Let It Snow Again

This is the snowcapped top tube of my bike, worn and battered, but still as reliable as an old friend. We see much more snow here even before Christmas this year. It's time to go mushing!

すり切れてくたびれた、でも旧友のように頼りがいのある自転車のトップチューブに積もる雪。今年はクリスマス前からずいぶん降る。犬ぞりの出番だ。

Nice Ride through Forest

Yeah, Monday was a perfect day for riding through "Obihiro's Forest." The bikers & walkers' path is also a perfect shortcut without traffic lights or any other obstructions up to almost halfway to the destination. It normally takes about 15 minutes by car, but it takes me exactly the same by bicycle, then why go by car?

「帯広の森」を走るのにパーフェクトな日和。自転車歩行者遊歩道はもちろん信号も障害もなく、目的地までの半分くらいの地点まで完璧なショートカット。通常クルマで約15分のルートが自転車でも全く同じ。自転車で充分か?

As Free As The Wind Again

Once again, I went biking in Naitai Highland Farm which I introduced in my previous post.

This time I was shot all day by NHK TV crew with a reporter, who for the first time climbed the grand and hilly farmland by bicycle, but she really made it. Quite a girl! I testify it isn't a staged show.

We were expecting the weather to be fine, but the foothill of the Daisetsu Mountain National Park was covered with pretty dense fog (photo).

Let's see what the report will be broadcast like:

(both on NHK-G)

Ohayo Hokkaido/Burari Mite Aruki on Saturday, 29 May from 7:30 a.m. (hokkaido-local)

Yudoki Network/Retto Tsutsu-Uraura on Thursday, 10 June from 4:50 p.m. (nationwide)

またもや、ナイタイ高原牧場へ自転車を乗りに。

今度はNHKのクルーに、初めて自転車での登頂？に挑戦するリポーターとともに撮られっぱなしだった。心配をよそに彼女は登頂に成功！なかなかだ。ヤラセではありませんよ。

天気はよくなるはずだったけれど、大雪山の麓は濃霧（写真通り）に包まれてしまった。

放送内容はどうなることやら...。

5月29日 7:30 a.m. おはよう北海道・ぶらりみてある記（北海道地方）

6月10日 4:50 p.m. ゆうどきネットワーク 列島津々浦々（全国）

As Free As The Wind

On Saturday, I biked with my friend up to and down from the top of the biggest dairy farm in Japan, where we still saw snow patches all around.

This is a part of the video footage he captured then, of course, on the way down!

土曜日に、残雪の散在する日本一でかい牧場の頂上へ、自転車で登って降りてきた。

こちらは、（もちろん下りの時に）彼が収録したもの。

"Bikers Paradise" Map #1 To Be Issued!

Ever since I came back to Tokachi, I have been hoping to see more people, locals and tourists, enjoy biking in this area. Although we have pretty long and severe winter here, Tokachi's modestly rolling hills and vast plains surrounded by the amazingly beautiful mountain ridges and horizons stretching in the distance could always be the good reason why I would call it "Bikers Paradise."

Recently I have produced a nice guide map for tourists and local cyclists for the first time on behalf of NPO Slow Wave Sunku Village, a local volunteer group acting for sustainable society and lifestyle.

This map contains quite a lot of items including 3 maps from the one covering downtown Obihiro to the entire Tokachi region, 10 model courses and safety information, etc. If you are interested, please download the high-res preview data (about 10MB) in A3 size (297 x 420 mm), which is separated into 4 pages. (password: bikers)

(Sorry, English-Japanese edition will be available from the next issue on hopefully.)

I hope you will find biking in Tokachi amusing!

十勝に戻って来てから、ずっともっとたくさんの人たちが自転車に乗ってくれるといいなと思っていました。冬はすこしきびしくて長いけれど、美しい山並みとどこまでも広がる地平線に囲まれたなだらかな起伏と広い平野だけでも、「バイカーズ・パラダイス」（自転車天国）と呼ぶには充分な素地がある（と思っています）。

最近、NPOスローウェーブすんく村（持続可能な社会とライフスタイルのために活動するグループ）を代表して、旅行者にも地元の人たちにも見ていただきたいガイドマップを作りました。帯広中心部から十勝全域の3つのマップと、10のモデルコース、安全情報などをてんこ盛り。ご興味の方は、実寸A3サイズのプレビューデータ（10MB・4ページに分割）を用意しましたので、こちらからダウンロード(パスワード: bikers)の上、ご覧くださいな。

十勝で自転車乗りは楽しい!

"COGGEY" Lalaport Yokohama

This nice little bike shop is located in the patio of a huge shopping mall "Lalaport Yokohama" which recently appeared on one block where there was a big NEC plant I used to pass by on my way to work. Its spacious atmosphere and friendly clerks as well as their selection of items will surely make you feel the fun of biking.
時々通勤路に使っていた緑産業道路のNEC工場跡にいつの間にか登場した、最近よくある巨大ショッピング施設「ららぽーと横浜」。その中庭にあるおしゃれな自転車屋さん。三方ガラス張りの明るい店内の自転車とアイテムの品揃えもなかなか遊び心があり、店員さんも親しみやすく好感あり。お近くの方はどうぞ。

COGGEY website

where?

Down in Yokohama

I biked around downtown Yokohama last week to shoot some pictures of those historic buildings.

I hope I will have many pictures like this in my future exhibition.

横浜の中心街を自転車で走り回り、歴史的建造物の写真をいくつか撮って回った。そのうち展示会でこんな作品も含めて紹介できるといい。

where?