You're Outta Here!

And don't come back.

That's basically what I was told when checking out of my rather posh gym on Monday night.

Yes, folks, they were throwing me out - blackballing me.

"Why?" you ask?

That is a question I will answer in the next post - till then, feel free to guess:-)

Shooting Deer

...With a camera, of course!

Finally, after all our rides where we either saw wildlife but had no camera, or had a camera, but saw no wildlife, we had our camera AND were able to capture a deer who crossed our trail on this morning's ride.



I saw her cross the trail, then she bolted away, but stopped to look back at us, giving me a chance to get the point-and-shoot Lumix DMC-FZ1 out of my pocket. The six-time optical zoom let me get a fairly close-up shot, despite the distance and hazy morning conditions.

And the moral of this story is: don't leave home without it!

Pre Rainy Season

Wow; although I've lost count officially, a friend has reminded me that we have had only 3 dry (doesn't mean sunny, though) days out of the last 20. Usually rainy season begins about the first of June, so there is something to look forward to... some actual legitimacy to it all.

I did sneak in a short ride wth some co-workers last evening in the lighter drizzle, and watched a deer watching us on the way up the trail. I didn't have my camera because of the wet conditions, but I might start carrying a 'ziploc'ed camera so I don't miss those opportunities.

Two nights ago the sunny day yielded to a fantastic electrical storm, with lightning and thunder for at least 3 hours. Usually we see about two flashes a year and hear about 4 rumbles, so this was a real treat!

With the tripod on the back balcony, I took this picture of our lesser photographed (because of the power lines and telephone lines and cable TV lines and ADSL lines...) east view. The illumination is all lightning, except for the glow at the bottom from a passing car.

The crop

Living in Shizuoka prefecture has certainly raised my awareness of the intricacies of this cash crop: Tea. The early leaves are hand-picked in April, and then the second 'harvest' is usually in mid-May, and done by machine. The hand-picked first leaves are 'premium' and are processed, packaged blended and sold accordingly.

My office is in a building next to a 'chabatake', or tea field, and the first (noisy) machine harvest coincides with the first days warm enough to keep our office windows open. Luckily this field was done in two days, and I caught the harvesters in action from my window:















The cutting tool is a two-man gasoline powered hedge clipper that automaically bags the leaves, although it is usually a couple working together rather than 'two men'. The A/C will be on by the summer harvest...

Hump Day Blues

Yes - It's Wednesday morning. Not quite half-way through the week. And though it is not rainy season yet, we've had very few dry days. Rainy season kicks off sometime in June.

Gallery 2

It seems like the photo album - Gallery2 - which we just started using is a hit! Thanks for the feedback.

Gallery 2 is a free open-source software that can be downloaded and installed on your server (in our case, japanrider.com). Because it is an entire gallery, and adding new albums is pretty easy, we expect to add more pictures more often!

New Photos!

Finally - our very busy weekend is drawing to a close, but luckily not before we got in one day of sunshine (our first in two weeks or so!), and a long bike ride.

We've also managed to get some photos up in a web album:

http://www.japanrider.com/gallery

We're trying out a new type of album, so after you've had a look at our new albums, be sure to let us know how you like the layout, and if the whole thing is easy to navigate.

For comparison, you can check out the other album styles we've used in the past - http://www.japanrider.com/photos

Housework is Therapeutic for Women

or so states a British survey (a news story that you don't have to register for can be found here).

Now, as a modern woman, a feminist, I could find this offensive.

Or, I could be a realist, a zennist, and say, "how true". Of course, I say "how true". I'm sure if men were polled, the results would be the same - housework, cooking, is simply therapeutic, no matter your gender.

I have just finished cooking a nice curry dinner (yes - complete with fresh vegetables and fresh chopped garlic!), and it WAS relaxing. Similar to riding, in fact - I focus only on what's before me. Slice the onion thinly, chop the garlic finely, add a delicate dash of nanpra to the mix...and all life's frustrations fade.

A few years ago, my mom visited me here in Japan. She was astounded - not only to see me cook (me, the Queen of Kraft Dinner!), but to see that I enjoyed it. And I do enjoy it - like mountain biking, cooking brings a certain peace, a freedom from the day to day travails we all face...

That said, I wouldn't like it half so much if I had to do it (smile:-0

Thanks!

I want to thank:

The volunteers at my race on Sunday. Really, who would really want to stand around for hours, offering water, wet sponges and encouragement, but getting little in return?

My commenters - I see I have a real support team out there!

Moms - thanks to you!

MOM - Gambatte means,...I guess, essentially, "good luck, persevere, don't give up, and you can do it". All in one word - ain't that cool?

Now - I am thinking about the Fuji Cross Country race...

Fuji-Susono Kogen Marathon - 10K!

I ran my first 10K race yesterday. It was described as an "up-down course" - which is exactly what it sounds like. I ran the first five kilometers straight uphill, and the last five came back down again.

It was tough, but a lot of fun - racers coming down as I was still going up usually said something encouraging (like, "keep going!"), and the volunteers at various points along the course were very encouraging to the runners, and a couple even knew my name as they shouted "gambatte!".

In the end, I came in at 1 hour, 8 minutes and 24 seconds. Not great timing - and I thoguhtI was pretty slow when the 60 year old guy passed me. My thoughts were confirmed when I was then passed by a 60 year old blind guy (no joke).

Bernicky had advised me earlier on to train well for this race - and it is advice I didn't heed. I had only run about twice in the last two months, as I've been spending more time on the bike and in the gym these days. I also let my eating habits slip - wine, pizza and chu-hi (a sweet alcoholic beverage) in the days leading up to the race was probably not the best nutrion for running!

However - it was a great run, and a race I will do again next year.

Here are some action shots:

Me at the start of the race:



Me with only one kilometer left to go!

Japanese Red Centipede

The rain (5 days straight!) let up enough for Tracy and I to get out for a pre-work bike ride. While appreciating the results of the warm wet days (most notably the shinryoku, or 'new green' colors of spring) we came across another denizen of the damp forest:















Although this specimen was very lively and the light dim, we were able to snap a few close-ups that caught him unblurred. It was almost 15cm long (almost 6 inches!) and FREAKY. A few friends have had closer encounters, including a bite, so we didn't tease it too much!

Long hot summer?

We've had nothing but rain since Sunday, reminding me how lucky we were to get such great weather over the Golden Week holiday. The weather has also been warm and even hot at times, and extremely humid. As it's only early May, I predict a long, hot and humid summer this year. Again, no complaints; the heat will make the outdoors that much more welcoming, and we hope to have a lot of epic bike rides and camping trips!

Dedication - A Sante!

Nothing is free – hopefully we are all taught this from our early years. Why then are we plagued with obesity? Perhaps nobody wants to take responsibility for their health and fitness – much better to blame society and sue McDonald’s.

Fitness and health are not free – it takes responsibility and dedication. Bernicky has been a dedicated runner for a few years now, and is currently training to qualify for the Boston marathon. Here is real motivation for anyone who wants to regain their health and fitness – www.bernicky.com. Be sure to scroll down to see some “before running” and “after running” fitness shots.

The Sea of Japan and Noto Hanto

We're back! We got back home on Sunday morning at about 10:00. Then of course we had to unpack our camping gear, and then the long process of sorting through more than 500 pictures (yeah digital!)was begun.

We started our trip early on Monday morning (May 1st), and drove up to Niigata. We drove along the Japan Sea coast, looking for a suitable place to spend the night. We finally pulled up in a fairly private spot on the beach, and settled in for the night in the back of the Pajero (see picture of the Pajero below). Because we hadn't brought the bikes, we had significantly more space and were able to sleep in the car with ease; which was actually good, considering the fierce wind and driving rain...

The second morning we started driving again. We drove and drove that day - it was cold and wet. So, when, just before dark, we found a camp ground, we decided to stay there for one night and to allow ourselves a little luxury - a large, well-furnished, heated cabin! We re-froze our ice and other cold goods in the cooler, and watched a little TV.



The weather got a lot better during our next day of driving,and when we stopped in the mid-afternoon, on the Noto Peninsula, the sun was bright and hot.

We pressed on again the next morning, getting further onto the Noto Peninsula, looking for an even better place to set up camp. We drove through some great old fishing villages as we made our way over to a small island (Noto Shima), and before 11:00 we found another campground; this one not so luxurious, and very laid back - just to our liking (no strange rules about campfires, no cabins and no pre-assigned lots!). We found ourselves a secluded spot at the far end of the ground, with our own private patch of white sandy beach. For the first time in ages, we were nowhere near a convenience store, and again, the sun was bright and hot, and the spot was so perfect we stayed there for two nights and three days.

Our slice of beach:


Time to head back home - we left Ishikawa prefecture (and the Noto Hanto) in the afternoon and began to make the long journey home. By the time we got to Nagano, and still a few hours from home, tired from the journey, we pulled off the highway and spent the night in a Route Inn (one of the chain hotels that is reasonably priced and very nice). Dinner at a Chinese restaurant and a nice breakfast in the hotel were great fuel to see us on our way on Sunday morning.

Despite being peak travel season and time for the "U-Turn Rush" (when everyone heads back to their jobs in Tokyo after the holiday), we had the least amount of traffic we've ever seen on that highway all the way home.

And now we are back, invigorated from the time away.

We are working on our photos, and should have a web album up in a few days. But for now here are a few photos from our trip...

Our route:


Pajero at the final campsite:


We were on the sunset side of the island: