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Introduction

This is an online journal of my trip to Japan in the Spring of 2002. I had been there many times before, sometimes on vacation, mostly for business. Since first going there back in 1999, I had started studying the Japanese language.

Why did I go: wanted to take my girlfriend Jen to Japan, visit my friends who live there, use my newfound ability to converse (slightly) in Japanese, and have some fun biking.

Why write this online journal: to inform people that I was still alive (I was biking alone), to update Jen and others as to my whereabouts, to play with html and computerish stuff, and to contribute my own combination of useful and useless info on the net.

The easiest way to navigate is by using the buttons at the top of the page to go forward or backwards in time, or see the calender or map. Otherwise, start at:

• Tomer's introduction.
• Bicycle's introduction.
• April 12: the first day Jen and I arrived in Japan.
• April 28: the first day of the bicycle trip.

I was born in Israel back in '74. My family moved to the U.S. when I was 3 years old. We first moved to West Los Angeles, but I grew up mostly in the San Fernando Valley (where valley girls come from). I went to UCLA and studied computer science, and then moved to San Francisco back in '96 (first in Palo Alto for a year, and then the city itself) and worked mostly for a then unknown company called VERITAS. The last 3 years I've spent contracting for them on and off as an instructor, and being sent to various cities in the U.S. as well as Tokyo, Japan.

I have worked various computer jobs in teaching and technical support positions. I enjoy volunteering at the SF School Volunteers, SF Bike Coalition, and SF Boys and Girls Club. I love riding my bike, gardening, cooking, and studing languages. Feel free to check out my webpage if you think it might provide you with more information.

My bike is an REI Novara, I bought used at a bike shop for $150, about 2 years ago (year 2000). It was the REI touring model quite a few years back, so it's old enough to be relatively heavy compared with all those newer models. As with all touring bikes, it has a triple chainring in the front, and even fully packed I've never had any trouble taking it up hills.

The tires are nice and wide, yet full 700mm tires: Continental Conti-Top Touring 2000 (size: 28 x 13/8 x1 6/8) and I didn't get one flat throughout the trip, despite the fact that they are already over a year old.

I have a Toppeak Rack I bought a few years back, and used a variety of bags. My front handle-bar bag was a Vaude II, which comes with a little, clear plastic map-holder on top, as well as a strap so you can use it as a small shoulder bag (extremely convenient). The back paniers (bike bags) are Jando, I got long ago. I put water-proof sealer on it before the trip, but it didn't pass my waterproof test, so I additionally wrapped that luggage in plastic bags. The front paniers are Ortliebs, which are 100% waterproof plastic, with no seams (a roll-down top with a closing strap). Although very expensive (they were $120, I think. or was that $160?) these are by far the best buy for your money, in my opinion.