It’s been a while since I’ve last updated; over a month since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck the Tohoku region, which rocked most of Japan and created so many new uncertainties for the well-being of many people here. Whether it being the initial earthquake, the record 33-foot tsunami that wiped out many towns on the northeastern coastlines, the contamination caused by the crippled reactors at the TEPCO Fukushima Daichi nuclear power plant, or the hundreds of aftershocks that have occurred after the initial quake, everyone has been affected by the initial events that occurred on March 11th.

I think the situation dealing with the nuclear reactors will continue to remain inconsistent for a couple of years, and things could potentially go downhill extremely fast. Every person has their own opinion on the situation, but ultimately, it can’t affect the way people live their lives. You can choose to take precautions to avoid being exposed to whatever kind of radiation is expected here, but it ends up being a losing battle when you live each day in fear from an invisible threat. You just can’t live this way for a long time, it’s senseless.

I finally feel comfortable traveling back into the city again, and haven’t had any issues while being there. Aside from a couple aftershocks that strike every so often, the streets are busy in Tokyo with tons of people doing their normal routines. One of my riding buddies from Hawaii, Marissa, was in Japan for the past 2 weeks and I was able to meet and hang out with her and her cycling friends in Japan. Such a great group of people, I’m really looking forward to riding with them in the future.

This past weekend I met up with some of them in Fucho for a semi-annual event known as Sekidobashi. It is a bicycle flea market where many cyclists meet up by Sekido bridge and setup shop next to each other to sell bicycle parts. It’s a unique event that caters to all types of cyclists. It’s just amazing seeing all the vintage collections and parts being sold. There were a lot of great deals that I wish I had gotten to quicker. Many njs Keirin track frames and parts were being sold for dirt-cheap prices; the most outrageously cheap prices I could’ve ever dreamed up. I managed to get some great deals, enough to keep me anxious for the next Sekidobashi 6-months from now. Not only were the deals amazing, but it was definitely a sight to see all these beautiful builds that people rode to the event with.

I have a lot of photos to post up from other times I went out into the city, just too lazy to edit them right now. Until then, enjoy these shots. Aloha from Japan.