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".
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".
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