BEE Japan

Transitioning to BEE Ride 2009

Salem — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:32:36 +0000

Hey all, This is Salem, I’ll be leading the BEE 2009 Ride. While I know it’s still early, I’m trying to get a head-start on recruiting people for next year’s event, especially as I know 2 months is a lot of time to commit. I’ve been sending out information to JET Program participants via AJET and [...]

Teary Eyes and Good-Byes

Cat — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:03:05 +0000

So friends, we`ve finished it. All the way. We`re done. Yesterday morning we rode up and down the last few hills and ended at Cape Sata, the southernmost point of Kyushu. It was a rather melancholic moment as we looked out over the sea, reflected on the things we`ve learned and experienced during the last [...]

KAGOSHIMA!!

Cat — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 13:57:55 +0000

After a delicious brunch provided by the Fukuda winery, we rode 130 kilometers through the rain today. That`s our longest day yet! (except for Colin Hood, who rode in circles one day until he had ridden a century) A group of friendly local JETs welcomed us and watched as we rather deliriously celebrated our arrival. We [...]

Rained out in Kumamoto

Colin J — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 09:00:48 +0000

Hello everyone. We are currently on our second night of WWOOF homestays in a row in Kyushu. Yesterday and today we rode through heavy rain but each night we have been greeted by warm beds and good food. We are a little worried about the Typhoon heading our way but hopefully we can make it [...]

Mercedes and the Small Dog (backup to Fuji, Sept. 4/5)

Cat — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:59:07 +0000

A brief explanatory introduction: This blog post is fictional, based on an idea that stemmed from our inspiring experiences at Fuji Eco-Park. Mercedes is Amiena`s mom. We`ve all heard many wonderful stories about her mettle and spunk – and we get to see it in Amiena every day – but none of us have met her, though [...]

Island Hoping

Juank — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 07:16:47 +0000

It was supposed to be a nice short ride to the meeting point with our solidarity riders for the day. We had all been looking forward to the so called “shima-nami kaido”, a line of islands connected by bridges all the way from Shikoku to Honshu accross the Seto Inland Sea. But what started as a [...]

REEEEEEwind! (blog catch up: August 18)

Emi — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 00:16:36 +0000

It is only because I am on the BEE tour that one week and one day before we are to arrive at our goal of Sata Misaki (the southern most point of Japan’s 4 main islands), it seems perfectly normal that I sit in the living room o a person I have never met, surrounded [...]

The road goes ever on and on…

Juank — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 06:36:59 +0000

So, today we are all taking a day of rest in Fukui, after a long week riding everyday up and down mountains from Tokyo to Nagoya and then up north to Fukui. Emi had told me that after I joined the group in Tokyo there will be some hills waiting for us, but I never [...]

Sun power me up! Sept. 9

Emi — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 22:40:10 +0000

A house. That’s right, BEE Japan 2008 have a whole HOUSE to ourselves. The morning started like any other. I jumped off Allan’s (our couchsurfer host) couch and rushed to the corner store to grab supplies for breakfast while the rest of the group tried their darndest to grab an extra few minutes of sleep. Breakfast [...]

Shimizu to Hamamatsu (Day 36)

Colin J — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 12:00:47 +0000

After a night of revels with the irrepressible Mo-chan we awoke to a breakfast of homemade granola lovingly prepared by Cat (I’m always in awe of her ability to get up and make food appear out of midair). Over breakfast we chatted and hummed and hawed and packed and repacked, none of us wanting to [...]