One of the main things I wanted to do here was get a bicycle and cycle to all the spots I used to go to. My initial plan was to buy a touring bicycle from Tokyo somewhere and bring it back with me to the UK, but as I soon found out there's not a lot of demand for those, and getting one I like would take weeks, not days. So I switched to plan B: buy the crappiest cheapest bicycle I can find.
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..and I'm so happy with it! Yes, compared to a proper (touring or other) bicycle it's not good at all, but compared to walking this thing is masterful. After I bought it I couldn't resist and headed for the mountains, reaching one of my favourite spots just before sunset and then realizing that the light didn't work. But not to worry! Now that I have a bicycle I can do a quick trip to the 100 yen shop and buy crappy-ass lights for my crappy-ass bike! On the way back I enjoyed the downhill thrill for the first time in over a year. What a great feeling that is.
Today I decided to cycle to the seaside. But today the temperature rose to over 32 degrees. Two years ago I might have been ok with that, but today I just couldn't stop sweating. I realized that my physical condition has decreased a lot since two years ago, and I gained a lot of weight. It's time to do something about that, and now is as good a time as any. Although next week temperatures might rise to 36C..
The trip didn't end well. When I arrived at the beach the wind had gotten so strong that there was massive sand spray, clinging to my limbs which had sticky sunscreen applied to them. It took only a couple of minutes for me to turn into a sand monster, so I decided to cut my trip short and go back, in traditional zig-zag fashion. All the streets seemed unusually quiet, but then again it's the obon period right now, meaning all Japanese go back to their home towns to visit their family. It was a good ride back, albeit too hot for me. I took solace in the fact that while I am here my stamina will only go up and my weight will only go down, so future cycle trips will only get easier.
Also, today is my birthday! As before, I have continued to fail at dying. This is good. Thanks everyone for your messages. Hope to see you all in the near future :)