Akita → Ōdate

I Thought I'd Ridden Into Kafka on the Shore

Akita to Ōdate: 112 km, my longest day yet. I tried riding in a state of total focus and finally got the hang of long distances, nearly died in a sauna, and passed through Futatsui, a town as eerie and strange as a Murakami novel.

Ōdate → Aomori

I Finally Made It to Aomori!

A stop in Hirosaki, a ride through forested mountains, and at midnight I finally reached Aomori. I've come a long way from the day in Fukuoka when I couldn't even ride the bike. Tonight, no tent: I slept in a park pavilion by the harbour.

Aomori → Aomori

A Broken Bike and Kickboxing in Aomori

Ten kilometres out of Aomori, the bike broke again. I made my way back at a loss, still anxious, and ended up at a kickboxing gym. My first sparring in a year felt incredible.

Sendai → Sendai

Thoughts in Sendai

Looking out over the night view from a 30th-floor observation deck in Sendai, I thought about how small my problems are and how grateful I am to my family. The things I don't usually say out loud to my parents and my sister.

On Japanese and Language Acquisition

Ten thousand sentences, 2,000 hours of immersion, ten thousand pages read. Every time I hit a goal, I felt I still had a long way to go. What I now think matters most for fluency is creating your own chances to use the language.