Oh the places we'll go!

And the things we'll see! Just a few more days before we depart and things are actually coming together. Sort of. I'm lagging behind in my duties, but that's just my way. I recently confessed a deep, dark secret to a friend and now I'm going to reveal it to the rest of the world: I am a procrastinator. Big time. So big that I even made up my own saying: "It's never too late to stop procrastinating." ™ It works for me. But, I still need to pick up the pace a bit and get stuff done. But first, an update:

Despite my procrastinating, Diana and I leave on June 11th. After flying in to Narita airport in Tokyo (11hrs flight) we'll transfer to a domestic flight to Sapporo, the capital city of Hokkaido. Hokkaido is the northernmost of Japan's 4 main islands (of which there are, apparently, 1000) and, for the most part, is a wild, beautiful, lush, wilderness. The have BEARS there! And lots and lots of onsens (natural hot springs)! Sapporo will be our jumping-off point for 2 1/2 weeks of bike touring and Diana found us a great little spot for those first few days. You can check out our ryokan, Ino's Place, by clicking on the link on the sidebar (I haven't figured out all the linky-blogging techniques yet). This place has it all, including internet access, so expect reports from the get go. I've decided not to invest in a phone that will work in Japan (think hundreds of dollars, new phone #, and no guarantee that it'll really work), so we'll post as often as possible, which should be quite often. In all my phone research I've discovered that Japan is pretty wired (who'd have thought?) even in the wilderness, so I don't think we'll leave you hangin' too much.

After 2 1/2 weeks in Hokkaido, we'll pack up the bikes and head off to the big city: Tokyo. In Tokyo the Andon Ryokan will be home base for the last week or so of the trip (again, see sidebar). From here, we're planning trips by Shinkansen (that would be a Bullet Train, a train that goes 300 km/h or 186 mp/h, thank you) to Kyoto, Nara, Hakone (think Mt. Fuji) and wherever else we want to go (and go Quickly). So, taking my cue from the wise and clever Dr. Seuss I'll leave you with this thought about our (and your own) upcoming adventures: You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

And go we will!

Now, back to business 'cause I've got lots to do before my plane leaves the ground. And you, yes YOU, go ride your bike and be merry.