sowhatsitallaboutthen?

The Plan

Take my bike up to the northern tip of Japan this August and pedal south and west 'till there's no more Japan left. Counting on about 2 or 3 months.
Read more about The Plan...

Sponsor Me

I'm hoping to use my cycling trip across Japan to raise some money for an organisation called LEPRA.You can help me by sponsoring my bike ride.
Find out more here...

Photos

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Day 83

Nakatosa -> Mihara
Distance:116km
Out of the pretty little bonito fishing port of Nakatosa; up into the mountains and out and in again; through steep green valleys, rocky coastlines, and sandy surf beaches; across and down to the mouth of the Shimanto - "Japan's last free-flowing river" (though not without its share of concrete at this end); and up through cedar and bamboo for a really good night staying with a couple of Aussie mates - Tan and Graham - living and teaching up here in the mountain village of Mihara.

Mate Graham

Monday, October 30, 2006

Day 82

Kochi -> Nakatosa
Distance:56km
My cycling socks are now so overused that they still smell stright out of the washing machine. This morniing swung by a great little bike shop in Kochi and indulged in a new pair. Then west to Nakatosa, and to a beautiful car-free stretch of coastline - the road was closed for repairs, though we managed to get the bikes through. Then on to our mate Doug's house by the beach.

Spot Nate on the bridge

Sunday, October 29, 2006

Day 81

Distance:0km
Lazy Sunday. Hung out at mates' apartment, helped Nate buy a new camera, then helped mate Matt cook up a big Sunday roast for dinner - the first I've ever had in 3 years of living in Japan.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Day 80

Aki -> Kochi
Distance:47km
Chilled out to the ocean views at my favourite little cafe - Rock Green - with Yocchan, then rode on into Kochi city for the big Halloween party that goes off there every year. I went as Richie Tenenbaum (of the Royal Tenenbaums) while Nate took full advantage of his now wild and wooly beard and went as Tom Hanks in Castaway. Bumped into many old friends and boogied on til dawn before crashing at ogre Matt and Thai boxer Keon's apartment in city.

Goodbye to Sarah and clan

Mr T and Karate Elvis(?)

Friday, October 27, 2006

Day 79

Muroto -> Aki
Distance:58km
Nice to be back in the saddle after a week's break. Smooth riding, familiar roads all day. A short detour up river to my old office in Kitagawa for the first time in 3 months, to find only 2 people in today. Then on to Aki, and friend Sarah's brand new 2 and a half storey house in the old samurai quarter. Very stylish, high-tech house, replete with jakuzzi, cappuccino machine and home theatre.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Days 71 - 78

Muroto
Distance:18km
A week in Muroto with Yocchan, hanging with old friends, going to parties, baking, sleeping-in, watching videos, cooking in a real kitchen, sleeping in a real bed, and cycling very little.

The route so far (click to enlarge)

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Day 70

Minami -> Muroto
Distance:86km
We're on the pilgrims' route around Shikoku now. Stopped at one of the pilgrim's rest stops and were given sweet potato and advice on the roads. Then at the beach town of Shishikui, we were invited into a cafe by the friendly owner and offered coffee and toast. Crossed the border back home into Kochi prefecture and met up with old buddy Karl at Ikumi beach, where he and Nate went for a quick surf. Back in very familiar teritory now, continued south along the steep coastline to Muroto and Yocchan's house, where I'll stay for a week or so of R&R. Caught up with a bunch of old friends at a welcome back dinner the local Italian restaurant. Nice to be back home...

Near Muroto

Camping on the beach

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Day 69

Tokushima -> Minami
Distance:78km
Said goodbye to Jodi after two nights on her floor, and caught up with Norm, who we met last night at the cool little bar he runs in the city. A cyclist and collector of bikes, Norm offered to give me a bike trailer he'd acquired recently, an interesting alternative to panniers and a rack. Finally got on the bikes again (new trailer in tow) and rode south towards Kochi prefeture. Camping tonight on a pretty beach in Minami (sister city to Cairns, Australia) eating huge nashi pears, gifts from a friendly taxi driver.

Trying the new trailer at Minami

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Day 68

Tokushima
Distance:3km
Ended up crashing at about 5am on the floor of one of our new Tokashimaean friends, Jodi, and slept til after midday. Spent the afternoon chilling at a sweet Italian restaurant by the river, eating calzones and drinking wine. Then to Ray's - a very cool Puerto Rican American guy we'd met last night - for some homemade fish n' chips and the best clam chowder I've ever had.

Jody

Ray

Monday, October 16, 2006

Day 67

Asuka -> Tokushima
Distance:89km
Perfect autumn weather, and everywhere there was a festival. Out of Nara and into Wakayama prefecture, we passed no less than 5 processions carrying the local gods around town. Got to Wakayama city on the coast by mid afternoon and jumped on a ferry to Shikoku as the sun was setting. Into Tokushima city in the dark, but landed on feet and bumped into a cool bunch of people partying at a little Mexican bar on the street. Joined them and partied on until late.

Local festival

Ferry to Tokushima

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Day 66

Nara -> Asuka
Distance:42m
More gifts of fruit and towels in the morning, then south thru the Edo-period town of Imai and to the ancient region of Asuka. The Japanese Imperial family is the oldest in the world and this is where they began, some 1700 years ago. Then while checking out one of the old burial mounds, we stumbled onto preparations for a big taiko (Japanese drum) festival this evening and decided to stick around. Really spectacular, high energy stuff. Can still feel it in my chest.

Edo-period streets at Imai

Taiko festival

Friday, October 13, 2006

Day 65

Nara
Distance:38km
A day of superlatives: first capital, biggest buddha, oldest temple, world's biggest wooden building and its oldest ones too. Everything's a National Trearure here, even the 1200 deer that roam Nara Park to the delight of the 1000s of children here on school trips. Camping next to a hill (turns out to be an ancient tomb, too commonplace to warrant a sign) and a number of houses. Suspicious glances from the locals soon turned to a warm welcome of tea, rice balls and takoyaki.

Horyuji Temple

Gifts of tako-yaki

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Day 64

Otsu -> Nara
Distance:75km
Rode away from the Ehara's, our bikes over-loaded up with edamame, onigiri, ume-boshi, potato salad, karaa'ge, tamago-yaki, pokari sweat, chocolates and ice wine. Then down river to Uji and towards the ancient heartland of of Japan. Stopped in at beautiful Byodo-in temple, one of the oldest and most treasured in the country (it graces the 10 yen coin). Then down a pleasant bike path all afternoon, stopping just north of the old city of Nara, Japan's first capital.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Day 63

Otsu
Distance:0km
Rain and a friendly place to stay meant there was no way we were going anywhere today. Instead lazed about reminiscing about my days as a university student in Japan. Ate until my stomach hurt, and then ate some more, and then came the main course...
Great to be able to spend time with old friends.

Mr Ehara

Yosuke

Day 62

Echizen -> Otsu
Distance:127km
Around the coast to the port town of Tsuruga and a one-toothed old man who told me stories of his incredible (or was that incredulous?) journey - cycling across Japan for six months on 10,000 yen (about $100). Then over the border into Shiga prefecture and around massive Lake Biwa - by far Japan's largest. Met up with Nate again at the southern end, and then rode together to the Eharas' house - parents of my old Japanese roommate. I hadn't seen them in almost 7 years, and they tried to compensate for lost time by serving us mountains of great food. Played catch with their 8 year old grandson who was a newborn last we met.

Monday, October 09, 2006

Day 61

Fukui -> Echizen
Distance:51km
While Nate stayed on in Kyoto (he'd cycled there while I was visiting shrines with Yocchan), I spent most of the day waiting around for train connections to get back to my bike in Fukui. Finally back in the saddle, I rode south alone to end the day at a lookout high above the coast, and watched the sun set into the Japan Sea, a nice spacious change after more than 2 weeks cycling through somewhat clatstrophobic mountains.

Sunday, October 08, 2006

Day 60

Kyoto
Distance:0km
Caught up with Kayo, another friend from Kochi, and had a look at Nanzenji temple, another of Japan's zen headquarters, complete with sublime zen rock gardens, old painted silk screens and a small waterfall in the hills behind the temple under which the the monks stand in the middle of winter as a kind of extreme meditation.
Said goodbye to Yocchan and then camped on the banks of the river than runs thru the city.

Saturday, October 07, 2006

Day 59

Kyoto
Distance:1km
Caught a train into Kyoto to spend a couple of days with Yocchan. We headed north to Kibune Shrine to escape the long weekend crowds and to buy an amulet from the god of romance for one of Yocchan's friends who's been unlucky in love. Walked in the rain up the narrow green valley lined with beautiful expensive ryokan, big mossy cedars and graceful maples. Then back to town for some gourmet okonomi-yaki and a night in a nice love hotel with a jet bath, karaoke, playstation and my first bed in almost two months.

Friday, October 06, 2006

Day 58

Ono -> Fukui
Distance:37km
Lazy morning at Chris' in Ono before riding down river in the rain and strong wind to Fukui city. Had Nate's wheel straightened out by a friendly old mechanic who'd been to Australia and Papua New Guinea in the war and returned years later on his bicycle to see them again. Loitering now in the comfy couches of a downtown cafe, before we have to brave the elements and go pitch our tents in wind among the concrete elephants and white tigers of a playground nearby.

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Day 57

Ono <-> Eiheiji temple
Distance:73km
A day trip through rain and misty mountains to Eiheiji temple - the head temple of the Soto school of Zen and, despite the gift shops and bus loads of tourists, still very much a working temple. Full of young trainee monks waking at 3:30 every morning and undergoing some pretty hardcore zen training, there is a definite air of spirituality surrounding the place. Then riding back to Ono in the rain, Nate had a little run-in (literally) with a car. He's fine, but has a sore knee and a bent front rim for his troubles. Safety riding...

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Day 56

Hiruga Highlands -> Ono
Distance:89km
Deep valleys, a steep pass, a few waterfalls, monkeys, squirrels, a little snake, ducks, herons, two dinosaurs and a centipede. Out of Gifu prefecture and into Fukui and a big and eerily half-empty dam. Then out of the high country at last and into the small castle-town of Ono, where we couch-surfed our way into Chris-from-New Jersey's wall to wall Dylan, Fight Club, Gorillaz apartment and a sweet night out with the local gaijin population.

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Day 55

Takayama -> Hiruga Highlands
Distance:92km
Zazen at Zennoji temple this morning, then off to the Shokawa Valley, one of Japan's hidden valleys. Once a refuge for defeated clans, its inaccessibility kept out the rampant development that left much of Japan ugly, and earnt it a World Heritage listing. Unfortunately today it kept us out as well. With all the passes closed, we rode to the somewhat rundown ski town of Hiruga Kogen instead, and rolled out our sleeping mats in a small local shrine.

A roof for the night

Monday, October 02, 2006

Day 54

Takayama
Distance:0km
No respite from the rain today, so instead of cycling, I spent the day watching dvds at the local library, ducking under the low doorways of old wooden shops and samurai offices; eating hand-made soba (buckwheat noodles) at a 300 year-old restaurant, and instant ramen from a convenience store.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Day 53

Takayama
Distance:37km
First bus back to Hirayu Onsen, then tried for an hour to hitch up to the high pass where my bike was stranded, as steam rose from the gutters and in the street men played flute and boys danced as dragons. Finally got a ride, fixed the flat and got back to Takayama for lunch. Walked in the rain all afternoon among old temples, shrines and Edo-period houses of this city that is like a time machine. I've seen no other place in Japan that's preserved so much of its past.