Cycling around to see a selection of Tokyo's giant-sized monsters from Godzilla to King Kong
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Long past their heyday, even in English-language coverage, dekochari, decorated bicycles, continue to survive in miniscule numbers even in today’s Japan. Dekochari derived from the dekotora, decorated trucks, that became hugely popular throughout the archipelago in the 1970s on the back of the Torakku Yaro series of films, and which seem to be a symbol of Japan for some right through to this day. Dekochari are ordinary bicycles adorned with flashing lights, blaringly loud horns, flags, chrome panels, mirrors and assorted other ornaments. Most of the dekochari are handmade by kids too young to get a license, and many are…
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Today marks farewell to Premiership Palace. Kangaeroo is no longer a Kanagawa kenmin (resident of Kanagawa Prefecture) from Kurokawa. Well, at least not after today. If nothing else, at least the pandemic allowed Kangaeroo to explore the neighborhood, getting to know what a delightful place it was. Time in Kanagawa has been very kind to Kangaeroo. In addition to allowing for a ramping up of cycling efforts, it has also been the place where he could watch his beloved Richmond Tigers become the most dominant team in Australian football. When Kangaeroo arrived in Kanagawa, the Tigers were something of a…
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May is Kangaeroo.com’s favorite time of the year. Normally, dry, warm and sunny, flowers bloom and the month is a visual and sensual delight. This year has been unseasonably sodden, but that’s good practice for the upcoming rainy season that will begin in early June. Normally, May is a great time for relaxing and cycling, but this year has also been a bit different. Kangaeroo is on the move and has spent most of the month getting ready for the shift. In that regard, the lousy weather has been a bit of a godsend, limiting the temptation to get on…
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April in Tokyo can get wet, but it can also be warm and dry. Unfortunately, today it’s the former. On the upside that means more photo opportunities and a slower pace to enjoy riding. Make no mistake, though, April is when spring really starts to, well, blossom in the Japanese capital. Not far from Kangaeroo’s home is the delightful Yakushiike Park. The park has some delightful archetypically Japanese scenes, with the crooked bridge over a pond, terraced rice paddies and beautifully manicured gardens. Flowers and new greenery sprout everywhere and days are longer and generally warmer. Then there’s the wind.…
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There have been better days than today, but this one is up there for peculiarity (in a minor sort of way). The morning ride was nice in spite of tiredness that became increasingly more obvious the more Kangaeroo rode. Not helping was having woken before 3 a.m. again and not being able to get back to sleep. Sunrise was spectacular, but fleeting, and didn’t really make for the nicest of photos. Still, it is a wonderful time of the year in Tokyo. Following a morning meeting, there was enough time left before work started to nick over to Costco to…
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Kangaeroo recently added a recumbent bike to his collection. A recumbent has long been part of the Kangaeroo dream. When Kangaeroo started cycling, he often shared his commute through suburban Tokyo with a seasoned Kiwi cyclist called John. Kangaeroo was a rookie (and still is, really), but John had been riding for decades, and often shared his knowledge and experience. This went on for about a year. Kangaeroo came to appreciate and admire John as he put into practice the advice he had been given. One day, John turned up riding a bike where he was lying down. Kangaeroo immediately…
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After a warmer than usual winter (despite initially showing signs of being a cold one), spring is suddenly upon us and cherry blossoms have bloomed at one of the earliest times ever, though the covid pandemic prevents them from being widely enjoyed. On the weekend of higan, the vernal or spring equinox, when the day has roughly the same amount of daylight and dark, Tokyo got hit with a horrible spring storm. One benefit of the rain was bringing the opportunity to go for a stroll around the local neighborhood and catching a glimpse of sights like this one. Related…
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Waking early is never easy, especially as the nights get longer and the temperature cools. But nature sometimes does its best to reward those who drag themselves out from under the covers as the birds begin to sing. The photos here come from one of those times. Related posts: Campbelltown Forest of Wild Birds A Slice of Oz in Sleepy Saitama Shear Fluke! A Rare Aussie Cultural Hit in Japan Nissan Bluebird Oozui: When Australia (Briefly) Exported Cars to Japan A Second Bite of Biwaichi Japan’s Favorite Aussie is Not Quite Who She Seems Lyre, Lyre, Pants on Fire A…
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It’s been a strange old start to the year, really, mainly because Kangaeroo is strange and old. Tokyo has been experiencing a mild winter. So far there has been no snow and daytime temperatures have been closer to what you’d expect in March than the opening month of the year. That’s been perfect for walking, which allowed for the capture of the shots in this post. Kangaeroo was helped deeply by being able to use cameras and photography to seek out the beautiful things around us. Though he didn’t really do a great job of it, sometimes he would snare…
