Shikoku Tour

The post below was written last night. We made it this morning at 4:30 a.m. to the ferry and are currently on our way to Kyushu!!! 

The drive for many of our travels to date have included incorporating multi-day hikes. We love them because it means multiple days are booked, we get to be active and we see amazing scenery. Shikoku turned out to be our parallel for a multi-day trek but nestled into our bike trip. There were no big sights to see. We primarily went to towns we had never heard of or planned on visiting and the vistas were amazing every single day. Something else of note is that Shikoku,  although one of Japan's four main islands, is much less populated and therefore has a much different pace than the main island of Honshu. 

I will break it down in terms of days to try to cover some of the details. 

Day 1: Tokushima to Izari

We arrived on Shikoku and stayed in the port town of Tokushima to allow an early start the next morning. We headed out to catch route 26 along the Eastern coast. We made our way up a pretty sizable climb to a campsite we had searched out. It was closed. We set up anyways and hiked down to our own private beach for the afternoon and cooked dinner while the tide came in.

Day 2: Izari to Toyo

The weather didn't quite cooperate on this day with mostly overcast skies and rain threatening all day. The good news was that we had already arranged our accomodation for the night in our first "warm shower", the biker's equivalent to couch surfers. After a day of tough climbs but great costals views, we descended into tiny surfing villages dotting the route. We watched a few surfers catch waves at a point break and then finished the ride to arrive in Toyo before the skies opened up and the rain fell for hours. We were greeted by Tomoya, an organic tomato farmer who at first came across very shy and skirted away to finish his work day. He announced that dinner would be at 7 p.m. and we were pleasantly surprised when it featured Mahi Mahi caught that day by a local fisherman. It was delicious. Tomoya opened up and we shared the Shochu, a liqueur, we had brought him to say thank you. He then generously shared a few others from his collection, one made from sweet potato, another from rye and a favourite made from sesame. The evening was spent sharing stories and learning more about Japanese culture from a local. Overall a huge highlight. 

Day 3: Toyo to Kochi

When we left Toyo the goal was to get as close to Kochi as possible, it was was about 120km away. The bike conditions agreed with us as we biked along a flat coastline right next to the sea and had taken a huge dent out of the distance when we reached the southernmost point of Shikoku at Muroto point. We decided to push on as it was a really fun day of riding. The last 10km we hit wind, lots of wind, and ended up arriving at our campsite after dark but we had made it all the way to Kochi! We camped at an actual campsite with other tents but it was strange because it was clearly a city park with no camp administration or fees. There was a cute little gazebo beside the water where we cooked dinner and chatted with another traveller from Switzerland.

Day 4: Iya Valley and Kochi

We left our tent set up and rode our bikes to the train station where we caught a train to Oboke in the Iya valley. This area was said to be a big highlight in Shikoku but since we took the coastal route it meant we would miss it as it was centrally located. So, we took the train to check it out. After a short boat tour in the Oboke gorge we took a local bus to see the vine bridge famous to the area called Kazurabashi. We arrived back in Kochi around 4 p.m. and were debating what to do when we started walking around and really loved the vibe in Kochi. We checked out the castle grounds, wandered the market and stumbled across the coolest place for dinner, Hirome Ichiba. Essentially, a big hall with food vendors around the perimeter. We ended up grabbing a few things including katsuo-tataki, lightly seared bonito fish. It was clearly popular with the locals and a really fun atmosphere with long shared tables. 

Day 5: Kochi to Shimanto Area

A huge highlight day! We biked all day up high getting incredible coastal views from above. The weather was perfect with clear skies. The water was turquoise and bright blues with inlet and bays one after another. The waves crashing on the coast of beaches and huge black rocks with lush greenery lining the shores. All day we couldn't help but continue to stop and stare in awe.

We once again had a campsite to ourselves that night.  It was once again clearly a campsite with bathrooms and a gazebo as well as cooking facilities but no administration so no fees.

We cooked tuna we got at the grocery store and drank red wine under the gazebo as the rain came down all night.

Day 6: Shimanto-Gawa

The Shimanto-Gawa, or Shimanto River, is well known as it is a huge river and apparently the only "non-dammed" river in Japan. We biked along route 381 to follow the river for some inland scenery. We had a great lunch break at a roadside stop with an incredible view overlooking the river. We finished the day at a rocky campsite on the river's edge, once again a free campsite.  Before going to bed we layed out in our sleeping bags under the stars huddles in our sleeping bags looking up at a clear sky.

Day 7: Shimanto area to Uwajima 

A shorter bike day to get to Uwajima where we spent the day resetting. We grabbed a hotel near the train station and enjoyed a shower, got our laundry done, stocked up on food for the next few days and planned the remaining days on our bikes. 

Day 8: Uwajima to Yawatahama

This is where we are right now,  sitting in yet another gazebo in a park that was marked as a campsite but most certainly is not. We are going to stay here because the first ferry tomorrow leaves at 5:40 a.m. and is only 4 km from here. We also have not come across any internet today to look for another option. Plus the gazebo overlooks the sea and the sunset is sure to be beautiful tonight.

In order to get here we rode along route 378 back on the coast in and out of little fishing villages all day. Another amazing biking day!

Kyoto to Shikoku Route

The way out of cities is often filled with stops and starts and can be a little frustrating on a bike,  but the way out of Kyoto was a biker's paradise. Less than a few kilometers from our accomodation we hopped on a river side trail that took us all the way to our planned lunch stop in Nara. We actually planned to go to Nara because it was about 50km from Kyoto and we knew there was a big park, apparently with loads of deer roaming around. We figured it would be perfect for a picnic lunch. What we found was indeed a park filled with deer but also a huge temple complex featuring the world's largest wooden structure enclosing a massive buddha. The translation came out as the "Buddha's Den" and it was really quite impressive. The kind of thing that makes you wonder if your eyes are tricking you because the scale is so enormous and the likelihood that this was actually constructed seems impossible.  

After leaving our awestruck experience in Nara, we headed onwards towards Koyasan. We altered our route to include this little town as it meant we could reach for ferry Shikoku without going through more urban areas west of Kyoto. One catch, it meant another day of climbing as Kyosan sits in a basin in the mountains. The night after Nara, before our climbing day, we had found a campsite that was our target midpoint, unfortunately as our directions lead us there and we got more into a suburban neighborhood we knew no campsite would be found,  we were right. With dusk setting in we looked for a hotel without one nearby. Finally,  we decided to try to make it to the next Michi no Eki or roadside stop, akin to En Routes in Ontario. All the blogs we have read say that cyclists can camp there overnight,  something we had yet to try but figured we might be out of other options for that night. It was only about 9km away but it was now completely dark (but only 5:45 p.m) and the road was getting busier. We got about halfway when we spotted a roadside hotel,  we decided we would take it. What it was was quite interesting,  leopard print wallpaper and lace bed canopy,  maybe meant for a couple's getaway but for us perfect for a good night's sleep before the climb. 

The climb was as tough as we have done. The thing is that it was also the most beautiful ride we have done so it was hard to hate it. The reward was the cute little town of Kyosan. It is a Buddhist pilgrimage town with lots of temples and a beautiful cedar filled cemetary with huge headstones for prominent deceased Buddhists. We stayed at a campsite just outside of town,  even though it too was also closed,  at least it existed.  This morning we headed towards the ferry at Wakayama to head to Shikoku.

We continue to love the freedom of traveling by bike but finding accomodation has proved to be more challenging that we thought. It is always a stressful part of the day so we are working to plan for that a little more. This sounds easy but when you aren't sure how your legs will feel or if you find a place 20km out of the way it is not quite reachable when it gets dark at 5:15 p.m. Right now this is really our only complaint as it is really fun to be active and outside all day and we get to see such off the grid parts of such a beautiful country. We think the pros far outweigh the cons and might just have to sleep in a few more closed campsites or shady hotels to make it work. 

Kyoto

After pushing hard to get to Kyoto we were excited for a few days off the bikes again, but also to tour around Kyoto with many sights that were high on our "must see" list. We hit the ground running our first day. After arriving midday we located our accommodations,  a really cute apartment style complex, and headed out on foot. We figured that even though we had already rode about 100km that day we then walked nearly 10km that afternoon and evening! 

I am going to break down Kyoto into the three days we have been here to ensure I get all the details in.

Day 1: Arrival and checked out Nishiki market, had another amazing sushi meal at Kikyo Sushi and meandered through the Ponto-cho district. It was so different being back in a big city where things were bustling, many of the smaller towns we have been to seem to shut down around 8 p.m. Even on our first day we grabbed a hold of the inexplicable energy that Kyoto offered that drew us in immediately.

Day 2: This was a big tourist day for us. We started with the Arashiyama and Sagano district, also known as the bamboo forest. It didn't disappoint.  The huge stalks of bamboo really do catch the light in a way that makes you stare at them. We also really enjoyed the Okochi Sanso garden that took us through the estate of an old movie star in Japan. The gardens were serene and peaceful in a really busy tourist hot spot. The tea and sweets at the end overlooking the bamboo garden was a highlight. For lunch we decided to splurge  and sat down at a Kaiseki restaurant called Nishiri. Kaiseki is known in the Kyoto region and is basically multiple course meals of seasonal foods. Dinner can run into the hundreds per person but we had read that lunch was similar and much less expensive.  In total we had nine courses, for lunch!!! It was delicious but we both felt that given all the amazing food we have already had in Japan,  it was worth trying but not our favourite meal to date. What did make it special though was once again the incredible hospitality of the Japanese people. The server and owner of the restaurant were so kind and explained everything.  They also gave us tips for our upcoming destinations. Finally though,  we have noted that often when you leave a restaurant the staff walks you out and bows to you as you leave and remain in place while you walk away. It is again another tradition here that feels humbling and so respectful and it makes you feel so honoured to be here. 

That afternoon,  with full bellies, we checked out the 13-storey Kizomizu-dera temple and spent the evening weaving in and out of the Higashiyama and Gion districts.

Day 3: The Fushimi-Inari-taisha is an iconic Japanese site. Thousands of orange arches line kilometers of pathways at this Shinto Shrine. It is a really amazing site and worth getting to early to avoid the crowds! 

We are currently sitting waiting for laundry and getting some groceries.  It is nice to have some down time to reset and plan for the next leg tomorrow.  We still have a few things on the agenda today though including touring the Imperial palace grounds and meeting up with an Australian couple whom we met while camping in Kamikochi for dinner. We are really excited to talk with them more as they really are an interesting couple.

That's it for now! Back on the bikes tomorrow! 

Kyoto via Kiso Valley

When I wrote the post below we were still about 100km away from our guesthouse in Kyoto. We had planned to stay at a campsite beside Lake Biwa but when we arrived after 9 hours of cycling,  it was closed. Apparently,  "free camping " is allowed in this country but we are trying to avoid it as to not offend anyone but in circumstances like last night we had no other option. We set up in a gazebo/bench area beside the lake and slept in the open air. We woke early to get on the road and ensure we were out of the way before anyone turned up. After another long day we arrived in Kyoto...we are excited to explore! See below for what we have been up to the past few days (written last night). 

There is always a point when doing long trips where one decision serendipitously leads to another. When we decided to stow our bikes and complete a section of the alps via bus it opened up the opportunity to explore another region that Chad had read about but was not going to be on route if we had biked to Takayama. The Kiso valley runs south from Matsumoto and allowed us to connect to Kyoto through an old Japanese trade route. It meant a little more planning as the routes we had researched to date did not see us venturing in this direction.  The route we ended up taking served up lots of extra kilometers to bypass busy roads but along the way we explored three old post towns which were worth all of them. On the first day out of Matsumoto we stopped at Narajuku. That night we camped outside of Kiso village and day two took us to Tsumago and Magome. Finally, we used day three to put our heads down and hammer out some kilometers to help us reach Kyoto, hopefully tomorrow. Tonight we have reached Lake Biwa and will camp here before following it down towards Kyoto tomorrow. 

We have so many thoughts about bike travelling but more importantly such warm thoughts about Japan and the Japanese people. It reminds us a lot of being in New Zealand,  perhaps there is something unique that people who survive in large island nations possess but it comes across as curiosity,  kindness and an embracing nature towards us as visitors. All throughout the day we get many thumbs up and smiles as we pass by or stop in to grab food. Most want to know which country we are from and give us an obvious nod towards what we are doing by biking across the country. We have come to realize what a feat bike travelling can be and will make sure in the future if we ever see a travelling biker passing by we will be sure to try to treat them as well as we have been treated here, and hopefully have the chance to give them something for the road, as many have given us. 

Bike stowed detour

While researching the trip we kept reading about how safe Japan is and the many options for cycling, however, one part of the journey resurfaced again and again as a more challenging section due to higher traffic volume and long uphill tunnels, so we decided to stow the bikes for a few days and jump on the bus to explore Kamikochi, Takeyama and Shirakawago. It has been a very relaxing detour with the highlights being the alpine town of Shirakawago and sampling delectable food through the market in Takeyama. We continue to meet great people to share stories and drinks with. 

Memories of Matsumoto

We arrived yesterday after completing the last stretch into Matsumoto. We have been looking forward to seeing this town and right away it did not disappoint. We started with lunch at the great little shop, like most with only a few tables and stools along the front.  We both had a set lunch and enjoyed pork cutlet, sashimi and negitoro.
After searching for accommodation we settled on an historic old ryokan called Marumo Inn. It is ideally locally and made us feel like we were staying in a true Japanese old building.  
After a quick, and much anticipated shower, we headed to the highlight of the city, the Matsumoto castle. It is a 6-storey wooden castle that was used to defend the city. We took a tour and afterwards asked our guide to join us for a beer. He is a retired pharmacist who gives tours a few days a week. It was so much fun and chat with a local and share some stories about Canada while learning more from him about Japan. We ended the day with a meal of soba noodles, famous in the region.  
Today we will wander the streets more and have some more food. We are going to try to find transportation across to Takayama as this is an area of heavy traffic with many tunnels and we have decided not to bike it.
Overall we are settling into bike traveling and are learning its challenges and rewards. 

Japanese Romantic Road

Departing Nikko took us on the Japanese Romantic Road and up higher into the alps. I will break it down into the past few days to try to do it justice. 

Nikko to Yumoto
This is a definite highlight. We ascended into the alps. It was an amazing day.  We stopped at Chuzenji-Ko lake, saw Kegon falls, Ryuzu falls, and Yudaki falls. We pedaled into the little Onsen village of Yumoto where it was evident it was a popular getaway in the region. It is a ski area in the winter and the campsite is at the bottom of one of the ski runs. We had our first onsen experience where we went into the men and womens sides. We ended up being alone in each of our sides which was nice because you are completely naked. 

Yumoto to Takayama Village 
We will call this a day of challenge and generosity. We left Yumoto to complete the climb up to the Konsei pass. It was very rewarding to pass through the tunnel at the top and know we had completed biking a pass in the Japanese Alps!!! On the way down we stopped at a roadside stand with vegetables. We met an older gentleman who spoke no English but was very curious about our bikes. After we bought a few things, he ran after us to give us a big bag of tomatoes for the road. Next we stopped at Fukiwari falls, named as the 'Niagara Falls of Asia'. There were stunning.  Very serene and atypical in their set up as they flowed for what seemed like a kilometer with lots of conversions and dips.
The road we were on was getting busy so we opted to use the GPS to take some side roads. After a while a lady stopped to presumably tell us we were about to head into  dead end, which we found out an hour later...but she wouldn't let us ride away without giving us apples,  candy and bento boxes with full meals in them (they were a great dinner after we backtracked and found our way back to the main road). We eventually found our way to a cute little campground outside of Takayama Village. When we signed in to camp, we tried to buy a beer to split with our bento boxes but the camp ground attendant wouldn't let us pay and rather gave us two local beers from the back of his apparent own stash. 

Onward
We are currently heading towards Matsumoto and hope to be there by tomorrow at some point. We are actually just in a roadside stop and have met out first other cyclist, from Vancouver. 

Tokyo to Nikko

It is possible to get from Tokyo to Nikki on a 45 minute bullet train, we took 3 days to ride here.
We started in the north end of Tokyo at a great little Ryokan which offered us the chance to assemble our bikes and recover from jet lag before we hit the road. We spent part of a day meandering through Yanesen while feasting on ramen for lunch and onigiri for dinner. A highlight was checking out the Jenso-Ji Temple.
Day one on the bikes had us follow the Edo river from Tokyo to Noda.  It was honestly a mostly uneventful first day but broke in our saddles. We arrived in Noda to what was listed as a free camp ground. Turned out to be a large open sports field where many people were practicing their golf swing. We pitched the tent anyways and Ashley slept for 12 hours to get over a brief but early onset sickness since arrival. 
Day two took us from Noda to Ashikaga. Much of the cycle was once again along an incredible bike path beside a river. However, it was also a little tedious to continue to push out of the greater Tokyo area through what we would assume to be sleeper towns. We picked out a camp ground outside of Ashikaga but after a wrong turn ended up down a forested road outside of town. It was beautiful and isolated so we set up camp next to a stream and enjoyed the remoteness in nature for the night. 
Upon awaking on day three the preferred destination was Nikko but looking at the route profile we figured we should split it into two days. But with an early start and shear determination,  and screaming quads, we ascended all the way. The ride restored Ashley's faith in choosing to do a bike trip. It was stunning and beautiful the whole way. We rewarded ourselves with a great little guest house and an incredible meal trying a local specialty,  Yuba. 
Today is a day off the bikes and we explored the shrines in Nikko that make it a hugely popular destination in Japan. Breathtaking and impressive do not even begin to describe them. We grabbed our audio guides and spent the morning exploring. For lunch we took in a sushi place for the first time in Japan. It was amazing but what made the experience was the owner/chef who was so personable and kind.
Overall this would actually describe the Japanese we have met to date. Even with little to no English they are curious about our loaded up bikes and wish us well on our journey. While loading up our bikes outside a grocery store, one man even gave us a bag of candy "for when tired".