Cranking Out the Clicks

For Kangaeroo, 2019 was a year in which cycling played an influential role.

This was the first year for Kangaeroo to commute daily by bike.

Apart from a week overseas and a couple of weeks recovering from an injury incurred while slipping off the bike, the yearlong commuting mission was accomplished.

It was only fitting, then, that the year ended with a concentration of cycling.

And that’s exactly how it panned out, averaging more than 100 km/day for the nine days from the end of work on December 27 to the end of the year four days later.

These are photos from the Shiraishi Pass in Saitama Prefecture, the Tama River in Tokyo, which is still showing some of the effects of the October typhoon, and trendy Odaiba, an artificial island in central Tokyo.

Shiraishi Ride

Tama River Ride

Odaiba

Cop A Gander At These Rippers Too...

  • |

    Tokyo’s Strange Socceroos

    Japan has a strange affinity when it comes to using Australian animals for its advertising. A number of major Japanese corporations use koalas and roos to plug their products and services. One with a difference is Hayashi Corporation, a construction company with a history of over 100 years and based in suburban Tokyo. Hayashi Corporation’s Fuchu branch office entrance is adorned with photos of a family of cartoon kangaroos decked out in soccer gear, just like Australia’s national football team, the Socceroos. Japan’s next opponent in World Cup qualifying is Australia, but there’s no connection. What is interesting to note, though, is that the kangaroos had been painted over until…

  • San-poses!

    More Shots Snapped During a Lunchtime Stroll Late autumn/early winter can be a wonderful time in Japan. The typhoons of the early to mid-autumn are gone and the rain stays away for most of the time until June of the following year. (Leaving aside the fact that October and late November were wet and sodden this year). The bitter cold of winter doesn’t really show itself all day until after the new year, and days are generally bright and sunny. Added to that, the fiery reds and yellows of autumnal leaves can create some gorgeous scenes, even in central Tokyo. Some shots Kanageroo snapped during a lunchtime stroll are here…

  • Rustic Relaxation

    A weeklong festival of cycling drew to a close with series of unexpected bonuses: forecast rain failed to eventuate; an area usually only viewed while frenetically racing along on the jalopy turned out to be filled with delights; and Kangaeroo came to the realization that 100 kilometers is not an impossible distance to cover every day provided time and speed are not needed to be accounted for. The day was spent with a group of mates, riding through the hills of outer suburban Tokyo, stopping frequently to eat, drink or soak in the scenery. We each went our separate ways to return home and the idyllic day came to an…

  • Tour de Kagoshima-Kyoto Day 9: Koyasan to Nara

    Glorious weather almost a complete turnaround from the previous day was the hallmark of the penultimate day of the 2019 Kagoshima to Kyoto cycling tour. Sunny skies greeted the riders as they roused from their sleep in a chilly Koyasan temple. Riding remained cold and rugging up was the order of the day with the first 20 kilometers of the ride a rousing descent from Koyasan onto the plains of Wakayama Prefecture. Riders maintained a steady pace following the outstanding bicycle tracks along the Kinokawa River joining Wakayama and Nara prefectures. Riders passed through some wonderfully quaint mountain villages, rustic farming neighborhoods and winding roads, many barely traversed by other…