So I've been back from Japan for about a month and I'm finally getting around to editing/posting some of the photos from the trip. For anyone that follows me on Facebook/Instagram, I already posted a lot of these (along with the writeups) but I figured I'd repeat some of my daily blog-style posts here for anyone else to see.
As a quick lead-in, myself, my girlfriend (Chanel) and 2 other good friends I know from cycling (Jerry and Dennis) had been planning this trip since the beginning of the year and finally made our way over there at the end of September for a two week trip. The plan was to see as much as we could while traveling on bikes (with occasional connections to far away towns via train), carrying everything we had to bring on racks/packs that fit on the bikes. Had to be fairly minimal (esp with film/cameras) so I only traveled with my new Ricoh GRIII point-and-shoot digital (which is what most of these are from), and brought a couple of rolls of film for my super compact Ricoh GR1S 90's point-and shoot as well (plus my iPhone).
The trip had some unexpected turns, mainly my gf injuring her knee pretty badly towards the beginning of a race that would serve as the midpoint of our trip (Grinduro), so we ended up taking a couple of rest days and renting a car to make up time and catch up with our friends. We still saw the same things and dodged a bad day of rain so it turned out to be alright in the end.
I was also able to fit in one day of car enthusiast fun by renting a RHD Lotus Elise (was the only thing available but still fun) from a really cool spot called Fun2Drive in the town of Hakone but you'll see more about that later. Other than that, we enjoyed so much fun food, amazing hospitality and even got to catch up with one of my old best friends who's been living in Japan for over a decade.
Overall, it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I would 1000% recommend a trip there to anyone. Aside from the car culture which I'm sure most of us here would appreciate, the people, scenery, food and just about everything else make up for an incredible place that's unique from anywhere else I've traveled. I could truly see trying to live there one day if things ever go in a different direction, or at the very least traveling there for even longer next time. Anyhow, enough rambling for now, I'll start my posts below. Enjoy!
More detailed Flickr galleries if you want a deeper dive into any of the following subjects:
Overall Favorites
Film Photos
Automotive
Food/Drink/Restaurants
Accomodations
Fun Signs
My bikepacking adventure through Japan (photo overload warning)
Moderators: charlie, CodyW, Rhoad Racing
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CodyW
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Re: My bikepacking adventure through Japan (photo overload warning)
Post 1: September 30
Landed in Tokyo yesterday after a 14 hour flight where we kicked off the start of our 2 week bike packing adventure. Built our bikes outside of the airport, stowed our bags at an airport storage facility and rode an easy 15 miles to a hostel in Asakusa. Got to try my FOERST vending machine and Japanese 7-11 which were both fantastic. Explored a nearby temple and had some sort of kids meal chicken and rice dinner before finally passing out after being up for nearly 26 hours straight. Having a blast so far, will try to make frequent updates throughout the rest of the trip.
Landed in Tokyo yesterday after a 14 hour flight where we kicked off the start of our 2 week bike packing adventure. Built our bikes outside of the airport, stowed our bags at an airport storage facility and rode an easy 15 miles to a hostel in Asakusa. Got to try my FOERST vending machine and Japanese 7-11 which were both fantastic. Explored a nearby temple and had some sort of kids meal chicken and rice dinner before finally passing out after being up for nearly 26 hours straight. Having a blast so far, will try to make frequent updates throughout the rest of the trip.
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CodyW
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Re: My bikepacking adventure through Japan (photo overload warning)
Post 2: October 2
A day late, but quick recap from yesterday’s 44 mile adventure - Started the morning in Tokyo, the gang had fancy coffee and I ate more convenience store snacks. Hit up a super crowded ramen museum and then wandered through Yokohama and eventually into Kamakura. Finished the night having delicious ramen and enjoying the oceanside views near our house.
A day late, but quick recap from yesterday’s 44 mile adventure - Started the morning in Tokyo, the gang had fancy coffee and I ate more convenience store snacks. Hit up a super crowded ramen museum and then wandered through Yokohama and eventually into Kamakura. Finished the night having delicious ramen and enjoying the oceanside views near our house.
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CodyW
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Re: My bikepacking adventure through Japan (photo overload warning)
Post 3: October 2
Started the morning with a 5am beach stroll, walked a few miles around Kamakura exploring shrines and temples, saw a sweet S14 and then had another exciting convenience store breakfast before starting the day’s ride. Hopped on the bikes for another 40 miles that included a tour of downtown Kamakura, more temples, a giant Buddha, lots of hawks, a cat and finally a hilly ride into Hakone.
Started the morning with a 5am beach stroll, walked a few miles around Kamakura exploring shrines and temples, saw a sweet S14 and then had another exciting convenience store breakfast before starting the day’s ride. Hopped on the bikes for another 40 miles that included a tour of downtown Kamakura, more temples, a giant Buddha, lots of hawks, a cat and finally a hilly ride into Hakone.
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CodyW
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Re: My bikepacking adventure through Japan (photo overload warning)
Post 4: October 3
Woke up around 5am and wandered down to Hakone for a scenic train ride up the mountain. Ate some breakfast on the train, came back to our hostel, then Chanel and I headed off for a short (but steep) ride up the mountain for our afternoon non-biking activity. After riding up the mountain, we headed to Fun2Drive where we rented a RHD Lotus Elise for an incredible day of driving mountain roads around Mt. Fuji. We were part of a group of amazing cars that served as a rolling car show, with stops at scenic spots all around the area. Even found out that a number of roads we were on served as inspiration for Initial D episodes. By far one of the most fun things I’ve ever experienced, already want to come back and try another car!
Woke up around 5am and wandered down to Hakone for a scenic train ride up the mountain. Ate some breakfast on the train, came back to our hostel, then Chanel and I headed off for a short (but steep) ride up the mountain for our afternoon non-biking activity. After riding up the mountain, we headed to Fun2Drive where we rented a RHD Lotus Elise for an incredible day of driving mountain roads around Mt. Fuji. We were part of a group of amazing cars that served as a rolling car show, with stops at scenic spots all around the area. Even found out that a number of roads we were on served as inspiration for Initial D episodes. By far one of the most fun things I’ve ever experienced, already want to come back and try another car!
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CodyW
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Re: My bikepacking adventure through Japan (photo overload warning)
Post 5: October 4
Our second day in the mountains greeted us with nonstop rain, colder than expected temperatures and our anticipated views of Mt. Fuji being hidden by clouds. Luckily, we made the most of the day by making a number of stops to warm up whenever we had the chance. Our FOERST break came only 2 miles in where we had coffee, chocolate cake and orange juice, shortly followed by our now obligatory break at a 7-11 where I discovered Hot Lemon, my new favorite drink for a cold day. After the longest and most freezing descent, we happened upon a Denny’s which kept me from becoming entirely hypothermic as I was brought back to life thanks to a traditional meal of spaghetti, French fries and hot tea (not pictured as I was too starving to take a photo once it came out). After that, we had a pretty easy cruise into Fujiyoshida where we were greeted by the friendliest guest house host ever and are finally drying out.
Our second day in the mountains greeted us with nonstop rain, colder than expected temperatures and our anticipated views of Mt. Fuji being hidden by clouds. Luckily, we made the most of the day by making a number of stops to warm up whenever we had the chance. Our FOERST break came only 2 miles in where we had coffee, chocolate cake and orange juice, shortly followed by our now obligatory break at a 7-11 where I discovered Hot Lemon, my new favorite drink for a cold day. After the longest and most freezing descent, we happened upon a Denny’s which kept me from becoming entirely hypothermic as I was brought back to life thanks to a traditional meal of spaghetti, French fries and hot tea (not pictured as I was too starving to take a photo once it came out). After that, we had a pretty easy cruise into Fujiyoshida where we were greeted by the friendliest guest house host ever and are finally drying out.
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CodyW
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Re: My bikepacking adventure through Japan (photo overload warning)
Post 6: October 6
Playing a bit of catch up from Wednesday night and yesterday. After our rainy ride into Fujiyoshida, we wandered around town and had dinner at a super traditional Izakaya recommended by our host. Ate more fried chicken and fries that were delicious.
The next morning, the skies had cleared and we were greeted to views of Mt. Fuji right outside our window. We did a quick ride to a nearby pagoda which also had miles of steep hiking trails we quickly explored to make sure we stayed on schedule. After that, we took a scenic ride around the nearby Lake Kawaguchi where we enjoyed more views of Fuji-San before stopping for lunch where I had some tasty French toast.
After that, we began our train voyage back to Tokyo for a couple of days which I’ll save for another post.
Playing a bit of catch up from Wednesday night and yesterday. After our rainy ride into Fujiyoshida, we wandered around town and had dinner at a super traditional Izakaya recommended by our host. Ate more fried chicken and fries that were delicious.
The next morning, the skies had cleared and we were greeted to views of Mt. Fuji right outside our window. We did a quick ride to a nearby pagoda which also had miles of steep hiking trails we quickly explored to make sure we stayed on schedule. After that, we took a scenic ride around the nearby Lake Kawaguchi where we enjoyed more views of Fuji-San before stopping for lunch where I had some tasty French toast.
After that, we began our train voyage back to Tokyo for a couple of days which I’ll save for another post.
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CodyW
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Re: My bikepacking adventure through Japan (photo overload warning)
Post 7: October 9
Picking back up on Thursday afternoon - we loaded our bikes on the train in Fujiyoshida and headed back to Tokyo, arriving in the extremely busy Shinjuku station where we re-assembled the bikes and rode away. Made a quick stop at THIS Brewing followed by dinner, then called it a night.
Friday turned into souvenir day which started with a random stop at “Hands”, a store that sold everything from cat food to stationary to toy cars, where we purchased way too many of all of these things (and more). Next was Super Autobacs, a Japanese car accessory shop which I’ve been obsessed with for decades (had the chance to visit their Los Angeles store in 2004 and always wanted to go back). We managed to find a location that not only had car parts, but also a book store, outdoor goods, any automotive-related souvenir one could imagine (and even a Starbucks).
After getting enough stuff to over-fill what little space we had in our bike bags, we headed off to the post office to send our new items home as they’d be much too heavy to ride with for the remainder of the trip. Unfortunately, postage was incredibly expensive (and difficult to send without a local address) so I instead purchased a cheap duffel bag from the local department store that the post office happened to be inside, took a cab to the airport and left it with our existing bike carry cases in the extended storage.
Finally, I rode back into Tokyo for a quick stop at Blue Lug followed by a nice dinner with Chanel, Jerry and our local friend Michael.
Picking back up on Thursday afternoon - we loaded our bikes on the train in Fujiyoshida and headed back to Tokyo, arriving in the extremely busy Shinjuku station where we re-assembled the bikes and rode away. Made a quick stop at THIS Brewing followed by dinner, then called it a night.
Friday turned into souvenir day which started with a random stop at “Hands”, a store that sold everything from cat food to stationary to toy cars, where we purchased way too many of all of these things (and more). Next was Super Autobacs, a Japanese car accessory shop which I’ve been obsessed with for decades (had the chance to visit their Los Angeles store in 2004 and always wanted to go back). We managed to find a location that not only had car parts, but also a book store, outdoor goods, any automotive-related souvenir one could imagine (and even a Starbucks).
After getting enough stuff to over-fill what little space we had in our bike bags, we headed off to the post office to send our new items home as they’d be much too heavy to ride with for the remainder of the trip. Unfortunately, postage was incredibly expensive (and difficult to send without a local address) so I instead purchased a cheap duffel bag from the local department store that the post office happened to be inside, took a cab to the airport and left it with our existing bike carry cases in the extended storage.
Finally, I rode back into Tokyo for a quick stop at Blue Lug followed by a nice dinner with Chanel, Jerry and our local friend Michael.
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CodyW
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Re: My bikepacking adventure through Japan (photo overload warning)
Post 8: October 9
Saturday started with a casual start to the day at our rental house in Tokyo, followed by some tasty French toast at a nearby breakfast restaurant. We then headed to Ueno station to start our trip to the mountains, however we didn’t think to buy our bullet train tickets in advance and were informed that the only remaining seats were in “GranClass”, the highest tier option of the Japanese train system.
This turned out to be a rather pleasant mistake as we were welcomed with huge amounts of legroom, fully reclining seats and even our own luxurious slippers. I also picked up plenty of great treats to make sure we didn’t starve during the ride.
After a trip that went by all too quickly, we then boarded the slightly less extravagant bus and headed west from Nagano to our final stop for the next few days, Hakuba.
Saturday started with a casual start to the day at our rental house in Tokyo, followed by some tasty French toast at a nearby breakfast restaurant. We then headed to Ueno station to start our trip to the mountains, however we didn’t think to buy our bullet train tickets in advance and were informed that the only remaining seats were in “GranClass”, the highest tier option of the Japanese train system.
This turned out to be a rather pleasant mistake as we were welcomed with huge amounts of legroom, fully reclining seats and even our own luxurious slippers. I also picked up plenty of great treats to make sure we didn’t starve during the ride.
After a trip that went by all too quickly, we then boarded the slightly less extravagant bus and headed west from Nagano to our final stop for the next few days, Hakuba.
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CodyW
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Re: My bikepacking adventure through Japan (photo overload warning)
Post 9: October 11
After arriving in Hakuba by bus on Saturday afternoon, we put our bikes together and rode over to our home for the next few days, Oomuko Ryokan. We checked in and then rode up to catch the Grinduro festivities before ending the night at the Blizzard Hakuba afterparty with new friends.
We awoke early Sunday morning to start the 60 mile Grinduro race, welcomed with cloudy but beautiful skies and cool temps. The race started with a few miles of paved roads, followed by grass and dirt trails that cut through local farms and eventually onto a long and rocky climb up to the top of a local ski area. Once there, we hit the FOERST of 4 timed sectors, an actual downhill mountain bike trail (even though most of us were on gravel bikes). When it was my turn to start, I was informed my timing chip didn’t scan properly which was initially a bit annoying, but also took away the pressure of going too hard so I leisurely made my way down the steep and bumpy trail.
A few minutes later, Chanel arrived and was unfortunately pretty banged up from a little tumble (although she set some super fast times before that happened). Her knee was in rough shape so we decided to abandon the race and get her some back to the house so she could recover with ibuprofen, snacks and whiskey. This proved to be a good call as we were told the remaining miles stayed extremely rough. Jerry and Dennis did an awesome job and finished it all up however. We finished up Sunday night with a post-race hangout at the awesome bar/restaurant next door (The Clubhouse Hakuba ) where we watched Rugby and made more new friends who were also in town for the race.
At this point, we realized the trip may have to have a slight change as non-stop riding for the next few days wouldn’t be the best thing for knee recovery. Additionally, it started to rain pretty heavily Sunday night and was forecast to continue through Tuesday. We booked another night at our ryokan and enjoyed a lazy rain day on Monday and eventually made our way to Nagano by bus to pick up a rental car to help with the next couple of days.
After arriving in Hakuba by bus on Saturday afternoon, we put our bikes together and rode over to our home for the next few days, Oomuko Ryokan. We checked in and then rode up to catch the Grinduro festivities before ending the night at the Blizzard Hakuba afterparty with new friends.
We awoke early Sunday morning to start the 60 mile Grinduro race, welcomed with cloudy but beautiful skies and cool temps. The race started with a few miles of paved roads, followed by grass and dirt trails that cut through local farms and eventually onto a long and rocky climb up to the top of a local ski area. Once there, we hit the FOERST of 4 timed sectors, an actual downhill mountain bike trail (even though most of us were on gravel bikes). When it was my turn to start, I was informed my timing chip didn’t scan properly which was initially a bit annoying, but also took away the pressure of going too hard so I leisurely made my way down the steep and bumpy trail.
A few minutes later, Chanel arrived and was unfortunately pretty banged up from a little tumble (although she set some super fast times before that happened). Her knee was in rough shape so we decided to abandon the race and get her some back to the house so she could recover with ibuprofen, snacks and whiskey. This proved to be a good call as we were told the remaining miles stayed extremely rough. Jerry and Dennis did an awesome job and finished it all up however. We finished up Sunday night with a post-race hangout at the awesome bar/restaurant next door (The Clubhouse Hakuba ) where we watched Rugby and made more new friends who were also in town for the race.
At this point, we realized the trip may have to have a slight change as non-stop riding for the next few days wouldn’t be the best thing for knee recovery. Additionally, it started to rain pretty heavily Sunday night and was forecast to continue through Tuesday. We booked another night at our ryokan and enjoyed a lazy rain day on Monday and eventually made our way to Nagano by bus to pick up a rental car to help with the next couple of days.
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CodyW
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Re: My bikepacking adventure through Japan (photo overload warning)
Post 10: October 11
On Tuesday, we checked out of our ryokan in Hakuba (which was so helpful and accommodating our entire trip, the host constantly checked on Chanel and gave her ice for her knee), had a final breakfast at The Clubhouse Hakuba and then hopped in our new rental Mazda 3 to head through the mountain passes towards Gokayama to meet back up with Jerry and Dennis who were still biking.
The driving was interesting to say the least, I’ve driven right hand drive cars previously so that wasn’t necessarily a massive adjustment but the very narrow lanes and being on the left side of the road took some getting used to. On top of that, very few roads in the countryside have any sort of median/runoff but instead drop straight into a drainage ditch that would be just about the perfect size to get a car totally stuck in. Eventually we found our way to slightly wider roads in the never-ending tunnels that cut through the mountain passes, making things slightly more comfortable for the last couple of hours.
Along the way, we passed a number of apple orchards and stopped at a local market to try a few samples which were delicious. We later made our way to Guesthouse Takazuri Kita, a lovely family-run inn on the side of a beautiful hill where we’d be staying for the night. Our host recommended a nearby restaurant owned by a local hunter who specializes in bear, deer and other wild game. It was a super fun experience where we had a fantastic time with the staff while everyone else enjoyed trying bear dishes (and I stuck to fried tofu and French fries).
On Tuesday, we checked out of our ryokan in Hakuba (which was so helpful and accommodating our entire trip, the host constantly checked on Chanel and gave her ice for her knee), had a final breakfast at The Clubhouse Hakuba and then hopped in our new rental Mazda 3 to head through the mountain passes towards Gokayama to meet back up with Jerry and Dennis who were still biking.
The driving was interesting to say the least, I’ve driven right hand drive cars previously so that wasn’t necessarily a massive adjustment but the very narrow lanes and being on the left side of the road took some getting used to. On top of that, very few roads in the countryside have any sort of median/runoff but instead drop straight into a drainage ditch that would be just about the perfect size to get a car totally stuck in. Eventually we found our way to slightly wider roads in the never-ending tunnels that cut through the mountain passes, making things slightly more comfortable for the last couple of hours.
Along the way, we passed a number of apple orchards and stopped at a local market to try a few samples which were delicious. We later made our way to Guesthouse Takazuri Kita, a lovely family-run inn on the side of a beautiful hill where we’d be staying for the night. Our host recommended a nearby restaurant owned by a local hunter who specializes in bear, deer and other wild game. It was a super fun experience where we had a fantastic time with the staff while everyone else enjoyed trying bear dishes (and I stuck to fried tofu and French fries).
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CodyW
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Re: My bikepacking adventure through Japan (photo overload warning)
Post 11: October 11
Yesterday morning, we hopped in the car and back-tracked a few miles to Shirakawa-go, a small mountain village famous for its thatch roof houses built over 200 years ago. We took a quick walking tour and even had the chance to see the interior of one house which was quite remarkable.
After this, we had a few more hours of driving (mostly through more tunnels) before arriving in Kanazawa for the remainder of the day. We topped off the rental car with gas (which was a bit of an ordeal), turned it back in and got back to bike life as Chanel’s knee seemed to be in good enough shape to ride around for a bit.
Yesterday morning, we hopped in the car and back-tracked a few miles to Shirakawa-go, a small mountain village famous for its thatch roof houses built over 200 years ago. We took a quick walking tour and even had the chance to see the interior of one house which was quite remarkable.
After this, we had a few more hours of driving (mostly through more tunnels) before arriving in Kanazawa for the remainder of the day. We topped off the rental car with gas (which was a bit of an ordeal), turned it back in and got back to bike life as Chanel’s knee seemed to be in good enough shape to ride around for a bit.
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CodyW
- Slippery When Westicles
- Posts: 8550
- Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2004 11:44 am
- Location: emergency surgery in the studio
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Re: My bikepacking adventure through Japan (photo overload warning)
Post 12: October 13
After returning our rental car in Kanazawa on Wednesday afternoon, we put the bikes back together and found Jerry and Dennis who had just finished their ride in from Gokayama. We had some tasty Coco curry for lunch and then checked into our rental house before making a mad dash towards the coast to catch a glimpse of sunset over the beach. After that, we rode around a bit more and sampled some pizza at a local brewery before having a full dinner at a nearby izakaya. And as usual, we finished off the night with a quick 7-11 stop for desserts.
After returning our rental car in Kanazawa on Wednesday afternoon, we put the bikes back together and found Jerry and Dennis who had just finished their ride in from Gokayama. We had some tasty Coco curry for lunch and then checked into our rental house before making a mad dash towards the coast to catch a glimpse of sunset over the beach. After that, we rode around a bit more and sampled some pizza at a local brewery before having a full dinner at a nearby izakaya. And as usual, we finished off the night with a quick 7-11 stop for desserts.
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CodyW
- Slippery When Westicles
- Posts: 8550
- Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2004 11:44 am
- Location: emergency surgery in the studio
- Contact:
Re: My bikepacking adventure through Japan (photo overload warning)
Post 13: October 14
Thursday had us rising early to start our quick ride to Kanazawa station where we hopped aboard the Thunderbird, an older yet well-kept train that would take us to Osaka. I was particularly excited for this part of the trip as we were meeting up with one of my oldest friends who moved to Tokyo over a decade ago but recently relocated to Osaka.
We met up at a nearby mega-mall which featured 8 or so stories of just about any store imaginable. We checked out the massive camera shop, bought capsule toys, browsed model cars and had some of the best French toast and pancakes I’d ever had. Chanel even got a new pair of prescription glasses from Jin’s, a local chain that specializes in affordable and fast eyewear (they checked her vision and made custom lenses in under half an our for less than $60). After exhausting ourselves from shopping, we went across the street to another restaurant for a mix of pizza, chicken, fried potatoes and more.
Michael and Rio were so generous and invited us to stay at their beautiful apartment for the night where we enjoyed catching up and relaxing. On Friday morning, we said our goodbyes and started our final long ride of the trip to Kyoto.
So many thanks to Michael and Rio for the incredible hospitality, translation help, dinner, loaner pajamas and everything else. Can’t wait to come back and visit for longer!
Thursday had us rising early to start our quick ride to Kanazawa station where we hopped aboard the Thunderbird, an older yet well-kept train that would take us to Osaka. I was particularly excited for this part of the trip as we were meeting up with one of my oldest friends who moved to Tokyo over a decade ago but recently relocated to Osaka.
We met up at a nearby mega-mall which featured 8 or so stories of just about any store imaginable. We checked out the massive camera shop, bought capsule toys, browsed model cars and had some of the best French toast and pancakes I’d ever had. Chanel even got a new pair of prescription glasses from Jin’s, a local chain that specializes in affordable and fast eyewear (they checked her vision and made custom lenses in under half an our for less than $60). After exhausting ourselves from shopping, we went across the street to another restaurant for a mix of pizza, chicken, fried potatoes and more.
Michael and Rio were so generous and invited us to stay at their beautiful apartment for the night where we enjoyed catching up and relaxing. On Friday morning, we said our goodbyes and started our final long ride of the trip to Kyoto.
So many thanks to Michael and Rio for the incredible hospitality, translation help, dinner, loaner pajamas and everything else. Can’t wait to come back and visit for longer!
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CodyW
- Slippery When Westicles
- Posts: 8550
- Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2004 11:44 am
- Location: emergency surgery in the studio
- Contact:
Re: My bikepacking adventure through Japan (photo overload warning)
Post 14: October 15
After leaving Michael and Rio’s place on Friday morning we stopped by a local shrine for a quick stroll, followed by a small breakfast of tiny cakes and fancy apple juice at a nearby bakery. We then rolled through Osaka Castle where we admired the moat, took a few photos and finally found our way onto the river path that would take us the remaining 40 miles or so into Kyoto.
At FOERST, this path was a welcome change from the busy city streets we’d encountered all over the country which almost always have traffic lights at least every quarter mile or so. Needless to say, this style of stop-and-go riding is particularly slow going and tiring, especially when you have to constantly accelerate a heavy bike back up to speed after every stop. However, it seemed as if the bike path was nearly as inefficient, with complex gates designed to keep vehicles out placed very frequently along the path. Our wider and heavier than usual bikes required a good bit of work to squeeze through the small openings but we eventually got the hang of them.
After riding for much longer than planned due to this slower pace, we eventually took a quick picnic lunch on the side of the path (thanks, Family Mart) and finally finished the ride into Kyoto just as the sun was setting.
After leaving Michael and Rio’s place on Friday morning we stopped by a local shrine for a quick stroll, followed by a small breakfast of tiny cakes and fancy apple juice at a nearby bakery. We then rolled through Osaka Castle where we admired the moat, took a few photos and finally found our way onto the river path that would take us the remaining 40 miles or so into Kyoto.
At FOERST, this path was a welcome change from the busy city streets we’d encountered all over the country which almost always have traffic lights at least every quarter mile or so. Needless to say, this style of stop-and-go riding is particularly slow going and tiring, especially when you have to constantly accelerate a heavy bike back up to speed after every stop. However, it seemed as if the bike path was nearly as inefficient, with complex gates designed to keep vehicles out placed very frequently along the path. Our wider and heavier than usual bikes required a good bit of work to squeeze through the small openings but we eventually got the hang of them.
After riding for much longer than planned due to this slower pace, we eventually took a quick picnic lunch on the side of the path (thanks, Family Mart) and finally finished the ride into Kyoto just as the sun was setting.
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