Blogs from Japan 2003-2006

I've finally got round to joining the closest gym in the world. I see it on the way to work, on the way back from work, on the way to Mcdonalds, and on the way back from Mcdonalds. It's fab.
So, I started with a 25 minute jog. Now this in itself is interesting. I started jogging a while back and found it very hard to break the 20 minute barrier without killing time getting out the appartment and doing my shoelaces up. But today I managed 25 minutes and I was hardly breathing.
I got off the treadmill, tried to avoid all human contact with overly happy fitness instuctors and went to the sit-up machine. Now again, this machine is interesting. I always thought that doing sit-ups is a pain: A serious pain in the stomach. But with this machine, it's easy. I did about 50 ( I didn't actually count. I prefer guessing. That way it's easier to lie.)
After sit-ups I went and had some water. Absolutely nothing interesting about the water. But it was incredibly cold. Next it was time for the aqua side to my work out.
I changed into my swimming costume and went for a swim. I'm shite at swimming. I'm thinking of taking lessons because I still can't really do the breast stroke. But I did my best and managed 100 metres before the lifeguards starting getting worried. I got out and went into the jacuzzi. Now, I don't mind saying that I'm flippin' good at jacuzzi. I sat there for 10 minutes. After the jacuzzi I went into the steam room. There were some bloody noisy salarymen in there talking about bosses that don't expect you to do overtime. I sat there wishing I had their boss. Upon realizing that boss-switching is very unlikely, I pretended to do Zazen. I managed about 5 minutes before Buddha started getting the funeral sutras ready. I left the steam room and had a shower. Next it was time for the second part of my aqua workout: sauna and hot bath.
Sauna is probably my favorite thing at the gym. It's very uncomfortable and flippin' hot, but I like to sweat. I stayed in the sauna for 4 minutes and then went into the hot bath. The hot bath is like the jacuzzi but hotter and minus swimsuit. I like it.
So that just about rounds up my first gym day. I feel replenished, relaxed and above all, like a normal adult: This is life gym but not as I knew it.

I just watched my first ever episode of Sex in the City, hence my style of writing today. It's very well done I think and isn't crammed full of jokes, which is nice too.
Tomorrow is a public holiday so we're off to a Zen style Starbucks in Kamakura (I discovered it last time I went hiking in Kamakura. There's a terrace with a view of a garden and the decor is very minimalist Japanese) and a bit of wandering about.

And finally Napolean Dynamite is out on DVD with the very strange Japanese title, "Bus man."