{"id":2694,"date":"2016-05-14T16:51:39","date_gmt":"2016-05-14T07:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2016-05-14\/2694"},"modified":"2016-05-14T16:51:39","modified_gmt":"2016-05-14T07:51:39","slug":"back-in-japan-after-three-months-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2016-05-14\/2694","title":{"rendered":"Back In Japan After Three Months Away"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n

After three months away, I'm now back in Japan.<\/p>\n\n

I'd left suddenly at the start of February because my mom had a stroke,<\/span> but she'd recovered enough\nby the start of May that I could<\/span> return.<\/p>\n\n

My return was on United Airlines, which over the decades I've flown more than any other. They used to be a good<\/span> airline, but\nhave gone stunningly downhill in the last decade (yielding occasional rants from me, such as this<\/a> and this<\/a>), so it was\nwith trepidation that I tried<\/span> again. The saving<\/span> grace was paying the extra $250 to bump myself up to the “<\/span>Economy Plus”<\/span> seats,\nwhich are the same as normal cattle class except for an extra four inches of leg room.<\/p>\n\n

I appreciated the leg room for the Cleveland → San Francisco leg, though I perhaps<\/span> would have appreciated it more if the\nchubby guy next to me didn't act as if he owned the shared armrest. But the short<\/span> flight was made an hour shorter due to good\nwinds, so it ended up being less than five hours.<\/p>\n\n

Better still was the flight to Osaka, Japan, for which I had<\/span> a row<\/span> of three seats to myself.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\niPhone 6+ back camera — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>15 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 32 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nAll Mine<\/span>\nSan Francisco International Airport\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The non-“<\/span>Economy Plus”<\/span> economy section looked to be pretty full, but the “<\/span>Economy Plus”<\/span> section had rows of empty seats.\nWhat a difference<\/span> it makes.<\/p>\n\n

The windows have no traditional pull-down shades... you press buttons to increase or decrease opacity. I assume<\/span> they have some\nkind of liquid-crystal layer. There are definitely pluses and minuses to these things. On the minus<\/span> side, it takes minutes<\/i>\nfor a change<\/span> to fully take effect. No more quick<\/span> peeks outside, or slamming the shade shut when a turn<\/span> puts the sun directly into\nyour eye. On the plus<\/span> side, one supposes that the flight crew can press one button to have all shades go dark, such as when settling\nin after the meal service for a night<\/span> flight that will move into daylight while folks are sleeping. At their<\/span> darkest they're not\nblackout, but dark enough to keep a nice<\/span> subdued mood in the cabin. Yet, you can see enough to judge the view, so the need for a\n“<\/span>quick peek”<\/span> (e.g. “<\/span>is Mt. Fuji visible?”<\/span>) is less.<\/p>\n\n

The delay<\/span> aside, cool.<\/p>\n\n

My father-in-law kindly picked me up at the airport and brought me home. It was nice<\/span> to see Fumie and Anthony again. This was\nWednesday night last week.<\/p>\n\n

Thursday was spent in a level stupor from jetlag. Normally jetlag comes and goes in crushing waves, but I\nwas<\/span> worthless all day on Thursday. And that, most surprisingly and thankfully, was the full extent of my jetlag this\ntime... it was the least I think<\/span> it's ever been, ever.<\/p>\n\n

Friday I felt just great, though wasted most of the day renewing my driver's license, which otherwise would have soon expired. It was another<\/span> reason that I had<\/span> to get back to Japan sooner than later.<\/p>\n\n

Saturday saw nice weather, so I took<\/span> the opportunity to try cycling again. I hadn't<\/span> been on a bicycle<\/span>\nsince the end of January<\/a>, so I was<\/span> fairly nervous\nabout remembering basic stuff like riding clipped in<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

I was also nervous about being in shape, not having done much exercise for three months beyond a “<\/span>100 Push Up Time Trial”<\/span> challenge I did<\/span> several\ntimes a week<\/span> while in The States. (I was<\/span> happy to see real progress during the\nthree months, watching my time reduce from 7m 25s the first time I tried<\/span> it<\/a>, to 3m 13s the last time<\/a>. Of course,\nseveral years ago, I wouldn't<\/span> have even been able to do 10 pushups, until this humbling event<\/a> spurred me to get in shape.)<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\niPhone 6+ front camera — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 32 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMeeting Friends for a Lazy<\/span> Ride<\/span>\nin front of Sanjo Starbucks, Kyoto Japan\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The plan was for a fairly light ride at a slow<\/span> pace, so it sounded good for a first<\/span> ride. We ended<\/span> up\ndoing about 105km (65mi)<\/a> of mostly-flat lakeside road.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nSC-04E at an effective 31mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>200 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 50 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nGetting the Hang of It<\/span>\ntaken while moving at 24 kph (15 mph)\nphoto by Manseki Kanemitsu<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

I quickly got the hang of things and felt good. I knew my<\/span> body was tired from the trip so I didn't<\/span> want to push, so I was<\/span> happy\nto with the slow group pace.<\/p>\n\n

The ostensible “<\/span>goal”<\/span> of the ride was to visit a particular<\/span> middle-of-nowhere cafe...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nSC-04E at an effective 31mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>310 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 50 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nat Cafe Chalet Mizu-ga-Oka<\/span>\n\u55ab\u8336\u30b7\u30e3\u30fc\u30ec\u6c34\u30b1\u6d5c\nphoto by Manseki Kanemitsu<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

I'm wearing a cycling jersey that Eric and Gigi<\/a> had sent out of the blue\nwhile I was<\/span> away. It looks<\/span> and fits great... thanks E&G!<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\niPhone 6+ back camera — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>60 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 32 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nReward for the Trip<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\niPhone 6+ back camera— 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 32 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nHamming it Up with Manseki<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

On the way back we did a fun little climb — 1.3km at 11%<\/a> — though the stats at Strava are\nnot very useful because Strava doesn't deal well with super tight switchbacks near the start\/end of a segment.<\/span> In these<\/span> situations\nit often thinks you finish well before you actually do. I understand<\/span> why their activity-matching algorithm doesn't work well here,\nand frankly would be hard pressed to come up with a general<\/span> suggestion to fix it. It's a tough<\/span> problem.<\/p>\n\n

I felt just great for the first three or so hours of the ride, but ran out of gas for the last hour. Just dead tired. I don't<\/span>\nthink it was the dreaded didn't-get-enough-to-eat “<\/span>bonk”<\/span>, but just that I didn't<\/span> have the physical capacity yet for that long a\nride.<\/span> My final<\/span> climbs on the way home were very slow.<\/p>\n\n

On Monday I collected and submitted most of the paperwork needed to renew my visa to live in Japan, which also expires soon.\nI needed<\/span> one paper from the town where Fumie grew up, so on the first non-rainy day this week\n(Wednesday), I cycled down to Hirakata<\/a> to pick it up.<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 32mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/5, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nNot My Favorite Path<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Much of the distance between Kyoto and Osaka can be ridden on a wonderful<\/span> bicycle path seen in “<\/span>Cycling Along the River from Kyoto To Osaka\nCastle<\/a>”<\/span>, but the first several kilometers of egress from Kyoto are horrid sections alternating\nbetween mud\/puddles, and incessant teeth-jarring bumps. I really<\/span> dislike it, so I\nspent<\/span> some time finding an alternate route (written about here<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 50mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nSort of Gloomy<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 50mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nHeavy Overcast<\/span>\nwith rain threatening\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\niPhone 6+ back camera — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>170 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 32 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMy Destination<\/span>\ncity office in Hirakata City\n\u679a\u65b9\u5e02\u5317\u90e8\u652f\u6240\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

It took a few minutes to lock up the bike and make myself presentable enough to go in,\nand another few minutes to fill out the proper form, but once that was done it took but just a few<\/span> seconds to\nactually get the paper. There was no line, and the guy quickly checked my ID to make sure I was<\/span> allowed\nto have what I was<\/span> asking. He then pressed<\/span> a button,<\/span> it printed, I paid a<\/span> few bucks, and I was<\/span> done.<\/p>\n\n

(To keep my paperwork clean and dry during the ride, I carried<\/span> it all in\na Loksak,<\/span> which I learned<\/span> about in this comment on my blog<\/a> five years ago, in a rear<\/span>-jersey pocket.)<\/p>\n\n

I was in a good mood, having made it down there without trouble, and more than that, having filled out\nthe complex (to me) government requisition form properly and completely the first time.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\niPhone 6+ back camera — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>60 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 40 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nGood-Mood Selfie<\/span>\nas I prepare to return, with Loksak filled with my passport and other important paperwork\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/4.5, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nStreisand-Effect House<\/span>\nutterly pedestrian, nothing-special house\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

On the way back I added a\nlittle<\/span> 100m climb<\/a> to make things interesting. Prior to making the trip, I checked<\/span> out the\nroute on Google Maps, and was surprised to find one house was completely blurred from\nevery angle<\/a>. Of course, since I was<\/span> riding by, I had to<\/span> check it out to\nsee what the big deal was.<\/p>\n\n

If there was anything interesting about the house, I couldn't<\/span> spot it, but it's a\ngreat<\/span> example of The Streisand Effect<\/a>, without which I could<\/span> have ridden by a thousand<\/span> times without ever noticing the utterly-unremarkable house existed.<\/p>\n\n

Anyway, the short route up a short mountain eventually plunged into bamboo groves, which were much more pretty...<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/1.7, ISO 320 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>80 sec, f<\/span>\/1.7, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The road ended at a shrine...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 41mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/4.5, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nIwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine<\/span>\n\u77f3\u6e05\u6c34\u516b\u5e61\u5bae\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

With that final piece of paperwork in hand, later that afternoon I completed<\/span> the application for my visa extension.<\/p>\n\n

The next day I finally<\/span> got my US taxes done.<\/p>\n\n

These big items (driver's license, visa, taxes) were weighing on me, so having gotten them done, on Thursday afternoon I\ntreated<\/span> myself to a ride<\/span><\/a> for no other reason\nbut to just see whether I could<\/span> give it some oomph and not kill myself.<\/p>\n\n

The first little segment that I challenged<\/span> myself on is a\nshort<\/span> up-and-back road climb<\/a> that I like,<\/span> and the result totally shocked me. Out of the<\/span> six time I'd done it previously, I'd beat two<\/span>\nminutes only once (1:47), but this time, trying somewhat but certainly not giving it my all, I did it<\/span> in 1:24, totally shattering\nmy previous best. I have no<\/span> way to explain how this could happen.<\/p>\n\n

I also did a counter<\/span>-clockwise Heart Loop<\/a> (the\n37km opposite-direction version of this ride<\/a>) in half an hour better than my\nprevious best (1h34m vs. 2h05m), though this didn't surprise me as much because it's the first time I'd ever done it alone.\nNormally I've done it in a social<\/span> stop-and-chat-often setting. But what does<\/span> surprise me is that even though I wasn't<\/span> really\ntrying, I ended<\/span> up within 12 minutes of the best time recorded on Strava. Most of my friends are much, much faster,\nso maybe their efforts are not getting matched properly to the complex route.<\/p>\n\n

Anyway, it's good to be back. While I was<\/span> away I didn't<\/span> have time to write much for my blog, and having\nfallen out of that habit, I don't<\/span> know whether I'll be able to get back into it. I hope I<\/span> can. We'll see.<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After three months away, I'm now back in Japan.<\/p>

I'd left suddenly at the start of February because my mom had a stroke, but she'd recovered enough by the start of May that I could return.<\/p>

My return was on United Airlines, which over the decades I've flown more than any other. They used to be a good airline, but have gone stunningly downhill in the last decade (yielding occasional rants from me, such as this and this), so it was with trepidation that I tried again. The saving grace was paying the extra $250 to bump myself up to [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,1,2,10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2694"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2694"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2694\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}