BEE Japan

Tree-covered mountains greet me every morning when I wake up and every evening when I come home. If they weren’t abounding with bears I’d explore their hidden winding paths, but as it is I take pleasure in their beauty from afar.

What better way to do this than from the beaten saddle of your beloved bicycle where no window smudges obstruct your sight, no engine muffles your hearing, and no overly re-circulated air contaminates your bloodstream leaving you dazed, sick, and pulling over as if you just had a wild bender? The pleasure experienced through the senses is outstanding, and the saddle… well, like any saddle it’s a place for your arse.

Exploring Shimokawa and its surroundings on two wheels has been a real treat. And, it hasn’t been just me. Oh, no, the townspeople here are fantastic. In spite of struggling to maintain a viable population, the townspeople here demonstrate the tenacity of a sumo wrestler who has his heels pressed against the edge of the ring moments before he tries to pull a surprise counter attack outta his ‘mawashi’. This almost stubborn determination is manifest mostly in their enthusiasm for community building and sustainability. Such noble goals can be realized only through prudent planning, and an eagerness for engagement; both of these are characteristics of Shimokawa’s residents amongst whom one has organized group bicycle rides and others have willingly joined.

Beginning in April, we ventured out into an area of Shimokawa which is to be flooded in the near future due to the construction of a damn. Despite the beautiful flowers in the creek and the delightful company of the others, it was the unpleasant information which stuck with me. According to some of the riders, the damn will not serve a clear purpose but has been approved nonetheless. I can only wonder how many ill-conceived, environmentally destructive, short-term employment generating projects and their accompanying unsustainable communities will be built before we learn. After the relatively short ride, we rolled over to the local restaurant Morena and enjoyed a lunch consisting of curry soup and vegetables picked from the chef’s backyard organic garden.

In May, a group of roughly 20 residents saddled up to go cherry blossom viewing at the forest by Shimokawa’s impressive hot spring. The weather was perfect and the participants ranging from toddlers to their grandmothers created an atmosphere ideal for the planned activity. After some light hiking, wild vegetable picking, and photography, we sat down to a scrumptious picnic lunch catered by the local café. This was accompanied by some afternoon sake under the pink and white hues of the cherry blossoms.

The third ride in June saw around ten Shimokawians take to the road for a 40 km day. Having ridden about five and ten kilometers on the two previous rides, respectively, the round-trip ride to Nayoro and back was quite a challenge! Although the distance was judged to be too long for some, Shimokawians responded to the call with newcomers filling the empty spots. After riding out to Nayoro and playing on a giant, bouncy dome (yes, exactly what I said: a giant bouncy material in the shape of a dome), we sat down to a freshly prepared lunch at Orto which like Morena grows its ingredients organically. Stomachs re-filled, we mounted our steeds and rode through the assailing elements: wind, rain, and… Nope, we didn’t encounter fire ; P

As for the fourth ride, it’s still a work in progress. With summer festivals and the like it’ll probably take place in late August or early September. In fact, the next group of cyclists that’ll hit the tarmac of Shimokawa will most likely be BEE Japan. BEE Japan is scheduled to pull in on the second day of riding, Tuesday, August 4th at around 7pm following a day-long stop at Bifuka’s Academy of Agricultural Philosophy. BEE Japan’s following day begins with tree pruning, ends with a vegetarian cooking class led by Rocio and interchange with the locals; in between, we’ll make chopsticks and soba noodles! Looking forward to BEE Japan in Shimokawa and, having 30 Shimokawians come out for ride number four = D