For those of you who are unfamiliar with Japanese geography "Soya" refers to Cape Soya, the northernmost point on the island-prefecture of Hokkaido while "Sata" refers to Cape Sata, the southernmost point on the island of Kyushu and in Kagoshima Prefecture.
The following is one description of "Kanreki": a celebration "held on one's 60th birthday, which is a great celebration in Japan, not only because the person has lived to be sixty, but also because according to the Chinese tradition, the sexagerary cycle that began in the year of his birth is completed in sixty years, and on sixty-one he begins the cycle over again... and means the beginning of the second life and now returns to second childhood." This really means that I get to wear a smart red cap, spiffy red vest and red socks on September 9, my 60th birthday!
My wife knows that when I depart Tokyo with my bicycle by train for Wakkanai, the nearest city to Cape Soya, on July 15 or so, I won't be going out on one of my typical Sunday morning 4 a.m. "bike rides". In other words, I won't return early enough to help her bring the week's groceries back home from Yoshiya Supermarket by bike. In fact, the nearly 3,000 km. bicycle trip should take about 2 months.
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