Inspiration For Longevity

  The problem now is that it is getting to be a challenge to pick the best photos to share with you. This morning, I took a record 55 shots of the Takahatafudo Temple complex. Wow, what a site! https://jref.com/articles/takahata-fudoson-kongoji-temple.553/

  These are a couple more photos of the Seigan-ji Temple. Gotta love those angles! One of the things I am enjoying the most about our move to Japan is the time I have been able to put into strength training. Due to my busy schedule in the US, I had not been as consistent with those workouts as I would have liked. Below is the routine I have been following at the city gym in Fuchu. I have been walking the .75 miles to and from this facility. Nice warm-up and cool-down! Overhead Press  Bench Press Upright Rows Leg Press Calve Raises Abdominal Pulls Roman Chair Leg Raises Back Extensions Lat Raises Rotator Cuff External Rotation: both arms Rotator Cuff Internal Rotation: both arms Oblique Rotation: both directions Hip Adduction: groin muscle Hip Abduction Hip Football Kicks Hip: Kick backward This covers most of the major muscles of the body. I do one set of 10-20 repetitions for each exercise. The whole routine takes me about 40 minutes. Below are the guidelines for using this g...

 These are all pictures taken of the Seigan-ji Temple. Please check my "Temples Details" page for more details. This is another example of the aesthetic and geometric beauty of these temples. The Japanese sure do know how to create some gorgeous buildings and monuments! I took my first longer bike ride today, almost 11 miles to and from the Tama River. Felt great to be back on the bike! I do need to be careful as I almost got hit going around a blind corner close to our home. It is going to take some time to get used to these narrow streets.  It is another warm day as it is currently 97 degrees and is supposed to hit 99! Call me a little crazy, but I have a different way of dealing with the heat. I try to use air conditioning as little as possible so that the heat is not as much of a  shock when I go outside. That seems to work for me as the heat does not seem to slow me down. I just sweat up a storm and drink gallons of water! All the best, Bob

  This is a picture of the Shogaigakushu Workout Center I have been using. This is a public facility that includes tennis, swimming, strength training, table tennis, badminton, and other activities. I have really enjoyed being able to lift weights on a consistent basis! Yes, I love to maintain my strength for fitness purposes!   The bad news is that we lost power this morning. Setsuko freaked out and texted me while I was out exploring. The result of a clerical error, power was returned pretty quickly. Nothing like a great introduction to our new house! 

  I cannot tell you how many times in life my first impressions turned out to be way off base. Such was the case with these pictures. At first glance, I was not happy with them. However, they have definitely grown on me, especially with some editing! They are all pictures of temples and cemeteries adjacent to those temples. It is fascinating to me how elaborate some of those gravestones are! We are in our new house with no furniture! All of the items that were shipped will be delivered on July 17th. The plot thickens! Setsuko reserved a tennis court for today, so we had the pleasure of playing tennis when it was 99 degrees, with 75% humidity, and with a Dew Point of 75. Yes, it was toasty! Speaking of toasty, I decided to pick this day, of all days, to get lost in Japan for the first time. The vast majority of the time, Siri and the iPhone are extremely reliable. However, on this glorious scorcher of a day, Siri did not recognize my new address and had me going in circles until I f...

  So much of life is about repetition! Today was my third or fourth visit to the gorgeous Okunitama-jinja Shrine. Each time I go, I see something different! That is the way it is with serious high end photography. Those photographers go back to certain scenes again and again. They keep looking for that unique and perfect shot. The red building is the Ono Shrine, another member of the Japanese unique structure club! Tomorrow, our repetition and practice and execution moves us one step closer to the final stage of our move to Japan. We will be moving into our new house, although we will not have any furniture and other possessions until July 17th.  One of the reasons Setsuko and I make a good team is that we both have the discipline to continually apply and repeat the little steps necessary to make big changes. In many ways, the changes do not get much bigger than this!

   The photos are of the Kokubunji Temple, a mile and a half north of our motel. Another interesting and unique site! I love the colors and the angles and the shapes! When I take shots from different perspectives and not just from standing front and middle, I get some very fascinating effects! Interesting, but not quite so positive, is the price tag for having my bike put together. At this point, it appears that price tag is around $450. Ouch! We have not yet picked up the bike, so we do not have the details. The mechanic did say that there were some broken parts. However, I did not think it would be $450 worth of broken parts! Oh well! I will continue to work on finding a bike shop with whom I can have a long-term relationship. I was definitely spoiled by Len, the owner of Len's Bikes in Springfield. He is amazing! Speaking of amazing, I continue to be amazed at the intricacies of customer service in Japan. For a country that I think prides itself on efficiency, the customer ...