR
  • National Crafts Museum OR
  • 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art
• Optional: Head southwards to Myoryuji Temple + Nishi Chaya District.
• Optional: Head northwards to Higashi Chaya District (if not done for lunch).

Any outstanding spots not completed today, to be rolled over to the next 2 days (if possible).

• Retire in Kanazawa for the night. Be on the lookout for Kanazawa-specific food: Gold-leaf ice cream, oden, hanton rice
• Optional: have a stay at Yuwaku Onsen for at least one night for anime-related reasons. (Hanasaku Iroha)

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Day 27: Ishikawa (Kanazawa cityside) / Gifu (Shirakawago, Takayama) [Friday, 8 Dec]

• Day trip to Shiwakawago and Takayama via Nohi bus (non-JR, ~1h). Grab the morning bus express bus to Shirakawago and explore the place in the morning. Experience early snowfall (?) there. Optional: visit Ainokura on the way towards Shirakawago.
• Take another express bus down to Takayama for lunch (~1h travel time).
• Explore what Takayama has to offer. Stroll along the old town near the bus terminal and visit the Takayama Jinya. If time permits, stroll along the Higashiyama Walking Course.
• Optional: pay a visit to Hida Folk Village.
• Return to Kanazawa via Hida Limited Express to Toyama Shinkansen to Kanazawa, OR take the same Nohi express bus directly back (non-JR).
• Retire at Kanazawa for the night. Last express bus from Takayama to Kanazawa is 1630, arrive at 1845. Alternatively, head northwards to Toyama via JR and transfer to Kanazawa.

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Day 28: Ishikawa (Kanazawa cityside / outskirts) [Saturday, 9 Dec]
Side trip to Wakura Onsen / Nanao for anime-related sightseeing. (Insomanics after Class, Hanasaku Iroha)

• Zoom from Kanazawa up to Wakura Onsen/Nanao via Limited Express Noto Kagaribi. Do some sightseeing related to Insomanics after Class and Hanasaku Iroha.
• Do some train spotting with two anime along the Noto Railways. Stop at Nishigishi station for some sightseeing. (non-JR)
• Return to Kanazawa in the evening from Wakura Onsen via the sightseeing train Hanayomenoren [花嫁のれん, last train 1630).
• End the night at Kanazawa.

Day 29: Ishikawa (wildcard) [Sunday, 10 Dec]
Spare day to do whatever I feel like doing OR reallocate this to another prefecture. Intentionally left blank for later planning
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Tokyo (~6 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. Specific interest to target: anime/vtuber stuff, music (piano in particular), bookstores etc.
2. This is the point in time I should go ham on souvenier purchase if I have not done so. I'll probably get an extra cardboard box or duffel bag to lug with me to the airport to store extra stuff.
3. Would like to seek recommendation on where I should set my base for the 5~6 days here. For now I am planning to pit at Ginza, subject to availability and cost. My thought is that as long as its along the Yamanote line everything rolls I suppose.
4. Hard pass on Golden Gai on the Shunjuku leg (I do not drink).
5. There's way too many to list in terms of what I would like to do in Tokyo, but I have listed items that are of particular interest to me first within the available time frame. If you have strong opinions on specific locations do let me know.

Day 30: Ishikawa (Kanazawa) Tokyo (Ginza) [Monday, 11 Dec]

• Zip from Kanazawa to Tokyo via the Hoririku Shinkansen in the morning (just north of two hours). (TBC : If I can optimize my schedule better, I can try squeezing two days here for a stop at Nozawa Onsen / Shiga Kogen (Nagano) for a short ski experience).
• Deposit luggage at one of the Ginza hotels (TBC: subject to cost; might swap for another location later on)
• Explore ('south') Tokyo with the remainder of the day.
• Marvel at the architecture that is the Tokyo Station and its surrounding.
• Visit the Imperial Palace.
• Head south towards the Mori Art Museum (closes 2200)
• End the night with a stop at Tokyo Tower (closes 2230).

Day 31: Tokyo (Shibuya, Shinjuku and Nakano) [Tuesday, 12 Dec]
Explore ('west') Tokyo, namely Shibuya, Shinjuku and Nakano.

• Start off with an early day visit to Meji Shrine / Yoyogi Park.
• Head up to Shinjuku. Spend the remainder of the morning and lunch exploring Kabukicho, Hanazono Shrine and Omoide Yokochō (ideally have lunch here). Also make a pit stop at Kinokuniya's flagship store at Shinjuku.
• Head northwards to Nakano Broadway and trawl for anime goods for several hours (closes ~1900)
• Head south down back to Shibuya and experience the crossing in peak night condition. Walk around and soak in the atmosphere. Optional: stop by the Ishibashi music store at Shibuya (closes 2000).
• Cap off the night and look at the night view at Shibuya Sky (closes 2230). Zip back to the hotel at Ginza.

Day 32: Tokyo (Akibahara, Asakusa and Sky Tree) [Wednesday, 13 Dec]

• Kick off the day with a morning visit to Asakusa (i.e. Sensoji).
• Transit over to Tokyo Skytree to watch the Tokyo cityscape in the day.
• Trawl around Akibahara for the afternoon. (Animate, Sega claw machines, etc).
• Also stop by Ochanomizu for sightseeing (Suzume no Tojimari)
• Zip back to the hotel for the night. If time permits, stop by the two flagship music stores along Ginza: Yamaha Ginza and Yamano Ginza. Also, visit Itoya Ginza (stationary store).

Day 33: Tokyo (Kamakura day trip OR Ikebukuro) [Thursday, 14 Dec]
EITHER take a day trip Kamakura, OR explore northern Tokyo (Ikebukuro)
Kamakura leg:

• Make a detour to Used Tyre Market Sagamihara Store to experience the retro vending machines. Then head southwards to Enoshima.
• Look at the giant Buddha statue and stroll along Hasedera.
• Take the Enoden to Enoshiima and explore the island.
• Take the JR back to Ginza and retire for the night.

Tokyo (Ikebukuro leg):

• Visit Otome Road for otaku related stuffs.
• Trawl the usual suspects such as Bic Camera etc.
• Make a stop at the Mejiro Gardens.
• Visit the Waseda International House of Literature (The Haruki Murakami Library) at Waseda University.

Day 34: Tokyo (wildcard) [Friday, 15 Dec]
Spare day to do whatever I feel like doing OR reallocate this to another prefecture. Intentionally left blank for later planning
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Day 35: Tokyo Home [Saturday, 16 Dec]

• Contemplate life at the hotel, doing whatever I feel like for the morning and early afternoon. Bonus: have an early breakfast at Tsukiji Market in the morning if staying at Ginza.
• Clear any last minute administrative matter (if any), or do (very) last minute sightseeing/buying. Most likely limited to Ginza and Akibahara.
• Get a nice lunch omakase to cap it off if possible. (taking recommendations if anyone has one, ideally meat/beef centric instead of just sushi).
• Head off to Narita from Tokyo Station via NEX just after lunch at 1430 1530 to Narita, flight at 1830.

END
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If you're still reading up to this point, here's my own personal ramblings/thoughts on JR pass usage:
I have thought of two ways of doing this for the first 21 days:
a. easy-mode : just get 21 days JR global pass before the price hike at 60450 yen, OR b. hard-mode: get a 7 day JR global pass (to cover the NEX fees, the basic fee on the Sunrise Seto to Shikoku, as well as limited express trains within Shikoku) (29650) + 5 days for JR Okayama Hiroshima Yamaguchi Area Pass (15000) + 4 days for JR Sanin Okayama Area Pass + 5 days for JR Kansai Wide Area Pass (10000) for a total of 59230.
The initial conclusion was to go with option A since that reduces the administrative burden, but I realized the individual passes do have its own perk which truimphs over the global JR pass. For instance, the Sanin Okayama Area Pass provides a (minor) discount for the Adachi Museum of Art; the Kansai Wide Pass covers the Kyotango route between Kinosaki Onsen and Amanohashidate which the global JR pass does not cover, JR Okayama Hiroshima Yamaguchi Area Pass covers JR buses within Hiroshima for free, therefore I am inclined to go with the hell option (option B) as it stands.
For the remaining 14 days, I could also get the global 14 day JR pass at 47250 yen but it is not worth it at all, because I will be relying largely on Kintetsu for the Osaka/Kyoto/Nara/Mie leg which the JR pass most certainly does not cover.

• For the Osaka/Nara/Mie/Kyoto leg, I intend to make good use of a mix of both local metro and the Kintetsu rail pass for 5 days (4900). If I do exploit Kintetsu's limited express train to its fullest, I should be able to save money by buying the pass. The Osaka Amazing Pass at 2600yen a day does not make financial sense for me this time round, given how little I am exploring within Osaka.
• For the Osaka Kanazawa, Shirakawago and Takayama leg, the preferred pass of choice is the Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass over the global JR pass, in large part because this pass fully absorbs the Nohi highway bus fees (which can rack up quite a lot at ~8000yen for a return trip between Kanazawa and Shirakawago/Takayama). Also this absorbs the Thunderbird fee. One major issue with my current plan is that it does not cover Wakura Onsen nor the sightseeing train.
• For the final Kanazawa Tokyo leg, the preferred choice is the Horuriku Arch Pass that covers the direct Shinkansen back to Tokyo, and the NEX fees to Narita when I depart from Tokyo. Will only break even with the pass at best unless I make a stop at Nagano.

So all in all, there's quite little incentive to get the global JR pass after I worked out my schedule, apart from the initial 7 days for the Sunrise Seto jump which the All Shikoku Pass will not cover.
Through the hodge-podge of multiple area passes, it works out to around 102890 yen for the whole trip of 35 days, contrast with 107700 yen for a 21 + 14 global JR pass. While there's a minor cost saving doing the hard way which sweetens the deal, the additional minor perks associated with the area passes sells it for me, as I would had to pay more out of pocket to cover non-JR pass buses/rails and such which would add up to much greater cost than I would had anticipated. Also, if I did this trip post-price hike in October, the calculus becomes a no-brainer: avoid the global JR pass like the plague.
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Thank you very much for your opinions, suggestions and advice in advance!

The first game is one of my favorite games for the majority of my life. The first time I beat it I was so young that my dumbass ran in circles throwing grenades at Malak since spamming flurry level 1 wasn’t cutting it (I just really liked the whoosh noises).
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I give it a playthrough every 2 years or so and always have a blast, and now that I saw it was on switch alongside the sequel, I decided to try KOTOR 2 after doing a force only run with like 8 strength in KOTOR 1.
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For variety’s sake (and a fear of soft locking myself due to the first game’s difficulty at times) I went full meat-head-muscle-guy-hit-stuff guardian with 16 or so strength. The beginning of the game was quite slow and I understand why as a teenager I could never get further than Telos.
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I love world building as much as the next nerd but my lord the amount of log recordings and depth perceptionally challenged mining droids I had to wack while wearing tight fallout cosplay was definitely getting old after a couple hours. The majority of it is spent uncovering a sabotage conspiracy involving evil droids and miners trying to sell a wizard to the mafia, which isn’t particularly relevant aside from a set up of everyone trying to kidnap you and that the red lightsaber fellas are back once again. Too long for what it accomplishes.
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Finally off that space hell and we’re dropped into Telos. I enjoyed the character interactions with everyone trying to bribe you alongside relaxing in a cantina and doing the mini games. Czerka starts off with logic but (as I found most themes in this game) end up being absurdly mustache twirling while spouting about making space walmart great again. So unless you just really hate plants you side with the other boys and eventually get shot onto the actual planet and meet Bao, who’s a great wingman to have around despite me having to crank up my volume when he speaks.
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At this point I’m really loving the combat, it had a good sense of challenge and my team had nice variety once Bao showed up to do more skill monkey actions, since my exile smashed everything they touched. Not much more to say except meeting Atris briefly, who’s main personality trait is attitude. After telling her I don’t really care I was exiled and that my more pressing matter is being shot at, she begrudgingly let me leave while longingly staring at my behind.
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Here the game opens more and I’ll give my thoughts more broadly. Our new thong toting albino handmaiden joins mister manslaughter Atton and myself on Dantooine, a very enjoyable planet with good fights and fun side quests that don’t derail the main goal too much. The politics are simple and brief with both sides being the ol’ good and evil. Unfortunately we’re blessed with the douchebag Jedi who is impressively able to contradict his own values every time he opens his mouth. “You saved me from this cage you damn idiot now they’re going to attack the settlements all because of you. Me being in this cage would have saved the day! You should’ve known!”. Yeah sounds like a needlessly risky plan that involves leaving the defenders completely out of the loop and pretending to know what these murderers are thinking, let’s not do that. He’s the most comical example of “jedi bad I wanna sit and think” and the game isn’t particularly subtle about it.
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Regardless we move on as I’m ambushed by a toothless submissive in my ship that I promptly one shot. She then falls in love with me. As one does.
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With my harem of submissives at the ready I leave the wizard choker Atton in the cockpit for the rest of the game and move on to the planet of crime Nar Shadaar, and begin to become very distracted by how every female can’t stop talking about how hot I am. Even the damn assassins are down bad.
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I find this planet to be the most fun part of the game for me with a good blend of politics, exploration, combat, and overall atmosphere. It felt very “star ears underworld” like I remember from the old EU novels. Mira joins the crew as a bad bitch no nonsense bounty hunter who makes god awful decisions, firmly securing her place in my party for the rest of the game despite her asmr voice forcing my tinnitus ass to read the subtitles.
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It’s of note that I built my lightsaber after Dantooine and essentially one shot everything in the game with force speed and flurry, with Brianna also hitting like a truck while the third member buffs/shoots. I love that the guns are far more valid in this game and Mira felt great to use as the party leader due to her high skills and ignoring mines, while my other two members force jumped into battles. This lasted the entire game and made the combat far less engaging however, as it was a rinse and repeat of extremely fast battles, where I two shotted Sion on Korriban before Kreia told me to piss off.
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I disliked Onderon and it brought the game down quite a bit for me, due to its politics undermining the writing focus of the game, which I’ll get into here to finish off my review.
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This games writing is pretty damn good. The biggest thing that made me sad while playing was that I couldn’t bring all my party members with me at all times as I thought each one was super engaging. Unfortunately in a regular blind playthrough you miss A LOT due to the influence system blue balling some extremely well written dialogue. This hit the hardest with Kreia in my playthrough, which is a shame as I knew she was the one with the best acted/written lines. With the dialogue I did receive however, I can definitely see what they were going for but I don’t find it remotely as thought provoking as the game’s reputation would have you think. Kreia “teaches” you some conceptually interesting ideas, but they end up being hypocritical in their own sense and at the end of the day she really is just spiteful about her failures along with everyone else’s.
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You gave that man 5 dollars, now you’ve effectively made him a target to others where he wouldn’t otherwise be one, making his life considerably worse due to your quick and simple act of kindness. This is certainly thought provoking, but for kind of idiotic reasons. Can an individual even rise up and better their lives without given the chance to do so? Should all be cast into poverty and homelessness without aid as they are too weak to fully pull themselves up in a selfish society? This is some metal gear rising senator armstrong “strong eat the weak” shit and here’s it’s being compared to the force.
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She claims I’m only as strong as I am due to the unfortunate circumstances of being hunted, but I was born with a gift and kidnapped from birth to be a fighter, unlike this beggar in the slums. That lesson is essentially the “challenge breeds excellence” poster that was in your elementary school classroom and it cannot be applied to all situations/people accurately due to several varying circumstances. This is decent stuff honestly when not taken at face value, as it can be interpreted that Kreia is just wrong, so I disagreed with her but also told her that I saw value in what she was trying to teach me then. I suppose the main criticism I have with her writing is she’s VERY blatantly evil, which ended up being a distraction to me instead of being a fresh look at the force.
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Then comes Onderon. Every dispute in this game is insanely obvious who the good/bad guys are, with the latter typically trying to murder babies to achieve their goals. Then I land on this planet and see desperate families begging on the street to be allowed to leave, a man being held in custody with no evidence about to be executed as the authorities are too lazy, and the sworn beast rider enemies of the city casually attempting to murder people inside its own walls due to some dumbass blood truce.
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This queen sucks ass honestly, and this civil unrest and negligence wouldn’t last another 6 months. Then the other side shows up, a bunch of fascists going for a power grab when the republic is recovering from a war effort, claiming its due to war mongering when they’d obviously all be dead if they werent protected from the mandalorians. So they suck ass too. And I decide to not get too involved as the entire game has a “I don’t really care, I’m not a Jedi anymore and I’m trying to learn more about myself and defeat the Sith that hunt me” option for the vast majority of dialogue.
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I decide to take Kreia’s lesson to heart and don’t decline Tobin’s offer in the cantina, as I wanted to see both sides of the conflict in full before making a decision instead of just the “good guy” option as that could have irresponsible consequences, as she said. It’s a shame that once I agreed to help them by saying I really only wanted to speak to the Jedi master, my exile suddenly gained a thirst for genocide and was commited to become a terrorist without giving me the option of informing the queen of the attack this dipshit just briefed me on.
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And thus I spent the next hour or so being called a Sith as I helplessly murdered the entire queen’s army without a single moment that lets me say “I didn’t agree to be the damn general of your terrorist regime”. I’m forced to kill the Jedi master as all the options say “muwhaha my revenge at last”, and all the other Jedi at Dantooine I had pleasant conversations with in the past decide my trial of life has expired. Then Kreia, who called me a failure the entire game for not doing the selfish choices, then calls me a failure for selfishly taking revenge.
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The worst part about this situation? I literally pulled the exact same tactic earlier in the SAME game. When the invaders at Dantooine asked me to help them, I agreed so they’d tell me their plan then immediately snitched to the settlers and set up a defense with this information. Brianne wasn’t happy with this method but tough, it’s called using your brain and saving little baby lives. But here it’s bafflingly not an option and it really hurt my overall experience of this game, changing my ending which all in all seems rushed/unfinished as well, which is truly a real shame once you learn of its forced early release.
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Those of you who know the game very well may find this critique my own fault, and I’ll certainly take a degree of blame for it, but it left a bad taste overall. Despite that, the story in general was such a great time with realistic portrayals of rebuilding in post-war time, and ptsd affecting multiple people differently. I don’t regret playing it and while I do prefer the first game slightly I do look forward to a dark side playthrough one day in the future, as the vast majority of the game really improved on the overall flow that the first had established, despite some pacing issues here and there.

This is just so bizarre to me, and I’m not sure if I should push and ask about this again. I’m 36+4 weeks pregnant with my second child and my planned c-section date is fast approaching, which will be when I’m 38+3. During the week of the end of May/beginning of June, I was trying to get everything in order and submit vacation PTO for the week of my delivery. Obviously I’ll be out on Thursday and Friday that week because I’ll be in the hospital, so no one has any control over that. However, I told my supervisor that I also wanted to take Wednesday prior to the delivery date off to give me a day to prepare for any last minute needs for my new baby. And I have to arrive at the hospital on Thursday at 4:00 AM. I thought this sounded reasonable, but my supervisor hesitated and said she would have to speak to our department manager and our HR rep before getting back to me about whether I could do this. She’s not said anything to me since I brought it up that week of the end of May/start of June.
I do work for a small department. I have only 2 other coworkers that do what I do, and one has been out for the last 2 weeks due to an unexpected emergency surgery, while the other has not been in this week at all due to sickness. I’m also undergoing an annual review, since my anniversary date just happened to fall during the same month my baby will be born. I don’t want to put any sour tastes in anyone’s mouth before I’m away for 12 weeks, but it’s just one extra day that I can use PTO for… surely there shouldn’t be a problem with that?

Column A has a list of dates, they are all the first date of each week, for the next 30 weeks.
I also have a set of dates say columns B:G which is when a review is due. I want to do an IF formula where if falls between 7-13 days before any of the dates in B:G it will mark Yes.
Any suggestions which don't involve mapping out each date of each week and referencing each of those?

I wanted to post here because I almost exclusively see negative posts about Airbnb on this sub and I’m going to miss being a host. Not every listing is a nightmare and you get what you pay for.
I have my last guest coming tomorrow and was feeling a bit nostalgic reading reviews from my listing. I know no one asked but I’d like to share my experience and story as a host in Manhattan, that’s the New York in New York City.
I started using Airbnb out of desperation about a year and a half before the pandemic. I didn’t use it at all during the pandemic and then hosted again in the fall until the new year and now one more time before I have a new roommate move in, next month.
I began when my roommate, who had been a friend, who I also undercharged for the room as a favor, moved out in the middle of the month, in the middle of the night, without having paid his rent or let me know he was going. Without Airbnb I probably would have lost my place. Finding a roommate isn’t always easy, especially when done in a hurry. So I took the plunge and listed my place. I think I got a booking an hour later for an hour after that. I was not expecting it to happen so quickly. I think the persons host had canceled on them as they were about to check in. I wasn’t totally ready and received my only non five star rating, deservedly so. I’ve had 53 guests since then, and they’ve all left five stars.
My listing is the apartment I live in. With the new rules, that’s no longer possible. So it really was a shared space and I loved getting to know everyone who stayed, hearing about where they were from, and giving them tips on where to go and how to navigate New York. I never had a bad guest.
I really went out of my way to make sure every guest felt welcomed and had a nice time. I also only talked for as long as they wanted to talk and stayed out of every guests way. I always made myself as invisible as possible and did my best to leave early to make sure they didn’t feel like we were living in top of one another. I kept the place immaculately clean. I filled the apartment and room with fresh flowers. I bought every guest fresh bread and a twenty or thirty dollar bottle of wine. I provided coffee, milk, and all bathroom essentials and didn’t skimp on anything. It really was fun meeting everyone and getting to know them. It was also nice having people stay who were happy because they knew they weren’t being ripped off.
For me, it was great not needing a roommate. I’ve had lots through the years and almost none of them clean up after themselves or pay their share of the rent on time. So supplementing rent by using Airbnb was such a relief. But because a handful of people somehow managed to get hold of hundreds of apartments to host on Airbnb and because only horror stories make it to the news, NYC has passed draconian laws, which make it impossible to have an Airbnb. I’ve lived in nyc my entire life and I can tell you Airbnb has nothing to do with the housing crisis. We are constantly building new buildings and there are thousands of empty apartments. The problem is we only build luxury buildings and no one can afford them. I went to a friends apartment in a recently built Brooklyn building last week. He is paying 12k a month for two bedrooms. The building is almost 70% empty. Sure, Airbnb is the problem. Okay rant over.
Thanks for saving my tail Airbnb. I’ll miss being a host but it was amazing getting to know everyone who stayed. Thanks!

Everyone has an opinion about to achieve economic growth and development in poor, third-world countries. Lots of laypeople believe it is simply by stopping corruption. I suspect that is the dominant view among the average person you might get to interview walking along a random street in a third-world country.
The sorts of people, decked in ill-fitting suits and ties (accompanied by a pair glasses on their eyes half the time), who get invited to talk about economic development at fancy events have their own theories too. These people, usually academic 'economists' or 'consultants' usually have never attempted to build anything on their own in the real world. Ever. Maybe they do do some 'research' some of the time at work, a third of which consists of handing out surveys to people (who as we all know, never tell lies) and publishing the results as being derived fact from real life environment (could you really argue with that?)
So.. development economists and consultants have lots theories about precisely how poor countries should pursue development, what to begin with (land reform, agriculture etc), or when to begin industrialization (after attaining what literacy rate, at what TFR etc). None of which you should take seriously if you are actually trying to do development from the ground up in a poor country.
What development 'experts' (economic academics and consultants) do is pattern-seeking and matching: they retroactively look at different countries in different regions with completely different conditions at different time periods that successfully went from being poor to non-poor, and extract what they believe to be common factors about how development happened in those countries at the time they did develop, mix in a little bit of what they imagine should work in theory... and voila! they have "theories of development", which they recommend to people in government in states seeking development.
Why is wrong with that? Several problems. The fundamental one?
The afflictions in each country are almost always completely unique to that country. Because of this, whatever rigid, pre-conceived whole ideas you developed beforehand are definitely going to fail. That's like having a "business plan" (they have a 100% failure rate) for a tech startup. And that's far more pedestrian affair. Businesses aren't trying to run an entire country with maybe millions of people with different individual interests. They are only trying to get people to buy products/services which they already presumably want.
You also cannot "if this, then that" your way through things. No templates can save you. You cannot decide that if the conditions are "x, y and z ", then you will deploy solutions "a, b, and c". More likely than not, the problems are going to be problems "g, + and @".
You literally cannot possibly have enough templates. That is not how things work in a complex system. There are far too many random events happening all the time.
WTF are complex systems? Good question.
Complex systems are sorta kinda like a standard Tetris game in which you get sent one object with a definite shape out of a set of known objects, to fit into a stack as efficiently/effectively as possible.... randomly at a consistent interval. Except in a complex system, the sending of known shapes would be interspersed by a random object with a completely random shape then and again, and ... both kind of objects get sent at completely random intervals.
The point is: in a complex system, only a few variables involved in events are predictable. Everything else is a brick falling from 5 feet above, trying to smash you on the head.
So... sure, the extracted-out commonalities by 'development experts' from countries that have made the leap, from which they derive policy recommendations may be real and true, but they are not things you can prepare for or even identify in the moment, they are usually only ex-post realizations you can only make after the fact.
What you need in positions of power are people who are good at the decisions and acting analogue of repartee/improv. Since you have no idea what the challenges will be, you need people who are good at responding to, and getting a consistently great outcome out of solutions they deploy.
Perhaps the poster child of theorizing 'development experts' is the Afghani president who had to flee his country after the withdrawal of US troops in 2021. Only days after US troops were withdrawn, his political hold on the country completely collapsed, allowing the Taliban swift control of most of the country. Some six years before he would become president in 2014, he had published a book titled "Fixing Failed States: A Framework for Rebuilding a Fractured World".
So.. development is difficult enough that whatever pre-conceived ideas you have as you begin to do stuff are probably going to fail.. so that, going into pursuing development, the only thing worth learning is how complex, frenetic systems work... and how to thrive within them.
One thing I do not think development experts talk about at all is developing culture. Do development economists talk about developing culture concurrently with economics? I wouldn't know, I don't read their books. I have read a few summaries and reviews though of Acemoglu's book, and he seems to believe that it is all about tangible 'institutions'. We, at OrbitSSA believe that culture is more meta¹ and therefore more important. We already discussed how one might evolve it even.

1 (((((Acemoglu doesn't dig deeply enough. What makes up institutions, creates them in the first place, or has the ability to influence them?
Institutions run on culture set by the most stubborn, most dominant crop(s) of the population, whether they be in the minority (Cc Nassim Taleb's Intolerant Minority) or majority.
Stubborn, dominant people —> culture —> institutions —> 'fate'.)))))

Doing economic growth without cultural growth is building a house on a literal pile of crap. Eventually when economic growth stops, (because it definitely will, no matter what luck has been spurring your growth. Culture is the foundation of a society.) countries with decent culture stagnate. The ones with lousy culture literally developmentally recede. So... when people wonder why x or y country which grew at a time in the past is now in a far worse position, a good number of the time, that is why. All of the growth was built on crappy culture, and it was always only a matter of time.
So... yeahhhhh. The only useful thing to teach anyone about how to do economic development is probably that no one can teach anyone exactly how to do it.
Things to keep in mind
(i) The problem of cached thoughts, words losing their literal meanings and becoming implicitly biased in a direction ('to impregnate', death tax VS inheritance tax), Goodhart's law etc. The pattern is the same in all cases:
A thing existing as a thing for reason x, fast forward into the future, that thing now no longer exists for the original reasons as things have changed over time, and that's not great, for some reason.
Re-naming things helps. For example, you may choose to re-name sectors of the economy to have a clearer idea of what they actually are, since the existing words have been captured by the bias of events that have happened since they were named the way that they were. Example of a renaming of well-known sectors of the economy to strip away existing implicit assumptions:

• Food
• Clothing
• Shelter
• Well-being
• Movement
• Information
• Pleasure
• Energy
• Interaction
• Safety
• Money

(Mind you, these words are 100% literal only to me. They may have implicit meanings in some people's heads still, It's important to find words one thinks of only literally in one's head.)
(ii) You don't need an abundance of resources (wealth). You can usually get a lot of things done with just enough resources. A lot better than people with far more wealth even. It's just about how prudent you are with the resources that you do have. This is a well-known concept in the real world. It's why we have guerilla fighters who beat large, conventional armies, or startups, who beat large, stock-listed companies. It is also probably why contemporary Rwanda confounds so many people: their brains literally struggle to compute how it is possible to do that much with the very little that they do have.

Hi, I am going to UK for my Masters degree this fall. I have no idea how to pack or what kind of luggage I should prefer. I was looking online for polycarbonate dual wheel 75cm suitcases and couldn’t find one which didn’t have misleading or bad reviews. Any suggestions on which one I should buy? There aren’t many reviews available online for a lot of brands. My budget is 13k INR.

Investing in under construction projects in Thane, India, can be a lucrative opportunity for NRIs (Non-Residential Indians) looking for both a property investment and a connection to their motherland. This comprehensive guide aims to provide NRIs with a detailed overview of the benefits, considerations, and steps involved in purchasing under construction projects in Thane. From property types and taxation to power of attorney, finance and funding, and registration documents, this guide covers essential information to help NRIs make informed investment decisions.

Benefits of Investing in Under Construction Projects in Thane

Investing in under construction projects in Thane offers several advantages for NRIs:

1. Regular Rental Income:

Real estate valuers employ two primary methods to determine the market value of a property: the sales comparison method and the cost approach.

2. Favorable Investment Policies:

The Indian government considers NRI investments equivalent to those made by residents, offering a level playing field for NRIs.

3. Limited NRI-Focused Projects:

As only a few developers cater specifically to NRIs, investing in under construction projects in Thane can provide unique investment opportunities.

4. Growing Demand for Office Spaces:

The increasing demand for office spaces by multinational corporations and startups in Thane presents a high-return investment opportunity.

5. Favorable Exchange Rates:

The falling value of the Indian rupee and recent policy reforms have made it an opportune time for foreign investors to gain high returns on their investments.

6.Emotional Attachment:

Many NRIs, driven by nostalgia and the desire to return to their home country or support their relatives, choose to invest in India.

Detailed Guide for NRIs Investing in Under Construction Projects in Thane

1. Property Type :

NRIs can purchase residential and commercial properties in India but are restricted from buying agricultural land, farmhouses, or plantation estates without authorization from the Reserve Bank of India. It is essential to have a legal power of attorney if an NRI cannot visit India to make the purchase personally.

2. Taxation and Benefits:

When an NRI acquires a property in India, taxes are deducted at source (TDS) at specific rates on both long-term and short-term capital gains. NRIs can claim a refund on TDS if they fall into a lower tax bracket by filing their income tax returns. NRIs are entitled to several tax breaks similar to those available to Indian residents. Selling a property within three years is considered short-term capital gains and is taxable. However, selling after three years allows NRIs to utilize the proceeds to reduce long-term capital gains tax by investing in another under construction property in Thane.

3. Power of Attorney (PoA) :

NRIs are required to grant a power of attorney to the builder or an associate to handle the property acquisition process. Seeking legal assistance can help prevent fraudulent activities and safeguard the NRI's investment during the development phase. NRIs living abroad can grant power of attorney to trusted friends or family members to complete the property acquisition process in India.

4. Finance and Funding :

NRIs must use Indian currency and local banks to finance their property purchases in India. They need to have an NRI account with an authorized Indian bank. Financial institutions offer NRI home loan plans, requiring NRIs to invest a minimum of 20% of the property's value and allowing them to borrow up to 80%. It is crucial to have all documentation reviewed by a legal professional before approaching a bank for funds. A certificate from the seller confirming the absence of liens and clearing of joint ownership or inheritance issues is necessary. NRIs should ensure that no outstanding debts or dues are owed to any authorities.

5. Registration Documents :

To register the sale deed, NRIs need to provide identification proof documents such as their passport and PAN card, along with current address proof documents like utility bills. Additionally, NRIs, PIOs (Person of Indian Origin), or OCIs (Overseas Citizen of India) require specific documents such as a copy of their passport, visa, passport-size photographs, PAN card, and address proof. Salaried individuals need to submit additional documents like appointment letters and bank statements for the preceding six months, while self-employed individuals require income proof, business incorporation documents, partnership deeds (if applicable), and bank statements.

Conclusion

Investing in under construction projects in Thane offers NRIs an excellent opportunity to connect with their homeland while also enjoying potential high returns on their investments. By considering property types, taxation and benefits, power of attorney, finance and funding, and registration documents, NRIs can navigate the process smoothly and make informed decisions. It is crucial to engage trusted legal professionals, deal only with RERA-registered projects and real estate brokers, and conduct thorough research before making any investment decisions. By following this comprehensive guide, NRIs can maximize their investment potential and fulfill their aspirations of owning property in Thane, India.
​
Get To Know About: Real Estate Appraisal: Understanding Its Significanc

Hello everyone, I'm starting to go a bit loopy from such broken sleep, can someone please review our schedule and let me know if I'm doing something wrong?
Let me preface this by saying my LO has not been a good sleeper ever since the 4 month regression, sometimes she'll do 4 hour blocks at night but has now reached 2 hour blocks!
Our current schedule is 7am wakeup, 2.25/2.5/2.75/2.5, each nap is around 30-45 mins and its a 7pm bedtime. She struggled to even make it to her next nap so I don't feel like she's ready to drop a nap yet, we have tried SO much to extend her naps and maybe twice a week we'll manage an hour long nap, even with contact napping.
At night we use a sleeping bag, white noise machine, black out blinds, when she wakes up sometimes I can rock her gently and she'll go back to sleep, a lot of the time she gets a small feed and is placed awake back down and then will fall asleep herself with some singing and gentle encouragement.
I really don't want much crying involved to get her to sleep, I'm much more interested in gentle techniques.
Please can anyone suggest anything? I'm so tired and struggling to even research and look up things to do.
Thank you so so much for reading

Please post your simple success stories in the comments.
Old Weekly Success Stories Threads
Below is the FAQs for anyone looking to learn more about Neville and this sub.
Are you new to Neville Goddard or still struggling with some of the basics for manifesting? Then start here. Read this post in full and if you still have questions feel free to post them in the comments.
This entire post and the links included should be read before you begin.
It is recommended you read Neville's books and a great lecture series to start with is the five lessons. There is a wealth of information in his works.
Feeling is the Secret
At Your Command
Awakened Imagination and the Search
Freedom for All
Out of this World
Prayer, the art of believing
Seedtime and Harvest
The Law and the Promise
The Power of Awareness
Your Faith is your Fortune
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
Lesson 3
Lesson 4
Lesson 5
Lessons Q and A
Below is what the sub is for and not for.
You can read more here and here.
What this sub is for:

• A place to ask well-thought out questions.
• A place to discuss principles Neville spoke about.
• A place to help each other be better at this.
• A place to share how you’re applying this.
• A place to share success stories - if you have a 'simple' success story, please post in comments below.

What this sub is not for:

• Your personal scripting board.
• Your personal thoughts diary.
• Your personal LOA theories.
• A place to complain that this doesn’t work.
• A place to spam your YouTube coaching channel
• A place to argue that your method is better than OP.
• A place to ask questions that have been answered many times already.

Here are some additional places to read more information. You will do yourself a massive favor by reading through this information before asking questions, any question you have has been answered either here on the sub or in Neville's works.
Sidebar
Wiki
Brief biography of Neville Goddard
Link to helpful posts ​
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I manifest XYZ? Is anything possible?
Yes, anything is possible.
Neville's lecture All things are Possible
How do I manifest XYZ?
All manifestations use the same technique(s). To get good simply takes practice and imagination.
Imagining Creates
Here are great posts to review:
Complete list of techniques
How to perfectly use the law
Neville's technique for manifesting
How often should I visit my scene? How many times should I loop the scene?
There is no hard and fast rule, you want your short scene to feel natural - you are what you are conscious of being.
Reminder that there is no hard and fast rule
What is SATS?
State Akin to Sleep (SATS) refers to the deep state of consciousness during meditation or just before falling asleep. In SATS, the body is relaxed, but control over the mind is retained. It is used to create vivid visualizations in imagination for the purposes of manifesting.
After you have decided on the action which implies that your desire has been realized, then sit in your nice comfortable chair or lie flat on your back, close your eyes for the simple reason it helps to induce this state that borders on sleep. The minute you feel this lovely drowsy state, or the feeling of gathered togetherness, wherein you feel- I could move if I wanted to, but I do not want to, I could open my eyes if I wanted to, but I do not want to. When you get that feeling you can be quite sure that you are in the perfect state to pray successfully.
What is an SP?
Specific person, usually a crush. There is a group specifically for SP related content, nevillegoddardsp
How to manifest your SP
Assuming a feeling to get your SP
What is the Lullaby Method?
In SATS, instead of visualizing, repeat an affirmation to oneself again and again, building the feeling of it being true.
What is Revision?
Revision is revising in imagination events that have happened in the past as a way of mitigating their effects in the future.
The Pruning Shears of Revision
What is Door Slamming/You are in Barbados/Living in the End/State of the Wish Fulfilled?
Closing your mind to any other possibility besides your outcome. Assuming your desire is true and not questioning it.
Do we have free will?
Free will is your will to chose whatever state you desire. Every state exists. You read more here
What is a state?
A state is an assumption. Your concept of self.
Many Mansions
Perfect Image
Occupy a State
What does it mean to capture the feeling?
How would you feel if you had your desire now? That’s the feeling.
Helpful post on the feeling
Can I manifest multiple things at once?
Yes. Please see question #5 in Lessons Q&A for more information.