The Travelling Bean Counter – A naive but enthusiastic cyclist tackling the mountains Japan over approximately 4 months, to experience japanese culture and learn the language. https://www.instagram.com/thetravellingbeancounter/
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 … Continue reading Guide to Travelling around Japan on Bicycle
Relive the top moments of my trip around Japan: best, worst, weirdest, etc
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: … Continue reading Bonus Map 3: Tanegashima
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 … Continue reading Bonus Map 2 – Yakushima
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. … Continue reading Resting in Kagoshima
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, … Continue reading The Real Story of Amaterasu, Takachiho Gorge
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 … Continue reading Bonus Map 1: Kaimondake (Mini Mount Fuji), Kagoshima
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 … Continue reading Cape Sata (佐多岬) – Mission Complete (任務を成し遂げる)
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 … Continue reading Kirishima Region, Miyazaki
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 … Continue reading Typhoon 20, Kumamoto
Cycling Around Japan 