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I'm going to Japan next month and wanted to run in a 5k or 10k race as a cool thing to do. Unfortunately, I did not realize how running crazy they are there. Their cutoff for entries occurred months ago. I am told they have lotteries to see who gets in. For many of their races, they have cutoffs for like 10,000 people. Very disappointed. Wanted to get a momento like a finisher's medal with Mt. Fuji on it or something.
Which part of Japan are you going to?Quote:
Originally Posted by Darrell KSR
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Mainly Osaka, but also staying in Tokyo, with trips to Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima and Mt. Fuji (maybe). Like everything my family does in life, we're still putting it together but at least we have flights and hotels booked.Quote:
Originally Posted by PedroDaGr8
Nice! We are going to Vietnam in May and might end up in Japan at the end May to visit a Japanese friend who will be there renewing her business visa (she is a 21st generation sake brewer who is now making sake up here in WA because their original brewery is inside the Fukashima exclusion zone). We have a long list of recommendations of things to do in Kyoto from her from when we visited a little over a year ago. I'll send it your way in case it can help. Kyoto was super beautiful when we visited and we really wished we had more time there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Darrell KSR
One thing of note: If you want to visit Fushimi Inari (the Kyoto temple with the famous red-orange gates) plan to get there super early, like around 6 am early. The crowds really start arriving by around 7am. By the time we left the temple at 8am it was jam packed. Also, the hike to the top is around 2.5 miles long and around 750ft elevation change. My advice, unless you are dead set going to the top, just go to the main landing (the junction of the first leg and the loop trail that goes to the top). That will give you 90+% of the experience of going all the way to the top without having to spend the time and energy doing the rest of the hike.
Also, if you are a watch person, there is a really nice local watchmaker in Kyoto (brand is Kuoe) that both makes the watch there and uses Japanese movements (mostly Miyota).
Ooooo, I want a watch.Quote:
Originally Posted by PedroDaGr8
I really never thought about Japan as a tour destination, but you guys are intriguing me with the thought of adding it to the travel list.
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Oh yeah, Lent and no sweets has me cruising around 217 down from bouncing around the 227/230 mark at the start of lent…my first of the year exercise thing went sideways with some ailments. Nothing serious, just good sound excuse not to exercise.
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Great tips. I love watches, but my wife would probably unalive me if I found something I couldn't be without, so I may have to skip that, although man, it would be cool. I don't have that many, but I have a small nice collection of a couple--while I wear my Garmin Venu 3 everywhere lol.Quote:
Originally Posted by PedroDaGr8
Ribbonfish is a good longtime poster here too, lives in Tokyo--doesn't post much, but he's been around forever, and I connected with him. Hoping to at least say hello while we're there, and he was also kind enough to share some tips.
Son is a big Pokemon nerd, and yesterday I was up at 3:30 a.m. attempting to get reservations 31 days in advance when reservations opened at 6pm Japan time at the Pokemon Cafe in Osaka so my daughter (who is now in her 2nd year living there) could join us. Daughter also attempted at 6pm her time while I attempted at 4 a.m. my time--we both struck out, but we simultaneously used a booking service (don't tell anyone) and they landed a reservation for us. They only have seating for 140 and they go literally in seconds. We'll be in Osaka, then to Tokyo, then back to Osaka as our bases -- we will be watching our daughter in different shows at USJ a couple of days, and fortunately, she'll be off a couple of days each weekend and also taking a couple of days off, so she'll be our tour guide, too for a good part of the trip.
I'm probably looking forward to Kyoto more than anything and the Fushimi Inari, just as you said. If you do get a chance, I'd appreciate any recommendations you have, too.
Ohio! Kyoto was my favorite place in Japan. Tokyo is overwhelming. I was constantly worried I'd miss a train stop and be lost forever. The movie "Lost in Translation" had some of what I felt trying to get around in Tokyo.
Not a recommendation, but we were working in Fukui. Fukui was a good place to get close, see the old men who were WWII veterans and their obvious hostility as i walked the town square, unknown to me a memorial for WWII dead, their looks understandable, but it did have a smaller, midwestern city feel. We spent all our work time north of Fukui at the Dinosaur museum up near where some year of Olympics were held. I was lucky enough to get drunk with one of the main guys from "hello kitty" there and eat everything off the fried foods picture menu with him. After that, no more saki with a plum in it for me, strictly a biiru guy. Compai!
But Kyoto! Get up and wander the little residential streets with their tiny bucket gardens of orchids and other plants, or go to the old emperor's palace, or walk near the river, or walk around the women's university up on the hill near our hotel, or go down to the Geisha district at night, all spared from bombing by the historian air corps general who did not want to burn the old capital, Kyo-to, rather than the new capital, To-Kyo. The orchids were amazing, decades old or even older, huge cascades of flowers.
I enjoyed the bullet trains and loading on the airplane, (stampede), and watching the airplane land on the screen from the camera underneath the plane. Some of the best chinese food I've ever eaten was in Tokyo. Can't say I ever got used to Japanese breakfast, cold noodles and fish flakes, just for example, but the McDonalds had a egg mcmuffin like sandwich with some kind of relish on it that did the trick.
We were there immediately after the Fukishima reactor meltdown. The country was on low electricity so very little air conditioning and all the government guys i was hanging with wore short sleeve shirts and ties, and suits were banned. I brought the Governor a bottle of Elmer T Lee, because Montana whiskey is bad. The country was somewhat riveted, understandably, to the televised investigations and on going reports from the meltdown.
Ex got heat stroke. It was amazingly hot and humid. Since we did not go to southern Japan, Bozeman had/has a sister city there, I did not have to eat horse.
Appropriate to the thread, I lost weight while there.
Sent you a DM with the recommendation info! Also responded to a DM from you that I missed!
Received, thanks!
I ran into her a couple days ago and she sent me an updated list to send to you! So I threw it in a Google Doc and sent it to you via PM.Quote:
Originally Posted by Darrell KSR
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Got it, thanks!
Closing out lent on Easter morning I weighed in at 215…which wasn’t bad considering I never got into a regular exercise routine.
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Now that I've mostly given up all my bad habits the real problem surfaces; I don't want any good habits.
Weight creeping up. Exercise as good as it has ever been, but eating habits not.
20 days until a 5k friendly race at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Wish I weighed about 15-20 pounds less.
Keep up the work Mr. Cartwright and don't let little setbacks get you down.Quote:
Originally Posted by Darrell KSR
I got my weight down to 197.5 a few weeks back and then the Eater Holiday happened. I am now on the other side off 200.
It is easy to get discouraged. But look at where you are compared to where you were; that ought to put a smile on your face.
When I get to feeling bad about 205 or 215 I remember when I weighed 265.
All about perspective...
You have got this because you care enough to check yourself...