Another challenge completed

Well, rock climbing was a big success. I didn't die, for a start. And I came home with nothing worse than a little bit of muscle ache in the shoulders and a few scrapes on the forearms and hands.

The pictures above are hugely unfair. I took R.'s photo just as she was starting off - so it looks like she climbed about 3 centimetres. Whereas she waited until I was near the top to commemorate my climb. In fact, she was way better at the whole thing than I was.

The were four courses mapped out for beginners, and we managed to reach the top of three of them fairly easily. But the fourth started with a little overhang that we just could not master. My arms and legs were so long that I was able to bypass the overhang and get to the top, but that doesn't count as it means you haven't learned the necessary techniques. It's all a pretty good marketing strategy as we're now eager to go back and battle our nemesis.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day - dry, 28 degrees, perfect blue sky - so a little stroll and a sit down in a nice meadow was in order. To get to the pastoral calm of Sangubashi, it was necessary to pass through Harajuku. Now usually I really don't think that Tokyo feels that crowded, however Takeshita Street in Harajuku on Sunday afternoon is another story. Look at that crowd. And there wasn't even a special event on - this is what it's like most of the time!

Along the way we passed an exhibition of bonzai trees that was spectacular. Mam, I thought you'd appreciate this one in particular.


So, in summary, rock climbing has been ticked off the list and looks likely to be a continuing source of adventure, but discussions are also underway for the next challenge. And just to ensure that my poor Mother and Father never sleep a wink again, it's looking very likely that the next on the list is archery. Now anyone who has ever seen me try to throw a ball or do any activity involving hand-eye coordination will know what a bad idea this is. But it wouldn't be a challenge if it was something easy. Nearer the time, I will ask you to pray not just for me, but for the poor instructor and innocent bystanders who will be in the line of fire.