So I brought the kids to Shimoda for a beach break, to escape the Tokyo heat. It worked: it’s raining here. It’s a nice spot though, the beach is just a short walk and it’s much more relaxed than the high-octane atmosphere of Shibuya. I might even manage to post a blog entry while the kids watch ‘The Lion King’ in the hotel lounge.
Last week Michael and I ran the Fuji Mountain Race, a form of self-torture on a par with the marathon. It’s only half-marathon length but with a 3000m climb thrown in for good measure. I don’t know why I entered really, apart from Michael wanting to do it and me not wanting to sit on the sidelines looking after the kids.
Before a marathon you have a vague idea how you’ll go, based on the length of your training runs and how you felt. But, living in Tokyo, we had no way of doing hill training at altitude. I did a few sessions on the step machine at the gym and tried to run up the hill in Yoyogi Koen as much as possible, but by race eve I had no idea what would happen the next day. I suspected it wouldn’t be good, though.
It rained all night (a recurring theme), but this time I was happy about it. The race organisers closed the summit, we could only complete the 15km run to the 5th station. Still, this meant a constant climb, half of it on sealed road and the rest a mix of mud, slippery logs, stones and gravel, often in single file. It was surreal in parts, with long stretches where nobody spoke, we were all flat out just getting the thin air into our lungs. By the 15km mark I’d had enough and don’t think I’d have continued to the top even if they let me. To cover those last 6km would have taken me roughly another three hours, then another two to walk/stumble back down to the bus stop. I was done. Next time I’ll sit on the sidelines and look after the kids.
We had our nephew Ben over from Melbourne a while back. He’s 15 and soaked up Tokyo like a sponge. I picked him up from the airport one Thursday night, then we went out exploring on bikes the next morning. As we sat down to lunch at a noodle bar – before he’d even tasted the food – he declared it the best holiday of his life. I could have hugged him. As my friend Emily says, ‘We love guests that love Tokyo’.
While Ben was here, our other friends came, Chris, Nat and their boys Josh and Bailey. It’s always good to catch up, but the highlight for me was karaoke. I had been dying to do karaoke and every night out I’d badger whatever friends (and sometimes people I’d only just met) to join me and they’d agree, but it never came off.
Finally, with Chris, Nat, Ben and Michael, I made it to the Big Echo booth. It took a moment to realise we could order drinks no problem, but had no idea how to read the song menu and choose a song. Somehow we ended up with Steely Dan’s ‘Reeling in the years’ and, not wanting to waste a minute, I volunteered to sing. I didn’t know the words, but that’s okay because it’s karaoke right? Unfortunately, as my first ever Tokyo karaoke song, those lyrics are now seared into my memory and I’ve had Steely Dan on high rotation in my head ever since. Are you reelin’ in the years? Stowin’ away the time?
Here are the best, worst and funniest Tokyo experiences, according to Ben:
Best – being able to do what you like and get totally lost, but feel completely safe
Worst – going home
Funniest – following Michael through traffic on a bike, almost getting hit every time
And Chris, Nat and boys:
Best (note - I had to edit a few out, they loved the place):
- The heated toilet seats
- The food, the drinks, the trains, the shopping
- Feeling incredibly safe at all times of the day and night
- Singing AC/DC song “Thunderstruck” at Big Echo
- The taxi drivers wearing white gloves and automatically opening the back doors without getting out of the car
Funniest:
- Attempting to buy a tasting plate by accident in a bakery
- Chris “accidentally” going into an adult entertainment shop claiming to think it was a poster shop
Worst:
- Coming home
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