Ne-paa-lu, ne-paa-lu. For a brief moment I thought they were shouting "Nippon, Nippon". But no, there were only a handful of Japanese watching, and one of them got up and moved to a quieter part of the ground once she realised the Nepalese fans were taking this cricket game seriously. There were only a handful of Afghans too. In fact, we had to wait until Afghanistan came out to bat before we even noticed there were any in the crowd.

I've missed riding in Nagano. If there's one place I love riding my bike, it's Nagano (and Gifu, actually). I once rode from my house in Kasugai to Hiraya in Nagano, via Toki, Mizunami and Yahagi Dam, and arrived before 10:00am. A friend called and asked if I wanted to ride that day, and I replied, "I've just ridden to Nagano!" Absolute madness, looking back.

Cycling Japan's highest paved road up Mt. Norikura, then hiking to the 3,026m summit — switchbacks, autumn colour and the full ride-and-hike from the Norikura Skyline.

Who dares wins. The adrenaline-fuelled origins of the fearless, reckless Special Forces unit, its legend forged among the mayhem of WWII. By Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight.

In yesterday's post, I wrote about taking cycling for granted. One of my favourite things to do is go back through my old photos to see what I was up to. The further back I go, the more likely it is I was out on the bike. These are from a ride along the Nagara River in September 2023. It's one of my favourite places to cycle with a camera, documenting what I see as I go. What I enjoy most is including the human element. Another reason not to take cycling for granted.

I guess that's what I've been doing recently. But I'm not getting any younger and getting back into shape takes longer every year. Looking at these photos (average at best) made me realise what a privileged position I'm in. I have a great bike. I have time. I live in a great place for riding. So why procrastinate and take things for granted?

I haven't been bikepacking for a few years now. The bike still gets ridden, but the long trips have stopped. But the old urge is still there and my bikepacking gear remains stored away next to my bikes, ready to be dusted off sometime. That desire to revisit those days gave me the idea of pulling all the rides into one place.

Above: Filling in the lettering on my grandmother's gravestone this summer. I've seen a few people online recently attain Japanese citizenship or begin the process of obtaining it. I admire their determination, rationality, and bureaucratic stamina. But my wife and I have both agreed it’s not in our family’s best interests. Her reasons and mine mostly overlap. Here they are in case anyone is interested.

I'm still trying to push through this jet lag. Day/Night 6 now, and I slept from 10pm to 2am. My wife and daughter woke up about an hour later. Not wanting to waste these quiet but groggy hours, I've been printing, printing, printing for my notebook, journal, whatever you want to call it. But I had a revelation. I don't need to print on fancy paper.

Despite being only an hour from where I grew up, just past the aptly named one-hour tower on the M42, Oxford is a place I'd never been to. First thing that caught my eye walking into the Bodleian courtyard was the boots on the statue of William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, with tourists crossing behind them toward the archway.

When I lived in Redditch I rarely walked. Now I enjoy it. And because I enjoy it I decided to explore the fields near where I grew up.

You can see the Malvern Hills easily from most of Worcestershire on a clear day. They aren't the largest hills in the country by a long margin. Worcestershire Beacon, the highest point, tops out at 425 metres. But the view from the top can be stunning. You can see right across into Wales.

Tomorrow will be a week since my daughter and I arrived in the UK. I’ve stopped referring to it as “going back” to the UK because I’ve probably now spent more of my life outside the UK. This time last year St. George’s flags were appearing overnight all over the place. Looking at them now, they’re tattered, ragged, shit-stained, and a disgrace.

Fuji Rock, Massive Attack, and why I'm packing two portable printers instead of a camera bag for a month in the UK.

A friend told me about Lems barefoot shoes a few months ago and said I should buy a pair. I looked online and found nothing in stock in Japan in my size, 26.5cm, because apparently every man in this country wears the same size I do. Eventually I found a pair on Mercari for ¥8000. They felt more comfortable straight away compared to the spongier New Balance I'd been wearing for the past year or so.

It's been quite a while now since I've been up the Chuo Alps, and to be honest, I'm not sure I have the same enthusiasm I had a few years ago. Flicking through Naoki Ishikawa's books is making me reconsider though. The issue is the effort versus reward. I'm not sure it's worth it. But it's always a valuable exercise to go through the photographs and re-edit.

It's been quite a while now since I've been up the Chuo Alps, and to be honest, I'm not sure I have the same enthusiasm I had a few years ago. Flicking through Naoki Ishikawa's books is making me reconsider though. The issue is the effort versus reward. I'm not sure it's worth it. But it's always a valuable exercise to go through the photographs and re-edit.

YouTube video by Beau Miles

Last week I wrote this post about being completely exhausted by online everything — the constant noise, the relentless feed. Then I read this, which made me realise I don't care about 99% of what's online. Not everything, but most things.

Maps of hiking, walking, and bikepacking routes I’ve traveled across Japan, including the Nakasendo/Kisoji with photos and trip reports.

YouTube video by New Order - Topic

Without doubt my favourite photographer is Naoki Ishikawa. I now have six of his books, and whenever I open one my heart skips a beat. The way they move seamlessly from the summit of Everest or Mt. Fuji to high school kids in the snow in Hokkaido, or a quiet moment with a grandparent, is remarkable. Proof, if you ever needed it, that you can, and should, take your camera everywhere.

An image taken a couple of weeks or so ago in Gifu.

I'm really impressed with the RAW Society membership. I've just finished watching a two-hour editing workshop by Sarah Leen, a former National Geographic photographer and photo editor. The RAW Society, as I mentioned in a previous post, is everything you'd want from an online photography community, mostly importantly the educational aspect of the platform. It feels like I am growing and learning as a photographer, and I can't say that about the other online platform I'm currently on.

There’s a particular kind of photography I’ve always been drawn to but never quite had the words for — until I started watching Mark Power’s Magnum course, Picturing Place.

Real-world review of the Curve GXR after a year of bike packing, commuting, and adventure cycling in Japan

An X account belonging to councillor Sue Eacock was deleted after the BBC contacted her about the posts.

YouTube video by Maximilien Robespierre

As I think more and more about ending my Glass subscription due to lack of innovation on the platform I need to start posting here more regularly. This is part of my Kumbh Mela Police project that I have finally gotten around to making a book for.

I could never cycle slowly. Not on my road bike, or my gravel or even mountain bikes. That was, until I bought the Dahon Boardwalk. It’s small, foldable, has just the right number of gears, is a breeze to take on a train, and has a kickstand that makes stopping and getting off simple.

I just signed up to become a member of The RAW Society. I've been looking around and so far I like what I see. I have the first two issues of their magazine, and have wanted to support them as they are doing a lot of good in the world. The forum is lively. Lots of online workshops, book recommendations, and inspiration, just what I need at this moment, and so far I haven't seen any discussions about gear or video.

25 years in Japan, more of my life now spent in Asia than in the UK (just about), and with the exception of a couple of occasions during Covid I've rarely felt homesick. But yesterday's scenes of THE VILLA's parade through central Birmingham made me homesick.

Golf Club Flora 06:00 ~ 03:00 (for when you want to practice your swing at 2am). I have no idea why I like these kinds of images. But I do and I can't help myself from taking them.

I just used Claude to create a widget to record the prefectures I've visited. Unsurprisingly, the gaps on the map are exactly where I expected them to be. I've always been disappointed that I didn't visit more of Kyushu when I was a student in Beppu. You can find it here and in the navigation menu.

Now that I'm not in Nagoya as much, I've found I'm shooting less film and have less desire to go into the city to get film developed. That's not a bad thing. Film slows things down in ways digital doesn't. A roll lasts longer when you're not walking the same streets every week. And I'm saving money. The Ikonta especially adds up quickly — six frames across 6x9, and you think twice before pressing the shutter.

I used to cycle 1000kms a month. Then the family took over, and that number dwindled into obscurity. Now that our daughter is at primary school, I have a few more hours of free time, so I went for a 46km loop on my gravel bike and then met my wife and sister-in-law in a local udon restaurant for lunch. I'm a little tired, but it's the tiredness of a good workout, so I'm pretty happy.

I wanted to escape the house for a few minutes to reset a couple of nights ago. So I hopped on the foldable and cycled up and down a small section of Route 19 near my house. I'd never noticed this place in the car before but I'd like to go back again and reshoot it without blown-out highlights on the sign.

I can’t believe Aston Villa are in a European final again. Woke up at 3:50am to watch and found myself in floods of tears when the third goal went in, mostly because I was thinking of my dad and how he would have absolutely loved it. UTV!

Occasionally I've been asked why I had to take my daughter into central Nagoya every year since she was a toddler and why she can also do sign language (and why I know a little). Her hearing isn't that bad, but it's not perfect. Ji-chan's is probably worse! This video is such a good explainer and so easy to understand. …

As usual during Golden Week, we have stayed local. That means going to local parks, and later today, a short hike nearby. One thing that pleasantly surprised me this year was that now our daughter is at school, no matter which park we go to, a school friend has been there. That means while she goes off and plays with her friends, I can sit on the bench with a good book and read. Of course, we still interact while she's playing, and I regularly get called over to help out with something or other.