Big Red Bike Tour Stage 4: Costcollosal

31 August 2025

Following the previous day’s exertions, Stage 4 of the Big Red Bike Tour was closer to a rest day, albeit with little breathing space as I headed off to spend a collosal amount of money at the nearby Costco.

Inflation is hitting Japan after more than three decades of price stability and its effects are compounded by a weaker yen in a country that imports most of its food. Therefore, our regular order from the supermarket now costs almost double what it used to (except Australian-made Four ‘N Twenty pies, which cost 1,248 yen for a six pack, which makes them considerably cheaper than what you’d pay for where they’re produced).

RidewithGPS tracked all of my riding over the month

Strava missed a ride somewhere, giving me a lower km count

A mate and I traveled at a very sedate pace to round off what had been a huge month of cycling, where my monthly riding total topped 2,000 kms for the first time since December 2021. This distance had once been routine, but my cycling has dropped off ever since the last time I passed that milestone. But, thanks to a number of factors working in my favor, I got to ride enough to pass the 2,000 km mark on my very last ride for the month, so I was a little chuffed.

One of those factors was Dino’s hospitalization at the Yokohama Bird Clinic, which meant each visit either to see our rosy faced lovebird or to have her health checked clocked up a 70 km roundtrip, and the kilometers quickly added up.

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