Table of Contents
Introduction
Japan is a country that has fascinated me for years. After following several content creators based there and gathering a lot of information about traveling in the country, I concluded that my vision of crossing Japan by bike could one day be achievable if I were brave enough to bring my bike on a plane.
Following my first bike trip in the Balkans, I decided to settle in the Central Europe, specifically in Bratislava, Slovakia. With a stable situation, I became comfortable in my established daily routine there. However, I felt that I was missing a bit of adventure.
With the dream of Japan persistently in my mind, the project was born in mid-2023 to start at the end of August. My manager allowed me to take two months of unpaid leave, which made me very happy. I then planned the route and other type of logistics for such overseas plans. Initially tempted to cover the 3-4 main islands of the archipelago, I realized that the timing would be too tight if I wanted to fully enjoy Japanese culture and scenery. I settled on a plan to cross 90% of the main island: Honshu. From Aomori, the northernmost city on the island, to Hiroshima, one of the southernmost cities. A fairly straightforward project, since Japan is not that wide, I could more or less guide my route along the “banana” (as I like to call it) of Japan. However, deciding on the points of interest was more complex than for my first big trip, a real headache. After extensive research months in advance, I ended up overwhelmed and frustrated about which points to prioritize and which to skip. It was tough, but I developed a more or less complete plan while leaving room for surprises if any suggestions came up.
In any case, I can say thanks to Jipangu (a recommendation map by content creators about Japan), particularly to Guigui from Ichiban Japan (blog and youtube channel), whom I highly recommend. He is more or less the main reason for my final motivation to discover this country that I have been following through his travels.
Departure day is tough, and being separated from your family is never easy. When it’s for 2 months in a fairly safe country, that’s fine, but the anxiety of transporting my bike and equipment adds to it and eats away at me right up until I drop off the boxes. Thus, I embarked on my dream country from Zürich, enduring the layover in Doha and the time difference upon landing in Japan safe and sound.
Final route from Nort to South
Day 0 Arrival in Tokyo (Haneda) and direction to the tentacular city center
Arrival at 23:30 Japanese time at Haneda Airport (the one closest to the city center to reach it quickly the next day).
First culture shock, the number of employees indicating the way for passports even though direction signs would suffice. I sense that Japan’s partially unnecessary jobs are going to catch my attention quickly haha. The ID check takes a bit of time but it’s alright.
My primary anxiety is seeing the state of my cardboard boxes. I wait a lot but am informed that a gentleman will bring them to me, which he does 5-10 minutes later. Such kindness 🙂
The fun part can now begin. Assembling a bike at 01:00 without properly remembering all the steps while being totally tired is anything but easy. I confirm, it takes me nearly 3 hours to finally leave that damn airport with a reassembled bike and attached panniers. I don’t want to leave traces behind, so I destroy the box, a somewhat lost German helps me with the task.
I go peacefully to the hostel enjoying a pleasant warmth during the night.
However, after check-in, I fall asleep like a rock without setting an alarm… Problem is, checkout is at 10:00 and I’m woken up at 10:05 and told I need to leave, big panic. I ask if I can add an hour due to my complications. The gentleman kindly agrees, seeing my shattered face from my tumultuous night.
After the emergency checkout, I meet a British PhD student researching soft mobilities, like biking (not sure of the exact subject of his thesis). I then go to my first Konbini, the famous 7/11 (Seven Eleven) that everyone talks about. The konbini, especially 7/11, are said to be the best for withdrawing money with the least fees and being open 24/7. Something to remember for the rest of my journey as Japan relies a lot on cash (mainly the remote areas but cities too).
I’m heading for the center to find out which mean of transport will be best suited to get me to the north of the country.
On my way, I wander from store to store to find an adapter for Japanese plugs. The people are lovely in guiding me. When I get the Holy Grail to charge my devices, a gentleman kindly shows me where I can do it without any issues. My God, I already love them. After that, I take about 2 hours to reach downtown, giving me plenty of time to fully experience Japan’s humid heat at the end of summer (32 degrees announced but feels like 39, yay), it’s unbearable without air conditioning, honestly.
I try to see if any bus companies will transport me with my luggage but it seems to be a no-go… The cheapest mean of transport doesn’t want me onboard. On the way, I reserve a night near Ueno Station, aiming for the train station the very next day and take the train (the only available option with my bike) to my starting city, Aomori.
After reaching my hostel for the night, I quickly visit Asakusa by night, enjoying a beautiful moon, the historic (rebuilt) buildings, and the Tokyo Skytree in the background, giving a mystical vibe to this already intense moment.
I then eat in a small Izakaya (a little Japanese restaurant where you eat a bit of everything, like street food on plates with alcohol). I have ramen without knowing they’re just egg-based but never mind, it’s good and the elderly couple running the place warms my heart.
The menus will be hard to read tho. I know my kanas (Japanese “sound” letters learned in a few weeks) but not many kanjis (ideograms imported from China that make up about 70-80% of Japanese writing, which take many years to master). It’s going to be a fun time reading the menus haha, luckily translators exist.
Well, I’m going to sleep now and hope to reach the North easily tomorrow with my safe and sound trusty steed. You might wonder why I’m not visiting Tokyo as soon as I arrive. The idea is that I want to quickly start my trip by heading to the cooler North and enjoy Tokyo when October/November temperatures are gonna be more pleasant.
Day 0 BIS Departure from Tokyo to the North of the main island Honshu / Aomori city
I’m trying to leave early to have a nice day exploring Aomori and get a good start… Of course, things won’t go as planned.
My first experience with the rigidity of Japanese rules is about to unfold. I am aware that a Rinko Bag (a special bag for transporting bikes) was ideal for transporting my steed, but I didn’t know the exact size limit to fit into the Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train), especially that the bike needed to be disassembled well before reaching the platforms, right at the entrance of the station.
The fun begins with trying to negotiate with the controllers, as I had already bought my ticket for a train leaving in less than an hour… The total dimensions must be 250cm (Height x Length x Width). Removing my front wheel with the luggage racks only brings it down to 280 cm, which is a shame, but I can understand. I removed another part, and their random measurement came to 252cm, 2cm too much, and guess what, that wasn’t acceptable for them… so I had to disassemble another piece to finally get under 250cm. Of course, I miss the train and have to pay a part of the fare again (110 €, with 40€ for the seat reservation, which I had to pay again: 150€).
Next comes the task of moving all my panniers, the tent and the disassembled bike onto the platform, which takes another good 30 minutes of back-and-forth to retrieve and lift the various parts without losing sight of those I left behind.
I finally manage to board this train to rest and experience the Shinkansen. It’s true that it’s pleasant, with a nice profile and beautiful colors. I also understand the size limits for bringing a bike, as I have to place it transversely behind my seat. If I had 20 to 30cm more, passing through the train car would be more complicated for any passengers. Settled in, I meet a kind gentleman who tells me about the region, or rather prefecture as it’s called in Japan, that I am heading to: Aomori.
Upon arriving at the station, I have to spend more than an hour struggling to properly reassemble the bike (with a slightly warped wheel in the end, oops). I try a regional specialty, fried scallops (Hotate) like a donut; it’s not bad but the fried texture is not amazing on an empty stomach.
The northern coastal regions are renowned for their superb quality of seafood and often export to the rest of the country.
I then head to the coast to visit the museum of the famous Northern Matsuri (Festival in Japanese) : Nebuta no ie Warase. The paper structures with frameworks made of thin wood pieces are splendid. The light setup enhances the illusion that the paper structure stands on its own without the wooden pieces inside. The structures can be up to 9m high and 12m long, which is huge. I also get a quick lesson of playing Taiko (Japanese festival drum).
The idea of this early August festival (spanning several days) is to chase away spirits for the approaching autumn harvests, for example, rice still arrives in Japan in these early autumn periods.
There are two other similar but slightly smaller festivals in the region, such as the Neputa (note the P instead of B) Matsuri in Hirosaki, the second city of the prefecture.
Nebuta Warase the museum and its magnificent structures for the festival
I get a final bike warm-up before the night begins, especially before tomorrow, which will truly be the start of my Japanese cycling adventures, hopefully with good weather and a great spirit. I drink my cider purchased at the “A Factory” (Apple Factory) of the museum while setting up my tent in the middle of the rice fields.
It’s time to get some sleep here and let you discover the effective start of my adventures in Japan in the following article.