Journal Archive
41 entries, 51 prefectures, one long road. 旅の記録
I Love You, Pork Yakiniku Set Meal
Some striking street art made me stop at a toy shop run by two brothers, one of them the musician Ryōji-san. I saw Lake Biwa from the rooftop, made my campsite with time to spare, and discovered a treasure of a pork yakiniku set meal.
So the Rainy Season Has Begun
Seventy-two kilometres of mountain roads and heavy rain, with 800 metres of climbing. The rainy season has started and tiredness led to a string of mistakes, but I'm not giving up. I also wrote about Japanese, the puzzle I love.
A Sign Saying Welcome to Japan
Ninety-three kilometres on a hot, clear day. I got my bike repaired, was handed an iced coffee through a car window, and thought about what I want to do in Japan. At ten at night, still riding, a firefly landed on my shoulder.
"Whoa, That's Cool"
1,073 km in twenty days. After the 17 km from Komatsu to Kanazawa, my legs and my head had both hit their limit. But Kanazawa curry and a call with my mum saved me, I read some Murakami, and three lads who stopped to chat lifted my spirits.
I Figured I Had No Choice but to Pay
My bike's rim had cracked in several places, and after agonising over a 40,000 yen repair bill, I decided to get it fixed. Afterwards Yūichirō, a student I met at a ramen shop, showed me around Kanazawa's downtown.
I Feel Like a Modern-Day Adventurer
Seventy kilometres from Kanazawa to Toyama. Camping on riverbanks with no address, I feel freer than I ever have. I looked back on four years of university and wrote at length about language, thinking, and the people in my life.
Want Friends? Go to a Convenience Store
An elderly couple handed me a 1,000 yen note after I helped them order at Sukiya, and I met a jade expert on the beach. Then I rode the terrifying Oyashirazu road alongside the traffic, and ended up writing about convenience stores for twenty minutes in Itoigawa.
What Is This Weather?
It began with rain so heavy it was as if the gods had burst into tears, and I stayed soaked all day. Still, I found an island with a lighthouse, was given manjū at a roadside station, and came back to life in an onsen in Jōetsu.
Choose Your Road and Go Forward With Confidence!
From Jōetsu through Kashiwazaki to Nagaoka, a day of mountain roads and stifling heat. I gave an honest explanation of why I keep going to chain restaurants, and thought about choosing roads and the choices we make in life.
Entries 19 - 27 of 41