Central Tokyo

Just playing with the lights in the dark

Better late than never. Some more photos.

We liked the plastic food in the windows showing you what you can get. Fish, unless its me trying to buy raw fish. Then its deep fried pork. Good job I was really enjoying the deep fried pork.

We also like the skyscrapers - especially the one with the free lift to the 46th floor.

World Cup Kazo, Japan

Kazo was good. With a huge cherry tree and a handy shops. The street was lined with IFSC WC flags and streamers with disc pictures of climbers stuck to them, prepared by local school children.

Lots of fish flying (carp) for the the comp and childrens day on May the fish-th. I found a good big fish, little fish, cardboard box scenario.

The comp - it all felt so hard... and it was. A hard set of quali blocs. I flashed the first and got a second bonus to qualify joint 20th. In by the skin of ma teeth. I felt I climbed slightly better in the semi, apart from on the first block where I felt like a sack of spuds. I came 18th - my best result to date.

Leaving Kazo was the hardest journey as the map was in kanji only. Spot that town you want to go to? Easy if you know its the chest of drawers followed by the fat man with three legs rather than some now useless latin characters. Engineering logic took over that its still the same map. Alternatively buy the cheapest fare and adjust on arrival. All the systems are so very well thought out.

Quest for Pump

I tried to find the PUMP climbing wall in Akabane, Tokyo. Unfortunately I chose the wrong direction out of the station and we saw lots of residential Akabane instead. It was interesting. Many vending machines later we found the bridge across the river. The climbing wall was just the other side on my little map.

It turned out to be a very big bridge across a hugely wide river. Oh for a bit of scale on the map/leaving the station at an exit with a location board. Doh. We had to leave the climbing and return to Kazo for the technical meeting.

Nikko, Japan

I managed to fairly easily navigate my way into Tokyo and out the other side to visit Nikko. A tourist town with temples, shrines, a pagoda and a whole lot of stunning scenery and wildlife.

Glad I didn't meet any of these in the flesh


An elaborate drinking fountain.

More guards

Lots of bright shiny gold gateways

And intricate gateways

Carvings of a dragon

A shrine at the top of a hill, after lots and lots of steps.... I've still no idea what anything says

Five storey pagoda

Unfortunately we ran out of time to see the lakes and the wild monkeys. I wanted to see the monkeys... I could hear them. I was hoping to learn some new techniques ready for the comp!

:-)