high temperatures in tohoku: a bike touring misadventure

[@urushi-en1ss]

I was looking forward to the update. My hometown, Lake Towada, is always beautiful in your travel records. That makes me very happy. because although I live far away, I also love cycling, and, Your videos are valuable records that clearly capture rural roads in Japan. No other exists.Thank you so much.

[@waddo]

You're very welcome and Tawadoko is a place we will always go. We love the many changing moods of the lake.

[@andrewm6192]

Would you go back and live in your home town? or is there no way to go employment in that area.

[@waddo]

I would never go back My hometown is in England. I moved to French Canada when I was 19 and lived longer there than England. Now I am completely at home in Japan and love the countryside and traditions here. I think we should go forward in everything and never go back; no matter how strong the pull might be. @@andrewm6192

[@davidjohnston1374]

Hi Keith & Yuki, great to see you on my tube...eeer my screen once again.....i've said it a couple of times before and I'll say it again, there's nobody in you tube land that captures the essence of Japan, the natural Japan that comes anywhere near close to what you do, the music, the cycling, the intimate bits (have you ever been caught by anyone during the nudie bits lol) the nature, the brief commentary, the many little combini stores along the way and how there's so many tracks and temples in the Country side, it looks to be a hikers paradise. When I see another video by Waddo in my feed, there's no hesitation to jump straight in, I truly enjoyed all 1hr and 35 minutes of it as I have done all your other videos gone by. Sorry it had to be cut short due to the Covid, it's still floating around and it seems a new strain has popped it's head up, but I think like the normal flu, we'll just have to live with it.

[@waddo]

Thanks for you flattering comments. And no, we've never had trouble swimming mainly because we only do it when there is no-one in the near vicinity. Also, it's usually early morning or early evening, so few people are around. Our winter holiday will be hiking on a semi-tropical sparsely populated island so we are hoping the weather is warm enough for daily swimming.

[@nemosaki]

awesome!!!

[@Kickethan2]

Lovely video waddo, the scene with the dragonflies was great

[@waddo]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@chrispeters5176]

Thanks again waddo, cycle touring, nature, interesting stops and the most beautiful wild swimming on KZbin. 8^)

[@waddo]

Glad you enjoyed it and I agree with all four;)

[@curiousnomadic]

Love it when you match the peaceful music to the tranquil situations.

[@cicloturismo_mexico]

Incredible videos! I'm always enjoying the videos :), Which video camera(s) are you using?

[@waddo]

Glad you are enjoying them. I am using an Osmo action camera for the riding shots and an iPhone 13 for the rest.

[@awildcyclistappears]

Great to see you two back! Sending love :)

[@waddo]

Thanks and I hope you enjoyed it.

[@alexanderlawson1649]

Hi Keith, I thought you might be dead, its great to hear from you again. You're stuff is outstanding, Japan is such a land of refined culture, such a beautiful place brought to us by you're travels. I am sitting hear in rain soaked Scotland watching a land I will never see. By the way tell Yuki, I love her, I'm sure you will understand, its only an internet love. May you live long and someday get hydraulic disc brakes, they are amazing.

[@waddo]

Ha ha thanks for all the comments in your text!!! I'm sure disc brakes are better=, it's just that if they needed changing, adjusting during a trip I cannot do that myself as I am useless with such things. Needing a shop to change the brakes in the middle of the mountains and nowhere is too risky. On at least three trips I had to change our brake pads and I can only just do that: it takes me half an hour and I am cursing and miserable the whole time!

[@joramvandervorst7715]

Good to see you two again! 🎉

[@waddo]

I've been editing at least 5 days a week and at least 4 hours a day since we came back. The action camera had some problems and I had to fight with the footage, finally resorting to witchcraft. That seemed to do the trick! I bought a new (second hand) third generation Osmo Action to replace the first generation, so all my troubles should now be over.

[@markespley8740]

❤ such a beautiful part of japan 👍

[@waddo]

Yes it is, though it's getting difficult to find new places to visit each time. Not sure what wee can do about it because it's really the only place that's not scorching hot not with global warming.

[@frednerk2127]

Hope your feeling better. Sad end to what looked like a great ride.

[@waddo]

It was an unfortunate end; at the same time I was diagnosed with COVID back in Tokyo; but it was incredibly mild, so in a way we were lucky.

[@RealSpaceHobo]

Great vid as always. Glad to see you finally bought the bear-spray. Maybe two would be better. And a couple of hand axes....🙂 Perhaps a tad too much of Yuki with water, but I am guessing others would disagree....this is after all a "family show" and KZbin police has psychopathically strict policies, could mean a strike or two if they catch on. Japan really looks like a bikers heaven, with such great infrastructure..keep em coming....never too long for me.....

[@waddo]

Actually we always take bear spray when we go north. As for the water scenes, these videos are not made for KZbin; in fact I made videos before KZbin existed. They are documentaries of our holidays. If I only included one scene with water, in 3 years time we would watch and have no idea that it was the hottest summer we have ever experienced in Tohoku. So as a documentary it has already failed. So you get what you get. Japan can be a great place to do a bike tour; but remember we are very selective about where we go for our holidays!

[@mynameisyuki]

Our travel videos on KZbin may sometimes be bizarre or shocking, depending on the scene. But our travels take us away from daily life. There is a shift from social order to natural order. We ride bikes over the mountains from the morning to the evening and we experience heat, wind, sound and smells of the nature. We are sleeping in a tent in the silence of nature. Sometimes we hear the sounds of animals and rain. Our five senses are sharpened. As each day passes, I became less conscious of my nationality, age, gender, occupation and perhaps even my name. The is not an exaggeration, but it strengthens the awareness that we are part of nature and makes us stand out as creatures. The reality of I am here. When I see a gloriously clear lake, there is no reason to stop us jumping in. Feeling the luxury of the coldness of water on my skin all over my body. When I woke up in the heat and humidity, I take a refreshing shower from the tap for clean my sticky skin. Nobody is there, there is just in the nature. We simply enjoy the day. This is our life. We are quietly and simply enjoying our travel on the bike without disturbing anyone. These experiences left a strong impression on my mind, and I am grateful to Keith for capturing the beautifully as images.

[@andrewm6192]

@15.02 mins Loved the flight of the dragonflies. Shame you both came down with something, not much fun cycling when you got no energy! It always surprises me that many places get abandomed in Japan, no business or nobody to keep on the family business? Enjoyed the sights and the places, thanks for bring us along along. Watch out for old men coughing.........bugger!

[@waddo]

Basically the younger generations move to the cities for university and then never go back. As the old people die their houses are left to slowly fall down; and small businesses close down and become places to explore!. You can actually buy a house in the country for almost nothing--and some people including foreigners do that. We would love to do it; but how to make a living once you are there? That's the problem. Any way glad you enjoyed the video. By the way, if you watch the Hachijojima video you will see us explore the amazing ghost hotel.

[@andrewm6192]

Thanks for the insight..... i did see a couple on the tube that had bought a place out in the sticks @@waddo

[@kennethnicholls8172]

Amazing videos. Your films remind me of documentaries i watched on TVO as a kid. Thank very much for making them. What bikes do you guys ride?

[@waddo]

Glad you are enjoying the videos. And I am aiming for TV quality but it's hard to achieve with the cheap cameras I use. In this case and since the 88 Temples video, the main camera is actually a second hand iPhone 13. I still have my very old Panasonic camera which was the main camera for at least the last 6 or 7 years and am trying to decide which is best. Certainly for wight and size the phone wins. We are both riding very scratched up Surly Long Haul Truckers.

[@fatdave999]

Thank you very much for posting this, does Yuki often look glum or is it for the camera?

[@waddo]

That's her normal look. Didn't notice she is glum!

[@alexanderlawson1649]

Maybee 25 mins per vid would be best to optimise you're content, doing it all at once, its a bit of an ejaculation, not that Im criticising the output, could I do it? All the best and keep on sending this outstanding wonderful incredible Japanese stuff. Love to espec, Yuki, my dream woman, sorry Keith I just lost it.

[@waddo]

If the video was 25 minutes we would miss 66% of the content, meaning the trip. So that would not be a smart idea. Also, considering these videos are primarily for Yuki and myself and not for KZbin, the length is fine. We have no TV and watching one holiday is a nice way to pass an evening.

[@TheFilthdog]

@@waddo I completely agree, keep the videos as long as you need to cover all the content you can. I enjoy watching longer travel videos as it's more immersive.

[@curiousnomadic]

Just watch it in sections as we do. KZbin saves where you left off if you have history on.