The Road to Mt. Fuji

I spent the first month and a half here in Japan thinking that I brought my bike over to Japan just so I could ride to Rengejike park and to the beach in Yaizu. But for some reason, somehow or some higher power intervenes. I was walking towards Fujieda station just past the Circle K near where I live. There is a clothing store at the corner there. Now keep in mind that shopping for clothes in Japan would be a waste of time for me. Nothing would fit. But this store looks pretty cool so I decided to poke my head in have a look. The store is nice looking, a smell of incense in the air. My eyes move up to the wall and I see 2 mountain caliber bike on display as decoration. Oooh I think, whats this? I didn't act on it right away, I wasn't ready to approach the owner about the bikes because I felt my Japanese wasn't good enough.
I went back a few days later. I introduced myself and asked about the bikes. Then I asked "Doko Dae Mountain bike ni norumashta". Where is the mountain biking? Funny how quick things can change.

This is Jimmy. He actually speaks pretty good english so there really was no need for my intial retreat from his store. Typical. Jimmy is a nice guy who likes to ride and surf. We spoke for a while, I told him about my recent trip to Mexico. After a fair bit of getting to understand each other foriegner type chit chat, Jimmy told me about Unno bros cycle in Fujieda. I would head that way a few days later.

That visit I would meet Kaz Unno, the shop ownwer. A few days later I would go back at the right time and meet of few of his regular customers. Meet Koji, far left, Kaoru in red and Kaz in white. This picture, btw, was taken while they were watching a copy of ROAM i ripped off the internet. They seemed to enjoy it.

We made tentative plans to go to Nagano last week but just like life in Vancouver, our plans got rained out. No matter.

I was training Karate the following thursday. As usual we were at the Shimada high school. I ran into Kaoru there who was working on his jujitsu there on the tatami with a buddy. I managed to talk to him for a bit and he told me about the ride that was being planned for Mt Fuji. Without hesitation, I told him I was in.

I rode saturday morning with another group and trained Karate that morning as well. The next morning, Sunday, I was up at 6 and off to the meeting place.

I think my friend IFO needs one of these Toyota vans. All the bikes and enough room to shuttle everyone up in comfort. Kaz, Kaoru and I rode in Kaoru' van to Mt. Fuji.

This is the view up the hill out of the parking lot. From here we would push up the trail to the place where we would start our desent.

We took water break and were met by a few random hikers, photograhers I think. They stopped to talk about our bikes. We continued our push up the hill. About 30 more up on foot. Again, I held out quite well I thought.

This is the crew in all there were 8 of us. Behing them is where we would head to start our ride down the mountain.

Behind me somewhere is the peak of Mt. Fuji.

The ride to start with was on very loose ground, rocks and baby heads. I scootered down it again as I'm still not used to not being in total control of where I go.

We got ourselves into some very tight trails. Everywhere I rode there were branches sticking out trying to knock me unconcious. Often we would have to push the bikes along because the trail was soo tight, with lots of corners and fallen trees.

There was a lot of this on the trail. We would have to push our bikes through, over and under fallen trees. These fallen trees are courtesy of an avalanche that took place here last winter. There is not much of a ride community on Mt. Fuji, no Volunteers to clear the trails I guess.

Towards the bottom it cleared up nicely tho. The ground was still loose with lots of volcanic rock. It was nice enough to ride, but we only had about 40 minutes of this until the trail ended.

At the end of the ride we packed up our gear and headed out for lunch and beers. It's still all the ways we are alike that amazes me here.

The road to Mt Fuji is not just about 1 mountain biking trip. These riders are the first friends I have made that are not through Karate, English teaching or inherited from Robyn. (BTW, I just came from dinner and drinks with Hide and Naru. Fine gents indeed.) It could be that this is the beginning of my trip. The experience that is mine and no one elses, and trip that is unique from anything that Robyn, Andrew, Lisa or anyone else has had here in Fujieda.

I remember back in May, I was picking up my bike from the Cove bike shop in N Van. I had just dumped all my money into it too. Not 2 hours later did I get the call from Kathryn that I could go to Japan if I wanted. It seemed like inconvenient timing then, but 4 months later, at the bottom of Mt. Fuji, that has been replaced by a sense of profound providence.

The View from Yaizu

After a slow start to the morning the weather decided to clear up nicely. I threw my bike into the back of my car and drove to the beach in Yaizu. I put the front tire back on the bike and started heading north up the beach line towards Yaizu central. I would stop from time to time to take pictures and think about taking a short swim to Vancouver.

Yaizu is a very famous fishing community in Japan. One day I would like to sit down with Hasagawa-san and learn more about it's history. Yuzo Hasagawa is one of my students in the Ohtomi group. A former english professor, he is rich with stories about this community's history. As I neared Yaizu central I reached the port and docks where many fishing boats make berth.

A little further up you can find many people, old men and teenagers with lines in the water. Not a waste of time either, while I was riding along I saw at least 2 or 3 people reeling in a fish.

I pressed on through Yaizu. On the other side of town is more beach front. I had to turn back though. The nice seawall scenery ended at that big hill.

I headed back to the car stopping to take one more picture. This group, a family and friends I assume enjoying the sunday of their long weekend on the beach with a few beer, sunshine and view.

When people return home after travel they are quite quick to regale you in stories of how different things are in other countries. While I am not nearly as worldly as I hope to be someday, I can admit that peoples pass times and media are quite different in Japan. But when I see people just hanging out with other people, all I think is how alike the people here are to the people where I am from. These folks for example, just chillin on the beach with a few wobbly pops. I imagine that what is most important to them are much the same as whats most important to us. Family, freedom and being happy. I don't imagine there is much difference in that regard whether you live in Canada, Japan, Afghanistan or Iraq. It occurs to me that anytime I have ever listened to someone tell people how different one group of people is from another, I can always think of something that that person might have to gain from people feeling that way - power, money, oil.

Consider, if you will, a world where people respected authority, but ignored power.

The whole world, hanging out on the beach with their friends and family?

Fireworks

Last month I was invited out to the fireworkds display in Yaizu by the Ohtomi group, one of my larger classes. Sensei reminded me to bring my camera, but what did I do? I forgot my camera. Finally Kaz was able to provide me with the picture on his camera so I figured it was time to share one of the highlights of August.
This is a picture of the Ohtomi group that came out- AKA the Yaizu Karoake team. hehe

And below are some of the better shots of the actually display which last almost a full hour. Not bad for a free show and sure to give the Symphony of Fire a run for its money.

Afterwards we went out for a few drinks at the local Shidex, a really cool franchise in Japan were you and your friends can rent a room and do the Karoake thing. I cannt confirm or deny whether I took part in that at this time.

Junko

I would like to start introducing my readers to some of my english students. They are, after all, a big part of the experience I am having here and it's only fair for the readers who really want to walk in my shoes.

All of my students have been remarkable gracious people. But even in a country that is famous for it's manners and hospitality, this one stands out. Please meet Junko.

I head over to her house which is close to mine every other friday. She serves up the tea and the smiles and we speak in english and cover a few exercises I prepare for her. Her english is quite advanced. She has been studying for some time and has even spent a month or 2 in the the states with a host family. When she is done university she wants to be an english teacher. She is currently working on her Thesis fo school. The other day she offered me a questionare to be completed for her study, an exercise in pronoun comprehension. I was happy to complete it and return it to her. I was even happier to find that I got all her questions correct. Whew! That could have been embarrasing. HAHA!

Junko's hobby is shopping, well window shopping mostly as now she is playing the classic role of a starving student, a role she plays with a lot of class.

She has 3 sisters. Yikes! Here she can be seen with one of her sisters and her Niece.

More student profiles to come as I can collect them.

Take care Vancouver.

Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight

Sensei suggested I head down to the Fujieda Budokan sunday morning. A few of my Dojo mates would be going for thier Nidan ranks. He suggested the event would take about and hour and a half. When I got their, I was expecting just a few people to be their to show their stuff. Instead this is what I arrived to. As it turned out this was not just a Dojo Grading but the B&B grading for the whole Shizuoka Prefecture. Silly of me to think that anything Karate related could be a small event in Fujieda. Sensei Sakurai was his usual busy self presiding over a group of brown belts as they tried to advance.

Our Dojo had 3 people going for their Nidans. Takumi (1), Takumi(2) and Ikie. Here Takumi(1 on the right ) is working on his Kihon. Interestingly enough, the lad on the left is the son of Maruyama-san. A Yandan himself who has his own Dojo and one of my english students. More about Maruyama Sensei another time.

For my money, this is the pic of the day. Takumi(2) doin a good looking Keage.

Ikie on the left is doing an Ungi Uki.

Takumi(1) is in mid air during his Empi performance.

Ikie is 14 years old. The other 2 cannot be any older than 12. In Canada, Nidans are usually at least 30 years old.

Of our 3 candidates, 2 made Nidan. Ikie has to go back for another look sometime down the road. I spoke with him before the grading and he was pretty nervous and Im sure he isnt too happy right now about having to go back. But when he does get it, it will be all the sweeter. After all, as Bruce Cockburn said, "Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight". If you wanna see him do Jitte for his grading, click here.