We thought long and hard about an alternative hike and eventually decided to do Mt. Kita, ‘the leader of the Southern Alps’, in Yamanashi Prefecture. With it’s peak standing at 3,193m, it’s the second highest mountain in Japan. It’s also one of Japan’s ’100 Famous Mountains’. Unlike Mt. Fuji, most of the trail winds it’s way through dense forest, which makes the hiking itself considerably more interesting than ‘God’s Mountain’..

We left home at 4.30 on a Saturday morning and drove to Yamanashi, finally setting off on the trail around 9.30. We reached the first camp, about half way up the mountain by midday, and stopped there for lunch – a couple of rice balls! From that point onwards the trail becomes very steep and, by mid afternoon, noticeably colder. We reached the top camp, at 3000m, by 3.30pm. We’d been expecting the climb to take 6 or 7 hours, so we were quite pleased at having made it in 5.5 hours, including breaks.

We were pretty tired by the time we arrived. Our packs had been pretty heavy as we’d had to carry warm clothes, food and a lot of water. After we checked in at the camp, we fired up a small gas stove, boiled some water, and treated ourselves to some instant ramen noodles – and more rice balls! By 5.00P.M. it was already getting quite cold, so we headed into one of the camp buildings and sat chatting around a paraffin stove to keep warm. There were people there of all ages, from all over Japan and the atmosphere was pretty lively, despite the fact that most people looked quite exhausted!

‘Lights-out’ was at 8.00P.M. We then made our way to the other building where we would be sleeping. No beds, of course! Just a tatami floor, a sleeping bag, and a couple of blankets! The temperature went down to about -4°C during the night and, as we were all packed together like sardines, we didn’t get a lot of sleep!

We got up early on Sunday and made the final ascent to the summit in time to see the sunrise, which is always worthwhile. After that, we made our way back down to the camp for breakfast, before starting our way down the mountain again. I actually found the descent quite easy, whereas Yasu thought going up was much easier than going down. Every hiker is different, I guess.

All in all, I would highly recommend climbing Mt. Kita, if you get the chance. Almost all the way up to the top camp, you are traipsing through beautiful, unspoiled forest, criss-crossing streams and passing by waterfalls aplenty. The views are consistently spectacular, even if the weather’s not perfect because, for much of the climb, you’ll be above the clouds in any case!

Check out the photos below!

We chose Mt. Ashitaka, an active volcano South East of Mt. Fuji, largely because much of the trail is quite rocky. We felt this would be good preparation for the kind of terrain we will encounter on Fuji-san.

At it’s highest peak, Ashitaka is 1504m, about 200m more than the U.K.’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis. We started out at 10.00 A.M. and got back to the car at about 5.30 P.M. It was a great hike, with some spectacular views along the way. Most of the trail led us through some dense forest, and the trees offered some welcome shade with the temperature around 34°C! I got through about 2 litres of water!

I wouldn’t say this is a hike for beginners. Particularly on the ascent, the trail was quite difficult to follow in places. We were constantly on the lookout for red spray-painted rocks to guide us but, in some places, the markings had been eroded by the weather. Also, the final ascent from 900m to 1500m is very steep and a little treacherous in places, so good hiking boots are essential.

After a couple of wrong turns and some sound advice from an old Japanese guy, who was hiking alone, replete with gas stove and a veritable feast, it was a great feeling when we finally reached the summit.

Check out the photos below!

Power Mac G4 Dual 867, circa. 2002

Earlier this week my aging iMac G5 had a meltdown. I spent an afternoon trying to fix the problem, but to no avail. This wasn’t good. I need a computer for work and, as ever, I had a ton of things to do. I couldn’t afford to waste more time trying to get the iMac up and running.

Instead, I turned to my even older, but infinitely more reliable, Power Mac G4, a machine that’s nearly a decade old. Fortunately, I always keep my computers backed-up with Apple’s Time Machine software. Using another OSX program, Migration Assistant, together with my Time Machine back-up, I was able to transfer all my files, software, email, bookmarks, settings, preferences (everything, basically!) to the Power Mac with just the click of a button.

And it worked perfectly! Within a few hours, the PowerMac was set-up exactly the way my iMac had been before the meltdown. There was no need to reinstall any software or manually transfer any files. Between the Time Machine back-up and Migration Assistant, OSX did everything for me.

I used to dread doing stuff like this because I run so many different programs on my Macs that it would take a couple of days to reinstall all the software and get all my preferences and settings just the way I like them. This time, however, it really couldn’t have been any easier. In fact, I had enough time left over to erase the hard-drive on the iMac and do a clean install of OSX. The iMac seems to be fine now.

Despite that, I decided to keep the old PowerMac in the office. I don’t really notice any speed difference between this machine and the iMac, even when using programs like Adobe Photoshop. And it looks cooler, too! Of course, it’s slow compared to today’s computers, but this machine just seems to go on forever. I’ve been a Mac user for a lot of years, but I sometimes wonder if Apple products available now have the same build quality as the Power Macs of yesteryear.

We thought long and hard about which breed of dog to buy, and did months of research before finally deciding that a French Bulldog would be the best fit. For one thing, they don’t need as much walking as some other breeds. If you work 60 hours a week, there’s no point in getting something like a Golden Retriever, which needs two long walks a day, and plenty of free running in open spaces.

Frenchies are also very ‘people-oriented’. Most of the time, they are quite happy just to lie beside me in the office while I’m working, they just want to be with you. They are also very gentle with younger children, which means that they can play with the kids in my school quite happily.

Steve instantly became part of the family and seems to bring smiles to people’s faces wherever we go. Just over a year after Steve arrived, we decided to buy a second Frenchie, Momo. Steve wasn’t too happy about the new addition to the family at first, but generally they get on really well. Whenever they are left only they always stick together. In the cold winter months, they wrap themselves around each other, top-to-tail, like some kind of furry Yin and Yang!

Check out the photos below…

Going there also gave us the chance to catch up with an old friend of mine, Iwonna, and her husband Albert who live in the city. I hadn’t seen her for about 15 years, so we had a lot of catching up to do. They took us to a great tapas bar and  gave us the low-down on where to go. It was great to finally meet Albert and we found that we had a lot in common, especially when it came to music and football!

The next day we did a lot of touristy stuff – the Mies Van der Rohe museum, Casa Batllo, Casa Mila – and had a fantastic seafood lunch at a restaurant called Fishop, on Passeig de Gràcia. In the evening, we watched the Three Kings Parade as it passed by Plaça de Catalunya.

On the final day, we headed over to La Sagrada Família and then had another great lunch in the Bohemian El Born district that lies between the Arc de Triomf and Barrio Gottico. After that we spent some time wandering through the narrow, winding streets, stumbling across all sorts of interesting nooks and crannies, until we finally found ourselves back in Plaça Reial.

The amazing thing is that we did all this sightseeing entirely on foot! We made the decision that, as we were there for such a short time, we didn’t want to waste any of it underground! We found it really easy to navigate ourselves around the city and there is so much to see between each point that I feel we definitely made the right decision. We also managed to burn off a few of the zillion calories we accumulated in Ireland!

Check out the photos below!

For one thing, climbing Fuji-san is not something you just do on a whim. It requires planning. Most people do it in August when the temperature, at sea-level, can be anything from 28-34°C, with humidity to match. At the summit of Mt. Fuji, however, temperatures plummet to around zero. You need to carry a fair bit in your rucksack and, from the most popular starting points, it’s an 8-hour climb to the top for your average trekker. Sandals and shorts, and a heavy night out the day before just aren’t going to cut it!

Another 13 summers have come and gone, much like that first one, with plenty of good intentions to finally conquer Fuji-san, but little genuine progress! This spring, however, everything changed. Together with a couple of Japanese friends, I decided to turn my half-hearted plans into genuine action. We’ve been busy buying gear and planning some practice hikes to get in shape before tackling the big one. The first of these trial runs was the reportedly easy hike to the top of Hamaishidake, a peak of just 730m.

Most people take the train to Yui Station, and it’s supposed to be fairly gentle climb from there. We, however, decided to start from Tadanuma, a little way up the river from Okitsu. It’s probably a shorter route from that point but, as result, also a lot steeper in places. It was certainly a bit harder going than I’d been expecting, but the shortness of breath was alleviated to some extent by the stunning scenery.

Most of the climb took us through a dense forest of pine and bamboo, with an occasional window to Shimizu port or Suruga Bay. Surprisingly, we were the only ones walking this more adventurous route to Hamaishidake, so it was just as well that Yasuhito brought his cowbell with him. Those forests are home to not only deer and raccoons, but also bears and wild boar. It seemed wise to let them know we were coming well in advance!

It took about three hours to the top, and the views over Suruga Bay and out towards the Izu Peninsula were well worth it. Unfortunately, Mt. Fuji was hidden in the gathering clouds of an approaching rainstorm which, in itself, was prompt to start making our way down again. We had planned to go back via Satta Pass (which links Yui and Okitsu on the old Tokai road) but, on the way, we saw a sign to Tachibana and decided to take that route instead. I’m entirely convinced that was such a great decision. It was another very steep descent and, on the final part, someone had laid a concrete path which was hard on our knees and feet.

Our next hike is planned for June 26th, something a bit higher and a bit harder! In the meantime, check out the photos in the gallery below. It includes a rough map of the route we took…

The sun was shining and the skies were clear, perfect weather to get out on my bike. Besides, the last few months had been very busy; I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone on a really long ride. The only thing left to decide was where to go.

After much deliberation, I plumped for The Izu Peninsula. It’s one of my favorite parts of Shizuoka, not only for the beautiful scenery but because I really enjoy riding on its narrow twisting roads.

I took the bypass from Okitsu to Numazu and then headed down the western coast road. This side of Izu is less popular than the east coast, where the big tourist towns of Atami and Ito are located. I prefer the west and south coasts. Less Tokyo day trippers mean less cars. Moreover, I love the more rugged scenery and the quaint little fishing towns.

I arrived in Heda around lunchtime, and I was feeling quite hungry. Unfortunately, the best restaurants in the town were full…of other bikers! I’d never seen so many bikes in one place. Many of them were older guys on Harleys, but there were a lot of younger riders, too. I didn’t really want to stop in Dogashima or Matsuzaki, and I was too hungry to ride even further. In the end, I decided to buy some food in a convenience store and had a little picnic on the beach instead!

After lunch, I rode on down the coast until I reached my favorite beach in Shizuoka, Yumigahama, in southern Izu. It’s much quieter than the more popular Shirahama beach, just a few kilometers away. I relaxed on the beach for a while and then headed home. I rode around to Shimoda and then took the route through central Izu. It was dark by the time I got home and, all in all, I’d ridden nearly 300 km. It was a good way to spend a Sunday alone!

I rarely use my car, a Mitsubishi D5, for work. For one thing, the gas consumption is awful, only about 9km/l, even on a long run. Also, I do much of my traveling in rush-hour. Getting anywhere by car at that time of day takes twice as long as it does on a bike.

I thought long and hard about which bike to get. I’ve always liked cruisers and my particular favourite is the Yamaha Dragstar 400.  I like the styling of the Dragstar and it’s a well-balanced, easy to ride bike. It also has a drive-shaft instead of a chain which makes for easier maintenance. As I like to do most of my own maintenance, the fact that it is the only current Japanese cruiser model that uses air-cooling and a carburetor was important to me. Water-cooling and fuel-injection are things that are difficult and costly to repair when they go wrong.

In the end, I decided against the Dragstar, mainly because it is not very maneuverable, especially in traffic. It’s a great bike for weekend cruising, but not really suited to commuting.

At this point, I started looking at off-road bikes. They are light, maneuverable, and have a slim profile which make them ideal for slicing through traffic. First of all, I tried the Yamaha Serow (セロー) but I’m 182cm tall, and it felt a little small and cramped, especially for long journeys. The newer models are also very low-powered.

Next, I checked out the Kawasaki KLX250. This is a very nice bike and was a good fit for me. The new models are heavily restricted for emissions, but up until 2006 they made decent power for a 250 and still used a carburetor. The main drawbacks were that it was water-cooled and it had a very small gas tank, about 7.5 litres. I had similar reservations about the Yamaha WR range.

Finally, I found the Suzuki Djebel. It was a perfect fit for my long legs, it was air-cooled and, best of all, it has a huge 17 litre tank! It also makes about the same power as the larger engined Dragstar, but wieghs about 130kg less. You do the math! It does just over 30km/l on average which means I can travel more than 500km between visits to the gas station. That’s better than my car! Being an off-road bike the seat is not the most comfortable, but I can manage about 150km before my posterior needs a break! All in all, I’m really pleased with it so far, and it definitely seems like the perfect commuter. It also means I can take some more adventurous trails when I’m up in the mountains. The best of both worlds!

SPECS

Thanks to Bikez.com for the information.

We waited patiently for a few hours, hoping to get on a standby flight, while most other people spent their time screaming and shouting at the airline desk clerks. As one flight after another came and went, I decided to take the opposite tack to most of the would-be passengers in the terminal. I managed to corner one of the desk clerks, and immediately began sympathizing with the stressful conditions she was working under. It worked – she was immediately on my side because I was probably the first person who’d been polite to her in days!

First of all, I asked asked her to tell me straight if there was any chance we would get on a standby flight to Dublin that night. She answered no. I then asked her if there were any seats available, on any flight, to anywhere in Ireland. Her fingers began tapping away at her keyboard at lightning speed. After several minutes of umms and ahhs, she suddenly looked up from her screen and announced, “There are two seats left on the last flight out to Shannon Airport. Would like me to reserve them for you?” To be honest, I had absolutely no idea where Shannon Airport was, but I was determined not to spend Christmas in Heathrow. Get across the water,  I thought to myself, and then figure out how to get to my folks place. Our seats were booked.

Things were looking up. However, when we finally arrived in Shannon we found that the Heathrow baggage handlers had failed to put our luggage on the plane, despite receiving every assurance that they would do so before we left London. We then discovered that were in the diagonally opposite corner of Ireland to where my folks live. Luckily were able to find the only hotel in Shannon that was open on Christmas Eve, complete with a skeleton staff of…one!

As it turned out, it would take another five days for our luggage to arrive, but at least it wasn’t lost for good! My father drove right across Ireland on Xmas Day to pick us up and we were home in time for dinner. It was great to spend a comfortable night in the peace and quiet of my parents’ home, exchange Christmas presents, and catch up with all the news. It had been nearly four years since we last visited them. I spent most of the next day raiding my mum’s fridge packed as it was with all my favourite food!

We had planned to make an excursion to England while we there to visit family and friends. Unfortunately, the ongoing weather problems put paid to that idea. I called my best friend to give him the bad news and, to my surprise, he announced that he was going to drive to Fishguard, in Wales, and take the ferry over to Ireland. That’s why he’s my best friend! It was great to see him and his family, and they all get on really well with Nozomi and my folks. Martin even cooked dinner for us while he was there!

Despite all the problems getting there, it was a great holiday, and we still had three days in Barcelona to come! Check out the photos in the album below…

Route 362 goes high up into the mountains, north of Fujieda and Shimada. There are some wonderful views from the top of the mountains, looking down onto rivers and valleys and endless forests. There were very few cars on the road, which is always a good thing, but it can get a little lonely in places! In some parts, the road winds through some pretty dense forest. It’s quite dark in there, even in the day time, and you need to keep an eye out for deer, and possibly even the odd wild boar or bear! It’s not a road you’d want to take at night, especially not on two wheels!

There aren’t many people living up in those mountains. There are few small communities consisting mainly of tea farmers but there are some quite long stretches with no houses at all. It’s therefore a wise idea to make sure that your bike is in good working order before you set off.

Eventually, the road winds slowly out of the mountains and down to Lake Hamanako. I arrived there about 1.00PM and it was already quite hot. Luckily there was a nice, cool breeze blowing off the lake. As it was a weekday, there were very few people around, nevertheless I stayed clear of the more tacky tourist spots on the Hamamatsu side. Instead, I headed over to the quaint little fishing villages on the opposite shore and had some unagi (fresh water eel) for lunch.

After that I took a nap beside the lake and then headed home, this time taking the quicker but less interesting Route 1. It was a great ride, about 340km in total. Check out the photos below!