After months of near inactivity, Kangaeroo was finally able to indulge regularly in the pursuit that brings probably the greatest pleasure in life: cycling!
So far, 2022 has been a series of calamities in terms of cycling, starting with poor weather then moving on to poor equipment, poor health and poor luck!
But things slowly slotted back into place and have finally allowed for a week on the bike that is as good as it gets now!
And some of the results were stupendous, as can be seen in the gallery.
For all sorts of reasons, Kangaeroo hasn’t had much of chance to get out and about and cop a look at the cherry blossoms in bloom in Tokyo in 2022.
Nonetheless, that hasn’t meant being completely deprived of a sight that possibly makes the Japanese capital the most beautiful city in the world for a week or so every spring.
Various restrictions have limited viewing to the area of the Tama river and its tributaries, but even then it has made for some wonderful sights, as this gallery shows.
TimTams, chocolate biscuits fast becoming one of Australia’s greatest exports and a presence in just about every supermarket in Tokyo nowadays, has started a collaboration with Vegemite, the yeast spread symbolic of Down Under.
The third, and latest, version of Kangaeroo.com cycling kit has come off the production line and is ready to dazzle.
This year, for the first time ever, Kangaeroo.com cycling kit includes a vest and bib shorts.
The kit is a full supplement of spring-summer gear in a predominantly Aussie-wattle hue with gum-leaf green lettering.
The brighter gear reflects a shift to a new environment.
Kangaeroo.com cycling kit comprises a jersey, bib shorts and vest.
The jersey features the Kangaeroo.com thinking kangaroo logo on the front, rear and both sleeves.
The website title and URL also appear on the front, rear and sleeves.
The jersey base is wattle gold with gum leaf green lettering.
Kangaeroo.com jersey front
Meanwhile, the spring vest is an almost identical design, but has a larger logo and no lettering on the front.
And the bib shorts are black with wattle gold side panels containing the Kangaeroo.com logo and website URL in English on the right leg and Japanese on the left leg.
Kangaeroo.com kit first appeared in 2017 with a white jersey, black sleeves and an embroidery patch kangaroo on the left sleeve.
A second version of the kit came out two years later, this time entirely black.
Both kits featured the website title in Japanese and English, the URL and the thinking kangaroo logo on the front and rear of the shirts.
Kangaeroo is a portmanteau of the Japanese word kangaeru, to think, and ‘roo, an abbreviation of kangaroo, Australia’s national animal and a symbol of the country.
Kangaeroo.com jersey frontKangaeroo.com jersey frontKangaeroo.com jersey rearFull Kangaeroo.com kitKangaeroo.com bib shortsKangaeroo.com vestKangaeroo.com kit 2019Kangaeroo.com kit 2017
Sometimes, little miracles come into your life in unexpected ways. Alex Endo has done that for Kangaeroo.com by transforming a little plot of land in Tokyo’s Tama region into a tiny slice of Australia.
With a well-laid plan going back a few months and a few hours of hard work, Alex took a plain plot of land in a housing estate and transformed it into a “Kangaeroo Corner,” a glorious Australian garden, delightfully designed and rich in Aussie plants. It brought unbridled delight into the hearts of the Kangaeroo.com family.
Alex lived in Australia and became an expert on Australian plants. Once his career as a salaryman was over, he dedicated his life in retirement to spreading the word about the charms of Australian plants in Japan. He has appeared on the telly, written books, gives lessons and actually gardens. Mrs. Kangaeroo.com discovered Alex, asked him to take charge of the Kangaeroo.com garden and, thankfully, he agreed to the request. As the gallery shows, Alex designed and made a garden that exceeded so superb it exceeded all expectations.
To be brutally honest, Kangaeroo had never really been interested in a garden or gardening, but Kangaeroo found the garden that Alex made absolutely breathtaking, became thoroughly engrossed in getting out in the garden and looking after the little plot of delight has now become one of life’s daily joys. Alex’s brilliance shows in all sorts of ways, one of which is his clear love of Australian plants and how they motivate his efforts. Kangaeroo is a clear beneficiary of that. To return that kindness, it’s up to Kangaeroo to rigorously look after the garden, and show some love for it on a daily basis.
It’s worth noting that as Alex and his mate, Takeuchi-san, were transforming Kangaeroo Corner, the neighbors took an enormous interest and came to take a closer look. Chatting with with neighbors later in the week, one even asked if it was OK to bring a friend to come and have a look at what an amazing job Alex had done for the Kangaeroo garden. Considering the neighbors are no slouches when it comes to the gardening game and take great pride in their own plots, it was praise of the highest degree.
Night-time rooNight-time rooNight-time rooRoo in the snowSnowy Kangaeroo CornerSnowy Kangaeroo CornerRoo in the nightRoo in the snow
Kangaeroo.com is deeply grateful to Alex for his design and hard work in producing the garden, and Takeuchi-san for his wonderful help. Thanks also to Mrs. Kangaeroo for getting the whole thing rolling, and to Mrs. Kangaeroo’s brother and sister for their great efforts and hard work in creating Kangaeroo Corner.
