Full Circle.
Today was a day of circles, and not only because I spent most of the afternoon on the two circles that are my bike wheels. In a way, well actually in two ways, I feel like I have come back full-circle to the Japan I came to almost ten years ago.
I finally got to ride with the Kato Cycle crew; I've been friends with them for a long time now and a customer even longer. Pretty much since the moment I came to Japan really. Yasushi is the guy at Kato Cycle that I'm now most friendly with, and he called and asked me to ride with them today. It's a call I've waited years for, and to be honest, was starting to think would never come. It tells me that in a way I've graduated to the next level. By the way, it was a short ride with lots of breaks, but still fun, some cool local trails and some spectacular riding by one of the dudes - I wish I'd been able to film him. Amazing.
Towards the end of the ride I had a 'moment' which was today's real 'full-circle' defining moment. We'd ridden some pretty cool trails, climbed a little hill and were taking a break in the shade and talking the talk. I asked Yasushi about another riding area I thought was near here, called Kaisho Forest as it was one my old friend Masaru took us to WAAYYYY back in 2001/2002. Yasushi caught me by surprise when he said "that's here - we're here now." Looking around I realized that was why I'd been having one of those deja vu moments - I HAD been here before! It'd been about eight or nine years, but many of the things I was looking right at were so familiar.
It's kinda weird now that I've decided to leave Japan I find myself not only living so close to where my Japan adventure started, but that one of the places that early on formed the strongest memories for me is right in my backyard. After everywhere I've been in Japan since that time, it was weird to stumble back onto one of the places where 'it all began.'
Very weird.
Oh yeah - 182 to go.
Full circle.
I finally got to ride with the Kato Cycle crew; I've been friends with them for a long time now and a customer even longer. Pretty much since the moment I came to Japan really. Yasushi is the guy at Kato Cycle that I'm now most friendly with, and he called and asked me to ride with them today. It's a call I've waited years for, and to be honest, was starting to think would never come. It tells me that in a way I've graduated to the next level. By the way, it was a short ride with lots of breaks, but still fun, some cool local trails and some spectacular riding by one of the dudes - I wish I'd been able to film him. Amazing.
Towards the end of the ride I had a 'moment' which was today's real 'full-circle' defining moment. We'd ridden some pretty cool trails, climbed a little hill and were taking a break in the shade and talking the talk. I asked Yasushi about another riding area I thought was near here, called Kaisho Forest as it was one my old friend Masaru took us to WAAYYYY back in 2001/2002. Yasushi caught me by surprise when he said "that's here - we're here now." Looking around I realized that was why I'd been having one of those deja vu moments - I HAD been here before! It'd been about eight or nine years, but many of the things I was looking right at were so familiar.
It's kinda weird now that I've decided to leave Japan I find myself not only living so close to where my Japan adventure started, but that one of the places that early on formed the strongest memories for me is right in my backyard. After everywhere I've been in Japan since that time, it was weird to stumble back onto one of the places where 'it all began.'
Very weird.
Oh yeah - 182 to go.
Full circle.
posted by kurisu at 7:11 PM
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