Kamiyama Castle (Kamiyama-jyo) was beautiful with the surrounding sakura in blossom.   It is a classic  example of Edo period castle ...

Ashi no Yu at Kamiyama Castle We made it to Yonezawa before midnight, grabbed some food and took a short rest/nap, then headed on.  W...

Sakura lining the small river along Route 294 in South Fukushima Prefectureas we head NW We are at checkpoint 3 just SE of Aizu Wakam...

At the first checkpoint 9:40AM, as suburban sprawl gives way to more open agricultural areas.

The start is on this concrete patch under a bridge in beautiful Iruma-shi .... where it is possible to park a car free for 6 days.

The Yamabushi -- Full Loaded and Ready to Go! Jerome and I signed up for a series of Audax Brevets in Tohoku over Golden Week, sponsored...

The second, chasing group in the women's ITU World Cup event at Ishigakijima The leading men exit the water and head for their b...

If you are not already signed on for the Peace Race Tribute Ride in Europe with David J., or for the Tohoku 1700  with Jerome and me, this ...

On Sunday, around 1800 cyclists participated in the 26th Annual Tour de Yatsugatake , a hill climb from the town of Yachiho on the western s...

If watching Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy got you into a nostalgic mood about the Cold War ... get read for more memories of another era.   This...

Cherry blossom viewing at my house last week -- just need to look out the upstairs front window. The Yamabushi, under the falling blos...

The big dog, ready to race, and Dappei-kun, the green nosed mascot dog character of Tateyama City This winter I decided to take the advi...

Just for the record: 00003 -- rear wheel for the cyclocross bike, Chris King hubs, 32 DT Swiss spokes (drive side Competition spokes; non-...

A photo of Shane Perkins and his son that got picked up on a few sites, including the WSJ photos of the day and  here . Really shouldn...

Another great ride this weekend. We had lots of interest, but James and Shane decided to head out a bit later than our 7AM Kaminoge start,...

April Update: I've decided to name this bike the "Yamabushi".  Not only do we ride over two Yamabushi Passes -- one in Ch...

Japan does not yet require bike locks that weigh more than our bikes, but even in Japan property crime does happen, sometimes serious pr...

DiDi and J.J. at the rest area before the last climb to Tsuru Pass Today we enjoyed a classic Positivo Espresso Spring training and fun ...