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Shimoda Izu Birthday Trip 2008 with Aya

September 8, 2008 · 2 Comments 

Largely by accident, going to Shimoda, Izu in Shizouka Prefecture, Japan has become an annual summer ritual.  It started two summers ago with the Can, which was the best road trip I’ve ever taken in Japan.  The tradition continued this summer, and it was my third birthday in a row spent on Tatadohama Beach, but my first ever with Aya.  We drove her dad’s car down my favorite strip of road in Japan, Rd. 135 along the coast all the way down to the very tip of the Izu Peninsula where Shimoda dwells, seemingly... [Read the full story]

Japan

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Shimoda Izu Birthday Trip 2008 with Aya

September 8, 2008 · 2 Comments 

Largely by accident, going to Shimoda, Izu in Shizouka Prefecture, Japan has become an annual summer ritual.  It started two summers ago with the Can, which was the best road trip I’ve ever taken in Japan.  The tradition continued this summer, and it was my third birthday in a row spent on Tatadohama Beach, but my first ever with Aya.  We drove her dad’s car down my favorite strip of road in Japan, Rd. 135 along the coast all the way down to the very tip of the Izu Peninsula where Shimoda dwells, seemingly... [Read the full story]

Cycling

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Back to cycling the Palace, slowly

September 3, 2008 · 2 Comments 

FULL RIDE STATS: Distance: 15.78 miles Time in motion: 1 hour 1 minute 48 seconds Average speed: 15.3 mph Max speed: 26.7 mph 3-LAPS STATS: Distance: 9.36 miles Time in motion: 31 minutes 14 seconds Average speed: 18.0 mph  This was my first cycling, or real exercise of any kind, since August 7th.  August was largely rained out in Tokyo.  I heard it was the rainiest August on record, maybe.  So tonight it felt very good to get back in the saddle again, well, it felt good until I hit that head wind on the descent... [Read the full story]

Skimboarding

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Skimboarding 2008 - Session #06 - Chigasaki

August 13, 2008 · 6 Comments 

I wanted to return to skimboarding at Chigasaki beach this past Saturday for various reasons.  It is the beach I have skimboarded on the most in Japan, by far, and is actually the 3rd most skimmed beach of any in my 21 years of skimboarding.  The other reason was Aya.  I wanted to propose to her, and I wanted to do it at the most familiar, most special place to me in the Tokyo area.  Even though Chigasaki beach is little more than an ash tray next to the ocean, it is still special to me and it is still capable of producing... [Read the full story]

Video

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Shimoda Izu Birthday Trip 2008 with Aya

September 8, 2008 · 2 Comments 

Largely by accident, going to Shimoda, Izu in Shizouka Prefecture, Japan has become an annual summer ritual.  It started two summers ago with the Can, which was the best road trip I’ve ever taken in Japan.  The tradition continued this summer, and it was my third birthday in a row spent on Tatadohama Beach, but my first ever with Aya.  We drove her dad’s car down my favorite strip of road in Japan, Rd. 135 along the coast all the way down to the very tip of the Izu Peninsula where Shimoda dwells, seemingly... [Read the full story]

Photography

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Brief cycling for Shinjuku night photos

September 2, 2008 · Leave a Comment 

RIDE STATS: Distance:  2.13 miles   Time in motion:  13 minutes 39 seconds Average speed:  9.4 mph Max speed:  17.4 mph As you can tell from the stats, this wasn’t a hardcore ride, or even a light exercise ride.  Rather it was my first time to try riding with my Nikon D80 in the handlebar bag.  It worked well as I made the brief ride to the Shinjuku skyscraper district to try my hand at handheld night shots of the skyscrapers.   [Read the full story]  Read More →

Writing

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Green Sky Blue Grass [poem]

July 29, 2008 · Leave a Comment 

Written where:  Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan Where exactly:  in my apartment Written with:  white board marker on white board When:  3:10am on Tuesday July 29th 2008 GREEN SKY BLUE GRASS If the sky were green And the grass was blue. What color would be the dew? Would it still be see through? If I were you,  And we were me, And there was cancer for all three. Did I die before the sky Came back from green to blue?  Read More →

Life

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Generation Kill episode #07 “Bomb in the Garden” review

August 26, 2008 · Leave a Comment 

A great mini-series of television came to a slow end tonight with GENERATION KILL #07 “Bomb in the Garden.”  This season of television was the best since the 4th season of THE WIRE, whose season finale also had a very slow and differing in tone from all previous eps feel to it.  This is not surprising since the same writers and producers were at the helm of GENERATION KILL as well.  Regardless, I am very sad to be unable to spend more time with these characters.  I wish we could have seen more missions. ... [Read the full story]

Featured Photos

Incoming plane to Haneda Airport 02The Mikes watch in disbelief a low-flying planeJason is angry after taking a showerUK Mike, Canadian Mike, and Jason cycling near Haneda AirportJason ripping a front side flairSunflowers in Shinjuku

Japan

 Thumbnail

Shimoda Izu Birthday Trip 2008 with Aya

Largely by accident, going to Shimoda, Izu in Shizouka Prefecture, Japan has become an annual summer ritual.  It started two summers ago with the Can, which was the best road... [Read more]


More Japan

Skimboarding

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Skimboarding 2008 - Session #06 - Chigasaki

I wanted to return to skimboarding at Chigasaki beach this past Saturday for various reasons.  It is the beach I have skimboarded on the most in Japan, by far, and is actually... [Read more]


More Skimboarding

Writing

 Thumbnail

Green Sky Blue Grass [poem]

Written where:  Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan Where exactly:  in my apartment Written with:  white board marker on white board When:  3:10am on Tuesday July 29th 2008 GREEN SKY... [Read more]


More Writing

Cycling

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Back to cycling the Palace, slowly

FULL RIDE STATS: Distance: 15.78 miles Time in motion: 1 hour 1 minute 48 seconds Average speed: 15.3 mph Max speed: 26.7 mph 3-LAPS STATS: Distance: 9.36 miles Time in... [Read more]


More Cycling

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