We spent last night in a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn),
located in the town of Iiyama (population 24000), run by a wonderful couple who
spoke a little English. This morning, when the husband learned that we live in
Boston, his face lit up as he said: "Red Sox! Manager Bobby Valentine.
Daisuke. Hideo Nomo." [Note: Bobby Valentine is the current manager of the
Red Sox, and Daisuke ("Dice-K") Matsuzaka and Hideo Nomo are Japanese
pitchers who have played for the Red Sox.] He then took a picture of us
together with our bikes to post on Facebook.
The Japanese are clearly very much into baseball. We've seen
numerous baseball diamonds in parks and in athletic fields adjacent to schools,
and have often witnessed games being played by kids. Posters of local teams are
common, and shops sell team baseball hats. Beyond baseball, the Japanese seem
to be fit and active, as we have often see cyclists (including serious racers)
and joggers throughout our trip.
Approximately 20 miles into our ride today, we reached
Nagano, site of the 1998 Winter Olympics. We took the opportunity to view three
of the Olympic buildings: the Olympic Stadium, where the opening and closing
ceremonies were held (now used as a baseball stadium); the M-Wave building,
where speed skating events were held; and the White Ring, where figure skating
took place.
We were surrounded by mountains during today's ride in the Alps,
but unfortunately our views of them were limited by haze and clouds. We even
experienced a little rain for the first time on our trip, after 22 days of perfect
biking weather.
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| Our innkeepers in Iiyama |
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| Peaks shrouded in clouds |
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| Passing a group of joggers |
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| A serene park |
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| Nagano Olympic Stadium |
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| "White Ring": site of Olympic figure skating events |
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| "M-Wave": site of Olympic speed skating events |
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| Quiet, tasteful street leaving Nagano :) |
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| Baseball poster in a shop window |
