Sitting on a deck chair in the middle of Ginza Street is cool. I love pedestrian days. To make things even better, finally found a good bagel place. (been trying every place I come across.

I am almost frightened by the iPod explosion. Last time I was here, didn't see any. Now, about 80% of the earphones I see are iPod ones. Wow.

Staying in Tokyo. Don't want to bother with lots of running around.

However, what I do for the next day is totally inconsequential. What matters is that my good friend Loretta gets married today! Congratulations on this special day, may you look forward to a lifetime of happiness together! Wish I could be there, but know my thoughts are with you today.

Any financial wizards out there know if its better to convert money from yen to Cad. dollar in Japan or in Canada？ Or is there no real difference？

Argh. Am I the only person in Tokyo who needs a large box？ I'm always amazed at how hard it is to get basic shipping stuff in this country.

Lord. Good thing I double checked that. I told the bike place to send my bike to the international in Kyoto by mistake. That would have been fun to find out at departure time!

Sweet. The bike store I went to not only packs the bike for me, they'll arrange delivery to the airport. Now to stuff all my bike stuff in a box and send it home. Will be down to a shoulder bag till the airport!

Cycling above ground actually kind of fun. Downtown Tokyo not all that big. Just crazy hot and some areas are frightful wind tunnels.

Option 1 is easiest, but not much left in city I want to do. Cheap.

Option 2 gets me another view of Mt Fuji from beside ocean. Free housing and probably food (unless I stay out late on purpose). Ticket price unknown.

Option 3 gets me (gasp) socializing a bit, see Will a bit more, and see an area of Japan not visited before. Most expensive probably, 2.5 hrs by Shinkansen to Sendai, another 2 hours to Will's town.(but would prolly stay in Sendai, which means money for hotel)

So I will be done all my pre flight organization by the end of today. All but a shoulder bag will be off my hands until pick up from delivery companies at airport. I don't have a hotel for this weekend (on 23rd will stay at place near airport). What shall I do？

1. Find a capsule hotel or other cheap digs and tour round Tokyo.

2.Go visit owner of an English school south of Fuji whom my mum knows (mum hosts students in the Summer now).

3.Follow Will to Sendai. (N. Honshu)

I have to say, traversing a city like Tokyo is super weird. You spend more time walking through undergroud subway stations, than you do walking above ground.

This is even the case with me, who got hopelessly lost in most every district I went to yesterday. Stupid Japanese system of orgaizing roads. Slowly getting used to it in a big city, but have gone through tething problems.:)

After that, I went to Akihabara (tech area) to meet Will. He was getting a lot more money than expected for his first month, so celebrated by buying a used Playstation 2.

Will had gone there with his district supervisor- who turned out to be one of the people I took the Japanese course with in Vancouver! This world is too small.

Hung out for a while, then went with Will to his hotel and tak a look at his new aquisition. Then a lateish night home and sleep. Thus late update.

A quiet day in Tokyo. Spent the morning on laundry, then set out to retrieve my computer from a shipping company. I had left it with my supervisor. I returned to my hotel with it to make sure it was working fine.

After that, off to find the Japan Biking Info Center. Really weird, mostly unfit folk in suits who knew where the nearest pro shop was. Among other things. Continued on to proshop to ask about a bike box for the plane. Will pack it and send to airport today.

Hooray clean clothes. Can finally leave my hotel! :)

So yeah, actually made it, with no accidents, no less!(I can hear the gasps of shock from here)

Kind of brought things full circle today, returned to Keio plaza Hotel and JET welcoming conference. Not for me of course, but for freshly arrived Will. Though perhaps fresh isn't the best word. :) We had dinner, but he was pretty tired, so turned in shortly afterwards. So shall I after this email. Goodnight from Tokyo!!

Day 26
Goal: Tokyo

Estimated distance: 10
Distance traveled: 75

Mountains: A lot
Tunnels: 3


So the owner of the Solar Cafe (where I stayed) told me of this great route by bike to Tokyo, down all the way. And it was, if you ignored the mountain range in the way. I did okay for a little bit, but eventually the slightest incline became a challenge. I stopped just before the only labelled pass on my map, and hopped on a train. Eventually. the scedule was not helping me.

This evening the cafe owner invited me along to see a festival in the town he lived in. It was the usual trial of 10 or so locals carrying a portable shrine around the village, in this case a lake. What was different was how traditional it all was. Even ropes used to hang up things was handmade in the traditional styld. Men carrying shrine were crazy drunk, but ceremony once portable shrine got to main shrine was very austere. Great way to cap off my time in the region!

Felt a little bad because just as I was thinking of turning around, a car full of kids drove by. They were all shouting "ganbatte!" and waving as they sped by. Not bad enough to kill myself going any further. If I'd been wearing my cycling shoes and brought my water backpack, I would havd kept going. Quite sure I would have made it, too. Muscle wise, I felt very good. Better the further I went, in fact. Amazing how much easier it was to cycle today, without all my bags!

Two reasons off the bat: I was wearing my nearly falling apart sandals, and I didn't bring any water. I fought anyways, and was actually making good progress until mother nature decided to help with the lack of water thing. I was halfway up the mountain road (16 kms along the road, at an elevation above 1600 m) when it just began totally pouring. Strong winds blowing too, so any further would have been stupidly dangerous. Especially given I was totally partched.

Day 25
Goal: relax (failed)

Estimated distance: 10
Distance traveled: 46ish

Mountains: 1 big bad challenge, Fuji. A winner is not Eric.
Tunnels: 0


So instead of relaxing lakeside today, I found myself on the road that goes about halfway up Mt Fuji. No real reason, I had just intended to get a better, closer look. I couldn't see much, because a big cloud obscured most of the mountain. Lovely weather otherwise. But as I was there, and weather good, I figured, why not？

This really is it. No more long rides. My legs are done. Will cycle around the region some, but nothing epic. Been really feeling the urge to swim lately, will finally do that tomorrow. Show off my terrible farmers tan. Yikes.

Met a triathelete today. For training, he was cycling around the region 10 times. He does about 200 kms of cycling every day. Wow.

Day 25
Goal: Fuji Yoshida
Actual destination: Kyodai

Estimated distance: 45 kms

Mountains: 2 (#2 being about 700 m tall)
Tunnels: 3 (2 over 1 km long)

Spending 2 nights at v cool organic restaurant and campsite. http://www.earthembassy.org for more info. Spent about half an hour watching Fuji change colours in the sunset. Magnificent.

Day was short dirtance but hard work. Went over 2 mountains. Second mountain was totally evil, walked most of it. My legs are spent.

This place is wind powered and the food is totally organic. And they have rooms. I'm so staying here! Was tempted by the tree house, but traffic is pretty heavy, so probably pretty noisy.

Oh yes, the view of Fuji is amazing.

I'm currently in a vegetarian restaurant run by foreigners. Blink. It's like being on Saltspring, only with Mt. Fuji in the background.

V anal waitress at breakfast today. At meals in Japan, you are usually given a moist towel to wash your hands with. In cheaper places this is usually a paper towel. I don't like to use them because it's just more garbage. I just wash my hands before and after in a washroom usually.

Waitress obviously v distressed by this came over, opened the bag the towel was in (more garbage!) and handed me the towel. Dang, that's unusually blunt for Japan.

Am definately looking at Fuji, but now I can see a pretty big moutain range between me and it. Distance to go is not far, but may be a bit hurty. :)

I do believe my friend Will gets on a plane to Japan soon. Meeting him in Tokyo while he's there, which is why I've been pushing to get to Tokyo. Have a good flight Will!

Still v cloudy, but I think the sun is breaking through. I'm not certain, but I think I see the peak of Fuji in the distance from my hotel window..

Out of curiosity, could someone total the distance I've covered？ This web page is the only record I've been keeping..

An amusing part of today were the roads in and out of the Suwa area. Ridiculously congested. It's fun to pass over 100 cars in a row. :)

Tomorrow is it. The push to the Fuji lakes district. I'm likely to take a train in to Tokyo, so last day of cycling. Can't believe it's almost over!

Weather better smarten up tho. Deny me the Alps, but not Fuji too!

Weather continues to play silly buggers. Two levels of cloud- one above the Alps, another hanging around mid-level. Couldn't see much at all. My karmic punishment for taking that bus instead of cycling, I'm sure.

Best part of today was going over that high pass- got a lovely view of Lake Suwa, which is nestled prettily into a valley. Beyond the lake was more downhill, but because of the clouds, from my POV it looked like an ocean lay beyond.

Day 21
Goal: Nirasaki
Actual destination: Kofu

Estimated distance: 85
Distance traveled: ~95

Mountains: 3 major passes
Tunnels: 0 (8 yesterday, BTW)


I didn't realize how far above sea level I was, until a sign for a mountain pass told me I was at 1027 m above sea level! Still a lot of downhill to go today. But lots of hills and mountain passes. Unlike yesterday, I worked for my coasting time.

Was a freezing 19゜today. Not that bad, really, but winds were v cold.

later last night I got propositioned _again_ for special massage. What's with this town？ Never happened to me anywhere else in Japan.

Last night my desire for Mediteranian food was taunted. I came across a Greek restaurant! I was pretty excited until I looked at the menu. Uh, it had Greek salad. The rest was Italian, mostly. Grr!

I am so going to a Greek restauant the night I get home. :)

Raining today. Looks like I won't get to see the Alps at all.

On the plus side, the cycling is way more fun than any route through the overdeveloped south coast would have been.

But things better get better by Mt. Fuji, or I'll get really pissed! :)