Dogs

I just had the scariest experience I've had in Japan yet.

I've just been to karate where my sensei is training me up for my next belt, and he's making me fight all the black belts to train me up for having to fight 10 people in a row. Tonight I've been fighting this black belt who weighs 100kg and he's fast. We fight for 45mins without a break and everything hurts. My legs have dozens of bruises that have all joined up and I'm frequently collapsing in tears from a mixture of the pain and the unbelievable amounts of adrenalin that are coursing through my body making me hyper-emotional. Towards the end he's trying to show my how to kick close up, but my shins hurt so much just touching them hurts like hell and tears are flooding down my face with frustration and pain.

I leave early at 9pm when all the kids go home and all the senseis are playfully giving me a hard time about leaving.
"Are you okay?"
"No, everything hurts -- yeah, I'm fine." I reply, and hobble onto my bike.
I ride down the steps as usual and wish, for the first time, for rear suspension, the jarring sending spasms through my legs.

Riding along the road, next to the freshly planted rice paddies the frogs are croaking in mating ecstasy after the rain that has been falling earlier in the evening. I head up towards the castle, planning to ride, as usual, through the grounds that surround it, beautiful trees, a moat, It's always the favourite part of my ride.

As I enter the castle grounds, a dog, off its lead, starts barking and runs over, closely followed by its mate. People walk their dogs at all hours here, and I figure it'll run back to it's owner soon enough. Seconds later though I'm surrounded. Big dogs, little dogs, medium dogs are all running in my direction, giving chase like they mean it. They're running at my side, scooting in front of my tires, I can hear them right on my tail, the collective barking must be waking the dead. There must be twenty or thirty of them. I realise that they mean business, no stopping here and offering them my hand to smell to show I'm friendly. I sense that if I pause, or even slow down, dozens of crazy dogs will immediately pounce. They're in pack mentality and know they have strength in numbers. The park is dark and there is no one else around. I'm terrified I'll crash into one and come off my bike. There is a big moat around the castle and the nearest exit is a good 500-600 metres away. I must reek of sweat, adrenalin, emotional and physical exhaustion.

I've had a series of punctures over the last week and tonight I replaced my inner tube, carefully inspecting the tire to make sure all possible foreign objects had been removed. I found a bunch of tiny thorns, that unbelievably had managed to penetrate deep into my tire. I hope I found them all!

I can see the headlines tomorrow: "Gaigin mauled to death by frenzied dogs." I ride like I'm being chased by a pack of angry dogs, praying they'll get bored or tired and leave me alone. But they don't. I can see them in my peripheral vision and the faster I ride the faster they run. The nearest exit is just up ahead and gradually the weaker, smaller dogs are dropping off the chase but the big ones are still alongside.

The exit is a bridge over the moat, a set of steps and a narrow ramp running up alongside at a forty-five degree angle. I've also been having problems with my chain coming off at inconvenient times when changing gears and going up hill. Cheap parts. I don't want to risk the gear change and summon the last shred of adrenalin to launch me up the ramp. Please let me make it.

Then I'm over the bridge and sailing down the other side. I'm suddenly on the well lit main road and the dogs have disappeared.

Toki toki goes my heart still. I think I will be riding home along the road from now on. Japanese drivers don't seem so crazy anymore.

Have been trying to detox lately, but that vending machine beer tastes so good.