Obviously one big difference between Tokyo and here this time of year is the weather. About now Tokyo is still experiencing 85 degrees from morning to night with an equal level of humidity. It generally stays the same all day. Last Tuesday I got up and it was 70 degrees at 6:30 AM; a pleasant day. The very next day was less than 50 at the same time. Did Fall fall that quickly? I mean I'll be the first to admit I'm a weather-wimp but let's have a little more gradual movement here.
Also in Tokyo the sun spends much of its day high up in the sky, relentlessly beating down on you from above. I had forgotten that here in the northern altitudes it tends to be low in the sky during morning and evening hours, providing little warmth while also serving to be a blinding light; quite effectively hiding any oncoming traffic. Soon it'll disappear over the southern horizon not to be seen again until Spring. Listen to me, sounds like I live in Northern Alaska.
When we were in Tokyo I would ride my bike the 2 or 3 miles to local pools to swim and consider it an easy trip without the hassle of riding and changing trains on the subway. Plus it was an easy way to get a few miles of training in on the bike. Well, here it seems I can't be bothered to ride even the 1.2 miles to the local health club. My excuses are that I needed to hurry to get back and pick up the kids, that I needed the time to continue to unpack stuff at home and that the road to the club has very narrow shoulders and it is scary to ride on. This last excuse has the added benefit of even being true. Anyway, I've vowed to do better in the future. As long as time, traffic and life permits anyway.
