Rising Son: A Father and Son's Bike Adventure across Japan

by Charles R. Scott, Sho Scott (Illustrations)

Rising Son is a travel adventure that celebrates the bond between a father and son. Charles Scott puts his corporate job on the line to ride connected bicycles 2,500 miles across Japan with his eight-year-old son, Sho. Charles believes that a child can accomplish much more than most adults think and maps out a 67-day route that stretches from the northernmost cape to the southern tip of the mainland, passing through many of Japan's most famous cultural sites and over an entire mountain chain. Sho hopes to find the greatest game room in the country and maybe try some fishing along the way. On the trip, which is often harrowing, they raise money for a global tree planting campaign, are named "Climate Heroes" by the United Nations, and explore the limits of quality father-son time. Rising Son offers an inspiration to anyone who feels the urge to shakes things up and reminds the reader of the most precious gift a parent can give a time.

Genres: Memoir

386 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 2012

Reviews

[KNCHNGL · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked this up thinking I'd like to do an adventure of sorts with my kid one day, after they grow a bit older, but before they're too old.

The idea is inspirational, especially for those with a young family feeling stuck in their work cubicles and cyclical financial obligations. A mostly "linear" straight forward account of a father and son's 67 day, 2500 mile cycling trip across Japan. Some surprises along the way, although this being non-fiction, and coming from a non-professional writer, intentionally written in journal memoir style - it does drag on a bit. Recommended for a very specific audience; (1) those seeking insight into a father & son adventure, (2) those contemplating cycling across Japan, (3) those contemplating traveling across Japan. Otherwise, it might be a somewhat bland read.

Very happy to know Mr. Scott has courageously stepped away from the corporate ladder life and has done a 2nd trip with his younger daughter cycling from Tokyo to Kyoto!

[pianogal · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started reading this and got to page 112, but I don't think I'm going further with this right now. The dad's kind of selfish - he was going to quit his job without ever talking to his wife? Um...no. Also, the son seems like a brat - throwing a fit whenever he doesn't get what he wants. I may come back to this later, but I need a break for now.

[Vera Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beware the conclusions you draw when visiting another culture. For one thing, your experience of a place can change drastically depending on your mode of transportation.

For instance, go by train and you see the unattractive backside of a city but the unspoiled landscape of the countryside, as the train whisks you over hills and along rivers where highways fear to go. Communities build up around roads, so travel by car will take you through more smaller towns than will the train, but cities are the destination for rail hubs.

But if you really want a close-up view of both the landscape and the people, do as Charles Scott and his 8-year-old son did. Rising Son A Father and Son's Bike Adventure Across Japan tells the story of their bicycle trip from the north to the south of Japan, a distance of 2900 miles in 67 days. They not only could see the mountains and seaside at a slow pace that allowed them to catch things not seen by speeding cars. They also traded the sealed-in comfort of an automobile for exposure to all the raw uncertainties of weather.

In answer to the most-asked question, “Isn’t this too hard for an eight-year-old?” the book answers definitely” NO.” Of course, Sho is not just any 8-year -old and Charles R. Scott is not exploring a totally new culture. Scott lived in Japan for a time and speaks Japanese. He married a Japanese woman, so Sho is half Japanese and has also visited Japan, and since his mother works at the United Nations and Sho attends the United Nations school, he has a built-in assumption about differences.

Three maps in the front help the reader keep track of where they are on the north to south trip. I would have liked an index, to help me navigate through the book, but that is minor in the face of things. Particularly since this is a very well-produced self-published book. I have been refusing, generally, to review self-published books, but decided to take a chance on this one since the subject was so unusual. Rising Sun did not disappoint the way many self-published books have. I only wish that all authors who want to self- publish wrote as well, and were as professional in their presentation.

This is a portion of the review I wrote on my website. Please read the entire review at

[Brandon Dalo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across this book as I'm planning on cycling across Japan myself next year and have been doing a lot of research and planning. From that perspective, I really loved the book. I was constantly taking notes on interesting places they stopped and stayed, many of which I had never heard of before despite planning this for so long already. The story moved at a good pace, giving you enough details on the route, places they visited, people they met and interacted with, and personal stories of the interactions between father and son, but not over sharing redundant details of every prospective campground they stayed at or every rest stop they stopped at, etc. I also related with the father's need for escape from corporate America and also respected him for believing in his son that he could do this journey despite what all the naysayers said.

If you're interested in doing any sort of adventure in Japan, I would highly recommend this to you. If you're not interested in doing a similar journey and just want a nice escape, you'd also find this enjoyable.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written memoir by a father who upon turning 40 felt the call to do something different and to slow down and appreciate the fleeting moments of his children's childhood. Living in NY city and married to a Japanese woman, he and his son dream up the idea of bicycling the length of Japan on a special tandem bicycle. They are both pretty fluent in Japanese and the son is 8 years old when they spend their summer accomplishing this goal. The kindness of strangers and unplanned adventures they find will make you want to visit Japan. Their time together will wish you or your father had acted on such a goal. A more interesting read than I expected.