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The Week #218
by James- π Last week we had a typhoon that looked as if it was going to come quickly to the kanto area. But the path shifted further and further west to land in Kyushu and then basically go up the Japan landmass. It was perhaps the slowest moving storm, moving at around 4kmh at times. It moved so slow it never fully made it up to Kanto before giving up the gusto.
- π² I rode bikes with Leo over to the local Ito Yokado again β he only needed a 2 short breaks going, and that's even with riding up hill. Riding bikes is perhaps the one sport/physical activity he has confidence in himself to do well (that he's said himself).
- π΄ββοΈ Which gets me thinking: I want to encourage this. To do this, I want to ride longer distances with him on the bicycle paths along the river, not just in the neighborhood. Along the river is flatter, zero cars, and there's fun way points along the way (ice cream!).Β Problem is, while I might be able to squeeze Leo's bike into my car (with a seat down), there's no way my bicycle is fitting in there.
Solution: get the folding bicycle I've been thinking about for a while. Problem is, the one that folds the smallest and is the best, is also quite expensive. Quality bicycles cost real money, no matter if they fold or not. But hmmm. To tide me over for a bit, I bought a Brompton Field Guide.
Long-term, a folding bike fits into what I'd like to do personally and with the family. I'd like to take start rinkou (traveling with bicycles). With a folding bike like the Brompton, the barrier to entry is much lower. They're easy to transport. No disassembly to get it on the train and reassembly when you get back off. It feels like a more approachable way into the activity. And I could even fit 3 in the back of our tiny kei-car. - π Speaking of cars, while driving back from the in-laws along our usual route someone ran a stop sign nearly causing us to get into an collision. Thankfully I was able to stop in time (with just a bit of tire screeching). Rather than lay on the horn (as I imagine most drivers in Japan would), I just looked at them and wave them on in front of me. Laying on the horn solves nothing and maybe they'll pay it forward. Letting them continue ahead of me also makes it so they can't (almost) run into me again.
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by James5am 5k to start the week
The storm has passed and weβre back to summer βοΈ5.0km
33.9min
26.4m climbed
158.1avg bpm
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Checkin to γγ³γ¨γ¨γΉγγ¬γγ½γ¨ ζΉε
Fantastic bread and a latte for lunch π -
Checkin to BOOKOFF θ€ζ²’ε δΌεΊ
Selling some books. -
by JamesβοΈ Rainy Park Run π³
Happy to report Iβm becoming the kind of person who runs in the rain. The temperature drop when it started felt great.5.0km
34.6min
36.6m climbed
162.7avg bpm
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by JamesCheeky Afternoon Run
Found a gap in the rain and itβs only 30 and cloudy, so relatively cooler than usual.3.7km
25.4min
25m climbed
163.6avg bpm
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The Week #217
by James- π₯Έ I bought a new pair of glasses. There's nothing particularly wrong with my current pair, other than I've had them for 7 or 8 years and wanted to change things up a bit. Since I've been in Japan I always bought glasses at Zoff or Jins because they're inexpensive and near the stations. They're inexpensive because all of their glasses are the house brand. I wanted to get a pair of Ray Ban's again, so they were off the table. Thankfully there's a regular glasses shop a short cycle away that had just the pair I was looking for. I will pick them up next week. For the first time I opted to get the blue-light coating, which is supposed to make it easier on your eyes when you use computers all day. We shall see....
- π² After getting glasses, I rode my bike down to Totsuka for lunch with Yumi. It's definitely starting to cool off a bit, as I was able to make it all the way there without being drenched in sweat. After lunch we checked out the bookstore for anything interesting. I found a few books that looked interesting, but not enough to buy. Of note, the English book section seems to have shrunk from 2.5 - 3 columns to roughly 1. They didn't even have non-fiction books in English, which was disappointing. Back in the day, this bookstore was my lifeline for interesting things to read.
- ποΈ A new shopping mall opened a few stations away called Soratos. We finally have a movie theather nearby. Along with a second Starbucks, a Tully's and a giant area designed to drain your wallet β 50+ crane games, including one large enough that a human attendant sits inside help (and costs Β₯500 a play).
On the roof of Soratos is a really nice play area β the kind with the squish ground. Since it's the tallest building around it has some nice views on the top. Once it cools off a bit more, I can see us spending many an hour up there with Leo.
On the way out we swung by the Tsutaya bookstore to see what it was like..and like Barnes and Nobles in the US, there's a significant "definitely not books" at the bookstore. We found a plush of Link from Breath of the Wild! Leo was, as readers of this blog can probably guess, incredibly excited to find it and there was precisely zero chance of me leaving the store without it. Truth is though I wanted it as well. - π΅Β I've been trying to introduce more aloha in my life to keep me relaxed and positive. This week's recommendation is Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's Facing Future (Apple Music).
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Checkin to ηΌι‘εΈε ΄
Renewing my glassesβ¦probably been 7 years?! -
by Jamesπ³ Park Run
Seeking shade. Good news is I had a good cashless at the vending machine that was crowdstriked last time. No sports drink thoughπ₯²5.0km
34.7min
36.6m climbed
162.1avg bpm
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Checkin to Yumegaoka Soratos (γγγδΈγ½γ©γγΉ)
Nothing scarier than carrying two hot bowls of ramen through a crowded the food court.
