Takano-san and his fabulous Power Raspberry Air Friday.
Sat Oct 24, 2009: Setting out at 7am for Kauizawa. Saturday reading starts on the train.
Train aisles are like fashion catwalks in Tokyo.
Jeff and Miki with their bagged Fridays
Not how the tikit made it all the way platformside without a hassle - semi-naked so it can roll.
Close up of the half clothed tikit - train station officials waved it through, told me to cover it or pointed to the elevator.
You line up here - red for next train, green for the train after that.
The lady with the blie bag cleans the train between stops. "Because they serve food."
That's what it says overhead.
The Frankensteinesque gizmos on the bullet train. "I wouldn't want to touch that," said Jeff.
Note the bicycles stashed behind the back row of seats.
That's another Shinkansen speeding by behind me.
The city as see by a speeding bullet train.
Seriously, that blur isnt the sun on the train window - it's another Shinkansen bullet train speeding by!
Sprawl north of Tokyo as see from the bullet train.
More of that industrial flavor please!
In the train, an elaborate food cart is wheeled by
So I bought the fanciest thing on the cart - kamma meshe, meaning rice bowl, from the Nagano region
The hotpot unclothed ... kamma meshe, from the Nagano region. It's an actual ceramic pot. Slow food on a fast train ...
This tiny purse of picked things come with the meal.
That's one tiny pickled eggplant!
As we enter the mountainous area, the scenery goes fom concerete to greenery ...
The tikit stowed neatly behind the rear pair of seats in every Shinkansen railcar
Takano-san, mechanic at Bike Friday Takasaki dealer Cycletech IKD, helps unfold Jeff and Miki's Air Friday and Crusoe.
Gotta get that Ti beam in there!
Takano-san and Miki look at the cycling route map of Kauizawa.
Here comes the BF Club of Japan!
John from Canada has a unique "morphing" Friday that switches from moutn to road mode using some fast magic. Don't ask the price!
Msaki Matsumoto from Osaka on his Pocket Rocket Pro
Pause to regroup - very important!
They've got the little one in the trailer!
Kimalee from Seitama visited Eugene and ordered a red tikit to match the fall foliage
Tomo and Take with matching his & her "super Express" tikits - a cross between an Express and Speeding tikit, by the looks of it ...
With love from across the oceans...
The name plate says it all - Takano-san works for BF Takasaki dealer Cycletech IKD
Modesty prevails in Japan - push this button and you get a recorded sound of the toilet flushing to muffle the sound of you peeing.
This dish is called 'om-rice' - omelette over fried rice with some brown gravy - OMG, it's as nightmarish as Tex Mex, but kids love it.
Tanaguchi-san from Seitama. on a semi-loaded tikit - for weekend warrioring
These are bonsai and ikebana scissors I am told.
Jun and Kazumi Kataoka's put on a wonderful afternoon tea.
Ats Nakamura and I found this model of a kilo of fat in a supermarket, advertising a weight loss program. Makes a cool paperweight.
Pension Kauisawa Forest, where we stayed the night. http://www7b.biglobe.ne.jp/~karuizawa-forest/
Pension Kauizawa forest view from our room. $6600 yen/night - about $US71 including breakfast
Jeff, John and Miki prepare to take a Japanese bath in yukatas
Me in my yukata - with my Traffic Cone Bag so I can be seen when traveling down the corridor
Every bath should be like this - deep and hot. You shower BEFORE it, and share the water with the rest of the family.
Sake lined up at the party at Jun and Kazumi Kataoka's Karuizawa house.
Takano-san isn't just a mechanic, he's a bbq king!
Jun and Kazumi Kataoka put on an amazing meal. Subarashi!
Plenty of "biru" and sake must be the reason these Friday funsters didn't feel the Kauizawa chill on Jun's deck
Happy birthday to Taeko!
Jonathan from Boston, part of Ruthy Kanagy's Japan Cycle Tour group, with the Japanese handtowel gifted by Jun, featuring the Daruma - a talisman for prosperity.
Jun-san bought one of my 'Guyfromdownunder' Traffic Cone Bags http://www.galfromdownunder.com/tcb
Matane (pronounced 'matinee' - more or less) = See you again
The Friday folks came from far and wide to party - some rose at 5am to travel here ...
... one funster came straight to the 10am ride from the office with 30 mins sleep.
Ruthy's Japan Cycle Tours group from Alaska, Canada and Boston! http://www.japancycletours.com
Janet North and I go back to 2002, when I stayed with her in her Fairbanks dome guest tent. See http://www.galfromdownunder.com/alaskastory2002/alaskaforbeginners.html
Fantastic fall foliage backroad led by USA transplant Adam Clarke - who just happened to pop along after seeing our notice in the Bike Friday events calendar
Adam Clarke popped up out of nowhere after reading about our visit to Kauizawa on the Bike Friday events calendar - what a fantastic community the Bike Friday Fold is!
Wealthy vacation homes in Kauizawa.
Wealthy vacation homes in Kauizawa.
Me scratching my butt in Kauizawa town.
Where does that astro turf lead to?
Farewell Adam - thanks so much for the unscheduled surprise ride! At the Kauizawa train station and headed back to Tokyo.
Once more with Friday feeling!
Loren Dudley from Silver Bike Tours in Washington says farewell through the Shinkansen window - his tikit in tow.
Heading back to Tokyo on the Shinkansen - a semi-naked tikit got me no trouble from the station officials.
You can roll the tikit with the cover half off - an transit officials don't seem to mind.
Yep, a Chevy folder!
At the end of my trip, Ray-san offered to buy the demo Princess Pink tikit.
It was an auspicious handover at Gotojuki station. Ray-san has a Bike Friday Crusoe.
Ats Nakamura, BF Club of Japan leader and head of http://cycle-tokyo.cycling.jp/ was the connection between Ray-san and the pink tikit.
Taniguchi-san and Kimcame from Seitama to join in a farewell dinner.
My Tokyo host Miki Miyagawa arranged the farewell dinner at Gotojuki restaurant Raku - where we enjoyed a Hokkaido meal, including baked potatoes! Call it "HokkIdaho".
Bike Friday Club (Tokyo) members, L to R from back: Tomo, Ats, Miki, Jeff, Kim, Taeko, Andy Clarke (rode to and from Yokohama on his Pocket Rocket - 1 hour!), Taniguchi-san, Galfromdownunder, Taka.
Tomo-san (left) demonstrates a clever enhancement to the tikit by brains trust engineer Taniguchi-san (right) - a webbing strap added to the red carry handle bolts. Viola, a tikit on your shoulder.
Tomo and Taeko sold their road bikes and do brevets on their "Super Express" tikits.
"Matane" (see you later) ... Kimilee gifted me with this tiny bear in a kimono called Kimico. The long sleeves denote the bear is young and unmarried.