• Daily Life

    Darkness Deathtrap

    This morning reminded me that I am a potentially lethal presence on the Tama River Cycling Road. It was cold, wet, dark and raining. And I realized yet again that I am basically blind in those conditions, being unable to see. I’m not helped by only using an 800 lumen light on the track instead of the 2,000 lumen light I had used up until last winter, but which is no longer financially tenable to maintain. Luckily, I made it home safely and was rewarded to see a lush garden basking in the bath it received in the first rain…

  • Daily Life

    Grinding Again

    Work has resumed for 2025, so I am back at the grindstone. I love my company immensely, and my aim this year is to be a great co-worker in a team that contributes to fantastic results for our employer. My teammates are enormous in drawing out every skerrick of talent I may possess, and I hope to be able to do the same for the people I get to work with. And while I’m doing that, I want to enjoy every moment I get to spend on a bike, even if it is as dark and bloody freezing as it…

  • Daily Life

    Three-Day Monk

    One of my favorite phrases in Japanese is mikka bozu, literally a three-day monk, and it’s a term used to describe the length that most people can maintain their resolve. I’ve got to admit to being an archetypical example of the concept. Having accumulated a huge spare tire and found an exciting new job following a tumultuous few years, I was full of determination to achieve lofty goals when the new year rolled around just two days ago. I’ve set exercise goals to lose weight and live healthier, in addition to setting professional targets to make the most of the…

  • Daily Life

    Stunning Start

    The 2025 new year has kicked off in a maginificent manner. We have had unseasonable warmth and the return of once customary brilliant winter sunshine. I started off with a flurry of enthusiasm, too. My year started with an extremely early rise not long after 4 a.m. I quickly showered and got on my bike. Even though I weighed myself for the first time in many months, and didn’t like what I saw, I was still feeling keen. Once my mind started turning over, it was already too late to turn my back, and I was on my way to…

  • Daily Life

    Charmed And Cheered

    Thanks to a minor quirk of fate, my life has turned completely around and I’ve gone from cursed to content, all within the space of a couple of months. For the first time in years I’ve got a great job in a prime location. My company values me and goes out of its way to make sure that I can produce the best I can to bring it the results its looking for. I’m incredibly blessed by colleagues, who go out of their way to help me bring out my best. But I have to admit that my entire career…

  • Daily Life

    Moving Mountains

    This weekend was probably the last until the very end of the year where I would be able to do a decent amount of cycling, and timing presented the opportunity to return to mountain riding for the first time in over three years. I got to ride through Takao first and see my physician for a regular check up. This allowed me to grab some time in Takao Komagino Teien, the gorgeous Japanese garden adjacent to my hospital. I enjoyed a leisurely ride over Otarumi Pass, a popular ride for many cyclists in Tokyo, and was pleasantly surprised that the…

  • Daily Life

    Autumn Perfect For A Fall

    Autumn is finally upon us, just days before its scheduled calendar end, but that doesn’t mean it’s still not ideal for a fall. And taking that literally, I decided to head out for a ride on the Death Machine, the nickname I give to my recumbent bicycle for its propensity to make cycling strenuous and dropping a doddle. I woke well before dawn, but my bravado withered with memories of riding in the dark, which is harder on the recumbent where you’re laying down and vision is always harder, even in the best of conditions. So, I waited until almost…

  • Unknown Nichigo

    Do Little

    Blessed with a bit of time and being in close proximity, I used the beautiful weather to visit Tama Zoological Park, testing a new Nikon Z 50 camera. I first visited this zoo in 1993, at a time when the memory of the 1984 arrival of koalas was still fresh. Koalas were flavor of the month in Japan at the time, literally so in the case of Koala no March–a confectionary that remains popular to this day–and the zoo’s Australian Habitat was something of a showcase area. Now, it’s just one of many habitats in what is a delightful little…

  • Daily Life

    Jama on the Tama

    Autumn is a delightful time for cycling, and unfortunately for running, too, which means almost daily encounters with one of my least favorite Japanese words: jama. Jama, 邪魔, literally translates as “evil magic,” but means something like hinderance, impedance, or, as I prefer, bloody nuisance. Autumn brings out all the joggers onto the Tama Cycling Road and, despite a perfectly good path below the levy on which the track for cyclists has been made, runners take over the path. They’d be fine if they kept to the rules and ran to the edges of the path, but rare is the…

  • Daily Life

    Mist-ical

    Nature conjured up a mystical morning as the warm air over the icy Tama River created a fabulous world of mist. It’s common around this time of year to have mist over the river. The effect creates a surrealistic atmosphere. It’s difficult cycling as visibility is greatly reduced, and my eyesight is already too poor for pre-dawn riding. But the upside of that is being presented with the opportunity to slowly pedal through the fantastic scenery. And the cold, dark early hour of my rides means that I pretty much get to have the sight to myself. Moments like this…