Finish line - interview with KeepingPaceInJapan

On September 24, 2007 in Interviews

This past week we’ve been having a marathon chat with Turner, the multi-talented author of Keeping Pace In Japan

So far, he…

• sounded a call to action for all foreigners,
• gave you info to help you know before you go,
• told you “the truth about AEON”
• and gave you a crash course on Japan in Space.

Today in this last installment we’re going talk with him about his adventures and athleticism in Japan.

On your marks, get set, go!

Daily J: How often do you participate in marathons? Is there a marathon in particular that is your favorite?

Turner: As you may know, the term “marathon” in Japan is just a name, written in katakana characters,  ????. It can be any distance, up to and including 42.195 km. That being the case, I’ve participated in a few running races in Japan, sometimes called “marathons”, but haven’t gone the actual distance yet (at least, not in this country): Hiroshima Peace Marathon (10K), Hiroshima Seniors Cross Country on Miyajima (11K), and another 8-mile race on Miyajima. I’m in the lottery for the Tokyo Marathon in February, and will consider doing the Nagasaki Bayside Half Marathon in October. In the US, I first ran the Austin Freelance Marathon in 2005 (3:00:57), which qualified me to run the Boston Marathon in 2006 (3:04:46).

Daily J: It seems you have done a lot traveling. What are your favorite places to visit in Japan? And why?

Turner: I have a terrible time deciding favorites; there are so many amazing places to see in Japan, especially around my new home in Kagoshima. I really like to stay away from the major tourist destinations; I’ve only been in Tokyo for a few days, Kyoto one night (Maruyama Koen to see the shidarezakura during cherry blossom season), and even my time in Osaka was limited.

Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to small islands that barely register on a tourist’s radar: the Mishima group just south of Kagoshima Prefecture, Tanegashima, Yakushima,­ a plan is in the works to visit one of the Tokara islands as well.

Some of my more noteworthy adventures include staying in a hot springs ryokan at Kurokawa Onsen village, dining on Shiroi Koibito chocolate while looking at the Sapporo Snow Festival sculptures at night, kneeling in a Buddhist temple while listening to the monks chant and absorbing the smell of incense after a long day of hiking on the Shikoku 88-temple pilgrimage.­ I also think the town of Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture is underappreciated; it has a great landmark (the Kintai bridge), it’s beautiful during cherry blossom season, there’s a great park for relaxing, and an excellent restaurant serving the best yakitori in Japan is nearby (Irori Sanzoku).

http://www.keepingpaceinjapan.com/2007/04/shikoku-hachijuhachikasho-meguri-part-i.html
http://www.keepingpaceinjapan.com/2007/05/ikkoku-mairi-temples-1-6.html
http://www.keepingpaceinjapan.com/2007/05/ikkoku-mairi-osettai-and-harassment.html
http://www.keepingpaceinjapan.com/2007/05/ikkoku-mairi-getting-hit.html
http://www.keepingpaceinjapan.com/2007/05/ikkoku-mairi-behind-veil.html
http://www.keepingpaceinjapan.com/2007/05/ikkoku-mairi-breathing-free.html
http://www.keepingpaceinjapan.com/2007/05/ikkoku-mairi-keeping-pace.html

Ahhh. I hope to visit some of these places someday. But until then, thanks to KeepingPaceInJapan, you and I can read about them! A big thank you to Turner for the interview and all of this great content. Be sure to visit his site and take full advantage of it.

And have a great day,

From Daily J

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