Why Japan should be on the bucket list of every bike touring fan
Our English content editor Ben and his girlfriend went on an inspiring month-long bike tour of Japan in July 2018. Here's what he had to say about the experience and why he thinks Japan is a truly unmissable bike touring destination...
Last July, my girlfriend and I went on a month-long tour on Japan, bringing our bikes with us. With quite a few European bike tours already under our belts, we wanted to really push the boat out on this trip. As both of us had wanted to visit Japan for quite some time, it seemed like the obvious destination: we pictured incredible landscapes, safe roads, delicious food, ancient temples and huge modern megacities. We got all of that, and much more... If you’re into bike touring and want to go somewhere truly incredible, Japan should be high on your list. Here are a few reasons why:
The landscape
It was of great importance to us when considering where to go that our destination had fantastic scenery. We wanted coastline, mountains, forests, gravel roads and lakes; while living in Berlin is great, the completely flat, forrested landscape of the surrounding area is not always the most inspiring! Thankfully, in terms of landscape, Japan completely exceeded our expectations. According to Wikipedia, “around 73% of Japan’s area is mountainous”. The mountains hold a special allure for a certain demographic of cyclists. I’m pleased to say that I’m part of this demographic; my girlfriend not so much. All joking aside, if you like climbing and descending beautiful mountain passes, Japan has you covered. Japan is quite a thin country, meaning you’re never too far away from the coast. Most of the middle of its islands are mountainous and there are numerous lakes to cycle round, including the beautiful Lake Biwa, the country’s largest lake, which we cycled around in the third week of our holiday. Although we didn’t go there, Okinawa, at the very south of the country offers coral reef, white sand beaches and a tropical climate – also a highly recommended bike touring destination.
The food
The more you cycle, the more you can eat. That’s a fact. Luckily, Japan is one of the world’s foremost culinary destinations. It seemed like another food-related discovery was always just around the corner. Anyone who has bike toured in Japan will tell you that the 7/11 and Lawson convenience stores were their lifeline. In these stores you can buy everything from fried chicken to shrink-wrapped octopus to onigiri (filled rice balls covered in seaweed) to chocolate to beer and everything in between. And they’re everywhere: true life-savers when you’ve just ridden up a mountain pass and are desperately in need of a snack. Soft-drink vending machines are also literally everywhere, so you needn’t worry about not finding an ice-cold bottle of soda, even at the top of a mountain. But that’s not all: we ate the best ramen (noodle soup) of our lives at road-side restaurants in the middle of nowhere, incredible street food and supermarket sushi that rivalled any sushi I’ve ever eaten in Germany. You may be under the impression that good food is expensive in Japan – that’s not necessarily so: we found that we could eat a quality evening meal for around 10 euros per person.
Safe roads, considerate drivers & great cycling infrastructure
Like in Germany, bicycles are ubiquitous in Japan. Cycling is immensely popular and it’s a great place to ride, for many reasons: Firstly, Japanese drivers are extremely cautious and considerate around cyclists. You will never be intimidated by motorists, and the Japanese drivers always slowed down when passing us. The Japanese don’t drive aggressively, and the roads were usually in excellent condition. Japan has a vast network of cycle roads, and you’ll often be able to ride along the side of a road, completely separated from the traffic. You could also quite easily tailor your routes to include more gravel roads, if that’s your cup of tea. If you have a problem with your bicycle, you’ll have no problems getting it fixed, even in smaller towns. Japanese bike shops are among the best I’ve seen anywhere, with a dizzying array of cool products and bikes that aren’t available anywhere else – a bike geek’s paradise. The shop staff work with fanatic attention to detail and are most generous and courteous bike shop employees I’ve ever met. On more than one occasion, our bikes were repaired for free! Japan is also the home of several legendary bike brands, not least Shimano, whose components are probably on over 50% of all bikes worldwide. If you’re into track racing, you could go and check out a Keirin race at a velodrome – gambling on track racing is hugely popular in Japan and watching a race is a very unique experience!
Shimanami Kaido
One reason to go bike touring in Japan is to ride the Shimanami Kaido, a 70km-long toll road that links Japan’s main island Honshu to the smaller island of Shikoku, passing over six small islands connected by suspension bridges. It’s sublimely picturesque, and there’s a dedicated cycle path the whole way, meaning you never have to ride next to cars. With islands like forested mountains rising out of the ocean and many small towns to explore along the way, Shimani Kaido is a superb place to visit and even better if you’re on a bicycle. We rode it over two days, camping half way at the island of Omishima. I can honestly say it was one of the greatest cycling experiences of my life!
Camping
Hokkaido
Campsites might not be as ubiquitous as they are in Europe, but the good news is that you can camp pretty much anywhere for free and will never be hassled. We camped on more than one occasion in parks right next to the beach, and these usually had showers and toilets that we could use free of charge. We wild camped in the forest and next to lakes. We set up our tent next to Japanese families, with their everything-but-the-kitchen-sink setups - often including a tent just for eating, gas-powered grills and mobile fridges!