First Impressions Review of WheelShields – Mudguards for a Longboard

First impressions summary PROS: WheelShields – mudguards (fenders) for a longboard – are a game-changer. Commuting by skateboard on wet roads doesn’t mean road grime on your pants, shoes, and deck anymore. If you’d rather skate, even after a downpour, and arrive at your destination clean and dry, these do...

Jozankei Nature Park in Winter (Day 2)

Last night, Haidee and I and Haidee’s sister stayed the night in a yurt at Jozankei Nature Park in the foothills of Sapporo City. Despite the interior of the yurt only being separated from the walls of snow surrounding it by a thin layer of canvas, it was a warm...

Jozankei Nature Park in Winter (Day 1)

Haidee’s sister Kylee was in Tokyo on business. Friday last week was a public holiday. Which is all to say the prerequisites for a quick long-weekend jaunt up to Sapporo were lined up for Kylee. Haidee and I decided to make it count for her. The mission was to try...

Takino Suzuran Hillside Park in Winter (Sapporo, Japan)

I spent most of today wondering why it had taken us three years to visit Takino Suzuran Park, on the outskirts of Sapporo. This gargantuan park, 395 hectares of it all, is a national government run park. In winter it is free to enter, and is a treasure trove of...

Snowshoeing near Hoheikyo Onsen (Jozankei, Hokkaido)

Sometimes we forget how majestic the nature is here in Sapporo, so close to home. Within a 40 minute drive, a prepared individual can enjoy some impressive hills, made all the more beautiful by the annual winter snows. So I organized a short snowshoe trip for the local Hokkaido International...

Adventures

Across the Eurasian Continent by Bicycle

From July 2006 to March 2007, I cycled 12,000km from Japan to Switzerland. Read the journal here.

From June 2007 till November 2008 I skateboarded 12,159km across Europe, the USA and China, crossing the Atlantic Ocean by Yacht. The record still stands 5 years later. First person to skateboard across China, first person to skate across the United States solo and unsupported.

From April 2011, my wife and I live in Hokkaido, the northern-most island of Japan. This is a cycling/snowshoe/hiking/skiing paradise. See those adventures here.

Japan Far North: Days 12 & 13 (Mashita to Hamanasu to Sapporo)

Our last two days on the road on this 2013 summer vacation cycling trip were a bit of a blur. The highway connecting Sapporo to Rumoi along the coast is a whirlwind of tunnels interspersed with little nuggets of coast. Roadside stalls lured us in with their delicious wares such …

Japan Far North: Day 11 (Tomamae to Mashike)

A sleepy, rainy start to the day. Lunch well and truly made up for it though. I had mentioned yesterday the great lunches we were indulging in on this trip. This is what I was talking about. An awesome filling lunch for US$9 equivalent. Anyone who thinks traveling in Japan …

Japan Far North: Day 10 (Shosanbetsu to Tomamae)

We knew we only had 40km to cycle today, so we took it easy in the morning. A short walk down the cliff to the seashore revealed a Shinto torii (shrine gateway). Just up the beach from the gate was an impossibly small shrine. Another scorcher of a day awaited …

Japan Far North: Day 9 (Horonobe Town to Shosanbetsu)

At last, a full day of sunshine. And some encouraging words of wisdom from the side of a supermarket. On a hot day like today, a watermelon shared between two was the perfect snack. As we were now traveling along the west coast of Hokkaido, on the main route connecting …

Japan Far North: Day 8 (Sarufutsu Town to Horonobe)

Mercifully, it was not raining when we woke in the morning. It was still windy though, coming from the south…the direction we wanted to travel. We generally started off in a sour-ish mood this morning; there was the headwind, the store close to the campground had a woefully scant selection …

Japan Far North: Day 7 (Wakkanai to Sarufutsu Town, Hokkaido)

We went for luxury last night. A hotel room. Slept like a dream. Just as well we did, because as soon as we had cycled the 20km from Wakkanai to Cape Soya (the northern-most tip of Japan) with a howling tailwind… the weather turned sour. The next three hours were …

Japan Far North: Day 6 (Rebun Island)

We woke refreshed after a good sleep at the campground near Funadomari at the north of Rebun Island, off the northwest coast of Hokkaido, Japan. That said, sleep in a tent is not as refreshing as sleep in a real bed, and our groggy states as we hiked up the …

Japan Far North: Day 5 (Rishiri Island to Rebun Island)

On our 2013 summer vacation cycle tour (August, 2013), we really took it easy for the first half, taking our time to enjoy Rishiri and Rebun Islands, off the north west coast of Hokkaido, Japan. On the second day in Rishiri Island, we jumped on and off the Rishiri Island …

Japan Far North: Day 4 (Seihoshi-Misaki to Kutsugata Point Park, Rishiri Island)

We woke to heavy rain today, but with a keen desire to continue exploring Rishiri Island. Once again the tarp helped give us some well-needed extra outdoor living space; the MSR Hubba Hubba tent is great for sleeping two people, but try any daily chores, and it becomes cramped. Today …

Japan Far North: Day 3 (Wakkanai to Seihoshi-Misaki, Rishiri Island)

We got to the Wakkanai ferry terminal at around 8:30am, and paid our 3,800yen each for a ferry ticket to Rishiri Island. We were lined up with a straggle of other drivers, many heading over to the island just for the day; the island is only about 60km in circumference. …