Susono Chuo-Koen (Central Park)

Ahh...we didn't eat or drink too much last night at the all-you-can-eat-and-drink buffet dinner! But we did have a good time, and got lucky once again, as the sakura were still in bloom, the night air was warm, and the breeze was gentle.

The weather held for today, too. While we decided against riding, since it was pretty windy and our legs hadn't quite recovered from yesterday's workout, we decided to go for a walk around our local park - Susono Chuo-Koen. It is a lovely park, and we ended up walking for about two hours.




Here is a picture of the suspension bridge made for pedestrians to cross the river.




Here is Brian at Susono Central Park (notice the cute bridge in the background!)



Finally, here is me, Tracy, in front of the waterfall at Susono Central Park

It was, after all, a good day. It was also in keeping with our New and Improved HEALTHY LIFESTYLE.

Health Kick

Well - the inevitable is upon us. After a slighly sedentary winter (only a couple of rides a week), and a bout of greasy-food eating and beer drinking, we have both decided to eat more healthfully more regularly!

It will be an easy thing to do because we both want to do it and we both eat fresh, healthy food anyway. It is just a matter of reducing the amount of greasy, unhealthy food.

Oops - we will have to make Friday an exception, though, as we are going to a buffet dinner at the Gotemba Kogen beer hall with some co-workers; all you can eat and all you can drink!

Hmm...guess we'll get started on our health kick on Saturday!

Morning at the Beer Garden

Yesterday we had a great ride. This was probably the best weekend, weatherwise, in a long time.

After enjoying the sakura in Hamamatsu Park on Saturday, we decided to take a bike ride up to one of the better cherry blossom viewing spots near our apartment on Sunday.

We set out at about 7:30 in the morning and enjoyed a slow ride winding through farmers' fields, slowing climbing uphill. Then we got to the Beer Hall, and went on past to continue our ride on a little trail that is behind the beer hall. All off-road climbing on the singlespeeds was exhausting, but exhilarating, too.


Our reward at the end of the ride including sitting in the beer garden, which is peppered with cherry trees, and drinking a cold beer on a warm spring morning.


Brian at rest after the hard ride



Cherry blossoms in full bloom



Getting Beer from the Stall at 10 a.m.!

Cherry Blossoms in Hamamatsu

Brian and I spent all day Saturday not riding but walking around Hamamatsu city. It is much bigger than our little Susono, and boasts a castle and its very large surrounding park.

We got to Hamamatsu too early for shopping, so decided to follow signs leading to the castle park, where we encountered a few other people, mostly dog walkers and photographers. Of course, there were also a few people sleeping on tarps under the cherry trees - hanami is in full force this weekend!

For those who are not aware, hanami means flower viewing and it refers to the popular pastime of having a pic-nic under the cherry trees and just enjoying the sight of the cherry blossoms. The cherry blossoms do not last long - they will be gone in just a few days - so for just the briefest period in April, families and friends head out to the best hanami spots they can find.

Brian and I were just lucky to have stumbled into such a lovely park, and so early in the morning as to be almost alone there. We took a picture (of course) of the castle, which, though not as large as the more famous castles in Japan, was still rather impressive. And the park itself was a perfect place to spend the early morning hours on the best hanami day of the year.


Hamamatsu Castle


A bridge crosses the pond in Hamamatsu Castle Park, with a large cherry tree in full bloom stretching over the water.

Spring

It's quite warm and humid today -would be a great day for a ride. However, we both have to leave for work quite early today, so the ride will be postponed until tomorrow, when, according to the weather forecast, it will be warm and sunny. Great weather for a Saturday!

Spring is perhaps the best season in Shizuoka - the flowers are in bloom, the temperature is just right, and rainy season is still months away.

I foresee much fun this spring, especially as the Japanese spring holiday is just around the corner!

Group Ride

The weather is just getting warmer and warmer - it's hard not to ride!

Instead of riding just the two of us this morning, we rode with our friend, Tony. He had all but stopped riding over a year ago after severely bruising some ribs in a crash, but has recently gotten re-motivated and started riding again.

Riding with someone "new" is refreshing and makes the "same old ride" seem new and exciting again. If Tony stays motivated and continues to ride regularly, I can see more group rides happening!


Tony and Brian posing with the Rig

Finding Time

I got in a ride this morning. I turned the alarm clock off at 5 a.m., then promptly fell back to sleep. When I woke, the clock read "6:30". I jumped out of bed - I had to get ready right away if I wanted to ride this morning! Brian wanted to ride, too, but he was still fast asleep - had to be tired to still be asleep at 6:30.

I got dressed and out into the chilly morning air, mildly surprised at the lack of traffic. Must be because it is spring holiday for most schools now.

I rode up into the hills, aiming for one of our favorite, yet short, morning routes. I kept at a slow but steady uphill pace of 11 km/ h. Then about halfway through my ride, I changed the function on my cycle computer from Speed to Time. The clock read "6:00". I then finally started to realize that, in my not-quite-awake state, I had misread my clock this morning and I had actually gained an hour!

Why We Ride

Brian: I ride because it's awesome. In fact, I don't understand why people don't ride. What I don't understand even more is people who used to ride, but don't anymore. I ride so I don't have to see unworthy people. I ride to stay in shape. I RIDE BECAUSE IT'S AWSOME!

Tracy: If you are someone who pursues a sport or an activity, you likely understand how that activity simply speaks to you. Whether you are competitive or not, your activity has chosen you and there is not a lot you can do about it now. Quitting, probably, is not an option. Biking, for us, is a form of addiction. And the pleasure comes from the high of being one with the bike. Of being outdoors, being active, taking the drop-off you didn't think you could take, startling and being startled by the deer on the trail, being stared down by wild monkeys in an orange grove, letting water run down you face in the humid summer heat...it is all these things.

I don't race, and I don't want to race. I don't compete, and I don't want to compete. If someone is riding better and faster than I am, I don't try to keep up; I don't want to keep up. I don't want to lose the purity of riding. I don't want to get caught up in trying to be first, to beat the other person's time, or even just trying to beat my own time. I don't need to be better than myself, I want only to be as good as myself, and riding for pleasure is the best way for a someone to see how good they can be.

That said, there are people who love their sport, and who benefit from competition, perhaps setting a series of goals for themselves. A marathon runner friend of mine has been training vigorously for the past year or so. His dedication, and the level of his addiction, are commendable. If you have been feeling unmotivated, or demotivated, read his blog to see how he has changed his life through marathon training.

Eating in Tenryu

Being in a new city, I took the opportunity to explore the town and sample some of the local fare. While I didn't find anything too exotic, I did find a few very nice, friendly local diners and coffee shops.

ぽけコヒー (Poke Kohi) is a very small, unpretentious little diner/ coffee shop just outside of Nishikajima station. The place is run by a middle-aged Japanese woman who wears a kerchief and listens to enka while she cooks up your food. The walls are decorated with posters detailing local events, and pictures of enka singers. There are only a few tables, and the overall atmosphere is very welcoming and homey. I had breakfast here a couple of mornings, and there is not much better than fried eggs, toast and coffee cooked by a grandmotherly woman who smiles as she serves you!


Poke Kohi


Insite Poke Kohi



I also had lunch and dinner a couple of times at the Pumpkin restaurant, also just across the street from Nishikajima station. This is also a place that caters to the local residents and the people who work at the nearby factories. It is larger than the Poke Kohi, and more modern. The walls are lined with bookshelves holding more than a thousand manga, which are provided for the customers to read while they eat their meals. There is a large menu, offering everything from pepperoni pizza to traditional Japanese meals. The owners are casual and friendly people, the food is good, and the price is very reasonable (a meal usually costs under 1,000 yen).


The Pumpkin restaurant

And finally, saving the best for last, a fixture among foreign visitors to Tenryu is Custer's. This small, modern and cozy coffee shop is run by a very outgoing man who also speaks English. The owner used to be a pilot (or so the rumor is), and the interior of the shop is tastefully decorated with a variety of airplane photos, airplane propellors, and miniature airplanes. He also has some typically Western items decorating his shop, such as a set of bull horns (or some animal horns).

If you find yourself in Tenryu, you should make some time to have lunch at Custer's - a local favourite! (On Kasai street - just down the road from Pumpkin; closed Thursdays. Tel: 053-925-5655).



Custer's - a Tenryu Tradition

Deep Fried Cheese Sticks ...ARE NOT FOOD

But they are certainly very, very tasty!

I am back from my business trip, and back from the Hamakita Plaza Hotel (very nice hotel between Hamamatsu city and Tenryu city). However, while I was away, I gained about one kilogram. That's a lot in one week - but, I ask you, what's a person to do when, getting back to the hotel, hungry after working late, and finding a nice izakaya in the basement of the hotel??

That's right - an izakaya called Tsubohachi operates in B1 (the basement level) of the Plaza Hotel. As a result, a few of my evening meals consisted of beer and deep fried food, such as the following:


French fries, salted and topped with a few slabs of butter, complemented with nama-chu (draft beer).



My favorite dish - deep-fried cheese sticks.


Now that I am back home, where Brian has been holding down the fort for the last week, I plan to eat plenty of salad and do lots of riding in the hills of Susono.