Cycling Nippon; Part 1

Hey Binglemaniacs. Lets get right to it. It was a whirlwind three days in Tokyo, and after getting myself outfitted at Ys road shop with the help of my man Kuji i hit the road and made my first day into a centruy up to Oarai to catch the ferry noth to Hokkaido, i also get my first flat thanks to a rusty thumb tack. Anywho, after a 19 hour ferry ride made land fall and a quick 40 miles for my first night camping in Biratori, along the river enxt to a huge dam. Awoke early and made my second century to some no name town named Shihoro, where i found a nice piece of camping ground next to some public toilets. I will abmit i hit a small moral low at this point, i didnt really talk to anyone in two days and i wasnt anywhere that i really wanted to be. But things were to change.

After two days cycling lowlands and cookie cutter towns, i made it to my first national park, Akan, which is made up of three lakes. Camped at the first lake, Akan, and then made my way all rambly like to the biggest of the lakes, Kussharoko. Twas a beautiful lake, and i camped right along the waters edge. All very nice. I had my sights set on the enxt park, Shiretoko, up at the tippy top of the north east of Hokkaido. Soooo, thats where i went.

Shiretoko Penisula, a world heritage sight, is amazing, probably more so in winter when drift ice covers the western shores. Spent two night here, hiking along the five mountain lakes and falling off my bike. What? Thats right, had my first little mishap. I had unloaded the bike and so when i had a little down hill i went faster than expected and didnt seem to brake enough and opps, went off the road into a muddy watery ditch. But no worries, the bike is fine.

The only way to go from here was west so thats where i went, towards my third national park, Daisetsuzan. Took two days but made my way to Sounkyo for another two nigths, and my firsts day off the bike completely. Why, becuase i went on a stellar 6 hour hike up in the mountains along a volcanic crater through alpine vegtation. There was permafrost, my first snow sighting, smeels and colros of autumn. It was AWESOME.

Back on the bike a new man, i headed further west, wanting to make my way to the Sea of China on the west. Had to camp one night at an abandonded Buddhist temple which was a bit strange, but today i pulled my longest day yet, 104 miles and went down along the coast, through many mountain tunnels (got my first honk in one of them) and am now sitting pretty in the capital, Sapporo.

Tomorrow, its a free tour of the Sapporo distillery and then a small jit south to the next and last naitonla park on my itinerary for Hokkaido, Shikotsu-Toya Park, another lake park but with pure volcanic cones in the middle. This will take me back down south for two days and then i will head all the way back north to Otaru to take the ferry to Niigata, back to the main island of Japan. Whats my ideas for there? Well, to do the stupidist thing a touring cyclists could do, to corss the Japanese Alps. I just got to.

So far, the cycling has been great, my legs are still strong and taking me where i need to go, the bike, a Marin Muirwoods Urban bike that i outfitted with cargo racks and Deuter Rack packs has been humming like a beauty. I have seen and nearly touched some deer, no bears, some dead snakes, a dead fox, a live fox, meowing cats chasing a man, CROWS!!!! man i cant stand those crows, mountains, blue skies, gray skies, temples, shrines, wierd signs, and best of all the insane and strange Japanese. I have also been trying to experiment as best i can with food, the nato is actually really good.

So thats it, only two weeks into it, and a whole lot to go. My routes have been changing as i go, so i dont really know where i will go or end up. Also, i have no idea the enxt time i will get back on internet, seems only the bigger towns have internet and i try to steer away from bigger towns. So untill next time all your binglers out there. Stay in the saddle.