We will be incommunicado, in the mountains and/or oceans of Japan for about 10 days, so will not be posting again until May 7th or 8th.
Be sure to tune in for lots of photos and tales of adventure.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Clarifying the Sawagani as snack
One of my commenters mentioned that there couldn't be much meat on the sawagani (swamp crab). Well, there isn't much meat, that's true. But there is a lot of crunch - you see, we eat the crab, not just the meat. The whole little crab is what you pop into your mouth, making a crispy little snack that goes so well with a frosty cold glass of Kirin Lager Beer.
Bicycle-free Camping Trip
Well, this is it - the final countdown to our Golden Week camping trip.
Golden Week is the cluster of national holidays that fall together every year in late April/ early May, and most people take a few personal days and end up with a consecutive ten or eleven days off. Well, Brian and I are preparing to go camping for this year's eleven-day Golden Week holiday.
I know we haven't said anything before today, but the truth is, we were completely caught up in other activities; too caught up to talk about our upcoming camping trip. We have not, however, been too caught up to do all our camping preparations! We have been long getting ready for our first real camping extravaganza in over a year - I washed our camping blankets and cookware a few weeks ago, then last week I went shopping to stock-up on good camp food (like sausages and instant ramen) and other supplies (like chopsticks and charcoal). Brian has been sorting out the music we will be bringing - MP3s that he will transfer from his computer to a disc for playing on the MP3 car audio player (complete with excellent sub-woofer!). We even bought a new map book; many of the maps we have are for specific areas, and we occasionally find ourselves "off the map", so this time we bought one that covers all Japan.
We plan to head out hopefully tonight. If not, then surely before sunrise tomorrow. We have narrowed down the area where we would like to set up camp - taking weather and traffic conditions into consideration, we will head for Tottori or perhaps even Shimane prefecture. Brian will do the driving, and I will do the navigating. My map reading skills (and kanji skills, too) have improved over the last few years, so I am confident that I can get us to our destination without too much of a detour ...this time;-)
One thing that will be different about this camping trip is that we are leaving the bikes at home. Yes, we will, instead, be Japan Campers, not Riders, at least for this spring holiday. Leaving the bikes behind makes sense - it will make packing a lot easier, give us more space in the Pajero, and allow more flexibility in our travels.
In order to make our packing easier and less fallible, we have also put together this camping list, which is located at Japan Rider.com.
Golden Week is the cluster of national holidays that fall together every year in late April/ early May, and most people take a few personal days and end up with a consecutive ten or eleven days off. Well, Brian and I are preparing to go camping for this year's eleven-day Golden Week holiday.
I know we haven't said anything before today, but the truth is, we were completely caught up in other activities; too caught up to talk about our upcoming camping trip. We have not, however, been too caught up to do all our camping preparations! We have been long getting ready for our first real camping extravaganza in over a year - I washed our camping blankets and cookware a few weeks ago, then last week I went shopping to stock-up on good camp food (like sausages and instant ramen) and other supplies (like chopsticks and charcoal). Brian has been sorting out the music we will be bringing - MP3s that he will transfer from his computer to a disc for playing on the MP3 car audio player (complete with excellent sub-woofer!). We even bought a new map book; many of the maps we have are for specific areas, and we occasionally find ourselves "off the map", so this time we bought one that covers all Japan.
We plan to head out hopefully tonight. If not, then surely before sunrise tomorrow. We have narrowed down the area where we would like to set up camp - taking weather and traffic conditions into consideration, we will head for Tottori or perhaps even Shimane prefecture. Brian will do the driving, and I will do the navigating. My map reading skills (and kanji skills, too) have improved over the last few years, so I am confident that I can get us to our destination without too much of a detour ...this time;-)
One thing that will be different about this camping trip is that we are leaving the bikes at home. Yes, we will, instead, be Japan Campers, not Riders, at least for this spring holiday. Leaving the bikes behind makes sense - it will make packing a lot easier, give us more space in the Pajero, and allow more flexibility in our travels.
In order to make our packing easier and less fallible, we have also put together this camping list, which is located at Japan Rider.com.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Sawagani - "swamp crab"
This little sawagani - which can be translated as "swamp crab", poses menacingly in this close-up taken with the new Panasonic Lumix LZ2 on our most recent morning ride.
These crabs are very small, and while their name implies that they live in a swamp, they are actually more like "damp-land crabs". In the late spring and early summer, sawagani can be found every few feet on our trails and are in constant danger of perishing beneath our wheels (I have crashed a few times trying to spare their lives!).
They also make good eatin', and can be found, whole and packaged, in the local supermarket. If you don't feel like cooking them up yourself, you can order them at the local izakaya.
Monday, April 25, 2005
Dead digital camera :(
Tracy and I bought this, at the time cutting-edge and very expensive, Casio QV-R4 digicam 2 years ago, and have used it on every outing since then. Although we carried the English Language user's manual with us everywhere, hunted down spare batteries on the Japanese auction, and searched two continents for the perfect carrying case, it croaked Saturday morning without warning. It seems this model needed a 'firmware reflashing' to prevent sudden death, which we learned posthumously. Now it can only announce: LENS ERROR and shut itself down.
Beloved but departed Casio..
My antique Fuji digicam had to be called into service for the planned Sunday morning ride. A thorough dusting and recharging its 'AA's' found it in good health. This was my first digicam bought back in 2000.. a metal body, 1.3 Megapixels, but no zoom and terrible battery life.
Trusty old Fuji Fine Pix 1500
The ride was a test of the 28'er concept. That is, my CAAD4 Cannondale converted to Singlespeed, but with 700c road wheels and 700x35 schwalbe cyclocross tires. Not a true 29'er like my Rig, but a near approximation. Tracy snapped this pic with the old Fuji Fine Pix (with Mt. Fuji in the background to show the scale).
Brian (me) during the 700cx35 experimental ride
The ride was a hardpacked logging road climb through dense forest, with only this short paved bridge allowing a glimpse of the famous mountian. The trail down was in thick mud and rocks. I was completely surprised how well the bike did in this form, and the skinny smooth tires had much more traction than I'd supposed. I wouldn't keep a bike in this configuration, but it did make me appreciate the possibilities..
Beloved but departed Casio..
My antique Fuji digicam had to be called into service for the planned Sunday morning ride. A thorough dusting and recharging its 'AA's' found it in good health. This was my first digicam bought back in 2000.. a metal body, 1.3 Megapixels, but no zoom and terrible battery life.
Trusty old Fuji Fine Pix 1500
The ride was a test of the 28'er concept. That is, my CAAD4 Cannondale converted to Singlespeed, but with 700c road wheels and 700x35 schwalbe cyclocross tires. Not a true 29'er like my Rig, but a near approximation. Tracy snapped this pic with the old Fuji Fine Pix (with Mt. Fuji in the background to show the scale).
Brian (me) during the 700cx35 experimental ride
The ride was a hardpacked logging road climb through dense forest, with only this short paved bridge allowing a glimpse of the famous mountian. The trail down was in thick mud and rocks. I was completely surprised how well the bike did in this form, and the skinny smooth tires had much more traction than I'd supposed. I wouldn't keep a bike in this configuration, but it did make me appreciate the possibilities..
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Finally spring!
Spring has sprung and finally it actually feels good to be outside. This weekend featured two great blue-sky days, which we appreciated to the fullest. Tons of laundry, housekeeping projects and especially bike rides in the mountains here were accomplished with zeal.
After choosing and ultimately buying a replacement for our suddenly departed digi-cam (story to follow), we stopped here for a refreshment and some evening sun. Eager to play with the new camera, we used the built-in memory and the included batteries to take a few shots. This is the first pic with our new Lumix DMC-LZ2..
First pic with new Lumix LZ2!
After choosing and ultimately buying a replacement for our suddenly departed digi-cam (story to follow), we stopped here for a refreshment and some evening sun. Eager to play with the new camera, we used the built-in memory and the included batteries to take a few shots. This is the first pic with our new Lumix DMC-LZ2..
First pic with new Lumix LZ2!
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Larry's New GT Avalanche 2.0 Disc
The exitement of buying a new bike never fades, even when I am not the one buying the bike.
Our friend, neighbor and co-worker, Larry, bought a new bike last week. Larry is a big guy and needed a bike that could take his power. Brian always scans the Yahoo Japan auction (as popular here as E-Bay is in North America), and last week he saw the perfect bike for Larry - a 2004 GT avalanche 2.0 with disc brakes.
It is a great bike for entry-level riders (which Larry is), and the frame and all the componenets are tough and durable. The bike was being sold by a bike shop in Kyoto, and it looks like they were trying to sell all their old (2004) stock; because it was a shop that was doing the selling, the bike came, brand new, fully (and properly) assembled, straight out of the box. Best of all, the price was right - only 40, 000 yen for the whole thing, including delivery.
Larry hefts his new bike out of the box on delivery day.
Larry poses with his new GT Avalanche 2.0, which came out perfectly assembled straight out of the box.
Our friend, neighbor and co-worker, Larry, bought a new bike last week. Larry is a big guy and needed a bike that could take his power. Brian always scans the Yahoo Japan auction (as popular here as E-Bay is in North America), and last week he saw the perfect bike for Larry - a 2004 GT avalanche 2.0 with disc brakes.
It is a great bike for entry-level riders (which Larry is), and the frame and all the componenets are tough and durable. The bike was being sold by a bike shop in Kyoto, and it looks like they were trying to sell all their old (2004) stock; because it was a shop that was doing the selling, the bike came, brand new, fully (and properly) assembled, straight out of the box. Best of all, the price was right - only 40, 000 yen for the whole thing, including delivery.
Larry hefts his new bike out of the box on delivery day.
Larry poses with his new GT Avalanche 2.0, which came out perfectly assembled straight out of the box.
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Sticking with It
We have been sticking with our healthy lifestyle fairly well. It is not hard to eat well in Japan -the supermarkets offer a large variety of fresh fish and pre-sliced sashimi and sushi. While the vegetables are somewhat expensive, there is also a large variety of spinach, mushrooms, onions, etc... so making a good dinner is easy and pleasurable.
We have also been riding and working out more regularly - the sun rises at 5 a.m. now and doesn't set until 6 p.m. or so. It is easy to ride both before and after work (though I can't honestly say that I do ride before AND after work!).
Tomorrow morning we are getting together, hopefully, with a few friends for a pre-work ride. Meeting time: 6:00 a.m.
We have also been riding and working out more regularly - the sun rises at 5 a.m. now and doesn't set until 6 p.m. or so. It is easy to ride both before and after work (though I can't honestly say that I do ride before AND after work!).
Tomorrow morning we are getting together, hopefully, with a few friends for a pre-work ride. Meeting time: 6:00 a.m.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
FAQ - What does that bike do?
Brian and I are, naturally, very proud of our stable of mountain bikes. Why do youhave so many bikes? What's the difference between each one? and What does that bike do? are some of the main questions we encounter from our non-riding friends.
When I step outside our little world of bikes and bikers, I do understand that lack of understandingness. It is how I feel watching, for example, a football game. Whenever I happen to see part of a game, seeing all those men wearing protective body gear and full-face helmets, I wonder, what are all those downhillers doing on a field, with no bikes? (downhill riders also use body armour and full-face helmets, albeit of a different type). So when our friends asks questions, we are flattered by his interest and happy to talk about the differences between our hard-tail cross-country-come single-speed bikes, our full-suspension cross-country bikes, and our downhill bikes.
Hardtail: hardtail refers to the non-suspension rear of the bike. All traditonal bikes are hardtails. That is, the bike does not have suspension in the rear; to see what I am talking about, look at the Bike Gallery post from yesterday, and compare the Cannondales and the Rig (which are all hardtails) to the Yeti and the Rockhopper (which are both full-suspension bikes). Most traditional bikes do not have suspension in the front, either; that is what we call a rigid bike. Road bikes are, by nature of their purpose, rigid. Road bikes are made to be super-light and fast. Mountain bikes, especially cross country ones, are made to be light-but-durable, and able to handle off-road rocks and bumps and dips and drops, without so much as inflicting a scratch on the frame. All in all, for anyone riding bumpy hills or technical trails, the full-suspension cross-country bike is the best.
Full-suspension cross country bike: Full-suspension means a bike with both front and rear suspension. Most mountain bikes have had front suspension for many years now, but about five ago, full-suspension started to make headlines (look at yesterday's post, and check out the Yeti and the Rockhopper for examples of full-suspension bikes). Brian and I once had only hardtails, of course, before our full-suspension bikes; after buying our full-suspension bikes (Brian is now on his third!), our hardtails began to seem obsolete. The full-suspension cross-country bike can do all the same things a hard-tail can, and more - especially recently, with all the new technology that is being introduced to the mountain biking industry. The full-suspension bike absorbs more of the shock, so you don't have to (that oughta be an advertisement!). Seriously - on a hardtail, you have to have more skill to tackle the technical tracks, and your body has to absorb more of the shocks. On a full-suspension bike, you can go faster and conquer more obstacles, because the bike is actually not jolting you around as much.
So, why do you bother to keep your hardtails? Well, what were we to do? Throw them away? Actually, a hardtail is still lighter than a full-suspension bike. And, if you are not a serious rider, a hardtail is great, and the price is right. But we very nearly retired our hard-tails (our Cannondales) after buying our full-suspension bikes. Then we discovered the fine art of single-speeding.
Single Speed: Single speed refers to the fact that a bike has only one gear; that is, you cannot change to an easier or more difficult gear. There is no derailer and there are no shifters on a single speed bicycle. Okay, then, why only one gear? All single-speeders have different reasons; for me, it is simplicity. I love the sheer un-complicatedness of it; the purity, perhaps. Brian loves the demands that singlespeeding makes on his strength and endurance. There are many more reasons for single-speeding, all mentioned here at the single speed FAQ.
Downhill: And the downhill bike? Well, that speaks for itself. Our downhill bikes are exclusively for downhill riding. Downhilling involves a steeper decent, more obstacles, and bigger drop-offs than a typical cross-country trail. In order to permit faster (and safer) riding (especially for racers) and the ability to overcome the obstacles, a downhill bike has more travel (the suspension in front and rear moves more) than on a cross-country bike, and all the parts are much more durable, as they generally have to take more of a beating. Therefore, they are much heavier. So, that means that a downhill bike is too heavy to be pedalled long-distances on a flat, let alone uphill. How do you get uphill in order to ride down, then? Good question. That is what downhill parks are for. Our favourite downhill park is Fujimi Panorama in Nagano Prefecture. Every year, we buy a season pass for about 50, 000 yen, and that allows us to ride the gondola (with our bikes) to the top of the mountain, as many times as we want for the entire season.
I hope I have helped some readers reach a state of understandingness.
And there ends our FAQ post for today. I do hope it was enlightening, informative and inspirational. If not, I still hope that you tune in for tomorrow's blog, which might actually contain something interesting.
When I step outside our little world of bikes and bikers, I do understand that lack of understandingness. It is how I feel watching, for example, a football game. Whenever I happen to see part of a game, seeing all those men wearing protective body gear and full-face helmets, I wonder, what are all those downhillers doing on a field, with no bikes? (downhill riders also use body armour and full-face helmets, albeit of a different type). So when our friends asks questions, we are flattered by his interest and happy to talk about the differences between our hard-tail cross-country-come single-speed bikes, our full-suspension cross-country bikes, and our downhill bikes.
Hardtail: hardtail refers to the non-suspension rear of the bike. All traditonal bikes are hardtails. That is, the bike does not have suspension in the rear; to see what I am talking about, look at the Bike Gallery post from yesterday, and compare the Cannondales and the Rig (which are all hardtails) to the Yeti and the Rockhopper (which are both full-suspension bikes). Most traditional bikes do not have suspension in the front, either; that is what we call a rigid bike. Road bikes are, by nature of their purpose, rigid. Road bikes are made to be super-light and fast. Mountain bikes, especially cross country ones, are made to be light-but-durable, and able to handle off-road rocks and bumps and dips and drops, without so much as inflicting a scratch on the frame. All in all, for anyone riding bumpy hills or technical trails, the full-suspension cross-country bike is the best.
Full-suspension cross country bike: Full-suspension means a bike with both front and rear suspension. Most mountain bikes have had front suspension for many years now, but about five ago, full-suspension started to make headlines (look at yesterday's post, and check out the Yeti and the Rockhopper for examples of full-suspension bikes). Brian and I once had only hardtails, of course, before our full-suspension bikes; after buying our full-suspension bikes (Brian is now on his third!), our hardtails began to seem obsolete. The full-suspension cross-country bike can do all the same things a hard-tail can, and more - especially recently, with all the new technology that is being introduced to the mountain biking industry. The full-suspension bike absorbs more of the shock, so you don't have to (that oughta be an advertisement!). Seriously - on a hardtail, you have to have more skill to tackle the technical tracks, and your body has to absorb more of the shocks. On a full-suspension bike, you can go faster and conquer more obstacles, because the bike is actually not jolting you around as much.
So, why do you bother to keep your hardtails? Well, what were we to do? Throw them away? Actually, a hardtail is still lighter than a full-suspension bike. And, if you are not a serious rider, a hardtail is great, and the price is right. But we very nearly retired our hard-tails (our Cannondales) after buying our full-suspension bikes. Then we discovered the fine art of single-speeding.
Single Speed: Single speed refers to the fact that a bike has only one gear; that is, you cannot change to an easier or more difficult gear. There is no derailer and there are no shifters on a single speed bicycle. Okay, then, why only one gear? All single-speeders have different reasons; for me, it is simplicity. I love the sheer un-complicatedness of it; the purity, perhaps. Brian loves the demands that singlespeeding makes on his strength and endurance. There are many more reasons for single-speeding, all mentioned here at the single speed FAQ.
Downhill: And the downhill bike? Well, that speaks for itself. Our downhill bikes are exclusively for downhill riding. Downhilling involves a steeper decent, more obstacles, and bigger drop-offs than a typical cross-country trail. In order to permit faster (and safer) riding (especially for racers) and the ability to overcome the obstacles, a downhill bike has more travel (the suspension in front and rear moves more) than on a cross-country bike, and all the parts are much more durable, as they generally have to take more of a beating. Therefore, they are much heavier. So, that means that a downhill bike is too heavy to be pedalled long-distances on a flat, let alone uphill. How do you get uphill in order to ride down, then? Good question. That is what downhill parks are for. Our favourite downhill park is Fujimi Panorama in Nagano Prefecture. Every year, we buy a season pass for about 50, 000 yen, and that allows us to ride the gondola (with our bikes) to the top of the mountain, as many times as we want for the entire season.
I hope I have helped some readers reach a state of understandingness.
And there ends our FAQ post for today. I do hope it was enlightening, informative and inspirational. If not, I still hope that you tune in for tomorrow's blog, which might actually contain something interesting.
Monday, April 18, 2005
The Bike Gallery
Over the last seven years or so, as our skill improved and our needs changed, Brian and I have been upgrading our mountain bikes - sometimes just the parts, other times the frame, and others by buying a whole new bike.
Today, I wanted to showcase our current bikes. I have unselfishly left out pictures and descriptions of the muliple frames accumulating on the back balcony and the boxes of parts in both our apartments.
Brian's 2005 Gary Fisher Rig - a dedicated single speed with 29" wheels, Brian is happiest with this bike, which came perfectly set up for him. He hasn't ridden anything else since it arrived in February.
Brian's Cannondale - Retired. This is the bike that Brian converted to a single speed last year, before buying the Rig.
Tracy's Cannondale - a cross-country single speed for everyday use. I converted this to a single speed when I started to get bored with all the gears, and just bored with the bike.
Brian's Yeti, "Handmade in America", full-suspension cross-country bike in extra-large; probably the first bike to fit Brian properly, and great for technical and/or steep trails.
Tracy's 2001 Specialized Rockhopper - a perfect fit for me, and rides like a dream. There is nothing it can't do with the Rock Shox Duke for the fork.
Brian's GT DHi Race - the downhill bike that made Brian a better rider; even huge drop-offs are no match for the DHi and Brian's technical skill.
Tracy's Santa Cruz Bullit - for downhill and freeride use. I am just waiting for the downhill mountain bike park to open again for the summer season, as I have not ridden the Sherman fork yet!
Today, I wanted to showcase our current bikes. I have unselfishly left out pictures and descriptions of the muliple frames accumulating on the back balcony and the boxes of parts in both our apartments.
Brian's 2005 Gary Fisher Rig - a dedicated single speed with 29" wheels, Brian is happiest with this bike, which came perfectly set up for him. He hasn't ridden anything else since it arrived in February.
Brian's Cannondale - Retired. This is the bike that Brian converted to a single speed last year, before buying the Rig.
Tracy's Cannondale - a cross-country single speed for everyday use. I converted this to a single speed when I started to get bored with all the gears, and just bored with the bike.
Brian's Yeti, "Handmade in America", full-suspension cross-country bike in extra-large; probably the first bike to fit Brian properly, and great for technical and/or steep trails.
Tracy's 2001 Specialized Rockhopper - a perfect fit for me, and rides like a dream. There is nothing it can't do with the Rock Shox Duke for the fork.
Brian's GT DHi Race - the downhill bike that made Brian a better rider; even huge drop-offs are no match for the DHi and Brian's technical skill.
Tracy's Santa Cruz Bullit - for downhill and freeride use. I am just waiting for the downhill mountain bike park to open again for the summer season, as I have not ridden the Sherman fork yet!
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