• Lesson video

INTRO

Today you'll install a common server application - the Apache2 web server - also known as httpd - the "Hyper Text Transport Protocol Daemon"!
If you’re a website professional then you might do things slightly differently, but our focus with this is not on Apache itself, or the website content, but to get a better understanding of:

• application installation
• configuration files
• services
• logs

YOUR TASKS TODAY

• Install and run apache, transforming your server into a web server

INSTRUCTIONS

• Refresh your list of available packages (apps) by: sudo apt update - this takes a moment or two, but ensures that you'll be getting the latest versions.
• Install Apache from the repository with a simple: sudo apt install apache2
• Confirm that it’s running by browsing to http://[external IP of your server] - where you should see a confirmation page.
• Apache is installed as a "service" - a program that starts automatically when the server starts and keeps running whether anyone is logged in or not. Try stopping it with the command: sudo systemctl stop apache2 - check that the webpage goes dead - then re-start it with sudo systemctl start apache2 - and check its status with: systemctl status apache2.
• As with the vast majority of Linux software, configuration is controlled by files under the /etc directory - check the configuration files under /etc/apache2 especially /etc/apache2/apache2.conf - you can use less to simply view them, or the vim editor to view and edit as you wish.
• In /etc/apache2/apache2.conf there's the line with the text: "IncludeOptional conf-enabled/*.conf". This tells Apache that the *.conf files in the subdirectory conf-enabled should be merged in with those from /etc/apache2/apache2.conf at load. This approach of lots of small specific config files is common.
• If you're familiar with configuring web servers, then go crazy, setup some virtual hosts, or add in some mods etc.
• The location of the default webpage is defined by the DocumentRoot parameter in the file /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/000-default.conf.
• Use less or vim to view the code of the default page - normally at /vawww/html/index.html. This uses fairly complex modern web design - so you might like to browse to http://165.227.92.20/sample where you'll see a much simpler page. Use View Source in your browser to see the code of this, copy it, and then, in your ssh session sudo vim /vawww/html/index.html to first delete the existing content, then paste in this simple example - and then edit to your own taste. View the result with your workstation browser by again going to http://[external IP of your server]
• As with most Linux services, Apache keeps its logs under the /valog directory - look at the logs in /valog/apache2 - in the access.log file you should be able to see your session from when you browsed to the test page. Notice that there's an overwhelming amount of detail - this is typical, but in a later lesson you'll learn how to filter out just what you want. Notice the error.log file too - hopefully this one will be empty!

Note for AWS/Azure/GCP users

Don't forget to add port 80 to your instance security group to allow inbound traffic to your server.

• AWS
• Azure
• GCP

POSTING YOUR PROGRESS

Practice your text-editing skills, and allow your "classmates" to judge your progress by editing /vawww/html/index.html with vim and posting the URL to access it to the forum. (It doesn’t have to be pretty!)

SECURITY

• As the sysadmin of this server, responsible for its security, you need to be very aware that you've now increased the "attack surface" of your server. In addition to ssh on port 22, you are now also exposing the apache2 code on port 80. Over time the logs may reveal access from a wide range of visiting search engines, and attackers - and that’s perfectly normal.
• If you run the commands: sudo apt update, then sudo apt upgrade, and accept the suggested upgrades, then you'll have all the latest security updates, and be secure enough for a test environment - but you should re-run this regularly.

EXTENSION

Read up on:

• Using systemctl to manage services

RESOURCES

• HTTPD - Apache2 Web Server
• The Apache HTTP Server

TROUBLESHOOT AND MAKE A SAD SERVER HAPPY!

Practice what you've learned with some challenges at SadServers.com:

• "Cape Town": Borked Nginx

PREVIOUS DAY'S LESSON

• Day 6 - Editing with "vim"

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My name is Ronald Payne and I want to be your next freelance writer. I'm a passionate film watcher and can quote most of the classics. I typically watch movies in the action adventure, sci-fi, fantasy and thriller genres but appreciate most of the big franchises. Serial storytelling is a favorite nut to crack while enjoying developing core essential characters that can flow through multiple installments. I don't discriminate on taste if you have a different genre in mind.
I can research and develop for the story that you want me to tell. I can ghostwrite and format creative pitches into pilots. I can write full length feature film screenplays (for less than wga script rates)(unless you want it very quickly). I can write fictional or non-fictional narrative podcasts or teleplays or web shows.
PAYMENT My screenplay rate can be negotiable but is always done in double payments, with one at the beginning as a retainer and one when it is finished and satisfactory. If you dont want to pay a retainer Im not working for you. Im calling off work for the months and its going to take alot to preplan, start and finish the project so that retainer shows me you can afford to put money into creative story development. It also shows me that you are serious. I will provide a plan of approach and how long it should take and keep a week by week updates from then on.
SCHEDULING/UPDATES I will give daily updates and keep communication clear while keeping you as informed as possible where I am in the process. DISCLAIMER: When it comes to creative development and writing a script don't expect it to happen overnight at a high quality. In story development it is essential to be cautious and patient. I assure you that if you're looking at story development with patience,eventually you will see the story you want as a long term investment than it was worthwhile in the end.
Need a Quick Screenplay In A Month? If you really need a script in a short time you can hire me but don't expect the quality to be extraordinary. 1.The minimum window that I will crunch and push out a script for a two hour long screenplay is 2-3 months. 2. If you need a rough feature length screenplay under an hour long or close to it in a month time. The price is $1650.
Short Stories I can provide short stories in a short amount of time. You can look in the flash fiction section below for examples of what you might be getting. My pay rate for those are 0.10/a word.
SIDE NOTE: Most things you probably love were delayed or rewritten more than you'd like to think. I believe that's a big part of why they succeeded.
Fun Fact: Toy Story, the original finished script story for the movie, based off the critically acclaimed short "Tin Toy" had to get thrown out.
The most important lesson I've learned these past years is that good writing takes time and great writing takes even longer. My focus is to find a price for the both of us AND a time window that is close to what you want but also is realistic to me. We can work together to find a way somehow to give our project its legs.
(work samples below.)
Looking forward to hearing from any of you and taking on the beast of creativity. Sincerely, Ronald Payne.
Portfolio
Recent Commission Novel Chapter Sample:
Red Wolf Running
Format: Novel Sample
Summary: A guilty werewolf fights his own urges while investigating a growing vampire syndicate in a blizzard stricken New Orleans in 1899.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Hasg7Hi1lGZXs4iFBN_4E-Y_uYmpGwtxUfSGqGiKh8E/edit
Screenplay:(Format: Sci-fi, Adventure)
Derrion Marks of The New War Mongers.
Summary: A retired pilot adjusting to probationary life on his home world receives a probe from a war mongering planet that he can't refuse until tragedy strikes.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YwWy337V_UdrXy-WdZ2Rt-ZSNV-90wJw/view?usp=sharing
Commission: Adult Dark Dystopic/Comedy Sci-fi Pilot:
Age of Terry
Summary: A metal loving IT guy turned apocalypse witness struggles with the destruction of earth while being jettisoned into a new life.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vlxnJt4ePMwLUeTimWi3-_6ubO0gpdw-/view?usp=sharing
Short Story
James Spade & The Underlings
Summary:A courageous spelunker searching for hope discovers the treacherous corrupting secrets of the ancient South American crypt of Centalama.
https://bythedock.wordpress.com/2021/06/20/james-spade-and-the-underlings/
Novella Work
An except from a 66 page novella I'm publishing soon.
Doubles
Summary: A man believes his wife to be somebody else. She seems different and while he doesn't know why, or who hired her. He also doesn't know why he's feeling compelled to want to see it out till the end.
Novella Chapter: https://bythedock.wordpress.com/2021/06/22/my-wife-is-not-my-wife-doubles-part-1noirthrillersci-fi/?preview=true

Has anyone else noticed a decline in late cancels? I used to complain about them, I had at least 1 every day but this week I’ve only had 1 the entire week. A student mentioned if she late cancels (I can’t remember if it’s less than 12 hours or 24 hours before the class?) she loses her minutes which I believe is a new policy. It looks at least from the small sample of my students that it’s having a positive impact on people showing up for their lessons.

Finally got around sharing our wonderful experience in Kansai (1 Apr 2024 - 10 Apr 2024). We are a family of 4 from Perth, Australia (1 x Toddler turning 4 end of this month and 1 x Infant about 18 months old) joined by my MIL from Malaysia. It was our first time trip to Japan but the second time flying 6 hours long with 2 kids. We chose to travel during this period as it was during Easter holidays and also the most favourable weather for our kids. As we have 4 separate accommodations booked over 9 days, we try to travel as light as possible: 2 x large suitcase, 1 x medium suitcase, 2 x medium bags, 1 x bag pack, 1 x dedicated bag for infant carrier and kids' jumpers + 1 stroller. Our kids still take nap(s) during the day and our plan was having the toddler sleep on the stroller and the infant in the carrier or the stroller if toddler is not using.
After extensive research (mostly from this sub) we still found the first few days to be quite hectic and wish we know some of the things beforehand (listed below the itinerary). I hope this post can help young families who are considering travelling to Japan with kids or those who have travelled to Japan before kids came to the picture to do it again with confidence.

9 Day Itinerary (1 Apr 2024 - 10 Apr 2024)

Day 1 Osaka: Namba (Monday)
Our flight from KUL arrived KIX around 10am and boarded the Nankai Rapid (bought 1 month prior online) to Shin-Imamiya station after getting our luggage. We originally planned to take a taxi from there but failed to find any taxi for 20 mins so we end up walking to our accommodation as the kids were tired of waiting. After offloading our luggage we manage to hail a taxi and head to Namba Parks to rest and unwind. Had a refreshing lunch at Yasaiya Mei (mains + all you can eat side dishes including veg tempura) and went to explore the rooftop parks garden before putting the kids to nap. After the kids woke up we took a taxi back to check in officially. Everyone was quite tired thus we opted to stay in and get dinner from Life supermarket nearby. This was probably the most enjoyable part of the day for the kids wandering around a foreign supermarket as we bought dinner and some light snacks. After putting the kids to bed, we did some laundry and packed our 1st luggage to send away.
Day 2 Osaka: Tennoji (Tuesday)
While everyone was getting ready, I went to the nearby 7-Eleven to forward our 1st luggage to the 4th accommodation via Yamato transport. The shop attendant was helpful and guided me through the process as we communicated via deepL. We walked to the Lawson's at JR Imamiya to get brekkky before taking the Osaka loop Line to JR tennoji. We took quite a while to navigate towards Tennoji Zoo from JR Tennoji but eventually got there after a 15 min detour. It was quite crowded for a Tuesday morning but the kids get to roam around the Tenshiba garden while I queue up for tickets (500 yen per adult). One of the kids fell asleep in the zoo so we decided to just grab food to go at the supermarket outside the zoo for lunch. We then head towards Abeno Q's mall to shop and put the other kid to sleep. There was quite a lot of hot food along the way and we manage to grab some for the kids to snack on after their nap (butaman from Horai 555, mochi donut from Mister Donut, taiyaki etc). There's a fantastic area for kids to play (kid, play, study) at the ground floor with different sensory setup and soft blocks for stacking/ balancing. I spent close to 2 hours there with 2 kids while my wife and MIL went shopping. After that we had dinner at Grand Capital Toyoutei at the Kintetsu mall dining floor before heading to our final activity of the day: Abeno Harukas 300. Tickets were a bit steep (2000 yen per adult) but we end up staying there for quite a bit and the experience was pretty unique even though we missed the sunset timing. The elevator ride to the top though short left quite an impression. The kids enjoyed running around at the sky garden 2 floors below as we rest and enjoy the night view of the city from about 300m above ground. The journey back to our accommodation was pretty straightforward and the kids got knocked out when we got home. All in all Tennoji was a pleasantly great experience and we have a better understanding about JR station layout and navigating underground.
Day 3 Osaka - Kyoto (Wednesday)
This was a rather hectic day as it rained quite a bit and we struggled to get a taxi after checking out, getting turned down by several taxis with "空车". We eventually found one to bring us to JR Osaka station. Navigating at the station wasn't too difficult after yesterday but there were long queues when we arrived at 10am and I made the fatal mistake of leaving my physical credit card back in Perth and spent 45mins trying to redeem limited express tickets I reserved online. The JR staff were friendly and tried their best to help but they can only recommend me cancelling my initial reservation and buying new tickets (cancellation fee was about 2300 yen for 3 adults). As soon as we got our tickets we sprinted to the underground gate about 15 mins walk away. I even carried the stroller and kids through an escalator as we didn't want to waste time finding a lift and risk missing the train. We managed to board the limited express train on time and arrived at JR Kyoto which was even more crowded and larger than most international airports. The kids were quite cranky by now as it has been all rush and long waits since they woke up. I split up with my family with 2 luggage that we initially planned to forward to our Arashiyama accommodation via Sagawa. However I was told same day delivery service is only applicable to limited hotels so I stored the luggage at 2 coin lockers and then head to the Kintetsu line ticket counter to redeem the Kyoto-Nara and Nara-Osaka limited express tickets which fortunately doesn't require my credit card details (just reservation number). By the time I reunite with my family it was still raining and both kids fell asleep so we ditched the plan for Kyoto railway museum and instead went browsing for lunch at Porta and Isetan dining floor. We eventually queued to eat at Ejuan for about 25 minutes while one of the kid was still asleep. The wait was worthwhile as the grilled miso black cod was exceptional as was the kids' grilled chicken. Next we went to the skywalk at level 9 briefly before my family went to the toy section at Isetan while I retrieve our luggage from the coin lockers. We board the Saga line bound for Saga-Arashiyama and rested awhile at the accommodation before heading out for dinner after the rain stopped. We walked to Kijurou and fortunately they have space for us provided we order a main meal per adult. The yakiniku and Wagyu rib loin bowls were pretty good but we find the Hitsumabushi set a bit gimmicky. After dinner we stopped by Kimono Forest on our way back and this was probably the highlight of the kids day.
Day 4 Kyoto: Arashiyama (Thursday)
Had Lawson's for brekky before heading out to Kimono Rental Amuya to hired kimonos for my wife and toddler including hairstyling. The shop was actually a house with the living area turned into a studio and only the owner working by herself so we waited for about half an hour before walking towards the Bamboo Forest and Tenryu-ji gardens (500 yen entry from the north gate but well worth it for the blooming sakura and picturesque lake). It was crowded as expected and everyone was moving slowly so it took us about an hour to complete the loop back to the main tourist strip. We then had Udon for lunch at Ozuru, the chewy noodles were complemented by the broth which was a lot more flavourful than the kitsune Udon we are accustomed to back in Perth. After lunch we head home to put the kids to nap before venturing out in the evening towards Togetsukyo Bridge overlooking the pristine Katsura river flowing gracefully from Mt Arashi in the backdrop. The view was breathtaking and we crossed over to Arashiyama park where the kids had a great time running around free range. As the sun was setting, we head back to the town centre, took a novelty Randen ride and grab some food (Naruse's Unagi, Upit's Burger) en route to our accommodation to eat in before calling it a day.
Day 5 Kyoto (Friday)
After checking out we took the Saga line to JR Kyoto station and forwarded the medium sized luggage to the 4th accommodation in Osaka using Crosta. We then did some light shopping at Yodabashi Camera Kyoto as my MIL shoes had kick the bucket and we needed a replacement. Manage to sneak in the only ramen meal of the trip at Ramen Chabuton located upstairs. It was a fairly small shop but we were lucky to get a table just before the Friday lunch rush hour and our ramen cravings were thoroughly satiated. We put the kids down for a quick nap as we make our way back to JR Kyoto to take the Saga line towards Kyoto railway museum. This is an underrated attraction with so much to do and we could have spent the whole day here if I knew they had coin lockers. There were many interactive and educational displays relating to train components in addition to multiple play areas upstairs as well as an outdoor playground! There's also a mockup ticket gate for kids to learn how to purchase a ticket and pass through the gate. Our kids loved the ball pit, toy train area and large train simulator. We couldn't squeeze enough time to explore the 3rd floor or watch the diorama presentation or board the Steam Locomotive as it was getting late. We took a taxi to check-in at Kamoya Ryokan before taking the bus to Nishiki Market for dinner. It's about 6pm and most of the shops were shutting and the remaining ones that are open had queues building up quickly. We ended up waiting 30 mins to eat sushi at Sushi Say. There's a limited range of cooked food including skewers which we got for our kids while we share a nigiri platter and sashimi. After dinner we went to the basement of Daimaru Kyoto across the road to get some baked goods for brekky before taking the taxi home to crash.
Day 6 Kyoto (Saturday)
My MIL wanted to take it easy and explore the area at her own pace so we had a more spontaneous day. After brekky, we took the bus to Yasaka Shrine and started our trek towards Heian Jingu, stopping along the way to enjoy the blossoming park and munching on food from street vendors. We paid to enter the shrine garden (600 yen per adult) which was very worth it for a 30 minute stroll and escape from the bustling crowd outside. We grab some food to eat from the street vendors as one of the kid slept and then head to the playground across the road (Wagener Square) and spent a good 30 minutes there even though it was a bit basic (Perth is blessed with many great playgrounds). Once both kids are feeling refreshed we felt adventurous and took the bus to attempt the hike up Kiyomizu-dera. Since its a Saturday, the Sannenzaka path was packed with phenomenal crowds with the occasional car coming through and splitting the crowd apart. I carried the infant to sleep while my wife push our toddler on the stroller as we slowly make our way up, stopping by for a nice matcha latte and softserve at Here cafe to recharge. We eventually reached the base of the temple after 30 minutes and decided against entering due to the massive crowds (& stairs!). On the way down we reached the fork that branches into Ninenzaka and thought we try giving it a go. There were a lot more stairs over this side and we had to carry the stroller through the steps while waiting for the crowd to advance before us. As physically draining as it was, we felt a sense of achievement as we manage to snap a photo with the iconic Hokanji temple. We took the bus home after that and had an enjoyable dinner at Okonomiyaki Yoshino next door before an early night to recover.
Day 7 Kyoto - Nara - Osaka (Sunday)
We had some leftover food for brekky before checking out and heading to JR Kyoto via taxi. We head to the Kintetsu line and boarded the Vistacar limited express train to Nara. I've booked for the private room down stairs which was pretty spacious for the 5 of us and our luggage. After arriving at Kintetsu-Nara station, we took the 100 yen tourist bus to the famous Nara Deer Park and started exploring the area. There were plenty of deer roaming throughout/ resting on the ground and several vendors at the entrance selling deer crackers. After the kids were done feeding 2 sets of crackers, we head to Mizuya Chaya for lunch. There were limited seating so we sat by the side and ate with the bowl in our hands while feeding the kids. Probably the best Udon we had in our lives (level above Ozuru in Arashiyama and Hifumiya in Perth). Time for a nap so we put the kids down while making our way to have a closer look at Todaiji temple as there were too many stairs to Kasuga-taisha and we have yet to recover. We had our first Cremia here and it was amazing. After the kids woke up we took the bus back to Kintetsu-Nara station and explored the nearby street while waiting for our train. We then boarded the HINOTORI limited express bound for Osaka. While walking towards the hotel to check in, we were passing by Dotombori and opted to have a quick dinner and call it a day rather than coming out again after checking in and offloading our luggage. We ended up having curry at Hariju Dotombori Curry shop which taste d like a homely nourishing meal. After dinner we took the taxi to the hotel and fortunately our 2 other luggage that we forwarded days before are waiting for us to collect. Did some repacking and also laundry at a nearby laundromat before sleep.
Day 8 Osaka: Osaka Bay Area (Monday)
Started the day with brekky at MOS Burger just outside our hotel before taking the metro train to Osaka Bay Area. There were plenty to see as we approach the Kaiyukan, large LEGO animal displays, the large ferris wheel and Disney characters. The ticketing and entry time is staggered which is a good idea to control the amount of crowds going in and out. I started queueing at 1035am and got entry for 11am which was fair (opted not to book timeslot online as it can be unpredictable with kids and public transit) but we didn't felt like its a long wait as the kids were running around and enjoying the ocean view. The entry also have a photographer stationed to take a family polaroid with a whale shark replica for FREE. We were impressed with the aquarium's efficient layout where some prominent displays (Whale Shark, Seals etc) span across multiple floors so you can still enjoy them later on if you missed it earlier due to the crowds. Apart from sea creatures there are also Arctic mammals and birds (Puffins) from all over the world. The kids were over stimulated by lunch time so we head to the food court at Tempozan Market Place to refuel. After lunch we took the kids for a ferris wheel ride before putting both to sleep while we make our way to Shinsaibashisuji Shopping Street via metro line. As the kids were still asleep, I rested at Daimaru with my MIL while my wife went shopping. This turn out to be a fantastic place with a floor dedicated for kids (Pokemon centre, Pokemon cafe, BorneLund mini play area with many display toys available for sampling). The kids spent the rest of the day here after they woke up and we had dinner at the dining floor. There were queues everywhere and we chose to wait at Aozora Blue as they offer udon made with a higher wheat ratio here. Regrettably the kids didn't enjoy as much and prefer regular ones that we are used to. After dinner we took away cheescake from Rikuro for dessert back at our hotel. I made sure to online check in our flights before I go to bed.
Day 9 Osaka: Dotombori (Tuesday)
Our final day in Japan and we chose to do some shopping and take it easy. Tried Doutor Coffee for brekky (took a while to find as it was underground) before walking to Don Quijote at Dotombori. There's 6 floors crammed with various items: snacks, electronics, clothing, non prescription medication, toys, collectibles as well as a functional ferris wheel (operates after 2pm). That being said the kids got bored after awhile and didn't really enjoy much as there wasn't much space to move around. I brought them out to stroll around the Ebisu-bashi Bridge while my wife and MIL continue their haul. It was certainly a sight to behold: countless amount of large LCD screens with surround sound on full blast from every high rise building, street buskers vying for attention from crowds that were constantly on the move, tourists taking selfies in front of the iconic Glicoman. Sadly it started to drizzle so I quickly entered the Shinsaibashisuji Shopping Street undercover area and look for a place to have lunch. I stumbled across a Yoshinoya & Hanamaru joint food hall which was bustling with both locals and foreigners. You have to order and get your food from the counter before you can occupy a table so I waited for my wife and MIL to arrive before we start queueing up. We had the gyudon and beef Udon with onsen egg along with chicken karaage and tempura. There's also a condiment station with toppings to complement your udon as well as free tea and water. Everything was very affordable and best of all we didn't had to wait long. After lunch my wife continuing shopping while we head to Daimaru for the kids to have a nap and play afterwards. I noticed there's a bridge that connects each floor to the Parco next door and discovered a unique floor full of pop culture themed stores including a studio Ghibli store featuring Totoro and No-Face displays, a 2 ft tall Godzilla, Ultraman, Capcom superstore, Sanrio (Hello Kitty), Snoopy, Rilakkuma and also a LEGO store. The kids had a great time browsing and also playing with LEGO before my wife reunites with us. As it's nearing dinner time, I thought we try our luck getting a table at Ganko Dotombori and make our way towards Ebisu-bashi Bridge. The view here is even more spectacular at night with the contrasting lights as well as numerous LCD displays illuminating the area. Unfortunately there's a lengthy wait at Ganko and our party voted for street food instead which turn out surprising well. Kids devoured a dozen gyozas while we had takoyaki, kobe beef nigiri, yakitori and yakiniku skewers as we strolled along the street. It was still early so we made a detour towards Hozenji before walking back the hotel. Then we stumbled upon an arcade (Amuse Factory AXE) which naturally drawn the kids in, we got popcorn from a vending machine there and it was enough to keep the kids happy on our trek back. Before taking our last sleep in Japan, we organized our luggage and get them ready for check out the next day.
Day 10 Osaka: Sayonara (Wednesday)
Checked out of the hotel and took a private airport taxi to KIX. Had brekky at McD and Lawsons and surprised to find that the food here costs the same as outside (e.g. McD/ Hungry Jacks at Malaysian/ Australian airports cost more than the metro/ suburban outlets). Boarded the flight and bid Japan farewell for now while soaking in the surreal time we had.
List of accommodations for 3 adults and 1 child + 1 infant/ toddler
1. Orange House 701 (22,500 yen for 2 nights) 10/10
Location is not bad in a quiet area South of the bustling Dotombori area with Konbinis and JR Imamiya within walking distance. Washing machine, shower and stove took some time to figure out and my kid accidentally turned on the stove but luckily there's a safety button. Overall a brilliant accommodation at an affordable price and will consider returning if we come back to Osaka with kids.
2. Arashiyama bamboo guest house (55,650 yen for 2 nights + 1200 yen tax) 8/10
Prime location 1 min away from JR station, Lawson and walking distances to the local tourist strip, Bamboo Grove, Tenryu-ji and Togetsukyo Bridge. However the room is located on the 3rd floor with no lift so it can be a challenge for kids and older folk. The owner was kind enough to carry our 2 X 20kg luggage up and speaks a little English. The stay was rather comfortable even with futons to sleep on while my MIL slept on one of the single beds. We are unlikely returning to Arashiyama but would recommend this place if it suits your budget.
3. Kamoya Ryokan (35,400 yen for 2 nights + 2000 yen tax) 7.5/10
Not as central as the other accommodations but still within 10 mins walking distance to JR and bus lines. This is a shared accommodation so fridge, microwave and hot/ cold water is in the common area but we have a private bathroom to use. There are no beds so we all slept side by side on futons in the same room. For some reason kids are also taxed to stay a night here (200 yen) but the host was super friendly, spoke a bit of basic English and helped us with ordering a taxi when we checked out. For the price this is not a bad place for short term stay if cosleeping on futons together as a family is acceptable. Bonus: the okonomiyaki place next door is quite good albeit requiring a bit more effort to communicate but is worth it as plenty of locals seem to frequent there and our kids love the yakisoba.
4. Best Western Hotel Fino Osaka Shinsaibashi (40,450 yen for 3 nights) 8/10
Functional hotel relatively close to Shinsaibashi shopping street and Dotombori. 1 min walk away from Osaka metro station and 7 Eleven. There's also a 24 hour laundromat 5 mins walk away. Facilities are bare minimal but gets the job done as we only needed the place to crash and freshen up since there's a lot of shopping and remaining sightseeing to be done. All reception staff spoke English well and check in/ out was rather smooth. I would consider staying again if the rooms were larger but can't complain at this price point and location.
List of eateries we consider returning

• Yasaiya Mei
• Ejuan
• Kijurou
• Ozuru
• Upit's Burger
• Ramen Chabuton
• Okonomiyaki Yoshino
• Mizuya Chaya
• Yoshinoya & Hanamaru

Highlight of each day for the kids

1. Wandering around Life supermarket and exploring a new accommodation
2. Running around 300m above ground at the Abeno Harukas sky garden while having fruits/ snacks in between
3. Visiting Kimono Forest after dinner, watching the randen pass by at the crossing
4. Running around at Arashiyama park and watching the majestic Katsura river flowing rapidly
5. The outdoor playground at Kyoto railway museum among many other fun things there
6. The playground at Wagener Square across Heian Jingu
7. Interacting with deer and eating udon outdoors
8. Seeing different sea animals up close and ferris wheel ride after
9. Making friends at BorneLund and having imaginary play together despite the language barrier

Lessons learned (not in chronological order)

General tips

• We prepared about 160,000 yen cash before arriving at Japan but also have money via 1 x transfer wise debit card (digital), 1 x Westpac credit card (digital), 1 x ING debit card (physical). We ended up withdrawing a further 200,000 yen worth of cash. We opted not to bring any AUD as the rate is quite poor in Japan since most would prefer foreign exchangers would prefer USD.
• We didn't get to use our digital cards as most places in Kansai (Kanto might be different) that offer card payments still requires a physical card to read the chip.
• Please remember to bring the physical card of the credit card used for any online booking to avoid the stress I endured on day 3.
• We booked all the transit tickets online about a month prior and find it worthwhile rather than spending 15 - 30 mins in queue at the ticket counters. The limited express tickets go crazy fast and I recommend booking them the hour they become available (1 month prior your transit date and as soon as it is open in Japan time).
• We booked all 4 accommodations via booking.com and find the messenger via the app very handy in liaising with the owne receptionist on whether we can offload our luggage earlier or forward our luggage a few days in advance. One of them even told me that I can check in few hours earlier as the room was ready. Regardless of what platform you use, try to communicate with the accommodation prior your arrival if you are considering forwarding luggage or dropping them off before your official check in time.
• Booking multiple accommodations over a short span of time is very tiring as we are needing to worry about getting our luggage from A to B every second day but only able to check in the next place 5 - 6 hours after checking out the previous place (Most checkin starts from 3pm and checkout from 10am). Our transition days are always stressful as we don't get to do much due to the timing while handling multiple baggage so the kids are crankier.
• Rubbish/ garbage cans are mainly found on major train stations or shopping malls as well as konbinis. Most vending machines only have a recycle bin but we have plenty of disposable nappy bags which we use as rubbish bags if needed.
• We had 3 data Sims about 5GB each which was sufficient for the 9 days (navigation, Google translate, WhatsApp voice call). Free wifi is available at most places which we use whenever we need to photo dump on WhatsApp group chats or play YouTube for the kids.
• My eSim stopped working when we arrived at Kyoto from Osaka but luckily I tried rebooting my phone and it connected to the local network after. Another down side of data only Sim is there is no Japanese mobile number which can be handy (make reservations at restaurants or signing up for taxi apps to get taxi).
• We use Google Maps and Japan Travel by NAVITIME App to plan our overall route each day, public transit details is quite clear via Google Maps with several options for different J metro/ bus lines. While Japan Travel App is able to approximate cost of taxi which was useful for comparison.
• For translation, we used DeepL app when we wanted to converse with someone in Japanese and Google Translate for written Japanese translation via the camera.
• In Osaka, getting around via JR and Metro is optimal in terms of time and cost; In Kyoto, buses are more readily available but be prepared to stand shoulder to shoulder as the buses are not big and averages around 30 - 50 people. We recommend a taxi if travelling a short distance (<10 minutes) for a family that can fit into a single car.
• You can forward luggage at your hotel or local 7 eleven via Yamato transport within Osaka.
• The Jikan refreshing legs patch worked well for me but my wife got woken up few times as her feet felt cold due to the cooling effect. We got some heat patches the next day and it worked better for her.
• A few Japanese phrases go along way and perhaps it's why we mostly get friendly responses (arigato gozaimas, ohaiyo, konnichiwa, kore onegaishimas, doitashi mashite, hitotsu onegaishimas, daijorbudes, kodomo).
• The basement level of most department stores/ shopping malls sells a variety of package deserts and often a bakery opened till 8pm where we sometimes go to after dinner to get brekky for the next morning.
• Some malls have an express lift (stops only at 1F and 10F) and it may be quicker to use those in combination with escalators to get to the level you like quickly.
• Coin lockers are found is almost every major attraction and JR station but finding a large one that is available can be challenging so allow extra time. Most coin lockers only take 100 yen coins with the exception of newer ones which also takes IC cards as payment.
• Some food courts have drinkable water for you to refill your bottles but otherwise vending machines and konbinis will quench your hydration needs (the peach drink is pretty addictive).
• Other than Booking.com, Google maps, Google Translate, DeepL and Japan Travel by NAVITIME, we didn't really used the other apps we downloaded before hand but you might find a use for them: Mamamap, NERV, Ecbo cloak, Klook.

Child related tips

• Younger kids take awhile to acclimatize to a foreign environment and our kids were more lethargic than they normally are during the day, sometimes needing 2 naps instead of 1 so be prepared to adjust your plans and skip over some places that were catered specifically for them if needed.
• Google maps only tells you the distance to get you from Point A to Point B horizontally. Unfortunately it doesn't consider the routes involving travelling multiple floors to avoid heavy traffic even with wheelchair access enabled. For instance you can go across Tenshiba Garden from JR Tennoji via the overhead bridge (not ideal as the route is longer with a stroller) or underground (best with a stroller but unfortunately Google Maps doesn't show this route and we stumble across it by chance).
• Google maps navigation over multiple floors is also not very accurate but the local directory maps are very informative so take extra time to study it and find the nearest access (parents room, lift or exit to above ground/ underground).
• The lift (singular as most train station platforms only share one lift unless it's a major one like Osaka/ Kyoto etc), are often located at one end of the platform so allow additional 15 - 20 minutes when travelling with strollers or luggage.
• Most department stores/ shopping malls (Daimaru etc) have a floor suitable for kids with toy samples for playing and sometimes even a free play area (Bornelund).
• Our kids love the Butaman from Horai and we probably purchased from 5 different stores throughout the trip (they are located at almost every major station and department store). Find something that works for your kids that can be found readily (7-11, family mart, Lawson's, daily Yamazaki etc) as back up when they didn't want to eat where you were dining at or if they fell asleep and skipped a meal.
• 100 yen stores (Daiso, 3 coins, Seria, Can*Do, Watts) have plenty of cheap kid activities (e.g. sticker books, puzzles, bubble wand etc) that can entertain them throughout the day/ in restaurants/ in the showe in the accommodation before bed etc.
• Paid Attractions in Kansai that are worthwhile if your kids are under 5 (6 and above may be charged separately): Tennoji Zoo, Abeno Harukas 300, Kyoto Railway Museum, Osaka Kaiyukan, Tempozan Ferris Wheel.
• Other brekky alternatives that we liked apart from konbinis/ bakeries were MOS burgers and Doutor coffee. Gyudons (sukiya, matsuya, yoshinoya) morning menu was a bit too heavy for our kids and other options we would have tried were too far from where we stayed (Tully's, McDonalds, KoHiKan).
• Some places require you order a main meal per adult but we are small eaters so we make sure what we ordered was something our kids might eat (not spicy etc).
• Tabelog is useful to tell you the size of the restaurant and we avoided anywhere that seats less than 20 people to save time.
• We tried to eat at a restaurant for lunch and dinner the first few days but actually realize the kids enjoy munching on small eats from konbinis/ street vendors more than a casual sit down meal so we were a bit more spontaneous the second half of the trip.
• Watch out for deer poo at Nara especially when pushing your stroller! Most of the deer are quite friendly and let you pet them but don't touch their tail area as they can get defensive. If your kids are feeding away the crackers too quickly, break them in half so you have more 'ammunition'.
• Metro and JR Trains (including limited express ones) stop for less than 10 seconds. Please remember to unlock your stroller when you are approaching your next stop and prepare to jump out.

Finally got around sharing our wonderful experience in Kansai (1 Apr 2024 - 10 Apr 2024). We are a family of 4 from Perth, Australia (1 x Toddler turning 4 end of this month and 1 x Infant about 18 months old) joined by my MIL from Malaysia. It was our first time trip to Japan but the second time flying 6 hours long with 2 kids. We chose to travel during this period as it was during Easter holidays and also the most favourable weather for our kids. As we have 4 separate accommodations booked over 9 days, we try to travel as light as possible: 2 x large suitcase, 1 x medium suitcase, 2 x medium bags, 1 x bag pack, 1 x dedicated bag for infant carrier and kids' jumpers + 1 stroller. Our kids still take nap(s) during the day and our plan was having the toddler sleep on the stroller and the infant in the carrier or the stroller if toddler is not using.
After extensive research (mostly from this sub) we still found the first few days to be quite hectic and wish we know some of the things beforehand (listed below the itinerary). I hope this post can help young families who are considering travelling to Japan with kids or those who have travelled to Japan before kids came to the picture to do it again with confidence.

9 Day Itinerary (1 Apr 2024 - 10 Apr 2024)

Day 1 Osaka: Namba (Monday)
Our flight from KUL arrived KIX around 10am and boarded the Nankai Rapid (bought 1 month prior online) to Shin-Imamiya station after getting our luggage. We originally planned to take a taxi from there but failed to find any taxi for 20 mins so we end up walking to our accommodation as the kids were tired of waiting. After offloading our luggage we manage to hail a taxi and head to Namba Parks to rest and unwind. Had a refreshing lunch at Yasaiya Mei (mains + all you can eat side dishes including veg tempura) and went to explore the rooftop parks garden before putting the kids to nap. After the kids woke up we took a taxi back to check in officially. Everyone was quite tired thus we opted to stay in and get dinner from Life supermarket nearby. This was probably the most enjoyable part of the day for the kids wandering around a foreign supermarket as we bought dinner and some light snacks. After putting the kids to bed, we did some laundry and packed our 1st luggage to send away.
Day 2 Osaka: Tennoji (Tuesday)
While everyone was getting ready, I went to the nearby 7-Eleven to forward our 1st luggage to the 4th accommodation via Yamato transport. The shop attendant was helpful and guided me through the process as we communicated via deepL. We walked to the Lawson's at JR Imamiya to get brekkky before taking the Osaka loop Line to JR tennoji. We took quite a while to navigate towards Tennoji Zoo from JR Tennoji but eventually got there after a 15 min detour. It was quite crowded for a Tuesday morning but the kids get to roam around the Tenshiba garden while I queue up for tickets (500 yen per adult). One of the kids fell asleep in the zoo so we decided to just grab food to go at the supermarket outside the zoo for lunch. We then head towards Abeno Q's mall to shop and put the other kid to sleep. There was quite a lot of hot food along the way and we manage to grab some for the kids to snack on after their nap (butaman from Horai 555, mochi donut from Mister Donut, taiyaki etc). There's a fantastic area for kids to play (kid, play, study) at the ground floor with different sensory setup and soft blocks for stacking/ balancing. I spent close to 2 hours there with 2 kids while my wife and MIL went shopping. After that we had dinner at Grand Capital Toyoutei at the Kintetsu mall dining floor before heading to our final activity of the day: Abeno Harukas 300. Tickets were a bit steep (2000 yen per adult) but we end up staying there for quite a bit and the experience was pretty unique even though we missed the sunset timing. The elevator ride to the top though short left quite an impression. The kids enjoyed running around at the sky garden 2 floors below as we rest and enjoy the night view of the city from about 300m above ground. The journey back to our accommodation was pretty straightforward and the kids got knocked out when we got home. All in all Tennoji was a pleasantly great experience and we have a better understanding about JR station layout and navigating underground.
Day 3 Osaka - Kyoto (Wednesday)
This was a rather hectic day as it rained quite a bit and we struggled to get a taxi after checking out, getting turned down by several taxis with "空车". We eventually found one to bring us to JR Osaka station. Navigating at the station wasn't too difficult after yesterday but there were long queues when we arrived at 10am and I made the fatal mistake of leaving my physical credit card back in Perth and spent 45mins trying to redeem limited express tickets I reserved online. The JR staff were friendly and tried their best to help but they can only recommend me cancelling my initial reservation and buying new tickets (cancellation fee was about 2300 yen for 3 adults). As soon as we got our tickets we sprinted to the underground gate about 15 mins walk away. I even carried the stroller and kids through an escalator as we didn't want to waste time finding a lift and risk missing the train. We managed to board the limited express train on time and arrived at JR Kyoto which was even more crowded and larger than most international airports. The kids were quite cranky by now as it has been all rush and long waits since they woke up. I split up with my family with 2 luggage that we initially planned to forward to our Arashiyama accommodation via Sagawa. However I was told same day delivery service is only applicable to limited hotels so I stored the luggage at 2 coin lockers and then head to the Kintetsu line ticket counter to redeem the Kyoto-Nara and Nara-Osaka limited express tickets which fortunately doesn't require my credit card details (just reservation number). By the time I reunite with my family it was still raining and both kids fell asleep so we ditched the plan for Kyoto railway museum and instead went browsing for lunch at Porta and Isetan dining floor. We eventually queued to eat at Ejuan for about 25 minutes while one of the kid was still asleep. The wait was worthwhile as the grilled miso black cod was exceptional as was the kids' grilled chicken. Next we went to the skywalk at level 9 briefly before my family went to the toy section at Isetan while I retrieve our luggage from the coin lockers. We board the Saga line bound for Saga-Arashiyama and rested awhile at the accommodation before heading out for dinner after the rain stopped. We walked to Kijurou and fortunately they have space for us provided we order a main meal per adult. The yakiniku and Wagyu rib loin bowls were pretty good but we find the Hitsumabushi set a bit gimmicky. After dinner we stopped by Kimono Forest on our way back and this was probably the highlight of the kids day.
Day 4 Kyoto: Arashiyama (Thursday)
Had Lawson's for brekky before heading out to Kimono Rental Amuya to hired kimonos for my wife and toddler including hairstyling. The shop was actually a house with the living area turned into a studio and only the owner working by herself so we waited for about half an hour before walking towards the Bamboo Forest and Tenryu-ji gardens (500 yen entry from the north gate but well worth it for the blooming sakura and picturesque lake). It was crowded as expected and everyone was moving slowly so it took us about an hour to complete the loop back to the main tourist strip. We then had Udon for lunch at Ozuru, the chewy noodles were complemented by the broth which was a lot more flavourful than the kitsune Udon we are accustomed to back in Perth. After lunch we head home to put the kids to nap before venturing out in the evening towards Togetsukyo Bridge overlooking the pristine Katsura river flowing gracefully from Mt Arashi in the backdrop. The view was breathtaking and we crossed over to Arashiyama park where the kids had a great time running around free range. As the sun was setting, we head back to the town centre, took a novelty Randen ride and grab some food (Naruse's Unagi, Upit's Burger) en route to our accommodation to eat in before calling it a day.
Day 5 Kyoto (Friday)
After checking out we took the Saga line to JR Kyoto station and forwarded the medium sized luggage to the 4th accommodation in Osaka using Crosta. We then did some light shopping at Yodabashi Camera Kyoto as my MIL shoes had kick the bucket and we needed a replacement. Manage to sneak in the only ramen meal of the trip at Ramen Chabuton located upstairs. It was a fairly small shop but we were lucky to get a table just before the Friday lunch rush hour and our ramen cravings were thoroughly satiated. We put the kids down for a quick nap as we make our way back to JR Kyoto to take the Saga line towards Kyoto railway museum. This is an underrated attraction with so much to do and we could have spent the whole day here if I knew they had coin lockers. There were many interactive and educational displays relating to train components in addition to multiple play areas upstairs as well as an outdoor playground! There's also a mockup ticket gate for kids to learn how to purchase a ticket and pass through the gate. Our kids loved the ball pit, toy train area and large train simulator. We couldn't squeeze enough time to explore the 3rd floor or watch the diorama presentation or board the Steam Locomotive as it was getting late. We took a taxi to check-in at Kamoya Ryokan before taking the bus to Nishiki Market for dinner. It's about 6pm and most of the shops were shutting and the remaining ones that are open had queues building up quickly. We ended up waiting 30 mins to eat sushi at Sushi Say. There's a limited range of cooked food including skewers which we got for our kids while we share a nigiri platter and sashimi. After dinner we went to the basement of Daimaru Kyoto across the road to get some baked goods for brekky before taking the taxi home to crash.
Day 6 Kyoto (Saturday)
My MIL wanted to take it easy and explore the area at her own pace so we had a more spontaneous day. After brekky, we took the bus to Yasaka Shrine and started our trek towards Heian Jingu, stopping along the way to enjoy the blossoming park and munching on food from street vendors. We paid to enter the shrine garden (600 yen per adult) which was very worth it for a 30 minute stroll and escape from the bustling crowd outside. We grab some food to eat from the street vendors as one of the kid slept and then head to the playground across the road (Wagener Square) and spent a good 30 minutes there even though it was a bit basic (Perth is blessed with many great playgrounds). Once both kids are feeling refreshed we felt adventurous and took the bus to attempt the hike up Kiyomizu-dera. Since its a Saturday, the Sannenzaka path was packed with phenomenal crowds with the occasional car coming through and splitting the crowd apart. I carried the infant to sleep while my wife push our toddler on the stroller as we slowly make our way up, stopping by for a nice matcha latte and softserve at Here cafe to recharge. We eventually reached the base of the temple after 30 minutes and decided against entering due to the massive crowds (& stairs!). On the way down we reached the fork that branches into Ninenzaka and thought we try giving it a go. There were a lot more stairs over this side and we had to carry the stroller through the steps while waiting for the crowd to advance before us. As physically draining as it was, we felt a sense of achievement as we manage to snap a photo with the iconic Hokanji temple. We took the bus home after that and had an enjoyable dinner at Okonomiyaki Yoshino next door before an early night to recover.
Day 7 Kyoto - Nara - Osaka (Sunday)
We had some leftover food for brekky before checking out and heading to JR Kyoto via taxi. We head to the Kintetsu line and boarded the Vistacar limited express train to Nara. I've booked for the private room down stairs which was pretty spacious for the 5 of us and our luggage. After arriving at Kintetsu-Nara station, we took the 100 yen tourist bus to the famous Nara Deer Park and started exploring the area. There were plenty of deer roaming throughout/ resting on the ground and several vendors at the entrance selling deer crackers. After the kids were done feeding 2 sets of crackers, we head to Mizuya Chaya for lunch. There were limited seating so we sat by the side and ate with the bowl in our hands while feeding the kids. Probably the best Udon we had in our lives (level above Ozuru in Arashiyama and Hifumiya in Perth). Time for a nap so we put the kids down while making our way to have a closer look at Todaiji temple as there were too many stairs to Kasuga-taisha and we have yet to recover. We had our first Cremia here and it was amazing. After the kids woke up we took the bus back to Kintetsu-Nara station and explored the nearby street while waiting for our train. We then boarded the HINOTORI limited express bound for Osaka. While walking towards the hotel to check in, we were passing by Dotombori and opted to have a quick dinner and call it a day rather than coming out again after checking in and offloading our luggage. We ended up having curry at Hariju Dotombori Curry shop which taste d like a homely nourishing meal. After dinner we took the taxi to the hotel and fortunately our 2 other luggage that we forwarded days before are waiting for us to collect. Did some repacking and also laundry at a nearby laundromat before sleep.
Day 8 Osaka: Osaka Bay Area (Monday)
Started the day with brekky at MOS Burger just outside our hotel before taking the metro train to Osaka Bay Area. There were plenty to see as we approach the Kaiyukan, large LEGO animal displays, the large ferris wheel and Disney characters. The ticketing and entry time is staggered which is a good idea to control the amount of crowds going in and out. I started queueing at 1035am and got entry for 11am which was fair (opted not to book timeslot online as it can be unpredictable with kids and public transit) but we didn't felt like its a long wait as the kids were running around and enjoying the ocean view. The entry also have a photographer stationed to take a family polaroid with a whale shark replica for FREE. We were impressed with the aquarium's efficient layout where some prominent displays (Whale Shark, Seals etc) span across multiple floors so you can still enjoy them later on if you missed it earlier due to the crowds. Apart from sea creatures there are also Arctic mammals and birds (Puffins) from all over the world. The kids were over stimulated by lunch time so we head to the food court at Tempozan Market Place to refuel. After lunch we took the kids for a ferris wheel ride before putting both to sleep while we make our way to Shinsaibashisuji Shopping Street via metro line. As the kids were still asleep, I rested at Daimaru with my MIL while my wife went shopping. This turn out to be a fantastic place with a floor dedicated for kids (Pokemon centre, Pokemon cafe, BorneLund mini play area with many display toys available for sampling). The kids spent the rest of the day here after they woke up and we had dinner at the dining floor. There were queues everywhere and we chose to wait at Aozora Blue as they offer udon made with a higher wheat ratio here. Regrettably the kids didn't enjoy as much and prefer regular ones that we are used to. After dinner we took away cheescake from Rikuro for dessert back at our hotel. I made sure to online check in our flights before I go to bed.
Day 9 Osaka: Dotombori (Tuesday)
Our final day in Japan and we chose to do some shopping and take it easy. Tried Doutor Coffee for brekky (took a while to find as it was underground) before walking to Don Quijote at Dotombori. There's 6 floors crammed with various items: snacks, electronics, clothing, non prescription medication, toys, collectibles as well as a functional ferris wheel (operates after 2pm). That being said the kids got bored after awhile and didn't really enjoy much as there wasn't much space to move around. I brought them out to stroll around the Ebisu-bashi Bridge while my wife and MIL continue their haul. It was certainly a sight to behold: countless amount of large LCD screens with surround sound on full blast from every high rise building, street buskers vying for attention from crowds that were constantly on the move, tourists taking selfies in front of the iconic Glicoman. Sadly it started to drizzle so I quickly entered the Shinsaibashisuji Shopping Street undercover area and look for a place to have lunch. I stumbled across a Yoshinoya & Hanamaru joint food hall which was bustling with both locals and foreigners. You have to order and get your food from the counter before you can occupy a table so I waited for my wife and MIL to arrive before we start queueing up. We had the gyudon and beef Udon with onsen egg along with chicken karaage and tempura. There's also a condiment station with toppings to complement your udon as well as free tea and water. Everything was very affordable and best of all we didn't had to wait long. After lunch my wife continuing shopping while we head to Daimaru for the kids to have a nap and play afterwards. I noticed there's a bridge that connects each floor to the Parco next door and discovered a unique floor full of pop culture themed stores including a studio Ghibli store featuring Totoro and No-Face displays, a 2 ft tall Godzilla, Ultraman, Capcom superstore, Sanrio (Hello Kitty), Snoopy, Rilakkuma and also a LEGO store. The kids had a great time browsing and also playing with LEGO before my wife reunites with us. As it's nearing dinner time, I thought we try our luck getting a table at Ganko Dotombori and make our way towards Ebisu-bashi Bridge. The view here is even more spectacular at night with the contrasting lights as well as numerous LCD displays illuminating the area. Unfortunately there's a lengthy wait at Ganko and our party voted for street food instead which turn out surprising well. Kids devoured a dozen gyozas while we had takoyaki, kobe beef nigiri, yakitori and yakiniku skewers as we strolled along the street. It was still early so we made a detour towards Hozenji before walking back the hotel. Then we stumbled upon an arcade (Amuse Factory AXE) which naturally drawn the kids in, we got popcorn from a vending machine there and it was enough to keep the kids happy on our trek back. Before taking our last sleep in Japan, we organized our luggage and get them ready for check out the next day.
Day 10 Osaka: Sayonara (Wednesday)
Checked out of the hotel and took a private airport taxi to KIX. Had brekky at McD and Lawsons and surprised to find that the food here costs the same as outside (e.g. McD/ Hungry Jacks at Malaysian/ Australian airports cost more than the metro/ suburban outlets). Boarded the flight and bid Japan farewell for now while soaking in the surreal time we had.
List of accommodations for 3 adults and 1 child + 1 infant/ toddler
1. Orange House 701 (22,500 yen for 2 nights) 10/10
Location is not bad in a quiet area South of the bustling Dotombori area with Konbinis and JR Imamiya within walking distance. Washing machine, shower and stove took some time to figure out and my kid accidentally turned on the stove but luckily there's a safety button. Overall a brilliant accommodation at an affordable price and will consider returning if we come back to Osaka with kids.
2. Arashiyama bamboo guest house (55,650 yen for 2 nights + 1200 yen tax) 8/10
Prime location 1 min away from JR station, Lawson and walking distances to the local tourist strip, Bamboo Grove, Tenryu-ji and Togetsukyo Bridge. However the room is located on the 3rd floor with no lift so it can be a challenge for kids and older folk. The owner was kind enough to carry our 2 X 20kg luggage up and speaks a little English. The stay was rather comfortable even with futons to sleep on while my MIL slept on one of the single beds. We are unlikely returning to Arashiyama but would recommend this place if it suits your budget.
3. Kamoya Ryokan (35,400 yen for 2 nights + 2000 yen tax) 7.5/10
Not as central as the other accommodations but still within 10 mins walking distance to JR and bus lines. This is a shared accommodation so fridge, microwave and hot/ cold water is in the common area but we have a private bathroom to use. There are no beds so we all slept side by side on futons in the same room. For some reason kids are also taxed to stay a night here (200 yen) but the host was super friendly, spoke a bit of basic English and helped us with ordering a taxi when we checked out. For the price this is not a bad place for short term stay if cosleeping on futons together as a family is acceptable. Bonus: the okonomiyaki place next door is quite good albeit requiring a bit more effort to communicate but is worth it as plenty of locals seem to frequent there and our kids love the yakisoba.
4. Best Western Hotel Fino Osaka Shinsaibashi (40,450 yen for 3 nights) 8/10
Functional hotel relatively close to Shinsaibashi shopping street and Dotombori. 1 min walk away from Osaka metro station and 7 Eleven. There's also a 24 hour laundromat 5 mins walk away. Facilities are bare minimal but gets the job done as we only needed the place to crash and freshen up since there's a lot of shopping and remaining sightseeing to be done. All reception staff spoke English well and check in/ out was rather smooth. I would consider staying again if the rooms were larger but can't complain at this price point and location.
List of eateries we consider returning

• Yasaiya Mei
• Ejuan
• Kijurou
• Ozuru
• Upit's Burger
• Ramen Chabuton
• Okonomiyaki Yoshino
• Mizuya Chaya
• Yoshinoya & Hanamaru

Highlight of each day for the kids

1. Wandering around Life supermarket and exploring a new accommodation
2. Running around 300m above ground at the Abeno Harukas sky garden while having fruits/ snacks in between
3. Visiting Kimono Forest after dinner, watching the randen pass by at the crossing
4. Running around at Arashiyama park and watching the majestic Katsura river flowing rapidly
5. The outdoor playground at Kyoto railway museum among many other fun things there
6. The playground at Wagener Square across Heian Jingu
7. Interacting with deer and eating udon outdoors
8. Seeing different sea animals up close and ferris wheel ride after
9. Making friends at BorneLund and having imaginary play together despite the language barrier

Lessons learned (not in chronological order)

General tips

• We prepared about 160,000 yen cash before arriving at Japan but also have money via 1 x transfer wise debit card (digital), 1 x Westpac credit card (digital), 1 x ING debit card (physical). We ended up withdrawing a further 200,000 yen worth of cash. We opted not to bring any AUD as the rate is quite poor in Japan since most would prefer foreign exchangers would prefer USD.
• We didn't get to use our digital cards as most places in Kansai (Kanto might be different) that offer card payments still requires a physical card to read the chip.
• Please remember to bring the physical card of the credit card used for any online booking to avoid the stress I endured on day 3.
• We booked all the transit tickets online about a month prior and find it worthwhile rather than spending 15 - 30 mins in queue at the ticket counters. The limited express tickets go crazy fast and I recommend booking them the hour they become available (1 month prior your transit date and as soon as it is open in Japan time).
• We booked all 4 accommodations via booking.com and find the messenger via the app very handy in liaising with the owne receptionist on whether we can offload our luggage earlier or forward our luggage a few days in advance. One of them even told me that I can check in few hours earlier as the room was ready. Regardless of what platform you use, try to communicate with the accommodation prior your arrival if you are considering forwarding luggage or dropping them off before your official check in time.
• Booking multiple accommodations over a short span of time is very tiring as we are needing to worry about getting our luggage from A to B every second day but only able to check in the next place 5 - 6 hours after checking out the previous place (Most checkin starts from 3pm and checkout from 10am). Our transition days are always stressful as we don't get to do much due to the timing while handling multiple baggage so the kids are crankier.
• Rubbish/ garbage cans are mainly found on major train stations or shopping malls as well as konbinis. Most vending machines only have a recycle bin but we have plenty of disposable nappy bags which we use as rubbish bags if needed.
• We had 3 data Sims about 5GB each which was sufficient for the 9 days (navigation, Google translate, WhatsApp voice call). Free wifi is available at most places which we use whenever we need to photo dump on WhatsApp group chats or play YouTube for the kids.
• My eSim stopped working when we arrived at Kyoto from Osaka but luckily I tried rebooting my phone and it connected to the local network after. Another down side of data only Sim is there is no Japanese mobile number which can be handy (make reservations at restaurants or signing up for taxi apps to get taxi).
• We use Google Maps and Japan Travel by NAVITIME App to plan our overall route each day, public transit details is quite clear via Google Maps with several options for different J metro/ bus lines. While Japan Travel App is able to approximate cost of taxi which was useful for comparison.
• For translation, we used DeepL app when we wanted to converse with someone in Japanese and Google Translate for written Japanese translation via the camera.
• In Osaka, getting around via JR and Metro is optimal in terms of time and cost; In Kyoto, buses are more readily available but be prepared to stand shoulder to shoulder as the buses are not big and averages around 30 - 50 people. We recommend a taxi if travelling a short distance (<10 minutes) for a family that can fit into a single car.
• You can forward luggage at your hotel or local 7 eleven via Yamato transport within Osaka.
• The Jikan refreshing legs patch worked well for me but my wife got woken up few times as her feet felt cold due to the cooling effect. We got some heat patches the next day and it worked better for her.
• A few Japanese phrases go along way and perhaps it's why we mostly get friendly responses (arigato gozaimas, ohaiyo, konnichiwa, kore onegaishimas, doitashi mashite, hitotsu onegaishimas, daijorbudes, kodomo).
• The basement level of most department stores/ shopping malls sells a variety of package deserts and often a bakery opened till 8pm where we sometimes go to after dinner to get brekky for the next morning.
• Some malls have an express lift (stops only at 1F and 10F) and it may be quicker to use those in combination with escalators to get to the level you like quickly.
• Coin lockers are found is almost every major attraction and JR station but finding a large one that is available can be challenging so allow extra time. Most coin lockers only take 100 yen coins with the exception of newer ones which also takes IC cards as payment.
• Some food courts have drinkable water for you to refill your bottles but otherwise vending machines and konbinis will quench your hydration needs (the peach drink is pretty addictive).
• Other than Booking.com, Google maps, Google Translate, DeepL and Japan Travel by NAVITIME, we didn't really used the other apps we downloaded before hand but you might find a use for them: Mamamap, NERV, Ecbo cloak, Klook.

Child related tips

• Younger kids take awhile to acclimatize to a foreign environment and our kids were more lethargic than they normally are during the day, sometimes needing 2 naps instead of 1 so be prepared to adjust your plans and skip over some places that were catered specifically for them if needed.
• Google maps only tells you the distance to get you from Point A to Point B horizontally. Unfortunately it doesn't consider the routes involving travelling multiple floors to avoid heavy traffic even with wheelchair access enabled. For instance you can go across Tenshiba Garden from JR Tennoji via the overhead bridge (not ideal as the route is longer with a stroller) or underground (best with a stroller but unfortunately Google Maps doesn't show this route and we stumble across it by chance).
• Google maps navigation over multiple floors is also not very accurate but the local directory maps are very informative so take extra time to study it and find the nearest access (parents room, lift or exit to above ground/ underground).
• The lift (singular as most train station platforms only share one lift unless it's a major one like Osaka/ Kyoto etc), are often located at one end of the platform so allow additional 15 - 20 minutes when travelling with strollers or luggage.
• Most department stores/ shopping malls (Daimaru etc) have a floor suitable for kids with toy samples for playing and sometimes even a free play area (Bornelund).
• Our kids love the Butaman from Horai and we probably purchased from 5 different stores throughout the trip (they are located at almost every major station and department store). Find something that works for your kids that can be found readily (7-11, family mart, Lawson's, daily Yamazaki etc) as back up when they didn't want to eat where you were dining at or if they fell asleep and skipped a meal.
• 100 yen stores (Daiso, 3 coins, Seria, Can*Do, Watts) have plenty of cheap kid activities (e.g. sticker books, puzzles, bubble wand etc) that can entertain them throughout the day/ in restaurants/ in the showe in the accommodation before bed etc.
• Paid Attractions in Kansai that are worthwhile if your kids are under 5 (6 and above may be charged separately): Tennoji Zoo, Abeno Harukas 300, Kyoto Railway Museum, Osaka Kaiyukan, Tempozan Ferris Wheel.
• Other brekky alternatives that we liked apart from konbinis/ bakeries were MOS burgers and Doutor coffee. Gyudons (sukiya, matsuya, yoshinoya) morning menu was a bit too heavy for our kids and other options we would have tried were too far from where we stayed (Tully's, McDonalds, KoHiKan).
• Some places require you order a main meal per adult but we are small eaters so we make sure what we ordered was something our kids might eat (not spicy etc).
• Tabelog is useful to tell you the size of the restaurant and we avoided anywhere that seats less than 20 people to save time.
• We tried to eat at a restaurant for lunch and dinner the first few days but actually realize the kids enjoy munching on small eats from konbinis/ street vendors more than a casual sit down meal so we were a bit more spontaneous the second half of the trip.
• Watch out for deer poo at Nara especially when pushing your stroller! Most of the deer are quite friendly and let you pet them but don't touch their tail area as they can get defensive. If your kids are feeding away the crackers too quickly, break them in half so you have more 'ammunition'.
• Metro and JR Trains (including limited express ones) stop for less than 10 seconds. Please remember to unlock your stroller when you are approaching your next stop and prepare to jump out.

DAY: MAY 8 2024
​

• 5-8-2024A 30-YEAR US STUDY LINKS ULTRA-PROCESSED FOOD TO HIGHER RISK OF EARLY DEATH Higher consumption of most ultra-processed foods is linked to a slightly higher risk of death, with ready-to-eat meat, poultry, and seafood based products, sugary drinks, dairy based desserts, and highly processed breakfast foods showing the strongest associations
• 5-8-2024ABOUT 90% OF US ADULTS ARE ON THE WAY TO HEART DISEASE, STUDY SUGGESTS Nine of 10 American adults are in the early, middle or late stages of a syndrome that leads to heart disease, a new report finds, and almost 10% have the disease already. “Poor cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic health is widespread among the U.S. population,”
• 5-8-2024RESEARCH PROVIDES TIPS TO REDUCE CHILDREN’S LYING Getting children to speak the truth can be a struggle at times. While a lie, when discovered, is often followed by a punishment, there’s a more effective way to prevent future fibbing
• 5-8-2024MANAGING MIGRAINE EFFECTIVELY Migraine is a neurologic disorder. The severe pain of migraine typically is on one side of the head but may be on both sides. Symptoms also may include nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound, difficulty speaking, or visual disturbances known as aura with flashes of light or blind spots.
• 5-8-2024DRIVE TO BE ‘PERFECT’ PARENT ISN’T HEALTHY, SURVEY FINDS Parents striving to be “perfect” will never attain that goal, and the aim isn’t even healthy for their families, a new study says. The risks of striving for perfection are such that researchers have now created a scale to help parents track their burnout and, if necessary, counter it. The first-of-its-kind,
• 5-8-2024HOW INFECTIONS INFLUENCE OUR SOCIAL EMPATHY When people are ill, they feel less empathy for others than when they are healthy. The researchers investigated “sickness behavior,” a process in which the body reorganizes its biological priorities in the context of an acute infection
• 5-8-2024HYPERTENSIVE DISORDERS OF PREGNANCY MAY INCREASE WOMEN’S RISK FOR BLOOD CLOTS LATER IN LIFE South Carolina received a poor report card from the March of Dimes in 2023 because more of its mothers die due to pregnancy-related complications or childbirth than the national average.
• 5-8-2024ALMOST 30% OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS EXPERIENCE PAIN IN MUSCLES, BONES OR LIGAMENTS, STUDY SHOWSSome 27% of Brazilian children and adolescents suffer from musculoskeletal pain of unspecified cause The problem is frequently underestimated by parents and health professionals
• 5-8-2024TALKING WITH A FRIEND CAN EASE THE STING OF BEING LEFT OUT Small, simple forms of social connection—such as a conversation with a friend, or even just looking forward to one—can lessen the negative feelings and thoughts that come with being socially excluded
• 5-8-2024INCONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS ZINC MAY SLIGHTLY SHORTEN COMMON COLD taking zinc may help to reduce the duration of common cold symptoms by about two days, but the evidence is not conclusive and potential benefits must be balanced against side effects.
• 5-8-2024HOW OUR KNOWLEDGE OF ARTISTS INFLUENCES OUR PERCEPTION OF THEIR WORKS A neurocognitive study shows that negative knowledge about an artist influences the perception of the artwork, regardless of the artist’s level of fame. Can we separate art from the artist? History is littered with examples of famous artists who have fallen into disrepute due to controversial statements, beliefs or actions. 5-8-2024STUDY SUGGESTS DAILY CONSUMPTION OF OLIVE OIL REDUCES CHANCES OF DEVELOPING DEMENTIA daily consumption of olive oil may reduce the chances of developing dementia. In the study , the group analyzed data for thousands of people included in two separate health databases and found that those people who consumed at least 7 g of olive oil daily were less likely to die from dementia-related ailments.
• 5-8-2024YES, ADULTS CAN DEVELOP FOOD ALLERGIES—HERE ARE FOUR TYPES YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT If you didn’t have food allergies as a child, is it possible to develop them as an adult? The short answer is yes. But the reasons why are much more complicated. Preschoolers are about four times more likely to have a food allergy than adults and are more likely to grow out of it as they get older.
• 5-8-2024STUDY SHOWS DAMAGING IMPACT OF HEAT WAVES ON VITAL ORGANS Periodic heat waves-induced neuronal etiology in the elderly is mediated by gut-liver-brain axis: a transcriptome profiling approach. Researchers have found evidence of the molecular causes of the damaging impact heat stress causes on the gut, liver and brain in the elderly.
• 5-8-2024STUDY REVEALS ROLE OF IRON IN ALLERGIC ASTHMA AND POINTS TO POTENTIAL NEW THERAPIES New USC research shows that iron serves as a gas pedal driving certain immune cells that cause inflammation in the lungs during an allergic asthma attack—and blocking or limiting iron may reduce the severity of symptoms.
• 5-8-2024HELPING YOUR CHILD MAKE FRIENDS WITH A CHILD WITH AUTISM Kids are very likely to make the acquaintance of a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at some point, whether they know it or not. An estimated 95% of children with disabilities enroll in regular schools
• 5-8-2024GENE LINKED TO LEARNING DIFFICULTIES FOUND TO HAVE DIRECT IMPACT ON LEARNING AND MEMORY A gene previously linked to intellectual disability has been found to regulate learning and memory in mice. The gene, called KDM5B has previously been linked to some intellectual disability disorders and autism.
• 5-8-2024DIABETES IN YOUTH MAY INCREASE RISK FOR NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE, LIKE ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE, LATER IN LIFE Young people with diabetes may have a significantly higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life Read More
• 5-8-2024NEW TOOL LINKS ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE TYPES TO RATE OF COGNITIVE DECLINE researchers have discovered a series of brain changes characterized by unique clinical features and immune cell behaviors using a new corticolimbic index tool for Alzheimer’s disease, a leading cause of dementia.
• 5-8-2024BARIATRIC SURGERY MAY REDUCE CANCER RISK When you think about obesity, you may not connect it to cancer. However, researchers long have suspected a link between certain cancers and weight. Among those are endometrial, ovarian, colon, liver, pancreatic and postmenopausal breast cancers, which together contribute to 15 to 20% of all cancer deaths in the U.S.
• 5-8-2024MOST SOCIALLY VULNERABLE COUNTIES LESS LIKELY TO HAVE CANCER TRIALS, ANALYSIS FINDS according to a research, the association between county-level social determinants of health (SDOH) and cancer clinical trial availability in the United States. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of county-level trial availability and SDOH were performed.
• 5-8-2024SLEEP PROBLEMS AS A CHILD MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH PSYCHOSIS IN YOUNG ADULTS Children who experience chronic lack of sleep from infancy may be at increased risk of developing psychosis in early adulthood, new research shows. children who persistently slept fewer hours, throughout this time period, were more than twice as likely to develop a psychotic disorder in early adulthood, and nearly four times as likely to have a psychotic episode.
• 5-8-2024LUNG CANCER IS THE DEADLIEST OF ALL CANCERS, AND SCREENING COULD SAVE MANY LIVES—IF MORE PEOPLE COULD ACCESS IT Many medical organizations have been recommending lung cancer screening for decades for those at high risk of developing the disease. But in 2022, less than 6% of people in the U.S. eligible for screening actually got screened. Compared with other common cancer screenings, lung cancer screening rates fall terribly behind.
• 5-8-2024WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT COVID VARIANTSThe virus behind COVID has mutated again, this time producing variants nicknamed FLiRT, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported. The variants are appearing in wastewater sampling
• 5-8-2024TRIFAROTENE PLUS SKIN CARE BENEFICIAL FOR ACNE VULGARIS Trifarotene plus skin care is beneficial for patients with moderate acne vulgaris (AV) and acne-induced hyperpigmentation (AIH)
• 5-8-2024HEALTH RISKS OF USING CANNABIS ARE HIGHER IN ADOLESCENTS THAN IN ADULTS, STUDY FINDS Using cannabis on a regular basis may be significantly more dangerous for adolescents than adults, with adolescents showing higher levels of cannabis use disorder and reporting greater negative impacts on daily functioning than adults
• 5-8-2024ADVANCES IN MINIMALLY INVASIVE KIDNEY STONE SURGERY Most small kidney stones can pass on their own. However, kidney stones that are too large to pass on their own or cause bleeding, kidney damage or ongoing urinary tract infections may require surgical treatment.
• 5-8-2024CANDY COMPANY RECALLS PRODUCTS DUE TO SALMONELLA RISK A Midwestern candy company has issued a massive recall due to the risk of salmonella tainting some of its products. Palmer Candy Company of Sioux City, Iowa, is recalling “white coated confectionary items” because they could be contaminated with salmonella
• 5-8-2024WE KNOW LATE-NIGHT SCREENS ARE BAD FOR SLEEP. HOW DO YOU STOP DOOMSCROLLING IN BED? Sleep scientists long ago established that insufficient sleep is linked with poor health outcomes, anxiety, obesity and several other negative effects. The research is equally conclusive that smartphones are particularly disruptive to the circadian clock that regulates sleep and other hormones.
• 5-8-2024STUDY DEBUNKS CONCERNS ABOUT BABY FEEDING METHODS What, and how, a baby is fed can weigh on a caregiver’s mind. A study has found two popular, but somewhat controversial, methods appear to have little significant impact on infants’ appetite and weight. The study analyzed the diets of 625 7 to 10-month-old babies, evaluating appetite-related outcomes of baby food pouch use and baby-led weaning.
  
• 5-8-2024DO DYING PEOPLE HAVE A ‘RIGHT TO TRY’ MAGIC MUSHROOMS? 9TH CIRCUIT WEIGHS CASE
  
• 5-8-2024ADVOCATES FEAR IT WON’T PAY OFF
  
• 5-8-2024EXPERT EXPLAINS PINK EYE
  
• 5-8-2024RESEARCHERS DEVELOP FIRST MODEL OF THE BRAIN’S INFORMATION HIGHWAYS
  
• 5-8-2024COVID-19 STUDY EXAMINES LINK BETWEEN INSURANCE, RACE AND VACCINATION TRENDS
  
• 5-8-2024‘WRAPAROUND’ IMPLANTS REPRESENT NEW APPROACH TO TREATING SPINAL CORD INJURIES
  
• 5-8-2024STUDY FINDS THAT NEUROPATHY IS VERY COMMON BUT UNDERDIAGNOSED
  
• 5-8-2024STUDY SHOWS FREQUENT SALTING OF FOOD IS LINKED WITH INCREASED RISK OF STOMACH CANCER
  
• 5-8-2024SIMULATED HIGH-ALTITUDE EXPOSURE FOR 24 HOURS IS WELL TOLERATED DESPITE SINGLE-VENTRICLE PHYSIOLOGY
  
• 5-8-2024A COMPARISON OF SELF-REPORTED DATA AND PRIMARY CARE RECORDS IN UK BIOBANK
  
• 5-8-2024STUDY FINDS PARTICULATE SILOXANE AND CIGARETTE SMOKE ORGANIC AEROSOL IN A GYM ENVIRONMENT
  
• 5-8-2024STUDY FINDS THC LINGERS IN BREASTMILK WITH NO CLEAR PEAK POINT
  
• 5-8-2024NEW STUDY OFFERS INSIGHT INTO GENESIS OF SPINA BIFIDA
  
• 5-8-2024SEROTONERGIC NEURON FINDINGS SUGGEST POSSIBLE TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION-RELATED INFERTILITY
  
• 5-8-2024SYSTEMIC ANTIBIOTICS IN FIRST YEAR OF LIFE TIED TO HIGHER ATOPIC DERMATITIS RISK
  
• 5-8-2024MRE-LIVER STIFFNESS MEASURE BETTER FOR VARICES IN NAFLD CIRRHOSIS
  
• 5-8-2024STRENGTHENING CAR-T THERAPY TO WORK AGAINST SOLID TUMORS
  
• 5-8-2024EXERCISE, NEW DRUG CLASS RECOMMENDED FOR MANAGEMENT OF HYPERTROPHIC CARDIOMYOPATHY
  
• 5-8-2024HOW DID THE EARLY COVID-19 PANDEMIC IMPACT BIRTH OUTCOMES IN AUSTRALIA?
  
• 5-8-2024A NEW FRONTIER IN NEUROSCIENTIFIC FUSION
  
• 5-8-2024INDIVIDUALS OF ALL AGES WITH POSITIVE SKIN OR BLOOD TEST SHOULD RECEIVE PREVENTIVE TREATMENT FOR TB, NEW STUDY SAYS
  
• 5-8-2024NEW RESEARCH REPORTS ON FINANCIAL ENTANGLEMENTS BETWEEN FDA CHIEFS AND THE DRUG INDUSTRY
  
• 5-8-2024SUSPENDED UK CLIMATE ACTIVIST PHYSICIAN WILL NOT STOP PROTESTING
  
• 5-8-2024A THIRD COVID VACCINE DOSE IMPROVES DEFENSE FOR SOME CLINICALLY EXTREMELY VULNERABLE PATIENTS
  
• 5-8-2024BIRD FLU HAS SPREAD TO COWS IN COLORADO. IS AVIAN INFLUENZA A THREAT?
  
• 5-8-2024POWER IMBALANCES AND HIERARCHY PREVENT DOCTORS FROM WORKING EFFECTIVELY IN TEAMS, RESEARCH SHOWS
  
• 5-8-2024EARLY ONSET BOWEL CANCER CASES INCREASING IN NEW ZEALAND
  
• 5-8-2024TEAM SYSTEMATICALLY MODIFIES GLYCERALDEHYDE DERIVATIVE JX22 FOR IMPROVED ANTI-HEART FAILURE EFFICACY AND SAFETY
  
• 5-8-2024RESEARCH TEAM IDENTIFIES FOUR NEW GENETIC RISK FACTORS FOR MULTIPLE SYSTEM ATROPHY
  
• 5-8-2024RESEARCHERS SAY FUTURE IS BRIGHT FOR TREATING SUBSTANCE ABUSE THROUGH MOBILE HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES
  
• 5-8-2024EATING DISORDER SYMPTOMS ARE SURPRISINGLY COMMON IN PEOPLE WITH INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES
  
• 5-8-2024TEENS WHO VIEW THEIR HOMES AS MORE CHAOTIC THAN THEIR SIBLINGS DO HAVE POORER MENTAL HEALTH IN ADULTHOOD
  
• 5-8-2024RESEARCHERS DEVELOP FALLS PREDICTION MODEL USING HEALTH RECORDS TO PREDICT PATIENTS’ RISK OF FALLING IN THE UK
  
• 5-8-2024RESEARCHERS IDENTIFY WHAT DRIVES PARP INHIBITOR RESISTANCE IN ADVANCED BREAST CANCER
  
• 5-8-2024DISCOVERY OF KEY TARGET FOR PRECISION PHARMACOLOGY MAKES IDEAL CANDIDATE TO TREAT HEART FAILURE
  
• 5-8-2024STUDY SHOWS HOW SEPSIS CAN AFFECT VASCULAR SMOOTH MUSCLE CELLS ON AN ACUTE AND LONG-TERM BASIS
  
• 5-8-2024NEW GUIDELINES FOR DEPRESSION CARE EMPHASIZE PATIENT-CENTERED APPROACH IN CANADA
  
• 5-8-2024ASTRAZENECA WITHDRAWS COVID VACCINE AS DEMAND DIVES
  
• 5-8-2024RESEARCHERS OUTLINE HOW CELLS ACTIVATE TO CAUSE FIBROSIS AND ORGAN SCARRING
  
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• 5-8-2024RESEARCHERS FIND THAT A NEW MOTHER’S IMMUNE STATUS VARIES WITH HER FEEDING STRATEGY
  
• 5-8-2024REVISED CLINICAL GUIDELINES ON MANDATORY REPORTING OF SUBSTANCE-EXPOSED NEWBORNS SHOW PROMISE
  
• 5-8-2024COVID-19 PANDEMIC CHANGED ATTITUDES TOWARD WEARABLE HEALTH DEVICES, STUDY FINDS
  
• 5-8-2024CHILDHOOD MALTREATMENT RESPONSIBLE FOR UP TO 40% OF MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS AMONG AUSTRALIANS, FINDS RESEARCH
  
• 5-8-2024MORE THAN 321,000 US CHILDREN LOST A PARENT TO DRUG OVERDOSE FROM 2011 TO 2021: STUDY
  
• 5-8-2024RESEARCHERS DISCOVER NEW TARGET FOR POTENTIAL LEUKEMIA THERAPY
  
• 5-8-2024TRIAL SHOWS A FASTER APPROACH FOR STARTING EXTENDED-RELEASE NALTREXONE TO TREAT OPIOID USE DISORDER IS EFFECTIVE
  
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• 5-8-2024PERSONALIZED NUTRITION MORE EFFECTIVE THAN GENERAL DIET ADVICE, STUDY FINDS
  
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• 5-8-2024‘MATHEMATICAL MICROSCOPE’ REVEALS NOVEL, ENERGY-EFFICIENT MECHANISM OF WORKING MEMORY THAT WORKS EVEN DURING SLEEP
  
• 5-8-2024RESEARCHERS MAY HAVE FOUND AN ACHILLES HEEL FOR HEPATITIS B
  
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• 5-8-2024FUTURE PANDEMICS WILL HAVE SAME HUMAN CAUSES AS ANCIENT OUTBREAKS—LESSONS FROM ANTHROPOLOGY CAN PREVENT THEM
  
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From last night... I fell asleep before finishing and posting it.
Early morning: One more text from Doreen. "Don't forget to shave your legs and pits."
I met Doreen at the salon at 8:30. I was early. So was she. We walked in. One step inside and I knew NOT to ask if they do black hair. Shut up and sit. Hair. Eyebrows. Nails. Goodbye advice from hair stylist to me: "You better watch your posture!" Done. One down.
Doreen to me: "This is not girls out shopping. We have very little time and have to be back here by 1:30 for your makeup. I make the decisions, you try on, you pay, your opinion doesn't count. That's that." Rules set. Two down. Off to High-End-Store.
"The most important thing to buy are the shoes. You have to be comfortable--and you can't slip. We are going to try on polished black loafers with a chunk heel." I'm measured and the salesperson brings several styles. "The soles have to be soft. Which one is the most comfortable?" I pick one and we also buy black pantyhose. Three down.
"We are now going to select a business-casual black suit paired with with a white button-down." We selected several to try on. "You are obviously very athletic. I like the one with the short skirt the best on you because it shows your athleticism." We picked out a nice bag as well. Ciao, High-end-Store. Four down.
Cheap Accessories Storefront. "Here is where we are going to highlight that you are a girl. Cheap costume jewelry. A necklace and earrings. Let's get a new bad taste band for your iWatch. Five down.
Contrasting to all the glamor, we only had time for a fast food truck hot dog. It's Manhattan. No one notices, no one cares. Then back to the salon for makeup. I changed there and I will pick up my clothes after school. Off to the 3:00 p.m. meeting.
Doreen dropped me off to school. "You did good today. I look forward to working with you during the internship. Good luck--and remember your posture."
When I walked into the office I did see a couple of heads turn. I can imagine Heidi asking with them, "What had happened to Floppy Lita?"
Luisa soon arrived and looked at me as if this was my accepted and usual appearance. How does she look so coquette in business casual? I snuck her the copies of my resume, modeling portfolio, writing sample, and personal statement and she put them in the packet. The meeting was quite simple and quick. Luisa walked my advisor through the packet. There were pages describing each week's internship and associated learning goals and deliverables.
Once or twice she shot me a "POSTURE!" look. My academic advisor seemed satisfied but lost in thought. "Lita is a responsible and creative student. May and June are what we call 'the dog days' of the school year. Students are tired and just waiting for the summer. Teachers, too, tend to check out and just count the days. We have simply gone through our back of tricks. I think that your plan for the internship is well-planned and highly educational. I wish we could build in similar experiences for all of our high school students at the end of the school year."
Approved, start date changed to Monday. Luisa: "Thank you!" Advisor: "No, thank you!"
As we get up to leave Luisa shoots me her "POSTURE!" look.
I know Heidi is having her lesson with Arturo. I am just going to pick up my clothes from the salon, head home, and knock off homework.
My question to anyone who reads this: Do you think I wore my new clothes on the way home or do you think I changed back and wore my floppy regulars?
[EDIT]: I found this article in the May 10th World Tribune. It's about how a Men's Division member, a musician, from Georgia, who is helping his YMD build a Brass Band. He talks about a quote from an article called “Precepts for Brass Band” in which Ikeda Sensei says:

“I would like to say that your spirit should transcend vanity as well as musical techniques and ability. The sound of the Brass Band should be the rhythm of faith. It must roar with the sound of passion, as if to crush the angry waves of the ocean.”

I am going to take the spirit here and apply it to my internship. I will "transcend vanity as well as technique and ability," my work will express "the rhythm of faith," my attitude and "POSTURE!" will "roar with the sound of passion, as if to crush the angry waves of the ocean.”

Recently, I had to migrate our WordPress Site from WP Engine to Siteground Webhosting. Upon researching how to do this, there was never a single resource that showed exactly how to do this successfully, at least in my case.
I did find an obvious solution though, which I’ll share below at the end.
Some Background:
Before starting, I researched backup plugins like Duplicator, etc. Unfortunately, that won’t run on WP Engine, and all other attempts to use a backup plug-in were a major failure because of how WP Engine is set up to run.
So the only option that looked somewhat reasonable is a manual migration.
Let me briefly explain what I did.
Basic description of my business WordPress Site:

• WordPress 6.5.3 with Elementor.
• Around 8 Plugins Installed (nothing too complex.)
• The total size of the site when exported is roughly 250MB in size (75MB MySql DB.)
• About 5 published pages and 10 published blog posts.
• Roughly around 200 image files in our media directory.

After doing various research on how to manually migrate Wordpress from WP Engine To Siteground, I found the following steps:

1. On the old site (WP-Engine), export your entire “Public_Html” folder via FTP to a local directory on your desktop.
2. On the old site (WP-Engine) go into PHPMyAdmin and select your database, then do a minimal export of your database to a SQL file.
3. Then (on your new web-hosting provider) you upload the “Public_Html” folder via FTP from your local desktop.
4. Then (on your new web-hosting provider) you create a new MySQL DB and configure a new DB Username with a Password.
5. After the new Wordpress DB is set up, go to PHPMyAdmin and import your SQL file.
6. Configure a new wp-config.php file with the new DB Name, DB Username, and DB Password. Update the encryption keys. I used a fresh wp-config.php file by renaming a copy of the wp-config_sample.php file.
7. At this point, you update (search and replace) the string values for your domain name if moving to a different domain or leave that alone. Since I migrated to a staging environment I updated the name accordingly.
8. Lastly, you redirect your DNS.

NOTE: In my migration I never actually cut over the DNS, instead I set up a staging environment on Siteground so we could make sure everything would load properly, before actually cutting over the DNS.
Optional Export for WP Engine, Besides FTP
Also, for WP Engine, you can download a Zip file of your entire WordPress Site and DB from your backup checkpoints.
In my several failed attempts, I did both the FTP download and tried the exported backup file. The outcome was the same, which I describe below.
Last Detail Relating to Wp Engine
Because I was moving from WPEngine, I also followed these steps to remove the additional files specific to WPEngine’s environment like MU Plugins, etc.
https://wpengine.com/support/best-practices-uploading-wp-engine-site-another-environment/
The End Result:
Using the basic steps above to manually migrate, I made several attempts at migrating my business website from WP Engine to Siteground, and the following was true for each outcome.

1. I could log in to a running WordPress Site but all the reference points from WP Admin to my Pages, Posts, Images, and WP Theme were NOT showing up. Even though they show up in the database under PHPMYADMIN.
2. All the plugins were inactive, but did show up OK in WP Admin under Plugins.
3. I would assume there are probably other issues going on as well, that were not observable through WP Admin.

Overall, the WordPress site ran like a new site, not a migrated one.
The End Solution: The Siteground Migration Plug-In
After further research, I discovered that Siteground has a migration plug-in. After following the steps for installing the migration plug-in on my WordPress Site with WP Engine, it automatically completed the migration and everything is 100% up and running with no issues!
In all of my research online, I did not come across the Siteground Migrator Plug-in as an obvious option when doing various Google searches with my intended keywords, ‘Migrate WP Engine Wordpress site to SiteGround”.
So I wanted to share my experience here, in case anyone else has these issues which I mentioned above.
Some Additional Findings:

1. I did some further testing for the manual migration of WordPress and found that the steps above do work, if you are doing it just on WP Engine or SiteGround. To test this I just used a staging environment.
2. It does not seem to work when going from WP Engine to SiteGround. This tells me that either though WordPress is running on each of these web hosting solutions, the underlying server environments must be very different. Or the Database structures are very different.
3. WP Engine is clearly different because it’s a Managed WordPress platform, but SiteGround?
4. Also, I did another test where I manually had to migrate a single-page WordPress site from SiteGround to Orange Web Hosting which uses CPanel as the backend, and I had the same exact problem where my theme, images, pages, or posts would not show up, but WordPress was running. And you could see the pages and posts in the database.

So I’m just curious, what’s the deal with doing a manual WordPress Migration?
Why does it work on the same platform but not across different web-hosting platforms?
If someone with developer experience could chime in, I’d be extremely grateful.
I’m sure anybody else looking to migrate WordPress from their existing platform, whether it be WP-Engine, SiteGround, etc, would be extremely grateful too.
Thanks, and going forward I guess the lesson here is always to use your web hosting platform’s migration tool, if they have one. This would have saved me a lot of time!

First Previous
Captain Semnik sat in the electrocart as it whirred down the paved pathway to the rocket launch site in the distance. He pulled at his environmental suit, disliking how the fabric would catch on his fur when it shifted over his body. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his heartbeat that fluttered from the nerves.

“Nervous, Sir?” Navigator Fasili said. “It’s hard to imagine that the first Meer in space has anything to fear.”

Semnik frowned. He didn’t like the smarmy grin on Fasili’s face. Sure, he had been the first Meer in space. He was, in fact, the only Meer to ever be in space. His only mission involved circling the planet a few times before instructing his conical capsule to crash through the atmosphere and parachute into the ocean.

The entire ordeal was terrifying. The gravitational pressure as the rocket shoved him back in his chair on the ascent felt like he was going to be squeezed into jelly. The odd feeling as the blue sky vanished into a field of black, only the stars and Skyfire above along with Meeria below to keep him company. The worry that his equipment wouldn’t work and he would be stuck up there. The fear he would burn up in the atmosphere upon reentry. The terror that the parachute would fail and he would pancake in the ocean. The unease at wondering if the recovery ship would even find him.

He didn’t want to ever go through that again. Yet here he was, enjoying a chauffer service to something that could spell his doom.

In that moment, Semnik decided to get a little revenge on the arrogant Navigator. “Six out of ten of these things have exploded going up. I have good reason to be nervous.”

Fasili’s ears folded down as her eyes went wide and her whiskers pulled back against her snout. Her realization of how dangerous this task was plastered all over her face.

“It’s not that bad, Captain,” Engineer Zandis rejoined, his finger wagging. “Remember, most of those explosions were early in the program before we sent anything valuable up. We’re a lot better at it now.”

Fasili let out a breath she was holding in relief. “See, sir? Nothing to worry about. We’ll be fine.”

“That’s right,” Zandis replied. Then a wry grin came over his face. “After all, we improved the safety to only one in five exploding.”

Of course, all three were perfectly aware of the risks they were taking. They shared a laugh from the black humor, a brief moment of mirth before they had to get down to business.

The last few decades had been rough on Meerkind. Now 20 years removed from a massive war that devastated the planet and pushed the Meers nearly to extinction, they had come together in the aftermath. There was something about nearly seeing your civilization end that snapped everyone out of their old grudges.

After the end of the war, only the Northern Alliance remained as a functional state. Their efforts had switched to consolidating the few remaining refugees from the other three continents, which had suffered catastrophic damage.

The Northern Alliance, in a bid to improve morale, decided to turn to the stars. The Meer people needed something positive, a small victory to hold onto. They needed to know that their civilization was more than conflict and strife, that it had capacity to do something better.

It started with the rocket program. Repurposing the old weapons that had devastated the world, they removed the warheads and aimed them to the heavens. Realizing sending a rocket into space was much harder than lobbing them across an ocean, the Meer imagination kicked into gear.

After a few years of effort, and a number of lost rockets, they finally managed to get one to successfully leave the planet. The next step was sending up an artificial satellite. They intended to send up a small sphere, put it into orbit and have it transmit a simple radio signal down to the world below.

After three more lost rockets, the newly established Meer Aeronautics and Space Agency, MASA, put one up there.

Scheduled to make a full circumnavigation of Meeria, the small metal sphere was released and on the planned trajectory. Then something peculiar happened. About halfway through its journey, the orbit suddenly shifted 30 degrees south at a sharp angle, slowed and eventually burnt up in the atmosphere.

MASA engineers were perplexed. The capsule was little more than a radio beacon and a battery, so it didn’t have a propulsion system. It was a well-known principle that nothing spontaneously changed momentum. Something had to act upon the satellite.

It took some time to prepare an observation telescope. The satellite was deflected over a region of the Eastern Continent, which had bad pockets of radioactivity from the war. MASA struggled to get approval from the Northern Alliance to redirect funding to the construction of a new telescope, commandeering a vessel that was still used for refugee relief and the associated funding and personnel to command the expedition.

MASA was able to get over one hurdle when it pointed out that they could get a ride on one of the ships already bound for the continent to ferry more refugees. Then the funding was provided by a series of small fundraising efforts. MASA created merchandise, requested donations and the MASA Director even sold his personal luxury conveyance to finance the expedition.

It wasn’t looking good until a wealthy industrialist, someone working on a global communication network to link all the computers together, something today know as the Interburrow, provided a substantial donation.

The expedition was on and Semnik was one of the young interns that received the honor of joining. Setting up the telescope, they scanned the skies in the region the satellite had changed course. After a few weeks of painstakingly scanning every ceem of the heavens, they found it.

And no one could believe their eyes. There, hovering over Meeria, was a metal tube with blue rectangular protrusions coming from each side. This caused a massive stir in the scientific community. Then it got out and a few odd conspiracy theorists, taking old religious texts, started claiming the Meers were visited by prehistoric extrameerestrials. There was even a Meer with shifty eyes and wild hair that managed to get a viewscreen program where he claimed that most, of not all, Meer achievements were a result of these old aliens.

Semnik scoffed at the idea. It was absurd to think that some alien species decided to orbit Meeria just to watch them. If they did, they’d be disgusted at the violent, warlike behavior. No, Semnik was convinced this was some secret device the Eastern Imperials had concocted and the information was lost with the collapse of their government.

Weeks went by studying the object. The only thing breaking up the solid shining metal exterior were small black squares that engineers decided were viewports. Whatever might be behind the windows was a mystery.

They also determined that the shining blue material was some kind of power generation device. There were some working hypotheses that the energy produced by Skyfire could be harnessed for the benefit of Meerkind. The problem is, no one knew how to go about doing it. It was when the blue material would pivot to maintain maximum exposure to Skyfirelight did they realize it wasn’t some fictional dream.

There was no an ongoing battle between the engineers wanting to explore capturing Skyfirelight for power and the ones focused on converting the energy from their weapons warheads to useful power. They posited that if they can control the energy released by the yellow death rock, it could be used to generate limitless power. There was even a faction saying that if they created a small explosion with the yellow death rock, they’d be able to fuse the first gas element and produce even greater power.

Semnik didn’t particularly care one way or the other. That was for the engineers to fight over. What interested him was that not only was this satellite up there, it was also in a perfect Meersynchronous orbit over the planet. He was proud to be the one to identify this peculiarity, since it would have taken a tremendous amount of precision and mathematical calculation to get an object to sit perfectly over one spot on a rotating planet.

Semnik posited whatever it was orbiting over must be important and was permitted a small research team to explore the area. After some calculations, Semnik discovered the object was orbiting over the most unassuming chunk of land on all of Meeria.

Arriving at the location, the team found a small valley nestled between a ring of mountains. At the edge of the valley was a forest and, at its center, was a grassland that measured approximately 2 kilos long and a half kilo wide. Down the center of the valley, a small river flowed. It reminded him of a Northern Alliance Gleekball. The proper kind of Gleekball, in Semnik’s opinion.

Guessing the center of the meadow was the best place to start, the team transitioned there. There, under a small copse of trees, Semnik’s team made a discovery that would rock all of Meerkind. Under the ground were the remains of burrows.

The burrows were supported by ancient, rudimentary stone work and were just large enough for an adult Meer to squeeze through. Many of the tunnels had collapsed since their construction and they discovered primitive stone tools spread in the various rooms. According to an archaeologist on the team, they had a high likelihood of discovering the origin of the Meer species.

This was confirmed when they found ancient fossilized remains of a species that looked Meer-like yet were old enough to be considered a precursor species. It sparked off interesting discussions on evolution.

This alone was a monumental discovery. Yet it was overshadowed by something even more incredible. In one of the rooms, in a small hole covered by a rock, the team discovered something that shouldn’t belong there.

In the hole was a black box. Five of the box sides were made of a black polymer while the sixth was made of glass and had the appearance of a viewscreen. Polymers were only recently invented during the war, meaning this object didn’t belong here.

Assuming it was some forgotten prank, Semnik had the box sent in for the new radiation dating process that scientists had come up with. They’d test the half-life of the materials in the box to determine roughly how old it was.

The results were troubling. The material was old. Very old. Over 200,000 years old. The interior, unfortunately, was so corroded by time that no one could determine what the device was used for. All anyone could ascertain was the glass screen would present visual information.

MASA determined to keep the discovery of the box secret. The authorities had successfully contained the prehistoric alien conspiracy nuts by explaining the orbiting structure was a forgotten Eastern Imperial test. They were happy to let the public enjoy the discovery of their origins.

The box remained under wraps and was what led to this mission. Semnik became obsessed with the orbiting station and the box so much that he worked his way to becoming the first Spacemeer. It had taken two decades to reach the point where they knew enough about the hostile conditions of the region beyond the planet and how to protect from them.

Now, they were ready to send a Meered expedition to the floating object. Semnik would finally find out what was hovering over the world and if it had any relation to the black box discovered in a long forgotten prehistoric burrow.

The three brave explorers ascended the lift onto the walkway and entered the rocket. They took their seats in the cockpit and strapped themselves in.

Even with the training and doing this once before, Semnik found it disorienting. He was sitting with his back facing toward the ground many meets below. Everything was oriented correctly in his vision but his body was screaming things were wrong as he stared out into the vast blue sky.

“All ready for liftoff, Captain,” Zandis announced.

“Good,” Semnik replied. “Fasili? Prelaunch check.”

The Navigator checked her station and flipped various switches. “Ready for launch.”

This mission was, formally, to test the new navigation systems. The rocket that Semnik previously flew on was little more than a jumped-up missile. It flew up into space, spit him into orbit and fell down again. It was just there to see if a Meer could survive going up and coming back.

This rocket had multiple stages. The third stage would allow for maneuvering in orbit and a more controlled return. Of course, that was cover for their other mission – explore the floating station. MASA needed to know if it was a threat or not.

“Ready for launch,” Semnik announced. A voice over the radio announced it was go. Semnik flipped some switches on his console and a loud roar rose up around the rocket.

There was something fundamentally insane about the Meers in the rocket. They were sitting upon a tremendous amount of controlled liquid explosives and using it to overcome their planetary gravity. Semnik vowed to press for research into a method a little less ridiculous to go into space in the future. Even if they could reduce the risk, he didn’t like the idea of taking the chance of turning into a glowing fireball in the sky.

The rocket began to shake as it slowly lifted off the pad. A plume of smoke rose around them, which the rocket quickly left behind as it gained speed. Semnik could hear the tandem pressured breathing of his Navigator and Engineer over the open radio. It was a combination of the growing pressure pushing them into their seats and the fear generated from the roar and shudder.

Semnik couldn’t blame them. Even though he knew this was normal and experienced it before, he was also terrified. If Meer was meant to move this fast, the Ancestors would have constructed fuel ports in place of their bums.

The roar and shaking only lasted a few minutes. Even then, it felt like an eternity. Soon, the shaking began to subside and the roar quieted as the air thinned. Then, like a switch, the roaring ceased along with the rumble. They had entered the boundaries of space. Fasili and Zandis now entered the tiny population of Meers who had the pleasure of leaving their home.

“Stage 1 release,” Fasili announced as she flipped a few switches. Semnik was proud of the Navigator. She had overcome her initial fears and professionally handled her duties.

The pressure briefly let up before returning once more, signifying the start of the next phase of their journey. This stage would put them into the same orbital distance as the object before they used the third stage to navigate toward it.

Using her instrumentation, Fasili adjusted the trajectory of the rocket. Without an atmosphere to hinder it, the rocket would move at tremendous speeds. It would take nearly a day of travel from the MASA launch center to the site of the first Meers. In space, it would take them around 30 minutes to reach the object.

The time went by quickly. Semnik reported back to MASA Ground Control as scheduled to report the data on the navigation system. The results bode well for their satellite communication plans. It would be relatively simple to maneuver satellites into their proper position with manned crews.

As they approached the floating object, they took in its size. From the ground, observers had no point of reference to determine how big the object was. In orbit, the object was massive. It was easily longer than two full size rockets and many times wider.

Fasili carefully matched the orbit of the object. To Semnik, it looked like they weren’t moving at all. The object remained still and he could see the forgotten valley down below, sitting perfectly still underneath. Of course, he knew they were moving at incredible speeds since they had to match the rotation of Meeria to be able to remain still.

Semnik radioed back to MASA with an update and added some babbling about how beautiful the world was from above. At least the part he saw. The sections he could see elsewhere that were ravaged by war were left out of the comment. Everyone below knew how bad the war was, they didn’t need reminding it was visible from space.

Little did Semnik know, his embarrassing ramblings were recorded and released. They’d be taught in schools for generations to come.

Carefully maneuvering around the exterior of the station, they took images of it for later study.

“Sir, I see something. It looks like a portal,” Zandis said, pointing a gloved finger out of the window. Ahead, in the otherwise perfectly smooth exterior, was a line in the shape of a circle.

Maneuvering close to it, Semnik ordered they extend the tube to allow entry to the object. The engineers designing the capsule had anticipated the potential need to board the object and created an extending metallic sheet tube. The hope was the object was magnetic and they could connect the ship and crawl over.

Using a camera mounted to the center of the exterior hatch, Zandis maneuvered the extended tube toward the object.

“This is strange,” Zandis commented as he peered through the viewfinder. “The outer hatch is huge. It’s easily triple the diameter of our boarding tube. There is a clear handle that looks like a means of entry inside and it has symbols painted on it. I’ve never seen symbols like those before.”

Semnik hummed. He wanted into that object and he was wondering if it would be safe to exit the rocket without the tube. Maybe walk in space. “Is this going to be a problem?”

“No, sir,” Zandis continued. “What’s stranger is there is a smaller hatch with another handle dead center in the larger one. And I can read the writing. It’s in an archaic dialect, yet the words are clearly instructions on how to open the hatch.”

All three occupants sat in stunned silence. Semnik didn’t quite believe Zandis and took a look for himself. Sure enough, the scene was exactly as Zandis described. A large hatch with a smaller hatch built in and ancient Meeran text stamped on the surface.

Fasili was the first to break the long silence. “Are you sure this is wise, sir? Everything about this feels wrong.”

Semnik peered out of the window at the large orbiting structure. While it was indeed strange to have an object in orbit labeled in ancient Meeran text along with indecipherable runes, nothing about the object triggered his instincts. It didn’t feel hostile. In fact, he thought it was more inviting.

Taking a breath, Semnik announced, “I’m going over. Neither of you are obligated to take this risk if you don’t wish to go.”

Fasili and Zandis looked at each other. They then nodded in tandem, both agreeing to go.

Zandis maneuvered the passage across the distance. Luckily, the surface was magnetic and allowed the tube to connect. Oddly, whoever or whatever had built the object planned on this since the tube subtly shifted to align perfectly with the hatch. The creators had anticipated a magnetic docking mechanism and created magnetic seat points.

Semnik took the lead and, after cycling the airlock, moved slowly through the opening. It was eerily quiet, the only sound his breathing in his helmet and the breathing over the radio from his two companions. Space was frighteningly silent.

Reaching over, he read the proto-language instructions. Make Turn. Right Tight. Left Loose.

Turning the handle leftward, the door silently released a puff of gas before opening. A white light from a strange bulb that looked like it was made of plastic turned on and led the three Meers into a much larger space. Instructions near what they thought of was the floor told them which buttons to hit in what order after closing the outer door.

Following the instructions, Semnik heard the growing hiss of air as the space filled with gas.

Floating lazily in the middle, Zandis looked at some gages on his wrist. “Seems like the air is breathable. The mixture and pressure is a perfect copy of Meeria.”

“Are you certain about those readings?” Semnik asked, secretly wishing to remove his helmet and get the first taste of the object’s air.

“Yes, sir. Unless there’s a catastrophic failure in the device that just happened to perfectly match Meeria, it’s fine,” Zandis replied.

Reaching up, Semnik released the seals around his neck. His Navigator and Engineer shouted in horror. Yet nothing happened. There wasn’t a telltale hiss from a differential in pressure. Semnik took a deep breath and took in the cleanest air he had ever experienced. Not clean like in the remote valley. Clean like the air had nothing but its component gases.

When Semnik didn’t pass out after a few minutes, Fasili took her helmet off followed by Zandis.

“This is incredible,” Fasili said. “I’m starting to think that weird guy on the Prehistoric Extrameerestrials show is correct.”

Semnik didn’t want to admit that and replied, “There’s still the possibility that this is an Eastern Imperial project.”

Zandis looked like he wanted to argue yet decided to keep his mouth shut. He knew that Semnik didn’t believe his own words and didn’t need to state the obvious.

Opening a Meer size hatch cut into a larger one, the trio were led to a huge central shaft as more lights came on to illuminate the space. A ladder with rungs too far apart to make sense moved from the bottom to the top. At various landings, which were odd given the lack of gravity, were a series of doors opposite the ladder. There were 20 of these doors in all.

As they ascended, they found each of the doors, also three times too large than necessary, closed and locked. None of the doors had a convenient set of instructions on how to open them nor did they have Meer size portals cut into them.

Reaching the top, they found another hatch with a Meer sized entryway and opening instructions.

Entering, they found a small hallway with a number of side rooms in them, also illuminating as they entered. The rooms, save for one that looked like the remains of an immense kitchen, were bare. The kitchen only had a sink that didn’t operate. Zandis commented why anyone would put a sink up here when the water would float all over the room in this setup.

The final door opened up to a bizarre room. In the room was a single gigantic viewscreen on a desk. In front of it was a chair. The desk and chair, like everything else, was about three times bigger than it needed to be.

The three Meers propelled themselves up to float waist high to the top of the desk. On the bottom corner of the giant viewscreen was a big red button.

The three stared at it for a long while. They weren’t sure what it would do if pressed.

“Should we press it?” Semnik asked.

The other two shrugged.

“Zandis, what do you think?” Semnik requested, hoping his Engineer had some insight.

Zandis looked over the object. “Strangely, the device seems remarkably simple. Apart from the panel being as flat as paper, it looks like a basic viewscreen. Nothing unusual is connected to it. I think we can turn it on.”

Semnik slowly reached his finger out and gingerly touched it to the surface of the red button. He still had his gloves on, so he didn’t know what it felt like. It looked like a sort of polymer material.

Taking a deep breath, Semnik applied pressure. With a soft click, the button pressed into the screen and it activated.

On the screen was an ugly face. With the exception of a tuft on the top of the round head, it was completely bald. The face had a nub for a nose and eyes had a green ring around the central black pupil. The skin was pale like a Methis flower.

Semnik noted that the figure sat in the gigantic chair behind the three Meers and made it look normal. The creature, the alien Semnik finally realized, was positively gigantic.

“You sure this thing’s on?” the figure said in a deep, booming voice. The Meeran it spoke was just as old as the text written on the portals.

Out of view, a different voice shouted. “Why are you asking me? Is the light on?”

“I’m just the anthropologist. You’re the engineer,” the figure shouted back.

The other voice off-screen yelled back. “Figures a Hillbilly can’t figure out this new-fangled technothingy.”

“That’s Redneck, ya pencil neck!” the pale figure yelled. Semnik didn’t comprehend the odd behavior yet, somehow, knew that there was no hostility in the words.

“Sorry about that,” the pale figure commented. “Heya little buddies. If you’re seeing this, that means you managed to get past one of the big civilization filters. Congratulations! My name is Frank Martin and I’m what is called a Human.”

The three Meers looked at each other. Unless the Eastern Imperials decided to play a giant prank, it was becoming more and more obvious that the Meer with the weird hair and crazy eyes was right.

The face on the screen suddenly put on an expression that Semnik took as dark. “Before I get to it, I have a warning. All that warring you guys are doing? I suggest you find peace with yourselves. When you start getting up into space, it means weapons are getting real bad. You’ll end up killing yourselves off if you don’t. We lost count of how many other civilizations out there ended themselves over it.”

Sadness entered Semnik’s features. The kindly species observing the Meers had predicted the big war and the Meers were too late to get the warning.

The thought was mirrored in the figure on the screen. “And if you’re here after that? Sorry that you had to go through it. We know what that’s like. The upside is, if you learned your lesson, things will get better.”

Frank leaned back in his chair and crossed his appendages over his chest area. “As for what we’re doing up here and why you’re hearing this? Well, it’s a long story. We, Darryl and I, are researchers. We discovered your people a while back and decided to study your development.”

“We found your people in an early part of their evolutionary period. Their lifespans were roughly 1/5^th of what they were when we headed off, more on that later, and we watched you grow and evolve over a long period of time.”

Frank took a deep breath of air and slowly released it. “Normally, civilizations like yours never even leave their point of origin. It’s a concept called the Dark Forest Hypothesis. To put it simply, the unknown is dangerous so it’s safer not to go there. My people went in there and ended up in space. Yours, at least until something happened, was perfectly content hiding out in their burrows.”

“Unfortunately, something happened that upended your development. A species, extinct at the time of this recording, was in its early space development phase. They discovered your planet and, for reasons we don’t know, decided to send a weaponized predator to destroy your world. We didn’t know it was coming and, by the time we figured out something was there, it had already landed.”

“We did our best to kill it off, but not before we were witnessed by one of the locals. We have a rule not to interfere, yet we made exceptions if something off-world showed up and threatened you. If that happened, we had protocols to try and scare your people back into their old ways. It also doubled as an emergency in-case that off-world threat came around again.”

“You see, directly below us is the origin of your people. If you haven’t found it by now, you should find the remains of your ancient ancestors. Along with it will be a black box. It ran out of power ages ago, so it should be an inert brick. Still, it’ll be obvious since it’s made out of materials not possible from the era.”

Semnik found his mouth starting to hang open in surprise. Everything this Frank alien was saying continued to be prophetic.

“A while after our first encounter, we discovered that the critter that we thought we exterminated had already multiplied. It then threatened to wipe out your ancestors. One of your ancestors, a guy called a Storyteller, called for help. We showed up and took care of business. While we didn’t get them all that day, Darryl did come up with a scanner and we ended up wiping out the rest of the buggers over the next year or so.”

Frank leaned in close to the screen. “Unfortunately, we opened up something we like to refer to as a Pandora’s Box. There’s more details behind it, but the common usage is for something that, once done, can’t be undone. While your Storyteller wished to keep what happened a secret, just too many of your ancestors had witness what happened. It changed behaviors.”

“Emboldened by the assumption that we would show up and protect them from any threats, your people started to venture into the forest for the first time. Once this behavior was cemented and we were forgotten, your ancestors started to develop tools to help deal with the threats of your world. Time passed, you evolved and became more sophisticated.”

The figure let out a deep gust of air once again. “I have a bit of an apology to make. While it is protocol to leave you alone, and we did a good job of that, some things did make their way into your society. The big ones are a number of your units of measurements as well as your names. I’m the one that called you Meers. You guys just referred to yourselves as People before.”

“This happened because I kinda forgot to turn off the transponder signal after giving it down to the scout. It took a while for me to figure out it was on.”

“You?” the other voice shouted with what sounded like indignity. “I’m the one who found it. After you put your damned boots up on the console again and got dirt in the board.”

The figure let out what sounded like a cough. “Yup. With my judicious use of your planet’s surface, I had discovered my error. In any case, I turned it off and at least stopped polluting your culture. For the most part, everything you created up you did so on your own. So if you have any weird fellas down there claiming we helped you build giant triangles out of stone, you have it from my authority that we didn’t.”

Semnik smirked. If this image was ever recorded, returned and declassified, this section would be the very first he would want aired.

“In any case, you’re probably wondering why we’re doing this at all after telling you how careful we have been about interfering. Well, think of this is as a big gift. In addition to the warning, we have 20 floors of data and archives to give you.”

Semnik notice the sudden wave of excitement emanating from Zandis. Which was immediately quashed with the next words.

“No, we aren’t gifting you technology. Sorry, you gotta figure that out for yourselves. Anything left here to keep the station functioning isn’t at a level that you probably already haven’t figured out or won’t soon. If you’re seeing this, and haven’t blown yourselves up, you’ll figure it out the rest eventually. No, it’s an even bigger gift. Something that not even we Humans have at our disposal. It’s your history.”

Semnik blinked. A sudden wave of euphoria rose in his chest. Was it what he was thinking?

“Yup, all those locked doors down below? Archives. In both digital and printed form, you’ll find the history of your people dating back to the very moments we arrived. Your proto-Meer ancestors and on. One of the big sadness of Humanity is we really don’t know much about anything before we started writing stuff down. Even when we did, we didn’t always have the best storage methods. Art, culture, language, everything prior to the written word is lost forever to us.”

Frank lifted up the corners of his mouth. Semnik assumed it must be happiness, something he was now feeling full-blast. This was an incredible gift, far more valuable than technology.

“Before I unlock the doors, I need to give you a small warning. Within each archive cabinet you’ll find a lead box. This is to protect you from the contents. If you’re up here, I’m assuming you know what radioactivity is. The reason for this is, since we don’t know how you guys use your calendars or how long it’s been since when we left, I can’t use things like years to communicate with you. To get around that problem, we put a sample of a dozen different radioactive isotopes in each box. At the time of the archive, the isotopes were fresh. All you gotta do is measure how much is left and you’ll know when the events in that cabinet happened.”

When the sentence ended, Semnik heard a series of clicks echo from down the hall. Twenty of them.

“So, anyway, enjoy the gift. We’re gonna head out now. There’s another interesting species on a different planet we’re going to study for a while. You guys have just developed simple telescopes and we really don’t want to be up here flashing lights when one of ya’ll looks up. Humanity will pull back a few star systems. When you figure out how to travel to the next one, you’ll be certain to get the welcome wagon. We’re really looking forward to the second race to figure out faster than light travel. I really hope it’s you guys.”

“Anyway, good luck. We’ll be out here waiting for you. And when you do make your way outside of your system? Ask for the Prees named Frank and Darryl. They’ll know who you’re talking about. And don’t worry, we’ll probably still be around. We live a really long time. I’d like to get some drinks, formally welcome you to the galaxy and have a nice chat with the people I got to know for a good part of my life.”

The vision gave out and the three Meers stared at the blank screen in stunned silence. Then a smile crept over Semnik’s mouth. Here was a hyper-advanced species that came across the galaxy, studied them and gave them the most precious gift imaginable. Their history.

In that moment, Semnik knew he liked these Humans. He couldn’t wait until the Meers figured out how to go meet them. He would gladly have a drink with the ones named Frank and Darryl.
Once again, thanks for reading. While this story didn't pop off as much as Intragalactic Pet and Garden Show, I think I needed a little exercise in writing something a bit more serious. I hope the introspection and hopeful end worked well.
That said, the stories are coming to an end for a while. I procrastinated enough with what I should be writing at the moment. That said, like I mentioned in IPGS, I plan on coming back with something more novel length that I think everyone will enjoy.
Take care!

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Introduction

One of the biggest issues brought up with the Bible is the Mosaic Law, within the Old Testament.
Why would God command certain forms of capital punishment for minor offenses?:

"Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the Lord: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death."-Exodus 35:2
"For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him."-Leviticus 20:9

Why does the Law contain odd commands that rarely apply?:

"When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near for to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets: Then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity her."-Deuteronomy 25:11-12
"Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small."-Deuteronomy 25:13

Does this reflect God's moral character, and reveal His insecurity?
Well, the problem is we're trying to understand the Mosaic Law with our cultural context in mind. The Torah was not assembled in our modern western culture, but with the cultural mindset of the ancient Near East, and therefore, God's intentions and the Torah must be understood with that cultural world in mind.

Legal Collections

The first thing we must note is when we read through the Torah and the Pentateuch, we assume we're reading a Law code, which is why we refer to it as the Mosaic Law. But scholars routinely note we're not really sure if this is the case. In fact, many scholars believe this was not the purpose of the Torah.
Christine Hayes summarizes the issue:
"We would do better to under understand these materials as legal collections and not codes. I know the word 'code' gets thrown around a lot. 'Code of Hammurabi' and so on. But they really aren't codes. Codes are generally systematic and exhaustive and they tend to be used by courts. We have no evidence about how these texts were used. In fact, we think it's not likely that they were really used by courts, but they were part of a learned tradition, and scribes copied them over and over and so on. They are also certainly not systematic and exhaustive. So for example, in the code of Hammurabi, we don't even have a case of intentional homicide. We only have a case of accidental homicide, so we really don't even know what the law would be in a case of intentional homicide. We can't really make that comparison with the Biblical law." (Professor at Yale University)
Similarly, John Walton refers to ancient Near Eastern legal collections as "treatises on judicial wisdom" (The Lost World of Scripture: Ancient Literary Culture and Biblical Authority, pg. 218). What we have here is not an attempt to necessarily lay down universal moral laws to follow, or national legislation, but to teach one how to understand justice and to reason through judicial wisdom.
Essentially, when we look at ancient Near Eastern legal collections like the Mosaic collection, we find that they are more didactic (as opposed to prescriptive), meaning they are trying to teach judicial lessons and expressing the importance of order and justice. There is no indication ancient Near Eastern legal collections were prescriptive or understood as national legislation.
Delbert Hiller says:
"There is no evidence that any collection of Near Eastern laws function as a written code that was applied by a strict method of exegesis to individual cases. As far as we can tell, these bodies of laws served educational purposes and gave expression to what was regarded as just in typical cases, but they left considerable latitude to local courts for determining the right in individual suits. They aided local courts without controlling them." (Covenant: The History of a Biblical Idea, pg. 88)

The Code of Hammurabi

Let's spend some time taking a look at how other ancient Near Eastern legal collections functioned. Because our culture is so far removed from the ancient world, it will take some time to fully understand what is going on with these legal collections, like the Torah.
Jean Bottéro has studied the code of Hammurabi extensively, an old Babylonian law code that predates Moses. However, it is erroneous to even call it a law code. The king did not set laws, he gave decrees. Bottéro notes:
"It was the Greeks who have taken us further, to the universal concepts, the absolute formulations, that allow us the clear perception and the distinct expression of the principles and the laws in all their abstraction." (Mesopotamia, pg. 178)
But prior to this in the ancient Near East, they didn't really have the concept of universal legislation:
"...a fundamental distinction can be discerned between essentially legislative (e.g. classical Athens) and essentially non-legislative (e.g. the cuneiform writings) law writings." (Collections, Codes, and Torah: The Re-characterization of Israel's Written Law, pg. 22-30)
Michael LeFebvre refers to the cultures of the ancient Near East as non-legislative societies. So the code of Hammurabi is not prescribing laws, and a word for 'law' doesn't even exist in their language, so no one read this inscription and assumed it was an attempt to enact universal legislation for all people who lived under Hammurabi. This is not to say there were no laws as we understand them, but Botérro notes they were "unformulated," just like they had a folk understanding of the "principles of science," even though they "remained unformulated" and unspoken (Mesopotamia, pg. 181). What mattered and what everything centered around was order, and the king's job was to establish and maintain order. How ever the king could establish and maintain order through his decrees is what his subjects had to follow.
So the concept of justice was a means to an end. They didn't care about justice for justice's sake or ethics for the sake of doing good. They cared about establishing and maintaining order. All else was a means to that end. For example, in today's world, we would rather forsake order for equality under the law if the president was guilty of murder. We would rather him go on trial and suffer the consequences of the law. Such a process would create disorder as the nation would go into turmoil. In the ancient Near East, order was the highest good. They would consider such a modern process a disaster because of the disorder it created. It would be better for the leader of the nation to get away with a crime than to go to prison because of the disorder it would cause. Again, there was no sense of justice for ethical means. Justice was a way to promote and keep order. It was more of a sin for a prostitute to leave the brothel and find honest work because that disrupted the order of things and her place in society, whereas today we would consider this a good thing, even if it disrupted societal order. This is why the Babylonians use two words to express justice (kittu u mêšaru), which combined would most likely mean "to establish firmly, to be in order."
The king made decrees to keep order because the gods demanded it, and so ancient Near Eastern legal collections are not really prescribing legislation for the people to follow. Botérro says "the 'Code' of Hammurabi is essentially a self-glorification of the king" (Mesopotamia, pg. 178-183). His subjects would have read it as descriptive, not prescriptive. It was meant to display his wisdom by explaining what justice looked like through what are most likely hypothetical cases or "models" to be considered in the spirit of analogy.
Some scholars have suggested the laws came from actual cases and actual decisions that were made instead of merely being hypothetical cases. This is plausible, but this also doesn't mean they establish universal laws for future cases, but merely served as models for future judges to learn from. Walton says:
"[Legal treatises] serve as manuals that are compiled to teach principles to practitioners through paradigms. They instruct by circumscribing the field of knowledge with examples." (Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible, pg. 271)
It might best be explained by comparing it to elementary school math questions. When we were children and learned math, it would be taught to us through hypothetical cases like, "If Jim has 12 apples and sells 4 to Sally and 5 to Jake, how many does he have left?" Such a question in a math textbook is not trying to teach you economics, or prescribing actions. It is not even a story about a real event. It is teaching and describing mathematics through hypothetical cases.
Another and more similar example to ancient legal collections would be a collection of modern wisdom sayings, like:

• "Do not count your chickens before they hatch"
  
• "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush"
  
• "Do not keep all your eggs in one basket"
  

If these things were collected and put into a book, we would not look at them as prescriptions or laws to follow. They are wisdom sayings to get you to think. If you saw a person with all their eggs in one basket instead of separated into two baskets, we would not think they broke a modern law or committed an ethical violation. This saying is not meant to prescribe an action, even if it's formatted like one. It is meant to teach one how to be wise. The code of Hammurabi functions more like this and not like modern legislation. It was meant to inspire someone on how to think about justice and what justice looked like.
Botérro says:
"A law applies to details; a model inspires— which is entirely different. In conclusion, we have here not a law code, nor a charter of a legal reform, but above all in its own way a treatise, with examples, on the exercise of judicial powers."(Mesopotamia, pg. 167)

The Torah

When it comes to the Torah, it most likely functioned in a similar way. We translate 'Torah' as law, but this is not what Torah means. It refers to 'instruction' or 'teaching.'
Walter Kaiser says:
"...[Torah] is much more than mere law. Even the word itself does not indicate static requirements that govern the whole of human experience. The meaning of [Torah] then is directional teaching or guidance for walking on the path of life." (Five Views on Law and Gospel, pg. 192-193)
So it's more about guidance given to Israel on how to be holy and orderly, not prescribing actions or consequences. John and J. Harvey Walton argue it is better to understand the Torah like we understand the book of Proverbs. Proverbs is not necessarily prescribing actions, it's teaching us how to be wise and how to think about morality. One of the most famous proverbs is in chapter 26:4-5:

"Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him." (vs. 4)
"Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit." (vs. 5)

These two sayings are obviously contradictory, but neither is a prescription on how to deal with a fool. This saying is teaching about the nature of a fool, and a wise man will know you cannot win with a foolish person. A person who is truly wise will know what to do in circumstances where one has to deal with a fool.
Proverbs 13 is also a place where people assume prescriptions are in play but this is not necessarily the case. Verse 22 reads:

"A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just."

This does not mean you have failed if you cannot leave an inheritance for your grandchildren. For some parents, it might be better to will their inheritances to charities, especially if their children are corrupt or better off than they were. It is merely a wisdom saying that cannot apply to all real-life cases, nor is it prescribed to all people. Likewise, a few verses later it reads:

"He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes." (vs. 24)

This is not prescribing that you beat your son with a rod. It is metaphorically teaching that if you're wise, you will discipline your children in the proper way. The surrounding context should show this, as it contains numerous verses that are metaphorical. The very next verse is:

"The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want." (vs. 25)

This is not teaching that sinful people are always hungry, but metaphorically teaching it is better to be content with what you have than to be greedy and constantly chasing after the next best thing.
So Proverbs is not necessarily prescribing actions. Instead, Proverbs is teaching one how to think and how to understand morality and wisdom. We are meant to understand Proverbs holistically. You cannot take select sayings out of Proverbs and only apply those. You are meant to apply the whole book to understand how to be wise. Circumstances will always factor as you apply the wisdom of Proverbs to your life. Likewise, given the ancient Near Eastern cultural context, the Torah is teaching what justice looks like, not prescribing actions. It is a description of what justice and order looks like for Israel in their cultural context, and like Proverbs, it's also supposed to be understood holistically, meaning the author did not intend for you to pick certain sections out. You cannot understand the sections on slavery without reading them in the light of loving the stranger and caring for the poor and underprivileged. Israel was meant to understand the Torah in whole, not as individual sections.
Skeptics will often note there are sayings in the Torah that contradict, but this is not an issue if the stipulations are not prescriptive but didactic. For example, Leviticus 23:22 says that when you harvest a field to not harvest it all, but leave the edges for the poor and the foreigner to harvest. But in Deuteronomy 24:19, it implies you should harvest your whole field and leave some of the collected bundles for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, but it doesn't mention the poor. However, neither of these are really prescriptions on how to harvest, so they don't contradict. Both verses are just trying to teach a general way to live, namely to find ways to make sure the less fortunate are fed.
This is the mentality you should have when reading the Torah, not looking for specific laws on what Israelites were to do in specific circumstances. Just like Jean Bottéro notes the code of Hammurabi was didactic, the Torah was also most likely understood as didactic, meaning the sayings within it expressed the moral importance of something (Mesopotamia, pg. 177). These sayings were not necessarily prescriptive in how to act when a certain incident mentioned in the Torah arose. Walton concurs:
"...One can propose that these are not laws (i.e., legislation) but selected samples that can serve the intended didactic function. It is in this sense that they offer model justice ... They offer sample wisdom; they do not prescribe laws." (Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible, pg. 273)
So for example, Exodus 35:2 is not necessarily prescribing the death penalty for anyone who works on the Sabbath. It lists the maximal punishment that could be applied and it also is expressing the importance of the Sabbath to God and what justice would look like if Israel were to break it, but it is descriptive of justice. It describes how the Sabbath should be treated to Israelites in covenant with God. It does not intend to mean Sabbath breakers are to be killed left and right. It intends to describe how important the Sabbath should be treated by the Israelites. Remember, as Hillers notes, these legal collections gave "considerable latitude to local courts for determining the right in individual suits. They aided local courts without controlling them" (Covenant: The History of a Biblical Idea, pg. 88).

Obey

This is all supported by a Hebrew word we have often mistranslated.

"Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:"-Exodus 19:5

The word 'obey' is used in our english translations, but the Hebrew word more likely refers to 'hear' and "take heed." The one being instructed is repeatedly enjoined to heed the wisdom that is being conveyed. Much like Proverbs gives guidance on how to live a moral life, Torah is also laying down guidance, not laws. In other words, "in order to live in covenant with God, take heed this wisdom and ignore it at your own peril." The expected response to the Torah is far different from a response to legislation. Legislation carries a sense of "you ought," instruction carries a sense of "you will know."
Now, this does not mean one was never supposed to feel as though the Torah never prescribed rules of conduct, or punishments were never applied. That would be taking things too far in the opposite direction and imposing a simplistic view in that setting.
One could obtain prescriptions for proper conduct from Proverbs, but once you understand the whole wisdom of Proverbs, you know how and when to apply it properly. Likewise, one should apply the wisdom of the Torah and know how to act properly in each circumstance, especially if certain commands were to contradict.
One could see the law as setting an ideal standard, but that comes with the understanding that the ideal can hardly ever be realized. For example, the Bible notes God was slow to anger instead of enacting punishment on Israel immediately, as He would have had the right to do (Exo. 34:6, Neh. 9:17, Nah. 1:3). Allowing a period for Israel to repent suggests that it was possible that the punishments were not always carried out when they could have been. So in other words, Exodus 35:2 as part of the Torah is trying to say, "take heed and listen, the Sabbath is so important that to break it is worthy of death." But that doesn't carry the prescription to always kill Sabbath-breakers, even though the maximal punishment listed could be applied if the judge felt it necessary for those specific circumstances. Instead, it mostly expresses the moral importance, so Israel would understand how important it was to God within their covenant with Him, but that ideal did not always play out in reality.

Later Interpretations

We can also see this reasoning in action in a later narrative. In 2nd Samuel 12, when king David commits adultery with Bathsheba and has Uriah killed, he isn't prescribed the death penalty, even though the authors demonstrate knowledge of the Torah and that is what is taught in the Torah as the proper punishment for murder and adultery:

"And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity."-2 Samuel 12:6
"If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep."-Exodus 22:1

So it doesn't appear later Israelites understood the punishments of the Torah as universal laws or necessarily prescriptive.
This understanding of the Torah is also supported by the teachings of Jesus. He also appears to have understood that, at times, the laws could not always have applied because of circumstances. It was the Pharisees of his day that interpreted the Torah as unbreakable legislation, but Jesus understood that at some times certain aspects were more important than others.
In Matthew 12, Jesus allows his disciples to go through grain fields to gather food on the Sabbath. The Pharisees, believing Jesus has broken an unbendable law, state, "Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day" (vs. 2). But jesus replies by quoting narrative passages outside of the Pentateuch on how early Israelites understood the teachings about the Sabbath. He said to them:

"Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day." (vss. 3b-8)

There are two important points we can see here from Christ's teaching.
The first is that he didn't understand the Torah as prescribing unbreakable laws regarding the Sabbath that always required capital punishment. He seems to have understood it as providing wisdom or guidance which was meant to point to something more important, like living properly with God. It was about drawing the proper principles from the Torah, not laws. As J. Daniel Hays remarked, "In essence, the Pharisees criticized [h]im with the details of the Law, but Jesus answered them with principles drawn from narrative" (Applying the Old Testament Law Today, Bibliotheca Sacra, 158). Craig Keener adds:
"Jesus appeals instead to inspired narrative to show how god expected the legal statements to be qualified in practice, 'a precedent for allowing hunger to override the law' (Sanders 1990:20)... Jesus challenges not merely their interpretation of the Sabbath but their entire method of legal interpretation." (The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary, pg. 355)
Second, Jesus reminds the Pharisees the need to remember mercy when applying the Torah. The torah was merely descriptive of what justice and holiness looked like, but justice was not always supposed to be applied. God reminds us that we ought to apply mercy whenever able, not assume that Torah demanded endless justice through unbreakable laws. Keener says:
"Not merely human life but human need in general takes precedent over regulations. Kindness towards others genuine need — for example, that of hungry disciples — precedes rules whose purpose was to please the God who values such kindness more highly (12:7; 9:13; cf. 4:2)." (The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary, pg. 357)
Israel was meant to read the wisdom of the Torah to understand what justice and holiness look like, but Jesus reminds us God desired Israel to apply mercy and understanding when able to, and not assume the Torah demanded endless punishments to be doled out. Again, the Torah expressed the moral importance of something so Israel would understand how important it was to God within their covenant with Him.

The Suzerain Treaty

The key to understanding the Torah is to understand it was about being in covenant with God. What we read are covenant stipulations, not the establishment of a moral code for all people in all times and all places. It contains things we can say are moral, but they are only there to aid Israel in holding to the covenant between them and God.
Unlike other ancient Near Eastern legal collections, the Torah is part of what we would call a "Suzerain Treaty." Delbert Hillers notes that in the Pentateuch, it teaches that Israel had become the vassal of God (Covenant: The History of a Biblical Idea, pg. 46-71). A Suzerain Treaty is where a king would take on another nation as a vassal. The Suzerain or Lord would establish what the vassal would now need to do to please their new overlord in the form of stipulations; which would then be followed by the sections where the stipulations were met, what blessings they would receive, and what repercussions would ensue if they did not keep the stipulations.
However, like with wisdom literature, treaty stipulations do not legislate. They provide instructions in the wisdom on how to be a loyal vassal. Suzerains took on vassals to glorify themselves and to make their name great. Vassals were seen as extensions of him, and what they did reflected the character of the Suzerain. When the Suzerain imposed his stipulations, he was not asserting law. He was extending his identity and realm through the vassal, and so the stipulations were instructions in how to reflect his character. The stipulations were not extensive and exhaustive in order to cover all aspects of life. They were designed to get the new subjects to understand how to be loyal vassals in all ways by giving certain examples. But a vassal's loyalty was meant to extend beyond what was stated.
It is like if i'm going to teach you martial arts, I would teach you how to properly kick, punch and block. But i'm not attempting to teach you specific motions or only things you can do if you're attacked, and i'm also not teaching you that you have to go out and start fighting. I would be trying to teach you how to think about fighting if a potential fight arose.I would want as your instructor for you to know how to act, whether to defend or call the authorities. I would not be prescribing fighting, but teaching you how to think about fighting.
Likewise, to be a loyal vassal extended beyond the stipulations. It was about teaching one how to think and how to understand what it meant to be loyal. The Torah was mostly trying to describe and teach skills, namely the skills on how to be a holy people, and how to properly represent the Lord before the nations of the ancient Near East. God expected them to do certain things, but also have the knowledge on how to properly apply these skills. And by becoming a vassal, Israel became an extension of God and they were meant to enhance and make the name of the Lord great to the surrounding nations. And the Torah was the instructions on how to exemplify the character of the Lord to those surrounding nations of that time period. It's not a moral code for all times and all people. It was not given as an ideal system. It is a culturally situated system. It was meant to bring enhancement to the reputation of the Lord among the nations of the ancient Near East.
In other words, the Torah was meant to teach Israel how to enhance the character of the Lord within the cultural world of their day, not our modern culture; what could they do so the other nations would see how great the Lord was. The Torah doesn't address issues like if slavery is wrong because it's not attempting to create the perfect moral code, and it was not written to our modern sensibilities. Issues like this were not being addressed in the world yet.
Remember, to the world outside of Israel in that time period, order, not ethical laws, were what the ancient culture is focused on. So the Torah is how to be a light to those nations of that time period, about what would get their attention so God could eventually bring them back into the kingdom. In other words, it is working within the culture to enhance the name of the Lord. It is not trying to set up an ideal system for all people at all times in all places.
So essentially that means Torah is how Israel is to order itself so they can live in God's presence in the land of Canaan. It provides hypothetical cases which describe, not prescribe, what an orderly and holy way of living would look like for Israel as God's vassal (Lev. 20:26).
"If the Torah gives illustrations of ways that order can be maintained in the society of ancient Israel—covenant order defined by preserving the sanctity of sacred space as God's—it is all culturally relative."(The Lost World of the Torah: Law as Covenant and Wisdom in Ancient Context, John H. Walton, pg. 100)

The Imperfect Mosaic Law

If you read through the Torah, you will find some verses that appear pretty awful. Israelites are allowed to keep slaves and women are not on an equal level with men. Skeptics often bring up these verses to show there are horrible things permitted in the Bible, so the word of God contains some pretty immoral ideas. Most believers will retort that these passages can simply be explained by looking at the cultural context or what the original Hebrew meant, but then skeptics often reply that it is the believer who is misunderstanding what the passages are saying. So as a believer myself I propose a compromise: let's just say the skeptics are right. The Torah does contain numerous passages that contain immoral ideas, but also God admits the Torah was never meant to be the ideal.
As now revealed, the Torah was not a prescriptive law code or legislation. It was more akin to didactic wisdom literature and was set up as a Suzerain Treaty. But why would God still allow the Torah to contain verses that appear to be okay with slavery, or treating women as second-class citizens? Well we need to remember the Bible implies in many places that the Torah was not a perfect moral code from God. It contained concessions for stiff necked Israel, and the Bible even admits this.
First, in Matthew 19, the Pharisees come and attempt to trick Jesus by asking him a question about the law of divorce. They ask why moses allowed them to give a certificate of divorce and send their wives away (vs 7). But Jesus replies:

"Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so." (vs. 8b)

This is a very important point made by Jesus. The law of divorce only existed because the hearts of the ancient Israelites were hard. God only allowed this for the time being because Israel was not at a point yet where they could be given more ethical marriage guidelines. Considering scholars note the Torah was to be understood holistically and not as individual sections, this implies some of what is in the Torah was included due to a compromise between God and Israel, and this can be seen in other places as well.
In 1st Samuel 8, the people approach Samuel and demand that Israel be allowed to have a king instead of being led by God directly. God warns that this is a bad idea but allows it anyway, and gives Israel a king besides God Himself. Again, remember that the Torah functions as stipulations of a Suzerain Treaty where God was seen as their king and ruler. By allowing an earthly king to mediate between Him and Israel, God allowed the covenant to be modified between Israel and Himself, but based on input from Israel. So although God was in charge, the stipulations of the covenant were not entirely from God. If He approved, He allowed the people of Israel to modify the covenant, even if God preferred another way (vs. 9).
Likewise, in Numbers 27 we see members of Israel offering changes to the Torah and getting them approved. The daughters of Zelophehad point out their father had no male heir and do not want the inheritance taken away from them and given to one of his brothers. They bring this issue to Moses and God allows this teaching to go into the Torah. So not everything we see in the Torah was directly given by God. He allowed Israel to include teachings they saw fit, with His permission. Additionally, God implicitly admits the failure of the existing law among the Israelites. It was not providing justice for these daughters, so God suggests the need for the rules and the wisdom of the Torah to be updated when justice was not being obtained for the people of Israel (vs. 7). This is the most explicit passage when it comes to an example of updating the Torah but we can see it in other places.
For example, Richard Averbeck draws attention to Deuteronomy 15:12-18 which updates and revises stipulations found in Exodus 21:2-11 concerning the treatment of slaves. He says:
"It simply adds a feature to the law that is in keeping with the theology of Deuteronomy. Yes, there is revision here, but not subversion." (Exploring the Composition of the Pentateuch, pg. 40)
So the evidence suggests the stipulations of the Torah could be revised and expanded upon when justice was not being achieved. So from these passages, we get the implication the Torah was not a perfect moral law given by God. It was put together as a compromise with a stubborn people. It could be modified in ways that God did not initially want, or could be modified for just reasons. And some of the passages come from requests by israelites.
Now, because Israel was a high-context society, it is not always stated if God approved of each passage or if He was allowing something to be included to compromise with Israel; but the passages I highlighted imply the Torah as a whole contained concessions for Israel, included things God didn't want, and was put together with input from Israel, which essentially means the Biblical texts admit the Torah was never meant to establish God's ideal moral system. The Torah was a temporary guardian meant to provide wisdom from God on how to properly live and represent God to the cultural world of the ancient Near East. It was supposed to teach Israel to trust and depend on the Lord, what it would look like to be a holy people within their cultural background, and some things that would be pleasing to a holy God. It was not laying down a universal moral code. Humanity was not ready for such a revelation yet, so God established the Torah to be our guardian for the time and to point to a need for something greater to come.
Notice, we're not saying that because the Torah was not a perfect moral code that it was necessarily bad. We are simply noting that Torah was not meant to be universal moral legislation, and it was cultural wisdom for that time and place. In other words, it was 'perfect' for where the people were spiritually in that time and place within that culture (Psa. 119:7), but not meant to be moral wisdom or rules for all people or all cultures.

"But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster."-Galatians 3:23-25

Now the question might arise as to why God couldn't just make Israel better by giving them an ideal moral code right away. Well, probably for the same reason we wouldn't expect a sociopath to be able to run an orphanage unless we somehow removed his free will. People and societies need time to progress towards a more virtuous way of thinking. If you expect too much at first from a morally depraved mind, you're actually more likely to hinder them instead of helping them progress to a better place. The implication in the Bible is the cultures of the ancient Near East had become so corrupt that comprehending an ideal moral code would have been practically impossible. Israel was selected to be a light to these nations to hopefully help in bringing them a step closer to God. Israel herself also is not ready to fully represent the ideal life God desired, however God could offer a culturally situated system to be the first stepping stone in bringing humanity back towards Him.
This would be analogous to a parent working with their young child. You may want your kid to eat all their vegetables and watch less tv, but as a parent you might understand kids just aren't mature enough for this yet. So we compromise, let them have something they like in exchange for their cooperation in eating something good for them. Attempting to force too many strict rules and high expectations will only result in utter misery and little to no results. In fact, often when parents are too strict and demanding, it can often make their kids worse off instead of helping them. Likewise, Israel and most of humanity was simply not ready for a perfect moral law from God. So God used the Torah as a stepping stone in revealing Himself to humanity without removing significant human freedom. So we don't need to defend the Torah as if God intended for it to be an ideal moral system.
Jesus was constantly trying to explain how the Pharisees had misunderstood the purpose of the Torah. It was not meant to be prescriptive law or the rules for God's ideal system. It was meant to demonstrate how sinful humanity was, and to point to the need for something greater to come. As Jesus said in John 5:39:

"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me."

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus points out righteousness goes beyond just keeping certain laws but having your heart in the right place (Matt. 5). Jesus demonstrates how just following the prescriptions of the Torah fall from the righteousness that God actually demands. So for Christians, the Torah was meant to be fulfilled in something greater, not be an ideal moral system.
So the Torah was not prescriptive law for Christians. Paul and Jesus point out what Christians were commanded to do is to believe in Jesus (John 14:1 ), love God (Luke 10:27), and love others (John 15:12). The New Testament teaches that Torah served the purpose of preparing humanity for the new covenant established by Christ. It does not teach the Torah was God's ideal moral system but merely a stepping stone pointing to something better to come, demonstrating the moral depravity humanity had fallen into. Paul even says the purpose of the Torah was to increase sin (Rom. 5:20).
The point was to teach us that we needed to be saved from our sins through the grace of God. The Torah demonstrated humanity cannot be holy through our actions and ways of thinking, and in trying to properly live the life Torah laid out, we would fail and sin even more. God provided a covenant which was a compromise and Israel could not even properly live by it. Instead, the Torah demonstrated how sinful humanity was and how incapable we are living in a way that would have pleased God.
So the Torah served its purpose in showing that Israel could not live in accordance with it, in the need for a better covenant based on grace to take its place. The Torah was merely our guardian, laying the groundwork for something better, not an ideal system that got established. So we don't need to pretend everything in the Torah is necessarily morally good. The Biblical texts do not state this, and instead teach that it was culturally situated and would be fulfilled one day. So when confronted by verses in the Torah that seem unethical, there is no need to try to rationalize them to make them sound better. Instead, it should simply be pointed out what the Torah was and that God never intended for it to be an ideal moral code

Conclusion

So the Torah itself is culturally dependent and descriptive wisdom on how to live as God's vassal. We should not wonder why it doesn't address certain moral questions that we have today. That was never its intent, as its intent was to teach Israel how to properly represent the Lord before the ancient nations of the Near East who were not asking the same moral questions we are asking today. It was not intended to be prescriptive, but more akin to Proverbs in teaching them how to act and think of justice, and how they can maintain order in God's presence. And most importantly, it's not a law code or legislation. What we have here is a treatise on judicial wisdom for Israel's ancient cultural context. It taught them what it meant to be God's representative to the ancient Near East and what an orderly and holy people looked like.
So once we understand the main purpose of the Torah, we can better grasp how it fits in the overall Biblical narrative. It was never an ideal moral code or intended for all people of all times. It was culturally situated and must be read with that context in mind.

TLDR - They say an image is worth a thousand words.
Wealthy Exile Graph
I went from a respectable stash value estimated at 365 divines (that's raw currency, not including character investment), and nearly doubled that to around 615 divines in about three days, all thanks to a very simple crafting strategy: creating 3-mod fractured boots with a focus on getting chaos resistance, movement speed, and life (in that order).
Now I have to admit, my early league experiences with graveyard crafting were absolutely terrible. Sitting idle in my hideout would have been a better use of the time I wasted in the Necropolis. However, I knew that the potential was there for making great items, if I could only gain some experience in its proper use. So I resolved to learn about the mechanic once I had some spare time, and had farmed up enough initial materials to try and build a full graveyard on my own. Opportunity came knocking when I needed some upgraded boots to start switching to an omni build (and unfortunately – or fortunately I guess in the end – no boots existed for sale in SC trade with the mods I wanted). So I went on craftofexile and slapped together a quick and horribly unoptimized necropolis recipe (the web interface on that site for crafting with coffins is not very intuitive I must say, but in giving us a functional tool for a temporary league mechanic I won't complain), and despite my amateurish fumbling in theorycrafting my first graveyard, I got lucky on my very first try!
Necropolis Boot Craft Result 01 2024-05-04
I finished off this craft by using a Deafening Essence of Loathing and bench crafting a blocking prefix then exalt slamming a suffix, which landed me something valuable on the first/second attempt I think. However, it wasn't what I needed for my build, so I replaced the blocking prefix with a better bench craft and decided to just sell those first boots and try to craft another. I mean, it it seemed so easy, right? Yeah...not so much. It turns out that getting those three fractured mods is not a guarantee by any means. At best the craft seems to land at around a 26-27% success ratio, which was worse than I had first hoped. So I unfortunately whiffed on my next 5 attempts, which was frustrating. Though that turned out to not be so bad in the end either...but more on that later.
Here's a screenshot of the first sale I made, to show the kind of final crafted boots I'm talking about.
30 Div sale
These boots sold almost instantly for a hefty 30 divines, so obviously I was encouraged to do more. Before I get to the results of all the crafts I did, here is the crafting process I used. First the graveyard craft itself:
Graveyard craft
Note: this is probably version 7 or so of many different iterations I tried with different mod weightings, after learning about what worked and what didn't within Necropolis, and once I got better at target buying the final materials I needed.
This graveyard isn't optimized to min/max coffin placement with row/column boosting or anything like that. I just wanted a simple, relatively cheap method that didn't take a lot of planning (the common components in this configuration don't really warrant the extra expense anyway). My goal was to be able to slap down coffins as I acquired them, placing them wherever an open grave existed until I could pop out a new set of boots every few hours or so. Craftofexile gives this configuration a bit better than a 1 in 4 success rate (which is around what my small sample size worked out to, though my initial "slapped together" badly done recipes were probably closer to 1 in 5 odds or thereabouts). The great thing about this craft though was that even the whiffs turned out to sell for a nice profit (see the full album of sales below).
First, here is a (hopefully) detailed crafting guide:

1. Craft the boots in the graveyard using something near the recipe I've shared (a different non-Evasion base can of course be selected and still make a profit, but if you don't choose a dex/evasion base, the boots cannot roll the valuable Spell Suppression mod later in this process...just FYI).
   
2. Use a Deafening Essence of Loathing (3c each...very cheap this league) on the boots (or a different essence if you want some other mod besides elemental avoidance). The three fractures work great with the essence, since they mean you most often end up with just the 1 added essence suffix, which makes the next steps super easy. If you happen to get extra prefixes and suffixes after the essence is applied, you can try annulling them off (I had way more annuls than essences sitting around, so using an annul made economic sense for me, but if your essence is less than 5c in value, you're likely better off just applying the essence again). Whatever you do, you are looking to have just the essence mod before continuing to the next step (unless of course applying the essence gives you a valuable fifth or sixth mod already, but that is very unlikely, so I'll assume an exalt slam is needed moving forward in this guide).
   
3. How you continue now depends on whether the fracture began as a 1 Suffix 2 Prefix item (the best config), or if it's 2 Suffix 1 Prefix. Let's start with the more valuable 1S2P case. You want to bench craft a cheap blocking prefix mod (like 25-34 mana, which costs 3 augments) and then exalt slam a suffix. You're looking to get T1 light/cold/fire res, or T1 dex (T1 stint mod(s) on a different base) from the exalt. The holy grail is of course exalt slamming T1 spell suppression on dex boots. Tier 2 of any of these mods is still quite valuable, so the great thing about this craft is that there's a wide range of decent suffix results that you can get. For the 1P2S case, the goal is a bit simpler. Depending on whether movement speed or life is missing as a prefix, the goal is just to exalt slam some prefix that isn't a low roll of those, and that isn't terrible. So I would again block Mana with a cheap bench craft, and then exalt slam and accept anything that wasn't the lowest tier possible, and then replace the temporary bench mana craft with whatever was missing between movement speed or life. There's nothing much to be gained from multiple essence and exalt slams in the 1P2S case, so I'd keep the costs low and not bother with more than a few attempts in this case. Considering the wide range of good results in both cases for this step, I ended up spending around 100 essences and 70 exalts in total over the 13 boots I crafted to produce something that could sell for multiple divines. The handful of annuls I used on occasion aren't worth factoring in to the costs. YMMV, and there can easily be a bad run of wasting 10+ essences at this step, but in practice I often hit something good in the first two or three tries. That's around 50-60c average cost to get an acceptable second prefix or suffix mod on the boots.
   
4. After repeating step 2 and 3 until you've hit something good, you then bench craft on a good final prefix to replace the blocking mana mod (I chose evasion/life for this). In order for the item to sell, I recommend you finish the craft with some eldritch currency. Trying to sell the fractured base raw without essence or eldritch mods is probably going to be very hit and miss (mostly miss), since buyers prefer a finished item. Luckily I had a bunch of eldritch orbs on hand to spare, so I crafted lesser prefix mods on every pair of boots I made (except one where I accidentally selected greater eldritch embers...no big deal, it only took a few tries to hit something good, at which point I realized my misclick). The list of acceptable exarch mods was as follows: action speed, movement speed, chaos res, onslaught effect. Acceptable eater mods were: cooldown recovery (travel or global), avoid ele ailments.
   

Using the above process, here's a gallery of all the subsequent sales I made after the initial 30div sale:
29 Div sale
22 Div sale
20 Div sale
13 Div sale
9 Div sale
7 Div sale
7 Div sale (different item)
6.5 Div sale
4 Div sale
And finally, the boots I wanted for myself finally popped out on attempt #12!
Agony Stride
I could probably sell these for 50 div (or maybe more) if I wanted, even though they don't have perfect T1 spell suppression. I'm happy enough wearing them right now though, so they're not for sale at the moment. Two other boot crafts that were very bad whiffs haven't sold yet, but I think they should make a couple div each when/if they do sell, which should at least cover my costs for those two graveyards. Overall, this craft seems reasonably close to being guaranteed profit, at least based on my limited results (of course market conditions may change if crafts like this start flooding the SC trade site).
If anyone wants to try this for themselves, here's a screenshot of the coffin shopping list from the sudos graveyard that I built:
Coffin Shopping List
Again, the nice thing about this craft is that you can just throw the corpses in any available grave, without too much that can go wrong.
And now a long and verbose list of all my lessons learned while exploring this mechanic. Graveyard experts and anyone who isn't interested in reading my tales of sorrow and woe can probably ignore the rest of this post. :-) Those who are interested in trying this out and are unfamiliar with how the graveyard mechanic works should take note of the many mistakes that I made though.
An important note about the shopping list items: only two +Item Level coffins should be needed, as long as one of the coffins buried is ilvl 84 and none of the other coffins go below ilvl80 (this is based on my general understanding of how crafted ilvl seems to work, and what showed for me in the item properties as I buried different ilvl coffins in the graveyard...unfortunately, there's no real clear FAQ around this that I could find despite much searching, and I don't claim to be an expert on the mechanics, as I'm sure this craft is not 100% min-max'd...but the great thing – once again – is that this configuration doesn't need to be perfect to produce sellable results, as shown by the variety of sales I was able to make even with only 2 of the desired mods). If you only use ilvl 80-83 coffins, you'll have to replace one of the non-mandatory corpses with a third +Item Level to get the boots to ilvl 86, or else they can't hit the "35% movement speed" that this craft guarantees.
Another note: the shopping list from sudos is a bit misleading in spots. For some reason it says 87 trades are needed, but if you add up the actual numbers the graveyard I built is full at 88 coffins. Not sure why the summary section thinks one coffin is missing. Also, the estimated prices for coffins are much higher than I ever paid for materials in my experience. I guess if you bought everything in bulk for an instant graveyard the total cost could end up in the 7-10 div range, so that may be why it shows that high estimate. However, I was able to buy things much cheaper in a reasonably short period of time by grabbing singletons and small bulk sales (interestingly, large bulk sellers never seemed to respond to my whispers for coffins compared to normal trade site whispers...that lack of a response was consistent even when trying to buy bulk at over double the price that I was usually willing to pay, so overall I found way more success using methods like live search to pick up individual corpses than any other manner of acquiring the coffins I needed). The chaos and fracture coffins make up the majority of the cost of this graveyard, so they are the priority when buying materials. I could usually pick up the 32 chaos coffins for around 3-5c each, even in bulk. The 12 fracture coffins ranged from 10-15c each (those prices were a bit more volatile and sometimes jumped up to 20c). The speed coffins cost about 4-5c each. So again, the sudos pricing is very misleading and far too expensive IMO. I estimate that I averaged around 3 div in final costs for each graveyard, once I had a handle on the best configuration for the craft.
Basing my total costs on that 3 divine average would put my expenses at 39 divines for thirteen graveyards over the course of several days. My total revenue was approximately 200 divines from the resulting items (150 divines earned in sales plus an estimated 50 divine item that is being used on my build). That means I turned a profit of around 160 divines using this strategy! Those are pretty good numbers I'd say. The wealthy exile graph does show a much larger jump in wealth than that, to be fair, but to be completely transparent that jump in wealth also includes my normal mapping profits over that period. And that's the kicker in all of this: I was actually focused for the majority of the three days – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – on just running maps, during which I farmed up 4 veiled orbs and a valuable assortment of div cards, scarabs, and the like. I only built graveyards as a break between chaining maps and while cooking meals/eating, and late in the day when I didn't have the energy anymore to rush maps, etc. Considering how those 4 veiled orbs were selling at 13 div on the weekend when I took the wealthy exile screenshot, and they are now estimated at 16 div apiece, though actual selling price is probably a few div higher atm, that's a lot of primary profit while getting graveyard revenue "on the side". Also, I modified my atlas to run a sbox/betrayal/necropolis strategy once I understood the true value of the graveyard mechanic, and I ended up selling a bunch of meatsack allflames (5 for 8 div) as well during this switchover in strategies. Plus there were a lot of other profits from other sales. Anyway, all that I'm trying to say here is that the wealthy exile numbers from the graph aren't very exact in terms of estimating the graveyard profits alone over these three days, given my actual playstyle was not focused on building graveyards.
One bad mistake I made at the outset of this, that I do want to share with anyone trying this kind of crafting, was to try using the "Increased chance for prefix modifier" corpses. I was disappointed when they didn't seem to help much in giving me the two prefixes and one suffix crafts like I was hoping they would (again, the most common way this craft "whiffs" is by producing two suffixes and one prefix). So I posited that weighting for more prefixes would give better odds to the craft. However, I have learned since that the "prefix" corpses don't really function as I had hoped they would, and they ended up working against the "rarer defense" corpses I was burying by increasing the defense mod weighting, and adding weight to all the possible prefix mods, which just muddied the overall pool in unwanted ways. It didn't seem to hurt things too bad in practice, and I had reasonable successes while using a few of the prefix corpses, but as I upped the number of them in my early graveyard testing and got a couple of unexpectedly poor outcomes, I chose to remove them in my later iterations after researching the actual function, and – most importantly – after understanding from the sales what was vital in achieving value.
Because the mod priority in this craft is clear and unequivocal: chaos res >> movement speed >> life. It's easy to bench craft high +life on boots if that mod is missed. The lack of landing 35% movement speed is a bit of a downer, and it's not ideal of course, but it can be reasonably fixed by bench crafting a movement speed/onslaught mod, and the boots will still sell for a tidy profit (as shown by one of my sale screenshots above). So the prefix mods are actually the lower priority in a sense, even though you want to get two of them in the best possible case. In the end, it's the lack of chaos res that can't be replaced with a bench craft. So that's why I settled on using a whopping 32 corpses of "inc% chance of chaos res", and accepted whatever RNG decided between getting 1P2S or 2P1S splits. That many chaos coffins is admittedly a large amount to have to gather, but it should give slightly more than 9 in 10 boots that land the much sought-after chaos resistance (I ran a few simulations in craftofexile around this), which from my experience is crucial in getting the expected profit out of this craft.
When pricing items to sell, I chose to be very aggressive to try for quick sales. I started out at exactly what I thought the boots might be worth, and kept lowering the price every half hour or so while going back and forth from mapping. If someone whispered a reasonable offer to me that was below my set price, I just accepted it and didn't even bother haggling. So don't take the screenshots I shared as the absolute value for each item; I suspect a few of them could probably sell for a bit more if I had tried to wait or barter a bit.
Finally, an important lesson I learned in my crafting attempts is that the "Reroll explicit modifiers 6 times" corpse does not affect fractured modifiers. Unfortunately I wasted a few of those coffins – and the opportunity cost of using that grave slot for adding more chaos res weighting – on my first couple of attempts, until I realized they were doing nothing based on the low fractured mod rolls I would sometimes get. I later confirmed that fracturing happens before rerolling, from reading a few forum posts that explained the functioning of the mechanic. At least I know I won't make that mistake ever again.
That's everything I can think of to mention. Thanks for reading all the way to the end!