Sightseeing in Tokyo

Saturday was a sightseeing day around Tokyo with Naoji. I have been in a constant state of being lost since I arrived in Japan, despite seeing plenty of signs like this one.
We began our day by going to the Asakusa shopping market tourist spot. It was quite overwhelming, with shops everywhere. It was cool to pick up some gifts to bring home however. 

Lunch menu

Lunch spot

Everyone walks and/or takes public transportation in Tokyo. Everywhere you go as well, you will see these raised portions of the sidewalk. They are for the blind to navigate the city by. I don't know why it struck me so much, but I found it amazing how well integrated this system was in the city. 

Next up was the Tokyo Tower. At 330 meters tall, it's the tallest tower in Tokyo. We cruised up to the highest spot we could to get a view of the city. 





Last but certainly not least, we went to the Rikugien Garden. This is one of Tokyo's most beautiful, Japanese style landscape gardens. Built around 1700 by Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu, Rikugien literally means "six poems garden" and reproduces in miniature 88 scenes from famous poems.  

The central pond

The turtles

Tea house

This treat was a great way to end the day. A little green tea and a truffle.

Yesterday was the Five Ten Cup. What a day! I will post about it later however, as I am SPENT!

Till next time,

kj

Japan Video 1

I made it!
After 12.5 hours on a rather empty plane, I'm in Japan. I'll let the video tell the story, but I had a great dinner last night where I ate some Ebi, Tai, Squid and Octopus, all the for the first time. That's what coming to Japan is for, right? When else am I going to get to do this?

Check out the first video: Japan Day 1

The Last Three Weeks

Whew...
The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of airports, rental cars, slideshows, clinics, climbing and good times. Lets rewind three weeks. On April 26th, Rocky Mountain Highball had its World Premiere at the Boulder Theatre.



The AAC put on the whole event, including an amazing pre-party attended by legends such as John Sherman and Jim Holloway. It was an honor to hear their experiences with climbing, their perspectives on today's generation, their inspiration for climbing and what they've been up to since their hay day.

Jim Holloway, John Sherman, Steve Mammen, Andy Mann and Myself

Before we could get the show kicked off, I (on behalf of everyone) had to thank the AAC for supporting the film. It couldn't have happened without them. Big thanks.



The show was a few seats away from selling out and was extremely well received by everyone. Be sure to keep an eye for this film on DVD in the next month or so. On June 4th, I will be hosting a California Premiere of RMH at the Rialto Theatre in Berkeley, CA. If you are in the Bay Area, be sure to come check it out.

After Colorado, I went up to Central Washington University to give some clinics and a slideshow to the psyched climbing community there. Mike, Brian, Britt and Karlyn were great hosts. On Sunday, we made it out to Leavenworth. Can you say AMAZING?

Mike on "Ouchie"

Karlyn on the dicey "Slice of Pie"

Me on Sleeping Lady (?). Awesome problem over the river.

The canyon

Brian sticking the crux on The Shield

I was super impressed with Leavenworth to say the least. As tempting as it was to drop everything and stay, I had to jet to Portland for another set of clinics and a slideshow. Everything went great and I got to meet some amazingly talented young climbers while doing a clinic at The Circuit. It's my bet that you will be hearing about Zan, Zach and Carlos in the future. Mark my words.

Now, I'm back home, but leaving for Japan tomorrow. More on this trip soon. 

KJ

New Shoe Testing

All I have to say is these shoes are simply awesome. The best shoe I've ever worn. Keep an eye out for them in the future.

Bouldering with Verm

On Friday, I had the pleasure of going out bouldering with John Sherman. If you're a boulderer and don't know who John Sherman is......well that's just sad. He created our grade scale after all! Come on!

Due a particular scathing blog post about roped cleaning and rehearsal, I decided to show him that even the new schoolers have balls, even if they are, in his opinion, smaller than his. Germ Free Adolescence is an absolutely CLASSIC boulder problem. As good as they come. Verm made the first ascent, ground up with no pads (of course) in 1980. So, I decided to try to flash the problem in similar style...

It was an honor to go bouldering with Verm, even if he doesn't spot you.

Spending the day talking with Verm gave me a renewed appreciation of our sport's past. Verm, along with John Gill, and Yvon Chouinard and others are living legends of our sport. We would NOT be where we are today if Gill had not applied the dynamic nature of gymnastics to rock, if Chouinard had not led the way in the clean climbing revolution, and if Sherman had not developed the grade scale we use to this day. If I were still wearing that ugly sun hat I wore in Bishop, it would be off to them.

Rocky Mountain Highball

This Monday is the WORLD PREMIERE of Rocky Mountain Highball. This is a film I am very proud to be a part if. It is rare to find a cinematographer capable of doing proud lines JUSTICE on film. Making you say "WOW" just like you did the first time you walk up to a beautiful problem.  Scott Neel and crew has done this with over 70 different beautiful climbs and over 35 unique athletes. This film speaks to all climbers, not just the strong ones, the bold ones, or the young ones. Just look at the cast: 

Pat Ament

Tommy Caldwell

Aly Dorey

Adie Droley

Chuck Fryberger

John Gill

Laura Griffiths

Lynn Hill

Justin Jaeger

Jason Kehl

Melissa Lacasse

Sarah Marvez

Andy Raether

Paul Robinson

Andy Salo

Matt Samet

John Sherman

Jonathan Siegrist

Matt Wilder

Mark Wilford

Daniel Woods

Mike Banuelos

Phil Benningfield

Scott Blunk

Cam Cross

Herm Feissner

Mike Frieschlag

Naomi Guy

Ned Harris

TJ Kelly

Steve Mamme

Ben Scott 

Flan Shay-Nemirow

Kevin Smith

Justin Wood

Whew!!! See what I mean? All abilities, generations and flavors of highball bouldering will be discussed, shown, and admired. I haven't seen it yet, but don't expect your typical climbing porn flick from this FILM. This is going to be an in depth look into the world of highball bouldering, where your actions have consequences, however large or small. Check out the details from the director himself:

Yama Studio and The American Alpine Club present ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGHBALL.

“Rocky Mountain Highball” is a new climbing film that presents an in depth look into why some climbers push themselves to boulder at the vertical limit. The film documents the many facets of bouldering by interweaving numerous classic climbs in Colorado with interview footage from the leading figures of the climbing world.

Director/Filmmaker Scott Neel, and Yama Studio have brought in a huge cast of world renowned climbers, like Paul Robinson, Mark Wilford, Kevin Jorgeson, Lynn Hill, Daniel Woods, John Sherman, John Gill, Steve Mammen, and Jason Kehl. Having filmed more than 70 climbs with more than 35 athletes, this film proves to be an exciting journey through the world of highball bouldering.

Pre-sale tickets are on sale now at The Boulder Rock Club and The Spot Bouldering Gym for $12. Tickets are $14 at the door and also available at www.BoulderTheater.com. Here is a direct link to the page - http://bouldertheater.com/event_detail.php?id=1067

Please visit www.RockyMountainHighball.com for more info, the official trailer, and interactive cast line-up.

This Friday!

I'm excited to take part this Friday in a fundraising event for the Elizabethfontaine Primary School in Rocklands, South Africa. When Chuck asked me if I would like to give a slideshow before the showing of Pure, I jumped at the opportunity. I'm looking forward to it! See below for details from Chuck's blog:

Mark your calendars!

This Friday at Mines University in Golden, CO we are hosting a charity showing of my new film PURE to benefit the Elizabethfontaine Primary School in Rocklands, South Africa. This school serves the children of the farm workers in the Rocklands area. Some of the students come from up to 12 miles away to attend classes. In addition to providing the school with much needed funds, you should come to the show because...

It's good for us!


This well-managed and award-winning school sits in the middle of one of the best bouldering areas on the planet, Rocklands. As wave after wave of climbers travel to Rocklands to test their skills against classic boulder problems, visitors and locals alike brace for the first wave of access restrictions, closures, and regulations. Similar to Hueco Tanks, Rocklands is covered with archeologic sites and pictographs. Taking an interest in the community is one of the best ways to build a good reputations for climbers and will go a long ways to keeping access open in the future.

Watch the Trailer for Pure

Details:
Coolbaugh #209, Colorado School of Mines, Golden Colorado
doors at 7pm

tickets $7 (100% of proceeds benefit the school)


We have a special guest slide show from professional climber Kevin
Jorgeson, a bake sale, and gear raffle from Scarpa, Marmot, La Sportiva,
Cloudveil, and others. We would love to see you there, it will be a
fun low-key event and a way to help those in need. Let me know if you
have any questions, I look forward to seeing you there!