Namban.org Forums

How should show pictures/albums?

2009-11-02T12:19:39+09:00

We normaly email everybody to show pics/albums first, but is there any smart way to do with using the forum?

The Namban Web Site ... have your say

2010-09-02T13:38:38+09:00

Ladies and gentlemen, we are currently doing some thinking about the Namban web site and forum to to see if we can make them more appealing and useful to our membership, or to the running public at large for that matter.

But we seriously need some input from you lot. We would really like as many of you as possible to provide your thoughts. Here are some specific questions in no particular order to try and elicit some helpful information. Feel free to reply to only selected questions, or to introduce new ones. And do not hesitate to point out negatives or to appear selfish. All information is helpful.

(1) What features of the web site, forum, and Namban list do you like?

(2) What don’t you like?

(3) Do you ever use the Namban calendar to search out information about races? Do you have any comments about it?

(4) Does the forum, which is built on a particular set of forum software, meet your needs? What aspects please or displease you about it? Can you envisage any ways in which it might work better for you or you might find that you use it more?

(5) How would you feel if the Namban emailing list was shelved and all communications apart from administrator announcements were handled through the forum? This would mean logging in to the forum on a regular basis.

(6) Are there any functions you would like to see added to the web site? We are, for example, in initial stages of adding a database for storing members’ running times. Would this appeal to you? Would you be comfortable if this was made public, or would you prefer it to be restricted to a members-only area?

(7) How important are photo and video uploading for forum functionality? There are many third-party options for this (Flickr, Picasa, Yahoo, YouTube, Vimeo, etc), to which you can put a link in a forum post…do you feel it is/is not necessary to be able to add them directly to a Namban site?

(8) These days it is possible to have sites that are like a private Facebook, with the only members being those that belong to your particular special interest group (in our case the members of Namban). Do you think a site that functions very much like Facebook would be appealing? (Like, Dislike, Comment, Follow, Unfollow , etc etc)

(9) Would you like to be able to pay your annual membership fees through the web site?

... well, that should be enough to get the juices flowing. But do please give us your thoughts. There is no guarantee that all or even any suggestions will be implemented, but we strongly feel a need to gauge the feelings of the membership to guide us forwards over coming months and years.

(p.s. if a Japanese member would like to translate this post into Japanese, please (1) Announce your intention to do so (to avoid any wasted effort) and (2) when finished, post it as a reply in this thread—replies in Japanese (or dual languages) are acceptable and should also be in this thread.

Tetsuya Kato

2010-09-02T05:29:45+09:00

I used to be a competitive runner .. ran with college triathlon athletes in Pennsylvania .. but now I am trying to get back. The progress is far better than expected, and I now feel comfortable joining a group like this….should be able to do a half-marathon towards Oct/Nov. I am also interested in: climbing Mt. Fuji & Asama (just did it in July), mountain cycling, mountain running, cardio or power exercises. I also do Yoga and meditation (semi-vegetarian).
I am an artist (use of light in celestial themes… http://tetsuya-kato.com), and I know that burst of creative energy and burst of physical energy are inter-related. This is why I am here. I spent half of my life abroad (US, Canada, UK), but I am very rooted to the traditional Japanese values (serenity as opposed to noise) and also know the country&Tokyo; very well. I am also a professional conference interpreter.

Hi

2010-09-02T11:00:29+09:00

I’m Julia Tyrell, kinda new to running I guess, but I’ve just tried running on Ironman 70.4 in the Philippines.

Regards to all.

3 Great Lessons

2010-08-24T20:08:55+09:00

3 lessons learned — by blogger superstar Beth Risdon (Shut Up and Run - 692 followers) after her 20.85 mile mountain run in 33C/92F heat with (like side by side) Dean Karnazes.

• You can push through about anything. As they say, your body wants to give out long before your head. Let your mental strength take you through the tough times. Know that you will hit peaks and valleys. Don’t let the valleys make you stop or quit. The peak is just around the corner.

• Keep taking risks. Continue to do that which makes you uncomfortable. Continue to live fully! Feel that fear and do it anyway.

• Run with someone much faster and stronger than you (I recommend Dean K). You will push yourself way harder and the sheer humiliation of being slow will keep your ass going.

http://twentysixpointtwoormore.blogspot.com/2010/08/transrockies-race-report-journey-video.html

Thefts of expensive bikes rising / Easy-to-dismantle sports bicycles favorite target for thieves

2010-08-22T10:04:57+09:00

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Sports bicycles and other expensive two-wheelers popular with the health-conscious and ecologically aware are being stolen at an ever-increasing rate, according to police.

The Metropolitan Police Department said nearly 500 bicycles priced at 100,000 yen and up were stolen last year, about 2.5 times more than in 2005. Some of the stolen bikes cost 1 million yen or more.

In warning owners to park their bicycles in safe areas and lock them, the police are particularly concerned about sports bikes, which are easy to dismantle.

Bicycle components are sold to specialty stores and sometimes to exporters, they said.

A former bicycle racer was arrested by Tokyo’s Yotsuya Police Station in June on suspicion of stealing a sports bike worth about 500,000 yen on a street in Tokyo’s Shijuku Ward.

Police quoted the man as saying, “Road racer components sell well, so I dismantled [the bicycle] in a park and sold the parts to a specialty shop.”

According to a senior police officer at the station, the man stole five other bicycles priced between 80,000 yen and 200,000 yen and sold their components to a used bicycle shop. The man has since been indicted.

According to the MPD, the number of bicycle thefts in 2009 totaled 60,000, slightly less than the peak figure in 2004.

However, bikes priced at 100,000 yen and over present particularly juicy targets for thieves, with 193 stolen in 2005, 245 in 2007 and 496 in 2009.

According to the Japan Cycling Association based in Minato Ward, Tokyo, the market for sports and other high-priced bicycles has been maintained by serious enthusiasts since 1960.

Due to gasoline price hikes in 2006 and 2007 and an increase of health-oriented people, bicycles are becoming more popular among ordinary people. They are also environmentally friendly.

Many people have recently started using racing bicycles that are considered highly functional and fashionable, as well as hybrid bikes that look like mountain bikes but have racing bike features, for commuting and shopping.

According to the Japan Bicycle Promotion Institute based in Minato Ward, about 30,000 sports bikes were shipped annually through 2005.

However, shipments increased to 46,441 in 2007 and 88,426 in 2009.

Many purchasers of these bikes are in their 20s to 40s and live in urban areas.

Owners often replace handlebars with styles more to their liking and mount cassette sprockets.

A veteran investigator said one of the advantages thieves had was the extreme difficulty in recognizing components taken from stolen bicycles.

Two men were arrested in May on suspicion of stealing more than 95 foreign-made bicycles of such brands as Colnago and Louis Garneau at condominiums and corporate bicycle-parking areas in Tokyo’s Meguro, Setagaya and Minato wards.

These bicycles were delivered to a bicycle scrap dealer in Saitama Prefecture and later exported to Southeast Asian countries along with used cars.

A senior MPD official said: “Users of such bicycles should park them indoors or in concealed places and lock them.”

(Aug. 21, 2010)

Yokosuka West Coast Triathlon

2010-08-05T09:57:24+09:00

There was a small flyer in Wired Cafe (near the track) for this triathlon.

It is on Sept. 4 (Sat.). 750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run.
Limited to 900 people (15,000 yen) and 100 teams (20,000 yen).

http://www.yokosukatriathlon.com

main site error

2010-08-15T22:46:48+09:00

I just noticed that on the Namban top page the forum link says “Forums.” To be gramatically correct this should be “Fora.” Not that it really matters, but I just thought it deserved pointing out.

Introduction

2010-08-09T00:15:29+09:00

Hello there!

I’m Nicolas, a young runner living in Tokyo. I’ve heard from Nambaners quite a few times, but never went through the process of registering to those forums to have a proper look inside.
Today, I think that a few of you ran on Mitake trail, and it looked fun; I’d like to avoid missing the next events

barefoot running in Tokyo

2010-08-08T18:15:56+09:00

Hi,
I’ve heard some talk about this on the mailing list so I have to ask..do people really run barefoot at the Namban workouts sometimes? I haven’t been in a while because I was in the US for the summer (just returned!). I’m asking because my husband is super into barefoot running, and, while I too was inspired by Born to Run and think the reasons for running barefoot make a lot of sense, I honestly find it more embarrassing in Japan, where I already feel like a big, white weirdo. I’ll stick to my minimalist shoes for now, but he insists on running totally barefoot, and when we go together around the palace people tend to point and stare…am I the only one who’s self-conscious about this? Just curious.
-H