MONO NO AWARE – SUPER ULTRA PANKS GCN SERIES EPISODE 14

MONO NO AWARE – SUPER ULTRA PANKS GCN SERIES EPISODE 14

Just do the “mekus mekus”. This is dangerous. Working here is like being a slave. – What? – They got you by the balls. It’s swimming in the ice cream. Ugh… It’s so cold! This is Super Ultra Panks Gaijin Cycling Nation Series.

A weekly cycling blog showing our tour in Japan from Nagoya to Tokyo. We hope you enjoy watching it. If you have suggestions, please leave a comment. Please share this video to help us with Youtube’s algorithm. This program is brought to you by the following sponsors and Budol Buddy’s wealth.

Welcome to another episode of Super Ultra Panks, GCN series. Last week, we went to Bluelug’s “Onigiri Outside”. A picnic style gathering of bike enthusiasts in Yoyogi park. We also went to Omoide Yokocho to have drinks. On this video, we will go solo riding from our airbnb up to Saitama.

We will be eating ramen in a Filipino-Japanese owned ramen shop. We’ll also be trying an authentic Taiyaki, a sweet snack popular here in Japan. We’ll be seeing Diamond Fuji on top of Tokyo Skytree. An anual phenomenon where the sun sets behind Mt. Fuji. what are you waiting for? Let’s go, ikimashou.

Don’t you wanna ride the escalator? You guys are crazy. These stairs are high! We didn’t go biking but I’m still tired climbing stairs. Today we got invited in Renan’s aunt’s Ramen store. That’s like a tongue twister. Today, we’ll be eating here in Ogawa-machi. We’re going to Renan’s aunt’s ramen shop.

We’ll have lunch there. – My underarms are getting sweaty. – Mine too! I’m so much dry when we’re cycling compared to now. My deodorant’s useless. – How long have you been waiting? – I just got here. Tita, they’re here now. He wanted to introduce us to his aunt who runs a ramen business.

We got curious because she livestreams the store’s operations. – Can we film here? – Go on! I earned 300k by doing Youtube. We also get to eat for free. No Filipino declines a free meal. – We’re here now. – Just wait a sec, alright?

We’re here in Ramen Honda. It’s owned by Mrs. Evelyn. She and her Japanese husband has been in the business for 20 years. They’ve got a big menu, but today we’ll try their shoyu ramen. It’s a soy-based ramen with broth made from chicken and pork bones.

They’re recipe doesn’t require too much fat because most customers are seniors. Regulars want their ramen because it’s not too oily like how other shops make ramen. Wow, with free fried rice. Bang! This is the ultimate Japanese food combo, ramen with fried rice. Carbs on carbs. But some Japanese love it.

I remember a ramen store with a dragon design in Osaka. Their ramen set meal has free unlimited rice refills. Why don’t we have Sinigang ramen? Each country has their own unique cultures. There’s a saying… Slurping soup is different in Japan compared to Philippines.

You can express how you love the food by slurping the broth with sound. Mmm! Yummy. – Do you want to say anything on camera? – Just do the “mekus mekus”. Japanese version of mekus mekus. The food was so good, I forgot had a bag.

Did I have a bag with me? I almost forgot! We’re leaving, tita. Bye tito Ken! That was good! Thanks Renan, I can go back to sleeping. I’m so full! After eating, we said goodbye to Renan. It’s our last day seeing each other here in Japan. ♫Farewell, my love♫ I’ll see you in Philippines.

Now, we’re going down the Arakawa river. This is dangerous. Really narrow bike lanes. We still have a lot of time so we went cycling by the river. The nearest river from our place is the Arakawa river. Arakawa river stretches far from Futase dam to Tokyo bay.

Before we got to the river, I had a flat tire again. Flat tire again! Lucky I got flat tires here and not in the middle of our 7-day bike ride. It’s over for me if I got a flat tire in the middle of the night. Game over. Let’s fix this under that tree.

I’m changing tubes under the tree. What a nice place to change tubes. It’s nice to fix flat tires here. It’s free, breezy and you’re under a tree. This place is so calm, you’ll hear nothing but train track sounds. I also love how long the golden hours are.

The riverbanks have car-free roads that people use for cycling and exercise. They also have big spaces for sports like baseball and football. We chose to hang out here to feel the vibe of the area. It’s so peaceful, you only see people cycling, jogging, walking their dog. Everyone’s just chilling.

You’re all just killing time because there’s nothing to do here. There are no cars so obviously, no one’s in a rush. You’re just watching time go by as the sun starts to set. As we were passing by the apartments on a sunset,

I’m starting to zone out as we go along a straight road with no traffic lights. I started to wonder what if I live here? What kind of job do I have? What kind of lifestyle? How does it feel to watch the sunset in one of those balconies?

Maybe I’ll get used to the view in just less than a month. I think people who live there are also used to seeing that sight. Or maybe they don’t get to see the sunset because they come home late from work. Martin was saying, if you work here, you’ll be stuck doing work forever.

– What? – They have you by the balls. so most people want to run a small business. Maybe if I live here, I won’t get to have fun like a tourist. We passed by a Taiyaki store on our way back home. It’s the fish-shaped snack famous here in Japan.

It’s made from a batter and filled with sweet beans inside. You can order it with vanilla ice cream here. – This is good! – It’s swimming on ice cream. What’s the ice cream’s flavor? Oh, vanilla. It’s vanilla ice cream. Let’s try the Taiyaki dipped in ice cream.

Did you know that the way you eat this tells something about you? It tells your personality. I forgot what it means if you start with the head. But he dipped the head on the ice cream already. Well, yeah. It’s suggests to start at the head.

Japan believes the way you eat a Taiyaki tells a lot about your personality. Optimistic people start by eating the head. You are idealistic if you start by the tail. Eating the fish on the sides first tells that you are an easy-going person.

The time right now is 5 a.m. Me and Kriz wanted to go for a… Ugh! It’s so cold out here! I finally understand why we don’t ride out early in the morning. To make the most of our last days in Japan, Kriz and I went for an early sunrise ride.

Just around Tokyo. Budol Buddy didn’t join us because he wanted to sleep more. The sun’s almost up! Did we woke up late? We Googled the best place to see the sunrise. We decided to stay by the banks of Sumida river. We’re here. Google says this is a nice spot for sunrise.

We’re facing the Skytree and the sunrise is at the river’s end. But today was cloudy so we didn’t get to see the sun but the clouds and the river had really beautiful colors. It was worth waking up early to see the view. I won’t be joining them today. They’re going shopping in Shimokitazawa.

So I planned my own solo ride. I dont’ have a helmet so we should go slowly. Before we pack our bike completely, let’s use it for one last time here in Japan. I have no idea where to go today, I just want to go really far away.

So I’ll be going along the river again because there are no cars and it’s impossible to get lost. Let’s cross the dike to see the river. If you go straight ahead, you’ll end up in Saitama, where the MKS factory is. Lot’s of people doing lapse with their road bikes.

This place is like MOA. I’m getting this Marikina Riverbanks vibe with all these people. I wish we had this back in Philippines. I’m going a little bit far now. I might reach Saitama today. Let’s check if I have emergency tools. Never do this if you plan on doing a solo long ride.

Checking your tools when you’re already too far. Before leaving, check first if you have the minumum tools you need. Passport and money. I have tools so I’m more confident to go far. It’s boring not knowing where to go. So I chose a random destination that I think is worth seeing.

I’m going on Akigase park in Saitama. So that’s where that smokey smell’s coming from. I think they’re having a barbecue convention. It smells like having a pool or beach party and someone’s grilling food. I now reached a driving school. What’s this thing for? It’s making it hard to pass through.

As you start to leave Tokyo, it’s starting to get more quiet. The city’s noise will fade and you’ll hear nothing but winds touching the grass, Sometimes you’ll hear unusual noise from factories around the area. There’s also this short gravel segment. It looks like a dead end. Let’s just push the bike. Oooh!

I think I’m getting there. There are less people now. We’re entering this forest. I’m finally here! Nice view. A forest. Finally, I have reached Akigase park. I don’t know why I chose this place. I just thought there are stores nearby and maybe I could rest here a little.

But parks here in Japan are different. You need a ride to get to one. There are no stores here. Just a wide space with lots of trees. My only reward for this ride is this cocker spaniel convention. I think they’re having a dog convention right now.

So there is a dog convention. All the dogs look like this. There’s no one selling food nearby. I don’t plan on eating in a restaurant because I have a bike. This is where I’m having lunch again. Gaijin-style konbini dining. I noticed that people who buy bento meals here eat inside their cars.

But us gaijin cyclists can’t eat while riding our bikes. So we just eat while sitting on the pavement. After my last gaijin eating experience, I went back home to Tokyo. I’m going back now. I’m too far from home. This day must have it’s finishing touch.

We’ve been talking about sunsets for too long, We’re going to a perfect place to see it. At the top of the highest structure here in Japan, the Tokyo Skytree. We’re going on top of the Skytree. Our house is really near this place. – What? – We never came here, not even once.

How dare you pass me by everyday! Pay up so you could see the view, says the Skytree. We’ll be taking the stairs. There’s a staircase, see? – Have you been here before? – Not yet. Me too. Only Jilson visited this place. And he got a parking ticket for illegally parking his bike.

– Let me see. – Gaijin official! As of 2023, this is the tallest structure in Japan. It’s made for transmitting radio waves for TV and Radio broadcast. They need a 634 meter tower for this purpose. And 634 meters is not just a random number. That is intentional.

In Japanese, 634 can also be read as a pun on Mu Sa Shi. The old name of this place is Musashi. It took 1,325 days to finish the tower. Unlike our MRT-7, which is still not done as of March 2024. Slowpokes! The lower floors looks almost like a shopping mall.

They have stores like Uniqlo, Disney, ABC Mart and Bic Camera. The 3rd floor has an open deck where people can hangout. It’s similar to the roof gardens of Trinoma and SM North. Sometimes they have events going on here like what you’re seeing now.

Japanese culture loves mascots. Almost all things have mascots here. This is Sorakara-chan, the mascot of Skytree. Her name means “from the skies”. The 3rd floor is also the entrance to the top floors. If you wish to go on top, you have to book a ticket in advance.

The viewing decks can become too occupied to fit more people. These elevators can take you to the Tembo deck in just 50 seconds. They’re claiming that these are one of the country’s fastest carrying up to 40 people. This is Tembo deck. The lower level viewing deck. It’s 350 meters high.

If I turned my Strava on on this climb– I might be the KOM of this segment. 350 meter climb in just 50 seconds. But when I got here, it was suddenly cloudy. It got cloudy! We might not see the sunset. We’re getting jinxed again.

You can see the whole Tokyo here in Tembo deck. 360 degrees. All buildings and people look like ants from here. My ticket was up to Tembo Galleria. Take note that the Tembo Galleria ticket is more expensive. It’s because the place is smaller and higher than Tembo deck by 100 meters.

This is the Tembo Galleria. The walkway goes spiral and I’m starting to get vertigo. The view from the windows add up to the sensation. This is where we’ll watch the Diamond Fuji. A phenomenon where the sun sets directly at the top of mount Fuji.

This only happens once a year. We’re lucky to be here on this time. I don’t know about others, but I feel a little bit sad from watching sunsets. Only for a little. maybe it’s because it symbolizes endings. In Japanese culture, there’s a thing called “mono no aware” or the pathos of things.

It’s a concept stating that all things have innate sadness. Sadness brought by it’s imminent end. It’s hard to explain without having a few drinks, but to put it simply, all things are easy to appreciate if you know they won’t be here forever. to be conscious that everything has a conclusion.

It’s the same concept that makes them watch the Cherry Blossoms as the petals starts to fall. They understand that spring doesn’t last forever. Maybe sunsets are beautiful because of how short it happens. But for me, it feels sad because it’s our last sunset in this Japan bike tour. And sad to say…

It’s the last episode of Super Ultra Panks Gaijin Cycling Nation series. I documented this tour for 3 simple reasons. 1st, I wanted to show this to everyone. I want to share what we saw and experienced here. My dream is for people to find this online and be happy while watching it.

2nd, I want my parents to understand how I’ve been living and how I enjoy life while in Japan. I want them to understand why I keep on coming back and wasting my savings. Lastly, I want to have something to remember while in Japan.

Sometimes I even laugh alone when editing the clips. I almost forgot that funny things like that had happened. It feels like a new joke again because I can’t remember anymore. Their son’s name is Pogacar. My final thoughts for this series,

If I were rich enough, I’d let you experience all of this too. And we’ll all share our experiences like kids talking about their favorite cartoons while in school. It’s really fun and watching it is not enough to express what we felt.

And all of these feelings will be heightened if you’re living a hard life in Manila. Learning about this kind of lifestyle can make you bitter and angry. But as this show ends… Don’t worry, we’ll still see each other on the roads.

This is episode 14 of our Japan bike tour on October 2023.

For our last day here in Japan, we were invited at Ramen Honda, a Filipino – Japanese owned ramen shop in Ogawa-machi.

We also went cycling along Arakawa river. We also tried an authentic Taiyaki, a sweet snack famous in Japan.

Lastly we climbed the view deck of Tokyo Skytree to see the Diamond Fuji, an annual phenomenon where the sun sets at the back of mount Fuji.

Super Ultra Panks GCN (Gaijin Nation Cycling) is a weekly cycling vlog showing how we survived our Nagoya to Tokyo bike tour.

⚠️New episodes every Monday, 7PM!⚠️

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