Himeji Riiide

PEPY stands for “Protect the earth, protect yourself.” In 2005, former JET Daniela Papi and Greta Arnquist began their long-term contribution to education in Cambodia, and their initiative has been growing ever since. The basic motivation behind PEPY is to give as well as learn, to teach as well as get. PEPY tours take people through Cambodia, hitting the highlights as well as bringing visitors to the schools PEPY works with. You see some of the touristy stuff, and some stuff other people don’t get to see. Many trips also feature overnight stays at homes in villages off the normal tourist path. Bikes feature prominently, as biking is one of the low-impact ways those on a PEPY tour can travel. The more physically demanding trips are conducted almost entirely by bike, while other tours employ other means like buses in addition.

Protecting the earth while/by protecting yourself means supporting development of people in sustainable ways. Education is, I think, the key to anyone’s future, and PEPY adventures seem to me a great blend of exploration, learning, and contributing (both your time and perspective as well as your cash). But not everyone has the okane or the nenkyuu to fly to Cambodia. I myself have not yet been on a PEPY trip, although I do hope to go before I leave Japan.

Each spring and fall, several prefectures host bike rides to raise money for PEPY. The idea is to do on a prefectural scale what PEPY tours do bigger over in Cambodia. Get on a bike, have some fun, meet some new people and learn something along the way. Some prefectures conduct these tours over many kilometers and several days, but here in Hyogo I’ve been keeping it simple, not least because I don’t think I could walk after that kind of a weekend; Hyogo’s bike ride is also comparatively easy on the wallet – bikes at Himeji station are only 300yen for the day (the more to donate to PEPY with)!

Last spring, we biked around Himeji castle and up to Mt. Shosha, stopping for shrines and snacks along the way. This past fall, we followed much the same route. This spring, things will be a little different, but it’ll still be the same ol captains (Chip Boles to retire from Himeji Ride captainship after this year; Emily Lemmon still in residence) and the same laid back approach. We’ll bring a lunch and have a picnic, and explore something you probably didn’t know Himeji had.

We’ll be taking two separate collections this year, the first being for PEPY, naturally (2000yen donation to participate, but of course you may donate more), and the second for donation to the disaster relief effort. Hopefully, it’ll be a day that’s good for your body (exercise!) and your soul, and heck, you might even make a new friend or discover something, about Hyogo or about yourself.

Come out and spend the afternoon in and around Himeji with us, April 16th!
For more information about PEPY: http://pepyride.org/
To keep updated about the Himeji Ride: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=170825896299684

To see more pictures, click here to visit our Picasa album from last year!