01.04.08 - Off to Japan for Sushi & Sake

I'm sitting in a cafe in the centre of Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan right now. It's a town half way between Kobe and Osaka in Japan's south. It seems only yesterday I was in Canberra, so it's surreal here. And it feels like another world. That's Japan for you – so different to any other place in the world.

I'm here primarily to ride bikes, but also to experience a new culture. Last time I came to Japan for 2 weeks and knew I had to come back. But I intended to come back for longer to take in this place properly. There's just too much to do and see here.

As luck would have it, Trek Japan was keen to get me over here on a deal I couldn't refuse. Shinobu Noguchi from Kyoto (a good friend of mine) has been their star rider for the past few years, winning National Champs, Asian Champs and National Series titles for Trek. And I met him in Australia when he came to train and race our National Series a few times. To cut a long story short, he retired and Trek needed a replacement. So out of the blue, I got the call up. What was going to be a few months off the bike backpacking in South America, turned into a season in Japan. I knew I'd miss the Canberra winter too, so it was an easy decision.

Because it all happened so fast, all within 3 weeks, I didn't really have time to think about what I'd do in Japan and how I'd do it. But I knew I wanted to come here again. And this was a good opportunity. After getting my visa and booking a flight, it was all sorted.

So it's pretty exciting. I've already met some really nice people and seen some cool stuff. I know it's going to be hard but fun. I'll see what I can do to learn the language and integrate into this wacky place! More reports to come...