Cycling Around Japan

The Journey Begins (5/3/2018) - Woke up feeling slightly dusty after a bit too much sake thanks to Pete and Jane Puchner. After a surgical clean of Carl’s mansion (small apartment), we were ready to load the bikes and roll out of Tokyo. ‘How’s this all supposed to fit on my bike?’ – Carl. A few rounds of tetris and …

Okutama Lake (5/4/2018) - After a well deserved 11 hours of rest, Ross was first up at the ‘campsite’ at 6am. Shortly after, a young girl (about 7yrs old), stumbles out of her tent and sees Ross throwing stones at the lake. She tells him only the skillful (上手) people can skim rocks. Ross impressed her so much by …

To Takasaki (5/8/2018) - Rain was something we expected to happen, but after 5 days of blissful sunshine, this had kinda been put out of our minds. That dream ended yesterday when it started bucketing down and we realised that riding in the rain isn’t quite as fun as we thought it would be. Currently holed up in Starbucks, …

To Nikko, Tochigi (5/10/2018) - Waking up slightly dusty after a few too many banana milks the previous night with Naomichi, we set off to the nearest Starbucks to devise a plan for the rainy days ahead. A grande double shot latte and a few cinnamon rolls later, we were prepared for the rough ride ahead to an even rougher …

Dragon Ball Heroes (5/13/2018) - Japan has a lot more rainy days than I first believed so I’ve had to find a way to fill them all. Luckily for me, ever since I was the ripe young age of 10, my favourite TV show at the time was when Cheez TV starting showing Dragonball Z, which I instantly fell in …

To Niigata City, Niigata (5/14/2018) - After a ‘rest day’ we were on our way to Niigata City to meet some friends via Shiobara Onsen and Inawashiro Lake. There was some beautiful rice paddy fields and picturesque scenery on the way there. We also stopped in at a place called Tobu World Square which is basically a miniature tourist attraction village. …

Niigata (5/15/2018) - After 2 monster days we deserved a rest day of doing laundry and shopping for DBH cards. We strolled around Bandai Bridge but didn’t find any Digimon or Yu-Gi-Oh cards unfortunately. Ross had organised to meet up with some Niigata locals, which he found through a Meetup event in Tokyo (Chihiro + 1) and through …

To Yamagata (5/17/2018) - As if balancing out the last few amazing days, overnight the heavens opened up and let down an absolute downpour of rain. When we finally crawled out of the tent concerned at how harsh the rain was getting, our gear and bikes were in small ponds and we were also about to be swallowed up. …

Sakata, Yamagata (5/19/2018) - Once again another overcast and cloudy day in Japan as we decided to make our way to the famous jellyfish (海月 – クラゲ) aquarium Kamo Aquarium (加茂水族館), which all the Niigata people had been telling us is amazing. I’m (Ross) not usually one for museums, zoos, etc, but I don’t mind myself a good aquarium …

Akita Prefecture (5/20/2018) - For those of you who don’t know, I took a Japanese class as a general education subject in my final year of uni. Every semester they bring some teachers from Japan to Australia to become like assistant teachers (teacher in Japanese is sensei 先生). I was fortunate enough to meet the lovely Jibiki Sensei. I …

Where Two Campers Become One Bean – Akita and Aomori Prefectures (5/22/2018) - We set off after a tear jerking farewell from family Jibiki and on our way to Lake Tazawa via a Historic Samurai Town, Kakunodate machi. It also shares names with the synonymous Samurai town (武家屋敷) and “The Little Kyoto of Tohoku”(みちのく小京都) . In this town even the 7/11 is styled in the ancient ways. We …

To Hakodate via Aomori City, Hokkaido and Aomori Prefectures (5/25/2018) - With an empty stomach, I woke up from hunger pangs and the splutter of rain hitting the tent. I hurriedly packed the tent before the damage got too severe. I had already decided to go to an all you can eat and pig out for the whole morning and was there as soon as it …

Road to Oshamanbe, Hokkaido (5/26/2018) - Today starts another 100+ km day from Hakodate to a small camping ground / park in Oshamanbe of Hokkaido’s south. After getting more than a little distracted at a second hand shop… I was on my way passing through a few more Bob Ross paintings. The roads were relatively empty and pleasant, however there was …

Mount Usu, Hokkaido (5/27/2018) - All of these items were on my to do list before making it to Sapporo, so I stretched them out over 3 beautiful days as the weather for once was on my side. Even the wind was somewhat behind me. I set up camp for 2 nights on a small hill overlooking the sea. It …

Lake Toya and Jigokudani (Hell Valley), Hokkaido (5/30/2018) - Today I decided to go to Lake Toya and check out what all the fuss is about. Riding uphill and through a few quick tunnels I arrived pretty quickly and found it to be an overcast lake with a few islands in the middle. I will admit that a lake’s beauty can be a bit …

To Sapporo, Hokkaido (6/1/2018) - Once I left death valley I headed to a small town about 50kms away, Tomakomai. Here, I decided a rest day was in order. So I went to the nearest Aeon and bought all the sweets and donuts I could eat for breakfast then smashed down some Sushi Train for lunch. I went to the …

Sapporo, Hokkaido (6/1/2018) - A short but painfully traffic light filled ride from Eniwa left me in Sapporo. I had sent out some bait earlier on fishing for some couch surfers and got a few big bites, the first bite being Kazu (Kazutoshi san). An absolute legend. He welcomed me with open arms into his stylish apartment in the …

Bibai, Hokkaido (6/3/2018) - Setting off for the most northern point of Japan, I decided my first stop would be in a small park in Bibai (美唄) called Arte Piazza Bibai. I was lucky enough to see a slow setting sun reflected off a field of newly planted rice. The Arte Piazza Bibai (the Bibai Art Plaza) is a …

Asahikawa and Mount Asahi, Hokkaido (6/5/2018) - After the sun’s usual appearance at 4am, I was up and ready to roll after my photo shoot with the lion. It actually took ages because I have no tripod and ended up yelling ‘cheers!’ in order to try and make the voice capture work #lonetravelproblems. Back on good old route 12 which is apparently …

Cape Soya (宗谷岬) – The most northern point of Japan, Hokkaido (6/7/2018) - This next post goes over a few days and details the long ride to the most northern point of Japan, Cape Soya. Wanting to avoid as many mountains as practically possible, I went back towards the western coast. David had lectured me about this ‘amazing cycling road’ that will take you most of the way …

Back to Tomakomai, Hokkaido (6/12/2018) - I had earned myself a rest day, so did some laundry, went to an all you can eat (Big Boy / Victoria Steak) and then headed to the local park to camp the night and do some minor maintenance on the beast. The park was called Kamui Park, hence the Naruto reference below. I had …

Off-road touring, Mount Fuppushi hike and a ferry ride to Hachinohe, Aomori (6/14/2018) - The next morning the skies cleared and some sun rays shone through the clouds. Time for an improv hike, but of course after a bit of off road touring. Through mud, sand, rivers. I was feeling good with the new setup. There was even a cycling road once I arrived back to normal roads. However …

The Resting Place of Jesus – Shingo, Aomori (6/15/2018) - Rain rain rain rain rain. Either way, you’ve got to make the most of it, so I cycled off into the storm to the ‘real’ resting place of Jesus. You can read about the full story here. In summary, the history of Jesus between his 21st and 32nd birthday are completely unrecorded in history. So …

Pachinko Palace & Pacific Coast (太平洋岸) of Iwate (6/18/2018) - I set off from the net cafe with a tum full of banana sangas and my poncho. I was heading towards Sendai in Miyagi prefecture along the pacific coast of Iwate. I thought it was a smart idea as coastlines are generally flat. To say it was rather mountainous would be a lie, it was …

Tashiro Island (田代島) – Cat Island, Iwate (6/20/2018) - Tashiro Island is a small isolated island located northeast of Sendai. Many cats live there giving it the nickname “Cat Island.” You catch a ferry there from this location. The ferries are not very regular, so pay attention to the schedules unless you want to stay overnight. Ferry schedule as at 26/06/2018 As expected there …

Couch Surfing in Sendai, Miyagi (6/22/2018) - I made my way from cat island towards the largest (i think?) city in Northern Honshu, Sendai. I had arranged to stay with a few amazing and accommodating couch surfers. I turned up at Jakub’s house who said he left the keys for me and to ‘make myself at home’ until he returned. So I …

Audible – The Joy of Cycling (6/23/2018) - Some of you may wonder what I do for the endless hours I sit upon the saddle. Well, I proudly tell you I enjoy the scenery and listen to many many hours of audiobooks. Mostly from my favourite source: Audible. Audible is a seller and producer of spoken audio entertainment, information, and educational programming on …

Fukushima Prefecture Part 1 (6/24/2018) - I started my trip further south into Fukushima Prefecture. No, it’s not dangerous. Yes, I stayed clear of the Daiichi Powerplant (mainly because there were a bunch of mountains in the way…). I went south and headed for a hike up Mount Ryozen (霊山). I was streaming the Fiji v PNG Rugby League match as …

Fukushima Prefecture Part 2 (6/25/2018) - Fortunately, my campsite location was literally outside of the first cave I wanted to enter today: Irimizu Shonyudo (入水鍾乳洞 – Irimizu Cave). A lot of people and tours go to the other cave mentioned below, but this one is farrrrr better. This one you actually get to go inside and squeeze through small cracks. Mind …

Sawara City (佐原市), Chiba (6/26/2018) - After no sleep, I decided a short ride to Chiba would be a good idea. I contacted my couch surfing host to let him know I would be arriving today and he said that would be fine. So I set off on a 100km ride along the coast of Ibaraki Prefecture towards Chiba. The ride …

Happy Science, Chiba (6/27/2018) - I left Haru’s house in Katori in the early afternoon and set off south along the coast of Chiba. It’s quite renowned in Japan for having nice beaches and good surfing, although coming from Australia I must be spoiled as the beaches I saw were mediocre at best. I happened to run into this little …

Chiba Coast and Mount Nokogiri (鋸山), Chiba (6/28/2018) - The temperature and humidity have definitely picked up over the last week as I head further south. Roughly 28 degrees and 80% so it’s hard to ever feel dry when you’re on or off the bike. Riding along the coast, I was hoping to find something with a few waves. Towards the end of my …

The bum under the bridge, Kanagawa (6/30/2018) - Probably the hottest day on record yet as the ferry docked in at Port Kurihama, so I stopped in at the closest Aeon to strategise. I decided I could make it to the Izu Peninsula (伊豆半島) in roughly 2 days. Izu is renowned for its beaches, snorkelling and other beach activities. As I brought my …

Izu Peninsula (伊豆半島), Shizuoka (7/1/2018) - After waking up to an empty bottle in a brown paper bag, I grabbed a few power sticks (bananas) from the local and started my journey towards Izu Peninsula (伊豆半島). As mentioned before it’s renowned by the Japanese to have the ‘prettiest’ beaches on the mainland. I rode my bike just getting out of the …

Rest time in Tokyo (7/7/2018) - Before I started my cycling adventure I was using the app Meetup to go to language exchanges and other events around Tokyo. At the very first one I went to, I met possibly the nicest guy in Japan, who just happens to share a name with the Japanese version of Ash Ketchem: Satoshi. Satoshi allowed …

Mount Fuji 0-3776m (7/9/2018) - I live my life a quarter mile at a time. So considering this was only 9 and a bit quarter miles of elevation, this was a damn long day. Most people start hiking up mount Fuji from one of the ‘5th stations’ which is basically the farthest point you can drive a car to. But …

Road to Nagoya, Aichi (7/12/2018) - As if unscathed from the Fuuj I pit through a big 100+km leaving the Fuuj in the dust behind me. People were telling me how bad the roads are for cycling between Tokyo and Nagoya, but I honestly don’t think they’ve cycled there before because it was actually really good for most of the way, …

Nagoya, Aichi (7/13/2018) - I arrived at my couch surfing host’s house for a very early 7am check-in due to starting cycling before the sun was even up. Sumiyo kindly accepted and let me get some actual sleep. Omgggg I had my own room with air-conditioning, it was heaven. Sleeping outside the last few nights in 27 degree heat …

Couch Surfing in Gifu (7/15/2018) - I was lucky enough to be hosted by another amazing couch surfer, this time Jonny in Gifu city, Gifu prefecture. I arrived earlier than expected again haha. Jonny was being a legend and preparing some sushi for myself and the other couch surfer, Wally – a touring cycling from Holland (aka another legend). My Couch …

Sekigahara, Gifu (7/16/2018) - I am interested in Japanese history, so it was important for me to go to Sekigahara, the birth of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The History The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: 関ヶ原の戦い; Kyūjitai: 關ヶ原の戰い Sekigahara no Tatakai) was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month), that preceded the establishment …

Kyoto (7/19/2018) - First of all, you say it, kyoo-toh. Not kee-oh-toh. I camped in a random park next to Lake Biwa. I took a sneaky lake shower then on my walk of shame back to my hobo campsite and saw a dead fish in the water I had just ‘bathed’ in. The other animals were not even …

Route 24 to Shikoku (四国) (7/21/2018) - At this time I have visited all of the major islands in Japan but Shikoku, so it was a must on my list. I planned to go there via ferry from Wakayama to Tokushima. It was another blistering day and I couldn’t resist the temptation as I coincidentally passed a water park in……….. In other …

Nara (7/21/2018) - The next morning I enjoyed the aircon for as long as possible before heading to Aeon to get some more of the most delicious ¥100 cinnamon scrolls. Man, these things are addictive. I then went to another very popular shrine thing I went to 7 years ago. Inari Shrine mountain thing. You know the place …

Shikoku Pilgrimage (四国遍路) (7/22/2018) - The Shikoku Pilgrimage (四国遍路 Shikoku Henro) or Shikoku Junrei (四国巡礼) is a multi-site pilgrimage of 88 temples associated with the Buddhist monk Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi) on the island of Shikoku, Japan. It looks something like this: I think I’ve seen enough temples in one trip to warrant not doing something like this, however I thought …

Mount Tsurugi (剣山), Shikoku (7/23/2018) - Straight from Japan Guide; Mount Tsurugi (剣山, Tsurugisan) is a 1955 meters high mountain that lies at the eastern end of the remote Iya Valley. The second tallest mountain on Shikoku Island, Mount Tsurugi is one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains and a center of Shugendo, a Japanese folk religion based on mountain worship. …

Iya Valley, Shikoku (7/25/2018) - After another refreshing sleep on the tarmac, I was ready for a ride through Iya Valley. This valley is absolutely beautiful and I could enjoy it more than ever as I had done all the hard work climbing up to the top of the valley, now I just had to roll down through it taking …

Super Dragon Ball Heroes (2) (7/26/2018) - If you missed the greatest article of the blog thus far, here’s a link: Dragon Ball Heroes. With the incoming typhoon and the need for a solid day of rest, I spent much of the day in an Aeon mall (that’s right, where there are usually Super Dragon Ball Heroes machines). And after all the 4 …

(Hitch) Hiking, Shikoku (7/27/2018) - I had some truly grand plans of a 2-3 day hike around Niihama, Ehime prefecture including the highest mountain in Shikoku. I planned on climbing a ridge line climbing over more than 20 mountains and 60kms. I spent the day before mostly preparing at the local Aeon Shopping Centre and then ensuring I knew the …

Western Shikoku (8/1/2018) - Due to my aching body and the rain, I spent the last few days resting. Not doing much, updating the blog and spending much time at an internet cafe called funky time. So much that I even managed to fill up one of those loyalty card things and get a ¥400 discount on my final …

The Shimanami Kaido (しまなみ海道) (8/2/2018) - The Shimanami Kaido (しまなみ海道, Shimanami Kaidō) is basically a bunch of roads connecting a bunch of islands between the north west side of Shikoku to Honshu (the main island). There are other bridges but this is the only stretch you can cycle across (except for a tiny boat across near Onomichi). It is roughly 70kms …

Hiroshima Part 1 (8/3/2018) - From Onomichi, the northern side of the Shimano Kaido, I went along the south west coastline to Hiroshima City. I ended up riding a lot further than originally planned and made it all the way to Kure city. I spotted a little park near the river a little north of the city and set up …

Hiroshima Part 2 – 6th of August (8/6/2018) - Today marks the 73rd anniversary for the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. It’s essentially the Anzac Day for Hiroshima. In the morning, they have a ceremony to remember the people lost, which is in time with the bomb drop at 8:15am in 1945 – corresponds with the Anzac Day Dawn Service. I went …

Hiroshima Part 3 – Baseball (8/7/2018) - Go the mighty Hiroshima Carp (my new team) I went with my friend Midori who I showed around Sydney when she came to Sydney the previous year. So she was paying me back by doing the same. Early into our discussion Midori asked me what I’m most disappointed with during my trip. I think it …

Hiroshima Part 4 – Miyajima & Yuu (8/8/2018) - So I went to the infamous Miyajima (shrine in the water) on Itsukushima. I went here a few years previous with the Dogg (Luke Poggi) and had a mad time hiking up the mountain so I wanted to do it again.   It was as good as I remembered, except a lot more sweaty this …

Caves, Shrines and Beautiful Islands, Yamaguchi (8/10/2018) - I had 3 main things to tick off on my journey through Yamaguchi: Limestone Cave – Akiyoshidou Motonosumi Inari Jinja Shrine Tsunoshima Island Yamaguchi (山口) Prefecture literally means the Mountain’s Mouth, so with that being said it was not easy riding. I should mention I was considering doing some WOOFing whilst in Japan before the …

Abandoned Love on the Road to Kyushu (8/11/2018) - Kyushu (九州) is Japan’s southern most island and my final big 4 island. On my way from Tsunoshima I planned to visit an abandoned amusement park. However when I arrived it had been completely dismantled. However not to spoil the fun I noticed what seemed like an abandoned Love Hotel (a normal one, not with …

Fukuoka (8/13/2018) - My ride from Motonosumi Inari Jinja ended up being a lot longer than planned. I rode 120kms+ and made it all the way under the sea to reach Kyushu. Probably the worst bit of sleep yet though, concrete benches are not comfy. The next morning I set off early to beat the traffic into Fukuoka, …

Nagasaki (8/16/2018) - I left Fukuoka early in the morning and aimed for some ruins of WW2 roughly 110kms ride away. I usually try to avoid the mountains but this time I was glad I chose to go the mountain route. I eventually arrived at my destination, Kawatana Human Torpedo Training Place (魚雷発射試験場 探信儀領収試験場) and had a look around, …

Mount Unzen and Shimabara, Nagasaki (8/18/2018) - Nagasaki is one of the worst cities for cyclists, because there are so many bridges that don’t allow cyclists or have like 200 stairs to go up. So even getting out of the city took some time. I then had to climb up 2,000+ metres of elevation to reach the town of Unzen. Mount Unzen …

Kumamoto (8/20/2018) - I caught the ferry from Shimabara to Kumamoto port for roughly $12. I think I slept the whole trip. When we landed I rode straight in to see the mystical Kumamoto Castle. However, I did not realise how much damage the 2016 earthquake did to the area. Actually as I write this in Kumamoto, I …

Road to Laputa, Kumamoto (8/21/2018) - I’ve come to learn: if it’s not hard to get to, it’s not worth seeing. That is definitely true for the Road to Laputa. The name again comes from the similarity to a Ghibli movie: Castle in the Sky, Laputa (Japanese: 天空の城ラピュタ) https://goo.gl/maps/sMzzhqvjDZy A touch ride up like 1,300m or so and I finally made …

Typhoon 20, Kumamoto (8/23/2018) - I decided to trek it back 20-odd kms to Kumamoto to the closest internet cafe to wait out the incoming Typhoon (20). The ride back was mostly downhill but I knew I would have to come back through Aso area so it did take some serious deliberation. I pumped in my usual banana and honey …

Kirishima Region, Miyazaki (8/26/2018) - No, this post is not about ‘the Ghibli guy’. So after Takachiho, I made my way towards the Kirishima Mountain range for a hike. After a buffet and 2 days of 120+ km riding (with over 3,000m total elevation) I was more than pleased when people stopped me on the side of the road and …

Cape Sata (佐多岬) – Mission Complete (任務を成し遂げる) (8/27/2018) - Cape Sata (佐多岬, Sata Misaki) is the southernmost point of the mainland of Japan and my main objective. With overwhelming joy, I can say after 8hours of solid riding, +2,000m of elevation (1,300m of which was in the final 30kms) and a completed Halo audiobook, I managed to roll into Cape Misaki blaring my motivation …

Bonus Map 1: Kaimondake (Mini Mount Fuji), Kagoshima (8/31/2018) - I had read all about this mountain and was extremely keen to climb it. Probably just 3 minutes in, I was already completely drenched in sweat, mostly due to the start being extremely humid and somewhat like a rainforest. The rest of the hike was mostly scrambling over slippery, mossy rocks. So I didn’t really …

The Real Story of Amaterasu, Takachiho Gorge (9/2/2018) - Today I went to one of the most famous and ancient shrines in all of Japan and found they had the story dead WRONG. Japan Guide Extract Takachiho Shrine (高千穂神社, Takachiho Jinja) The town of Takachiho is the site of one of the most important and well known legends of Japanese mythology. In the story, …

Resting in Kagoshima (9/3/2018) - After so many hundreds of kms and thousands of hiked metres of elevation, I think I had earned a rest. So I spent a few days in Kagoshima city not doing much. The highlight of this rest was probably playing Age of Empires: Rise of Rome with my brother on this Windows 95 looking beast. …

Bonus Map 2 – Yakushima (9/6/2018) - After being delayed by the Typhoon, I eventually made it to Yakushima, which is basically famous for being the inspiration for the setting of the Ghibli movie: Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫). On the first day I decided to check out a beach as half the day was already over, the ferry (the one you can take …

Bonus Map 3: Tanegashima (9/9/2018) - It had been raining like crazy all morning, so I though maybe after the ferry ride to another island it would clear up. I could not have been more wrong. Possibly the heaviest rain of the trip thus far but i put on my togs and battled through to the main attraction of the island: …

Top Moments (9/13/2018) - Relive the top moments of my trip around Japan: best, worst, weirdest, etc

Guide to Travelling around Japan on Bicycle (1/1/2020) - What were your best and worst experiences? See the Top Moments blog post. Where do you recommend going for sight seeing / doing? See the Best Moments Article. To list them I would say… For those who have not been to Japan Kyoto – Nijo Palace, Inari Shrine, the golden temple and more Akihabara – Anime town …