Category Archives: Features

November 02

Mt Fuji: How not to climb Mt Fuji (Part 2)

posted by

Continuing on from Mt Fuji: The Long Climb. This tale commences from the 7th Station on the Yoshidaguchi Trail. Our snooze should have been a long and peaceful one having reached our homely mountain hut at 5pm. But it was stuffy inside and at 2,700m above sea level, my heart wasn’t buying into this ‘resting’ […]

»»
August 17

Mt Fuji: The Long Climb (Part 1)

posted by

It’s impossible to miss Mt Fuji. Stepping off the bus at Kawakuchiko Station, it stands right there to the south, lording over the landscape with absolute dominion, awaiting it’s next round of conquerors and victims. At night, back-lit by city lights, it assumes something of an uneasy presence weighing on your mind just like the […]

»»
August 03

Myth and reality – Climbing Mt Fuji from the very base

posted by

Myth 1 – Climbing Mt Fuji from the base is impossibly hard. Reality – It might be a lot longer (20km as opposed to about 6km) but you will have far fewer issues with altitude sickness.  Besides, the route to the 5th Station (where most being their climb) isn’t busy nor taxing, and it’s remarkably beautiful. Myth 2 – […]

»»
July 12

Pick blueberries. Get a free watermelon.

posted by

Check out Berry Bliss on Mie is Cool! for the details on how to visit Tsu Blueberry Farm. For a country with such a futuristic, industrialised image, my best experiences in Japan keep happening on farms. Two weeks ago, I rode past a sign advertising a come and pick your own blueberries experience. A short […]

»»
June 18

A bridge (and a saddle) too far

posted by

Starting the day lugging your bike about in a bag isn’t fun. Even less fun after the Japan Rail Shikoku staff the previous night had given me grief about my saddle sticking out of my bike bag – as per the bike bag instructions. In order to take your bike on a train in Japan, […]

»»
June 10

Shimanami Kaido Part I – Friends with Bikes

posted by

All 1500 of them to be precise.  Less than 30 minutes into our ride along the Shimanami Kaido, a ride that promised the quiet serenity of rural seaside Japan, a pack of serious Lycra-clad riders whooshed past by us like we’d been a bunch of grannies struggling to bike up a hill.  Slightly bemused, but […]

»»
May 29

Not quite off and racing

posted by

There’s not a spare inch of space left along the vast grassy straight as the moment of truth draws near. The enormous 80,000 strong crowd gazes expectantly as one at the gigantic 64m-wide screen. In unison, they raise their hands and begin rhythmically smacking their rolled up newspaper guides into their other hands. The mesmerising “twack… […]

»»
February 26

A sugary obsession

posted by

Winter in Japan might mean many things to many people – snow, skiing, having to wear far too many layers of clothing just to stay vaguely warm. But to me it means just one thing: strawberries. Japan is more than a little strawberry obsessed. There are umpteen different varieties ranging from the enormous Bijinhime (Beautiful […]

»»
February 13

Protect the Oni Gate

posted by

Fancy a hike that’s more like a slightly strenuous stroll upwards with plenty of interesting sights along the way? Then head for Asamagatake in Ise (朝熊ヶ岳, 伊勢). Mie Prefecture has plenty of mountains to offer that are far less daunting than the towering peaks that form the ‘roof of Japan’ in Nagano and Gifu Prefectures. […]

»»
December 08

Horses are cool

posted by

Forget all the futuristic technologies and oddities that have forged Japan’s modern reputation as ‘cool’.  The Land of the Rising Sun was cool way before then.  Since around the 13th and 14th centuries AD, to be precise. Yabusame (流鏑馬) is a ritualised form of mounted archery where would be warriors demonstrate their prowess whilst dressed […]

»»
November 11

Yo-sa-koi~

posted by

Add crowds, a plethora of food stalls and pumping music to a riot of colourful costumes with a dash of city pride, and what do you get?  The two days of fun times that is the Tsu Matsuri (祭 – festival). Tsu might be a small and very quiet town, but, come the long weekend […]

»»
October 19

Stone Mountain

posted by

Want to see a place that is a combination of hundreds of years of work in Tsu?  Well you’re in luck. Just make sure you have a set of wheels, be that two or four. A senior co-worker first told me about an interesting mountain tucked away in north-eastern Tsu (closer to Shiroko and Suzuka […]

»»
October 01

Neighbour-less again

posted by

Peering out their living room window over the fence, a wife calls to her husband, “Honey, that greenie neighbour of ours has gotten himself a buzz cut and now he’s saying that he’s leaving town for eight months.  I think he might be on the run. Should we call the police?” Not an unreasonable response, […]

»»
May 17

Bicycle is a dirty word

posted by

It seems that across the ditch in China bikes are disappearing from everyday life.   During Golden Week, a week spanning April/May which in Japan has five public holidays in it, I hopped over to Qingdao, China, to visit a retired Australian couple who teach English at a special hotel college there. Qingdao, the capital of […]

»»
February 23

Setsubun (節分)

posted by

This year’s adventures kicked off on what’s officially known as the last night of winter according to the Japanese lunar calendar.  Setsubun, February 3 this year, celebrates the coming of spring. On this night, people throw roasted soybeans around their houses to drive away evil spirits and ward off bad luck for the coming year.  […]

»»