Tokyo Cyclist

 In the United States, everyone always has suing or being sued in the back of their minds.  Good or bad, his is a cultural phenomenon.  Many people want to extract some financial vengeance when they feel they have been wronged, or want to use the legal system to punish those they feel are deserving. The other side of the coin is that many people are afraid of being sued, which may limit what they do, including whether they are willing to get involved to help people, etc.  This can be an unfortunate side-effect, but at the same time, it doesn't mean that everyone is always well behaved.  In the world of cycling, there is often a trade-off between doing what everyone else does, doing what is realistic, and following the letter of the law.   For example, the law in Japan says that bicycles basically must follow the same traffic laws as cars, including stopping at stop signs, etc., with some exceptions: 1. You should stay to the left side of the left-most lane, in the cycle lane if the

 I made the solo trip to Nagano in October.  That was fun, but also a bit drawn out.  The weather was perfect.  Chilly enough that once I got warmed up from the exercise I wasn't too hot or too cold, and no need to carry too much bulky clothes.   There were a few issues, though: 1. I brought too much stuff.  Because it was so far, and some places were far from civilization, I brought a lot of stuff.   2. I had to work - which limited my the amount of to travel each day much more than my physical ability.   3. Mechanical failure - Because of #1 & #2 above, I used Pannier bags and a top bag with strap-on racks, which had issues when I went on a brief off-rode detour.   4. Lack of suitable roads - Given the remote location, some places were connected only by a single road, which was typically high speed and narrow.  Not the kind of place you want to cycle, let along at night.  To add insult to injury, often large tractor trailers would be traveling here, spoiling the mode no matte