The "ocean" Kathmandu Gore-Tex jacket you'll be familiar with from previous posts. I bought it back in May 2007 and wore it when I walked the Nakasendo. Apart from the leaky pockets I have no complaints about it at all.
Although the navy blue Team Stolite rain trousers I bought in July 2007 did go nicely with the jacket, they were almost completely nonbreathable. By day five of the Nakasendo walk (two of which were wet) I'd had enough of being a walking sauna and so I replaced them with some black Gore-Tex rain trousers by Mont Bell which I bought in Nagoya.
Last year I bought a waterproof/breathable Outdoor Research Nimbus Sombrero, similar to the one Erik wore on the Nakasendo walk. I've worn it a bit since then, but never in the rain. I found it so much better than a jacket hood. With a hood up, both the movement of your head and your field of vision are restricted. To be able to walk along in heavy rain and move my head to see everything around me without fear of getting wet was a truly liberating experience.
Finally, I wore by new waterproof New Balance 965 shoes, which did their job by keeping my feet dry. Overall I'm very happy with them. I think I'll wear them again on one or two long walks, but otherwise leave them alone until I begin the Tokaido walk in May. I don't want to wear them out and have to buy another pair just before I leave. I'll do most of my training in shoes I already have, including my 748s and the Keens I bought last year which, although good, don't match for comfort the New Balances I've worn over the years.
One item I didn't test out yesterday was my new Olympus µ 770 SW digital camera, which is shockproof and waterproof. It was given to Keiko by a friend in Japan who for some reason didn’t want it, and since Keiko already has a fairly new Panasonic digital camera, I've decided to take the Olympus with me when I walk the Tokaido. Apparently you can use it underwater to a depth of 10 meters, drop it from a height of over a meter, and stand on it. The manual includes instructions on how to rinse it in a bucket (see picture) to get rid of any sand or mud! So it's perfectly OK to use it in the rain, but I'm still incredibly nervous about doing so.
Distance walked today: 0km
Total distance walked since Tokaido training began: 29.3km
Days left until departure: 85
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