Picking Up From Where We Left Off

First sunrise of 2020

As sticklers will point out, 2020 doesn’t really count as the start of the Twenty-Twenties, but Kangaeroo reckons it does, so that’s how we’ll view it on the site.

And the ’20s got off in pretty much the same way that 2019 left off–on the saddle, pushing the pedals.

Once again, the pace was about 100 km/day.

Visited sites included a loop of the Yamanote Line circling central Tokyo, the Tama River (again!), Takahata Fudosan temple and plenty of views of Mount Fuji.

Yamanote Line Loop

Tama River

Mount Fuji

Cop A Gander At These Rippers Too...

  • Gazing at Japanese Tit Birds

    Having put in the most demanding week of work I’ve done in years, then been woken early after a mostly sleepless night, I’ve kicked off this long-awaited weekend by sitting at the living room window and gazing for hours at Japanese tits. In a life increasingly marked by failure, it’s fair to say that one area in which I’ve excelled is in having a good eye for the birds. With a constant companion twittering away while nibbling on my ear, it’s hard to keep my mind of things like boobies and other types of tits, and before I come across like some fluffy-backed tit-babbler or horned screamer, I should note…

  • Flock ‘N’ Roll

    It looks like the rainy season might have finally hit Tokyo (though only today within this week is currently forecast to rain all day) and the down side of being unable to do anything outdoors is being able to get the chance to delight in garden and the flocks of birds in Kangaeroo Corner. Although we legitimately get a lot of birds visit the garden over the winter, where the Fountain of Strewth provides a much-needed source of drinking water for our avian mates, it’s rarer to have birds in the garden other than the permanent flock on decoration. And another benefit of the rain is that it makes the…

  • Woozy Weather Threatens To Turn Paw Show Into Poor Performance

    Our kangaroo paw are starting to bloom, but they’re coming into their own just as the rainy season starts, hinting that we might not get a grand show. Kangaroo paw are Western Australian plants, so like bright, dry and sunny conditions. We have had a cool, dark and wet spring and early summer. This time last year, our kangaroo paw were resplendant. They’re only just making their way now. The flowers don’t like humidity, and the Tokyo summer is known for its steamy conditions, which is about as bad as it gets for kangaoo paw. We’ll just have to wait and hope for the best. In the meantime, we’re getting…

  • A Sobering Thought or Two

    January 7 is a landmark date in Kangaeroo’s life. The foundation stone of his life was laid on that date. There’s no real need to go into details. Everything started from there, and the foundation is the bedrock for living to this day. Times are not great for many ordinary people anywhere nowadays. Most, probably. But on a broad scale, they are not too bad for Kangaeroo. If nothing else, Kangaeroo has health. Physical life began a long time earlier. But that alone was not sufficient. Mental and spiritual wellbeing were missing. They are largely here now….for the most part. Well, sometimes. Maybe not the mental side! But life is…

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    This Is Democracy Manifest! Get Your Hand Off My Succulent Sausage!

    Very glad to have grown up in a society that still seems to ostensibibly respect democracy and the rule of law, I was delighted to visit the Australian Embassy in Tokyo and partake of democracy manifest in the form of a snag. The bleak, wet day (eerily reminscent of my native Melbourne) was the backdrop to consular officials serving democracy sausages as Aussies flocked to the embassy to vote ahead of the May 3 federal election. I’m very grateful to the Embassy staff for putting on the sausage sizzle, and got to spend a lot of time chatting with some friendly Aussie voters. It was also a delight to see…

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    Batch Of Brommies Bring A Little Bit Of Magic

    Maybe it’s the residue of all the macabre atmosphere of Halloween or some other mystique, but the past couple of days have been a bit enchanting. Rather than fall for all the made-up poppycock, I reckon the magical feeling probably stems from my Brompton bike. The bicycle that really got me into cycling has sent most of he past few years gathering dust, but when it gets rolled out, there’s something truly special. Yesterday, I got our and headed down on my Brommie to Tokyo Tower for a morning meeting. It was a great ride, if a little chilly, as well as somewhat chilling with drivers on the busy road…