Ode to October

October is probably my favorite month of the year.

  • Bike rides every day. If I can comfortably ride my bike every day, that tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the weather.
  • Halloween. The greatest holiday of the year. No gifts to buy. No complicated family obligations.
  • Japanese national holidays. Sports Day means an extra day off. I'm a big supporter of any holiday that encourages people to go outside and then gives them the day off to do it.
  • Japan Cup. One of the biggest cycling races in Asia happens right here in Tochigi. Watching professional cyclists suffer on hills that I also have suffered on, just considerably faster.
  • Perfect temperatures. Warm during the day. Cool at night. Windows open. No air conditioning. No heating. That glorious few weeks when your house costs nothing to keep comfortable.
  • A fresh business quarter. Q3 is behind us. Q4 is underway. A chance to reset priorities, make one last big push for the year, and pretend we're not already thinking about 2027.
  • Harvest season. Living in the Japanese countryside means watching the rice fields go from green to gold, then watching the whole landscape transform as they're harvested.
  • November is still far enough away that I can pretend winter isn't coming.
Japan Cup riders climbing a sunlit road through a cedar forest, a rider in a red and black kit in the foreground with the pack close behind.
Kevin and his family standing on the painted road beneath the King of Mountain banner at the Japan Cup cycle road race, with spectators lining the roadside and cedar trees behind them.