• Strine Strife

    Going Down in a Haze of Story

    July 15, 2024

    For various reasons, I got to look at YouTube for the first time in years this morning and, by sheer coincidence, got to see a video captured exactly 10 years ago to the day. The footage came from a fire that had broken out on the spectacular Rainbow Bridge, which links the Tokyo mainland (well, another reclaimed section) with the artificial island of Odaiba. I was working in the Yokoso Rainbow Tower, an exceptional work of architecture that reflected the flavor of the then-recently burst economic bubble when it was completed in 1995. I’d just finished my lunch break and…

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  • Daily Life

    Sweltering!

    July 12, 2023

    It’s boiling hot and the heat and humidity are energy sapping, but I still love summer in Tokyo. The heat means I can eat to my heart’s content and won’t gain too much weight, especially if I can continue cycling. I’m still able to ride at least twice a day on weekdays even though we’re in our busy period, though that seems almost certain to end when we lose yet another member of staff next week and no replacement in sight. We are paying the price for having a toxic boss, and trying to deal with it has me encapsulated…

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  • Daily Life

    Well, At Least We Found Out

    January 10, 2023

    Kangaeroo’s housing estate has recently been afflicted with a spate of bicycle thefts and vandalizations. As an avid cyclist, this hit Kangaeroo hard. Mrs. Kangaeroo’s winter gloves were stolen, forcing her to head out into the freezing cold winter morning with her hands unprotected from the elements. Kangaeroo’s spare road bike and the death machine were also vandalized and various equipment and accessories were stolen. Enraged, Kangaeroo headed to the police to report the issue, even if only to be able to received formal notification to enable making an insurance claim. Astonishingly, instead of largely ignoring a bicycle-related theft issue,…

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  • Unknown Nichigo

    Koala-ified for Anything

    January 8, 2023

    Tokyo is a city full of surprises. And that is the least surprising aspect of the world’s largest city. Kangaeroo got a pleasant surprise yesterday while pottering through the backstreets of Shinjuku, one of the Japanese capital’s many sub-capitals. For some reason, Lord alone knows why, there was a statue of a koala and her joey in a pocket-stamp sized park in Shinjuku. Japan had something of a mini-love affair with koalas in the mid-1980s when Australia successfully sold itself as a tourist destination to more gullible markets and then got greedy with price gouging to compliment the traditionally abysmal…

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  • Strine

    Kicking Off 2023 With Central Tokyo Loop And Super Sunshine

    January 1, 2023

    If nothing else, 2023 sure started far better than the awful year of 2022 did, and eventually led to a wonderful ride focused on a central Tokyo loop. Just as had happened 12 months ago, Kangaeroo headed off on the first day of the year before the dawn. Unlike 2022, when sleet and snow had been the order of the day, 2023 was bright and clear, a much more attractive prospect even if it was still equally as cold and dark as it had been the previous annum. The objective for the day was to take part in the Half-Fast…

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    Enshittification

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  • Strine

    Winter Welcomes Bountiful Birds to Tokyo’s Tama

    December 17, 2022

    Winter hit Tokyo for real. Just less than a week away from Christmas, the mild weather has ended. At least for today. It’s cold and bleak. And dark. December in Japan is dark. In Tokyo, it doesn’t get light until about 6:30 in the morning. And by 4 p.m., it’s dark. Only a few days to the winter solstice. The days will slowly start to get longer. But the new year also ushers in the cold. Still, there is some brightness on the horizon. Kangaeroo’s garden has attracted some lovely visitors. Among them, Japanese tits and brown-eared bulbuls. The birdbath…

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  • Strine Sports

    Enjoying the Cycle of Life

    November 20, 2022

    Kangaeroo is not a young marsupial. He is old, fat and lazy. Exercise is not his thing. Yet, thanks to the humble bicycle, this exercise-averse old codger can enjoy a relatively healthy lifestyle. Every morning, almost without fail, Kangaeroo wakes, dresses, has a cup of joe and gets on his bike. For the most part, it’s not a long ride, but it’s a ride. Kangeroo has got a lot of cobwebs in his head and these rides usually help to clean them out. They’re back soon after the rides are finished, but even so, they would be much worse without…

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  • Unknown Nichigo

    Fantastic Flowers!

    May 1, 2022

    Blessed with great company, brilliant sunshine and time, Kangaeroo got to enjoy the unexpected pleasure of HANA BIYORI. HANA BIYORI is a new type of botanical garden that forms part of the sprawling entertainment complex centered around Yomiuriland in the Tokyo suburb of Inagi. HANA BIYORI was a delight simply to see all the vibrant spring flowers in bloom in a pretty park with lots of greenery, water and the occasional spectacular view. The site also has a magnificent projection mapping show on the half-hour every hour during operation. Also on site are stores with some interesting house plants on…

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  • Japanese Kangaroos - Unknown Nichigo

    A Slice of Oz Enchantment

    April 11, 2022

    Somewhere in the backblocks of Tokyo’s Tama district, there’s a little Aussie enchantment at work. It could be coming from this jen, who stands about 1 meter high. She’s nestled in among the bark and grevillias. Her joey is enjoying the ride. And they’re lit up at night. 東京多摩地区裏のある所に、オーストラリアの小さなな魔法場所がある。 由来が約1メートルもある身長のこの雌カンガルーにあるかな？ バークとロベスタの中に寄り添っている。 子カンガルーも楽しく同乗している。 そして、夜になるとライトアップされます。 Kangaroo Corner Koala Colony Related posts: Tour de Kagoshima-Kyoto Day -1A: Tama Hills to Haneda AFL – Modern Australia’s Religion and Failed Proselytizing in Japan Full “Boar” Straya! 豪のクリスマス・ソング：Six White Boomers Nissan Bluebird Oozui: When Australia (Briefly) Exported Cars to Japan Aussie Deli…cious!!! Not Authentic Aussie but…

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  • Strine Sports

    Bloomin’ Marvelous!

    April 2, 2022

    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. Related posts: Amazing Alex’s Aussie Oasis in Tokyo’s Tama Pushing Pedals…

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