2011-09-18

Lake Suwa in Nagano

それでは、Heroに代わり、わたくしAceがちょっくら更新してみます!

さて、18日日曜日我々が向かったのは長野県、諏訪湖。
「かりん」の木。沢山の実が!・・・毛虫も(TT)!



絶好のキックスクーター日和!
連休の影響か、道がこんでてバスが予定よりも2時間以上も遅れてしまったが、
そんなことも、我々の士気をさげるにはおよばない!

16㎞ほどで周回できるということで、
今回は、プロジェクト29初(?)の『湖1周』に挑戦だ!

やっと半周~

あと1/4!足湯で疲れを癒しつつ・・・

「ザ・キックスクーターズ」



 そして、ついに!!!
⑰諏訪湖 (Lake Suwa)


1周達成~!!!!!

帰りのバスの時間まで、かなりぎりぎりの時間でとうちゃく。
肉(29)は食べたものの、残念ながら信州のお蕎麦は・・・

そして帰りはまたまた渋滞(TT)

でもほんとうに、今日もいい日でした!

-ACE




This was another perfect day for our memorable adventure!
We set out a bit late, as our long-distance bus was falling behind the schedule due to heavy traffic jam. The jam dragged until late into the night, and we ended up spending total of 8 hours on a bus.

A heart-shaped ski slope on a distant mountain

In any case, despite our limited time in Nagano, we managed, for the very first time, to kick-skate around the lake.

Yes, you heard me right.

This was the FIRST time we ever went around the whole lake, and let me tell you, it was a tough work (at least for me).

(Sure it's only 16 km or 10 miles, but mind you, kick-skater is so NOT the most favorable and effective means of transportation :P)



Lake Suwa has a perfectly kept walking/cycling road along the lake shore, and there are museums and hot springs and, of course, swan boats for everyone to enjoy.

The weather was great and our conditions fabulous, but there were a couple of unexpected drawbacks to dashing through the lakeside cycling road: the fat and hairy suicidal worms and jogger-friendly cushion road.

About a fourth of the whole road happened to be the Worm Paradise where, for some mysterious reasons, the little, white, hairy creatures were risking their lives to cross the cycling road.
Some were resting in the middle of the road, others slowly moving forward like any worm would, and a few were running at the speed of light. It reminded me of the newborn turtles heading for the ocean, except those worms were moving in every direction possible.

Ace was screaming like crazy, and that actually helped me calm down a bit. It's a sort of well-documented human psychology, I assume.


Mt. Fuji faintly visible in a far far distance
And the cushion road was so evil.
I believe the lakeside road was paved so as to absorb the shock and help protecting joggers' knees, but that was just a pain in the you-know-what. Simply uncalled for. We were kicking the ground in vain, and our skaters didn't go as swiftly as it should.

All in all, we enjoyed our three-hour ride around the Lake, which was rewarded with a foot bath and the gorgeous sunset.
  
Sunset at the Lake Suwa

We came back to Tokyo a bit past 11 pm.
Lake Suwa, our 17th target, down.

Our next adventure will be a few-day trip to Hokkaido, the big island up in the north!

- Hero 


Visiting a lake in Finland! -(2)

Voi etta, aika kuluu niin nopeasti!
Kohta me lahdemme taas toiseen jarveen, ja en viela saanut aikaa kirjoittaa 16th jarvesta!

もう次の湖への旅が始まるというのに、まだ更新してませんでした!
16湖目は、前回に引き続き、フィンランドです。



Kuudestoista jarvi on siis suomalainen jarvi, nimeltaan "Salmenjarvi".
Virtasalmessa oleva minun suomalaisen "mummola", ja se jarvi on sielta!

「サルメンヤルビ」とう名の湖。フィンランドのミッケリ市の近くの
ビルタサルミ村にあります。
私、ACEの第2の故郷であるフィンランドの「おばあちゃんの家」がある村です。




Went to fishing with my finnish best "Friend" :D

vesi oli aika lammin, ja venessa oli korjattu moottori,
mutta kaloa ei yhtaan;( Mutta silti, jarvi oli kaunis, ja olipa oikein mkava hetki!!!

船には、ちょうど修理したばかりのモーターをつんで、いざ出発!
魚は採れなかったものの、湖は相変わらずきれいで、ほんと
良い時間でした。


⑯Salmenjarvi(Salmi-lake) in Finland!
 最後におまけ。
"おばあちゃんの家"の目の前の景色です!あいにくの雨天でしたが、
天気がよいと、もっと空がきれいで、森や畑が広々としていて、ほんとに素敵な場所なんです。


初めて会ったときは3歳だった「弟」のバイクで湖まで!感慨深いです。


Kiitos kaikille, kalareissukavereille1:)



-Ace

2011-09-04

Visiting a lake in Finland ! - (1)

Terveisia suomesta!!
Itse asiassa olen jo tullut kotiin, siis japaniin mutta tanaan kerron vahan
minun kesalomastani, siis suomen jarvesta!


15.Elokuuta kavin "Vesijarvi", olipa kaunis ilta!
Aurinko paistaa ja kalola tuli :D Monta ahventa ja ehka yksi kuha...


Jarvi oli kaunis ja kala oli hyva, siis nautin suomen kesasta!!
Kuvassa on minun suomalainen perhe kaveriksi: muikku!!



⑮Vesijarvi

ついに日本を飛び出てしまいました!!!
行先は私の第2の故郷ともいえる:フィンランド!

フィンランド、といえば「湖」。
そうです、今回はフィンランドからの中継・・・
といいたいところですが、すでに帰国しておりますので、
「報告」です。

フィンランド1つ目の湖は、「Vesijarvi」です。直訳すると、「水の湖」
そのまんま!

でも大きくて、空気はすんでるし、魚は採れるし。
フィンランドの過ぎ去りつつある夏にぎりぎりセーフで
すべりこみ、満喫!

いつもお世話になっている家族の方と一緒に、
はいチーズ。

星15こ目だ!!

-ACE


In August, Team Project 29 didn't get to go anywhere. Sigh.
One, because Hero had to study for an exam; and two, because Ace was going away to spend a week in Finland. So naturally, Ace took on a solo project this time, and visited a couple of lakes while in Finland.
(From what I heard, though, it's not that Ace actually made time to "visit" the lakes. Lakes are everywhere in Finland, and even if it weren't for the Project, Ace would've gone fishing in the lakes everyday anyways. :P)

Our 15th lake is called Vesijarvi, and the literal translation would be...(drum roll)...Yes, it's the one and only "WATER LAKE"!!
Yup. No doubt.

Way to go, Ace!

- Hero

2011-07-17

Jumping 29!! ~Fifth Adventure in Lake Ashinoko~

さてさて、ついに3週連続のProject29!!

ということで、晴天の中、芦ノ湖へ!

そう、箱根です。
3連休で、なかなかの混みようのなか、箱根湯本をあとに、
いざ湖畔へ



⑭Ashino-ko

真っ青な空、透き通る湖、そし濃い緑の森とくれば・・・


ジャンピング!!
連続でいきますよ~ そぉれ。



そして・・・九頭龍神社→桟橋 にて 渾身の一枚(1セット?)!



ジャンピングに夢中になり、気づけば夕方!
お疲れ様~


本日の成果★1つ。

次回は8月、"Independence month"?!
なんとちょっと遠くまで足をのばしますよ~
お楽しみに!

-ACE


Project 29 was out and active for three weeks in a row in July, as we finally got the chance to hit back after a long dormant period in rainy June.
The fifth adventure took place in Ashinoko (Lake Ashi), a popular retreat in Hakone where visitors can enjoy a beautiful view of Ashinoko and relaxing hot springs.

Ashinoko, despite so many visitors and tour buses constantly coming in and out, was a place of breathtaking beauty and solemn serenity.

Ace scooting into the woods

Pirate ship and private speed boats cruise around, hotels with hot springs stand on the hillside offering a perfect view of the Lake, and there's even a secret shrine for those with extra interest.

Of course Ace and I went on into the forest to seek that hidden shrine.

The Shrine, called the Kuzu-ryu Jinja (Nine-Headed Dragon Shrine), is dedicated to a once vicious dragon that lived in the Lake and was later submitted by a Buddhist priest.

Hidden shrine in the Lake
The sky, the lake, and the green of the surrounding mountains were a sheer perfection that, at the end of the adventure, Ace and I couldn't resist the temptation and started shooting "jumping" photos. I don't know exactly how many times I made Ace jump, but easily over a hundred. Only a few was a success, but it was worth the effort and muscle pains that troubled us the next day.

Jumping to the Sky!

One more lake down, and 1,000 yen donated through JustGiving (http://justgiving.jp/c/6345).
 Fifteen more to go!

- Hero


2011-07-10

Skyy blue under the SKY BLUE!!

本日は晴天なり。

目指すはかの有名な丹沢湖!

Pro29日和だー。









そして到着。

⑬Tanzawa-ko


Skyy blue under the SKY BLUE!!
晴天の元、自然に囲まれて乾杯~。幸せの瞬間。


これで13湖制覇!










本日の成果は、湖沼1ヵ所で星1つ。寄付額は、1,000円也。(http://justgiving.jp/c/6345)

次回は来週の予定。続けて3週!!乞うご期待~

-Ace

2011-07-03

The 3rd and 12th!!: Sagami-ko, Tsukui-ko, and Shiroyama-ko

天候や諸事情により、約2か月半ぶりの湖畔散策。
本日のターゲットは相模湖方面。

朝9時半よりスタート、相模湖→津久井湖と順調に進む。
相模湖ではソフトクリーム&ジェラート(ACEは桃、HEROはマンゴー)で10湖目記念祝杯。

⑩Sagami-ko
津久井湖の公園では子供たちが噴水の周りで水遊び。その中を駆け抜けて、記念撮影、パシャリ。


⑪Tsukui-ko


そして本日3湖目、通算12湖目には城山湖。
なかなか道を見つけられず、地図とにらめっこしながらの散策。

Hero with Kick-Scooter
木々の中、登り道を我らがキックスクーターのGOGOとスティングレイを担いでえっちらおっちら。
⑫Shiroyama-ko
ついに目的の城山湖が見渡せる展望台に到着~。半分凍った野菜ジュースで乾杯!

本日の反省会@帰り道の南大沢にて。






本日の成果は、湖沼3ヵ所で星3つ。寄付額は、3,000円也。(http://justgiving.jp/c/6345)

次回は来週、丹沢湖の予定!!

-ACE


This was the third adventure of this Project and we made it to 12 lakes.
Setting out early in the morning, we took a train southward and reached Sagami-ko Station at 9:30am. Lake Sagami was only a 10-minute skating away from the station, and it was nicely surrounded by lush green. This deep, lush green is such a reward when you're finally on your kick-scooter after spending hours just carrying it on your shoulders.
Ace scooting downhill toward the Lake Sagami.

Lake Sagami and Lake Tsukui, our first two and also the bigger two targets of the day, were moderately easy to find. The whole adventure for today was going to be completed in no time, we thought, and we even talked about taking a nap when we reached our final goal.

Man, were we wrong.

We just couldn't find Lake Shiroyama, which was supposed to be within a close proximity. After wandering about for a while, we decided to trust our instincts and the mighty Google map, and went up the hill in search for a small, minor lake.

So many times we stopped to take a rest or to check the map. The only thing that kept us going was a hope that there will be a lake up on the hill and that we can't be climbing forever.
When we finally reached a point where we could take a peek at Lake Shiroyama, we were so exhausted, so delighted.

Three lakes down and our donation to JustGiving would be 3,000 yen today.

Next target: Lake Tanzawa, Kanagawa Pref.

- Hero 

2011-05-22

INTERMISSION: Tama Minami-Osawa Outlet Park

天気予報で『午後から大雨、雷の可能性あり』と伝えられていたため、今回、初めてアドベンチャーを延期。それでもせっかく予定を空けていたので、前から気になっていた三井アウトレットパーク多摩南大沢へ。アウトドアやスポーツ系のお店をくまなく回り、Project 29用のバックパックやウィンドブレーカー、Project 29とは関係ないスパイクなどを購入。

そして今回最大の収穫は、ずばり、“袋”!

Wish the weather kept it
the way it was...

本来はロッククライミング用のロープを入れる袋をキックスクーターに転用し、見事にすっぽり収まった。これで少しは持ち運びが楽になるはず。

今回予定していた相模湖 etc.は、6月に延期。
そろそろ梅雨に入るけれど、次回こそはどうか晴れますように!



Our third adventure was rescheduled due to the rainstorm forecast in the afternoon.
Instead of Sagami Lake and others, Ace and I visited a mall called Tama Minami-Osawa Outlet Park. We cruised around Mont-Bell, Nike, Adidas, Columbia, AIGLE, Roxy, and other sports/outdoor shops, and totally ignored all the other fancy clothes shops :P
Ace bought a pair of spiked shoes, I bought a Zero Point backpack, and we both bought a rope bag to carry our scooters in.


Just so as to remind ourselves that this is a part of our Project 29, we stopped by at Tokyo Meat Rea, an amusement park dedicated to meat lovers. To be really honest, though, this was only a collection of restaurants with their main focus on various meat, with bits and pieces of trivia on meat dishes from around the world. We went into a Brazilian restaurant (Bacana Grill) and had, of course, a chicken thigh.
There's nothing that beats good caipirinha and nicely grilled chicken thigh on a stormy afternoon like today.


Meat Paradise


Their chicken thigh was an epic!

We're expecting the start of rainy season anytime soon, but hopefully (oh pretty pretty please...!) it won't rain hard on our next adventure day. Fingers crossed!


- Hero

Tällä kertaa vaihdan tyyliäni, siis kirjoitan vahan pitempi lauseeta. Katsotaan onnistuuko vai ei.
Niin, tänään menimme "OUTLET" paikka, siis se on iso ostoskeskus. Koska sää-uutisessa kerrotti tänään sataa runsaasti, me päätimme emme lähdetään jarveen vaan ostetaan varusteita, tulevaisuuden matkaa varten!


Tän päivän iso tulokset oli "kassi", me löydettiin sellainen kassi johon voimme laittaa meidän sukutterimme.Se on ihan kiva, me voidaan nyt laittaa siihen kassiin silloin kun me nostetaan junaa. Jep.


Ne kassit voi sitten nähdä seuraavan reisun päiväkirjasta:D
Seurava matka tulee kesäkuun puolessa valissä. Katsotaan mihin me päästaan!!


-Ace