Charming Chiba

Have you ever lay awake at night, tossing and turning in your preferred bedding arrangement, wondering aloud at the differences between running in Tokyo and its prefectural neighbor Chiba? No I didn’t think so. That will not prevent me, however, from writing of a few subtle differences that I noticed on my recent solitary samplingContinue reading “Charming Chiba”

Heartbreak Hill

The term “Heartbreak Hill” usually refers to the infamous hill twenty miles into the famed Boston Marathon course. Legend has it that this name was coined in the 1936 version of that classic foot race, when Ellison Brown passed Johnny Kelly on the hill, gave him a pat on the back and “broke Kelly’s heart.”Continue reading “Heartbreak Hill”

(Possibly) Useful Japanese Phrases

The Japanese language, spoken by approximately 128 million people worldwide, (granted 99.999% of them living in Japan) is an East Asian language belonging to the Japonic language family, (the other members of this family don’t immediately spring to mind) and has been described (by me) as a smooth and beautiful sounding language. A wise manContinue reading “(Possibly) Useful Japanese Phrases”

The Power Of One (new pair of socks)

As a rather smooth McLaren Vale Shiraz begins its familiar journey down to meet its old, yet overworked friend, my liver, I would like to take this opportunity to communicate perhaps the simplest and also most underrated joys of running – that is the unbridled joy that accompanies the opening of a new pair ofContinue reading “The Power Of One (new pair of socks)”

A Blossoming Romance

A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love.”. -Max Muller A big shout-out to Max, undoubtedly my favourite German educator of the mid nineteenth century, for this quote. Blossoming flowers are happening right now in Tokyo and recently I love seeing them. This yearly event I refer to is the amazingContinue reading “A Blossoming Romance”

The Call Of The (Running) Wild

As Monday morning announces its arrival by way of headache and stiff joints, and as the caffeine slowly snakes its way into my system ready to reclaim its crown as my favorite neurotoxin, I serenely cast my mind back to yesterday’s Sunday morning run. Driving down to the Tama River, in a torrential downpour, tryingContinue reading “The Call Of The (Running) Wild”

The Art Of Surviving Japanese Crow Attacks

“The crow commands, the captive must obey.” – George R. R. Martin For the sake of transparency, I must solemnly admit that I have no idea what the above quote means, but my heart has become intent recently on the idea of searching for quotes on google and my captive brain has no choice butContinue reading “The Art Of Surviving Japanese Crow Attacks”