TheAussieinJapan
Maximum Pace
- Apr 15, 2014
- 347
- 531
Hi all,
First of all I hope that all of you are doing well.
It's been a really long drawn out time for us in Tokyo thanks to the dicks not wanting to rock the Olympic boat, and everyone has a different experience and is affected differently.
Watching people get back to normal in Australia, while we are still seeing crowds grow in Shinjuku, Shibuya, low numbers of tests and hospitals full has been depressing as has the uncertainty of when I can get on a plane to visit family.
Having said that I want to drop my big tough guy self image for a second and share that I am struggling lately, and being in a continual state of fight or flight, with a multitude of complexities of life, work and managing covid-19 safety measures has worn me right down. Hence mid life crisis kind of title.
So I might have some time off soon and decided that getting out of Tokyo, now that the don't go to travel campaign has just diverted the crowds to city centres. I think I might have anywhere from 1 to 3 months off, and to take care of my mental health (I'm struggling lately. Lets call it corona exhaustion), I don't just want to sit around the house.
My first thoughts were for a rather Forrest Gump like impulsive ride across country, figuring it out as I went along. Then the part of my brain that is more sensible kicked in and I started to think that if I was taking smaller roads, not the main highways would mean a lot of hillclimbs and downhills, elevation means cold, means ice and downhill sounds scary with risk of ice in the shade.
So if I had say 2 weeks to just ride, and I have bike packing bags, a tent, sleeping bag & cooking gear already, where are some places to head to starting from Tokyo.
1. Of course could head down to see a mate in Osaka.
2. Explore the wilds of Saitama? Where is that exactly?
3. Head along the river to Boso peninsula?
What are some ideas that some of the more well travelled folk here might be able to suggest.
Chasing sakura might be nice later in March too.
If anyone wants to use this thread to discuss men's health I am more than happy to use it for that too. I reckon there's a few of us that just put on a brave face and let it all build up, and that can lead to impulsive bike purchases right...
First of all I hope that all of you are doing well.
It's been a really long drawn out time for us in Tokyo thanks to the dicks not wanting to rock the Olympic boat, and everyone has a different experience and is affected differently.
Watching people get back to normal in Australia, while we are still seeing crowds grow in Shinjuku, Shibuya, low numbers of tests and hospitals full has been depressing as has the uncertainty of when I can get on a plane to visit family.
Having said that I want to drop my big tough guy self image for a second and share that I am struggling lately, and being in a continual state of fight or flight, with a multitude of complexities of life, work and managing covid-19 safety measures has worn me right down. Hence mid life crisis kind of title.
So I might have some time off soon and decided that getting out of Tokyo, now that the don't go to travel campaign has just diverted the crowds to city centres. I think I might have anywhere from 1 to 3 months off, and to take care of my mental health (I'm struggling lately. Lets call it corona exhaustion), I don't just want to sit around the house.
My first thoughts were for a rather Forrest Gump like impulsive ride across country, figuring it out as I went along. Then the part of my brain that is more sensible kicked in and I started to think that if I was taking smaller roads, not the main highways would mean a lot of hillclimbs and downhills, elevation means cold, means ice and downhill sounds scary with risk of ice in the shade.
So if I had say 2 weeks to just ride, and I have bike packing bags, a tent, sleeping bag & cooking gear already, where are some places to head to starting from Tokyo.
1. Of course could head down to see a mate in Osaka.
2. Explore the wilds of Saitama? Where is that exactly?
3. Head along the river to Boso peninsula?
What are some ideas that some of the more well travelled folk here might be able to suggest.
Chasing sakura might be nice later in March too.
If anyone wants to use this thread to discuss men's health I am more than happy to use it for that too. I reckon there's a few of us that just put on a brave face and let it all build up, and that can lead to impulsive bike purchases right...