The Akune Bontan Road Race

Winter has become my favorite season for entering race events in Japan as the crisp air and low humidity make for excellent running conditions. After recently completing my second ½ marathon, the Akune Bontan Road Race, I’m convinced that it’s officially time to start training for my first 42.195 kilometer challenge. Several other English teachers in Kagoshima also participated in the run so afterwards we celebrated by eating Japanese noodles at one of my favorite local udon restaurants. One of the exciting parts about running any race is checking out all of the goodies that come along with registration. For this particular race, each applicant received a bontan - a fruit similar to that of a grapefruit except less juicy and with a thicker peeling. Actually, the pealing is so incredibly thick that eating a bontan takes a good 20 minutes. Personally, I believe the task is far too demanding so until someone else agrees to do the work for me I’m happy eating bananas.