Length of Japan

旅　の　終わり

2007-06-24T09:13:00.000+08:00

今日、僕は朝はやく浅草に着きました。　これで、僕の日本での旅は終わりました。今回、自転車で走った道は全部で　2089.10km　でした！

この二カ月はとても楽しかったです｡　海の風景も見えたし、山の風景も見えました!　日本はとても美しい国です！

それに、道中で出会った皆様にも大変お世話になりました。皆さん、もし時間があったら、僕にメ-ルをおくって下さいね！楽しみにしています!

皆さん、お元気で!

End of the Road

2007-06-24T08:36:00.000+08:00

Today, I started off on the final ride of my journey at around 430am. In order to get to Asakusa, I would need to go down national highway #20 which would bring me through Shinjuku, the heart of Tokyo, so I figured, its best if I started out early.

It was around 530am by the time I got to Shinjuku station and already, the crowds were starting to appear. Another 30 minutes and I bet it would have been impossible to cycle there!

Outside JR Shinjuku station at 530am

Continuing east along national highway #20, I enter Chiyoda ward which is also the area where the Imperial Palace complex is located. This area was relatively quiet even at around 8 plus in the morning. The park around the palace complex was a nice place for a run so I could see quite a number of joggers there for their pre-work exercise. Overall, it was a very pleasant area to cycle past as I headed for Tokyo station.

East wall of the Imperial Palace complex

The rest of the way to Asakusa was easy and hassle-free. I just followed the signboards which led me straight to Asakusa station and Komagata bridge.

In front of Nihonbashi

I got to Khaosan Annex Hostel at around 7am and Eugene wasn`t due to arrive here for another 3 hours. Yiwei and Amy were both at Tsukiji Fish Market, so I had a couple hours to burn before everyone got here and we could set off for Nikko. So, I retired my bike and packed it into my rinko-bukuro (bikebag) in preparation for the flight home.

I have officially completed my Length of Japan trip!

Total distance = 2,089.10km

Finally, my bike gets to rest after 2,089.1km

By the time everyone met up and we got ready to leave for Nikko, it was almost noontime. The train ride to Tobu-Nikko station took almost 3 hours and by the time we got to Nikko Park Lodge where we would be staying for the next few days, it was about 3pm. Leaving our luggage, we took off for Toshogu Shrine, Nikko`s most famous shrine.

Nikko is Nippon!

Unfortunately, the Toshogu shrine area closed at around 5pm so we decided to visit the main shrine tomorrow evening. Instead, we took a short walk around the temple grounds which was open 24 hours.

The Torii leading to the main Toshogu Shrine

The 5-Storey Pagoda at the entrance of Toshogu Shrine

Taking a break from all the walking

We left the temple grounds at around 5 plus and went to a little eatery in Nikko town for dinner. The yakitori was alright but not very authentic - quite different from what I had in Kyushu with Shinji-san. Anyways, there wasn`t much to do at night in Nikko, so we bought some snacks and went back to Nikko Park Lodge for an early night.

A Ride Down Memory Lane

2007-06-22T19:49:00.000+08:00

*The following post doesn`t have pictures of pretty scenery or interesting places in Japan. It is merely a reminiscence of the great times that I had in Setagaya Ward in Tokyo during my primary school (grade school) days in the mid 1990`s.

Today`s ride was an extremely meaningful one for me. Ever since I left Japan in 1995, I have always dreamed of going back to revisit the quiet suburb in Setagaya Ward of Tokyo where I spent 3 great years of my primary school life.

I stayed in Setagaya Ward from 1992 to 1995 between the train stations of Futago-tamagawa-en and Yoga. School for me was at St. Mary`s International School near Futago-tamagawa-en Station. Today, my ride will take me from Keith`s place in Kamishakuji to St. Mary`s International School by the station then back to my old house in Yoga. I did not have any addresses or road names to work with, so I will be relying on my 12 year old memories of cycling to and from school.

My first stop down memory lane was this slope that led up to St. Mary`s International School from Futago-tamagawa-en Station. The game centers (known in Singapore as arcades) used to be one of my favorite hangout spots with my buddies. These game centers were usually concentrated around the station areas so you can probably guess that I took many a walk down this slope with my friends to visit these centers!

During grade school, one of the `in` sports at that time was Dodgeball. Although it was not an official inter-school sport, we played it almost everyday during recess and lunchtimes! Below is the field where we would usually have our games.

Entering the school, I had hoped to be able to meet a few of my former teachers, but unluckily, the summer vacation had just started a week ago and all the teaching staff were on holiday too. So, I had to make do with a leisurely self-guided tour around my old campus.

My 4th grade classroom - the furniture`s still the same after more than a decade

The main hallway where I walked up and down countless times in my time there

Touring the classrooms, I found out that one of my favorite teachers, Ms. Hagenson who taught me in the 4th grade was still teaching! Apparently, she`s taking care of a 6th grade class now. I would have liked to meet her again, but like I said, it was the summer vacation now....
When I was in the 6th grade going onto the 7th grade, I finally started getting involved in some serious sports for the first time in my life. I still remember Mr. Moody, my swimming coach who recruited me into the swimming team and spent training session after training session trying to get me to perfect my breaststroke. Of course, I was never the star swimmer, but getting into the swim team was a really great opportunity for me to build my self-confidence at that time and also to get to know the older kids in the team.

In the 7th grade, I met Mr. Sava, who got me to try out for the basketball team. Below is the court where I actually touched a basketball for the first time. Although I really sucked at basketball while I was at St. Mary`s, I`m thankful that he introduced me to the sport that was to be the main focus of my life during my secondary and JC days back in Singapore!

One of my best friends during my time in St. Mary`s International School was Christopher Cruz. Its sad that I didn`t get his contact when I left Japan, but guess what I saw when I was walking along the school corridors today - he was on the varsity wrestling team! hahaha... Unbelievable... he used to be shorter than me and really scrawny, but in the picture below, he looks FIERCE... haha...

Chris Cruz - Center Picture

Another one of the classrooms that I spent a lot of time in
The huge playground where most of the grade school kids would chiong to during lunchtime
The tennis courts where I spent many weekends in 7th grade trying to improve my basketball

Besides cycling to school, I also took the school bus rather often. Below is the exact same bus that I used to take to school 12 years ago - Bus #4. I still remember the bus uncle used to act grumpy and all, but was actually a very nice guy. He would illegally stop the bus at the public busstop on my side of the road just so that I wouldn`t have to risk crossing the road by myself!

This is an interesting spot. One of the years, on the first day of school, I was so excited to see my friends that I ran towards them. And, it was exactly at that curb that I tripped, fell and skinned my knee. I think I still have a scar on my knee from that fall... hahahaha....

After spending almost 2 hours at St. Mary`s International School, I head back for my old home near Yoga station via the route that I used to cycle home by. Amazingly, I could still remember the way and I made it back to Yoga without even getting the least bit lost! And that`s after leaving the place for more than a decade! haha...

The little canal behind my old apartment lined with sakura trees that would bloom beautifully in the spring

The pathway to my old house - the brown building and the busstop that the nice grumpy uncle would drop me at

The small garden in front of my apartment where I would build snowmen in the winter

My sister`s old school - Seisen International School, directly opposite our apartment

I had lots of memories at this park below too - playing dodgeball with my friends, using the playground and the sandpit... Today, it was my lunch spot.

I used to love collecting `Dragonball` cards during grade school. It was something like Pokemon now... hahaha.... yeap, so this little bookstore was where I usually bought my cards.... lol

From my house, it was a 10 minute ride to Yoga station. Again, I took the same route that I took everytime I went to the station with my mom. The station area changed quite a lot but I guess it was still recognizable... hahaha....

From Yoga station, it was time to make my way back to Kamishakuji. The ride today was really great and cycling through my old neighborhood and revisiting my old school really brought memories of the good times I had there. Its just as well that I visited St. Mary`s when I did cause starting next year, they`ll be tearing down the place and rebuilding a brand new school complex in its stead.

In some ways, the ride today seemed to be a form of closure as I end my student life and begin a new phase of my life - a working adult.

Kamakura on a Sunday

2007-06-22T19:18:00.000+08:00

Got up early today, shared a quick and simple breakfast with Keith then I headed off for Tokyo station to meet Yiwei and Amy to visit Kamakura.

Kamakura is a small town in the southwest part of Tokyo and is popular with the locals for its collection of temples, hiking paths and its famous Great Buddha statue. The train ride took around an hour and as expected, the town was packed on a Sunday morning!

In an attempt to escape the crowds, we set off on a hiking path that would bring us along the ridgeline of the hills and to the location of the statue of the Great Buddha. The hike was a little rougher than expected with lots of climbing involved.... haha... but we still managed to get there!

Hiking along the ridgeline to the Great Buddha

Reaching the Great Buddha (Daibutsu in Japanese), we met Junkai there and went in to take a look at one of the most famous Buddhist statues in Japan. It was huge and rather grand, but apparently, the Buddha statue in Nara is larger than this one.

The Daibutsu (Great Buddha)

After the Daibutsu, we took a stroll (through throngs of people) to one of the beaches in Kamakura. Unlike the soft powder sand that we usually associate nice beaches with, this beach was made of hardpacked volcanic ash. Not a place to build sandcastles, but the winds were strong and there were quite a few surfers and windsurfers in the sea.

One of the beaches in Kamakura

Leaving Kamakura, our next stop was Harajuku, to see the famous `cosplay-zoku` in action on Jingu Bridge. Unfortunately, either due to the extremely hot weather or the fact that we reached rather late in the afternoon, there weren`t many of the `cosplayers` around. In fact, the bridge was crowded mostly with tourists trying to catch a glimpse of the `cosplayers`. Quite an anti-climax...

On Jingu-bashi

From Jingu-bashi, we made our way to Yoyogi Park next door where many amateur bands were performing in the hope of being talent-spotted. The noise was incredibly loud, but it wasn`t really my kind of music. It seemed that each band was just trying to outscream its neighbour band! Really, really not my kind of music... hahaha...

Another one of the `screaming bands`

Passing by the entrance to Meiji Jingu Shrine

From Yoyogi Park, it was just a 5 minute walk to the trendy streets of Harajuku. As you can see from the picture below, the crowds were just insane! Just in that street alone, I probably saw more people than I`ve seen together in the past month! I guess the crowds of Tokyo are just not for me.... give me the peaceful countryside anytime...

Takeshita Street in Harajuku

Next stop, we headed for Shibuya to have our dinner. Along the way, we passed by the rather expensive shopping district of Omote-sando. Sure, its quite a famous area, but the rows after rows of shops didn`t really excite me... hahaha..

Omote-sando

Dinner was at an inexpensive but cosy eatery chain called Otoya, recommended by Junkai. After that, we headed for the famous traffic junction in Shibuya, where the pedestrians cross in every single direction possible.

Everytime the lights turned green, the human stampede would start all over again. Below here you see the herd getting ready to chiong again.....

Shibuya Center Street

For supper, we tried to go to Shinbashi for some famous dessert place suggested by Junkai. Unfortunately, when we got there, it was already closed so we had to make do with some matcha ice-cream instead... hahaha... such a long and tiring day.. by the time I got back to Plaza Kamishakuji it was past midnight - the latest I`ve been out since I got to Japan!

Tokyo Metropolis

2007-06-22T18:26:00.000+08:00

Woke up to fine, clear weather this morning. As Takeo-san said, we could see Mount Fuji from his 14th floor balcony in Ageo City. The view was spectacular, although the mountain didn`t really show up very well in this photo.

Mount Fuji from Uzukas` balcony

After a hearty breakfast, I set off for the final city of my journey - the metropolis of Tokyo. While in Saitama Prefecture, the pavements were still rather wide and easy to ride on, but the moment I entered Tokyo, somehow the pavements immediately became narrower! I guess this is evidence of the severe shortage of space in one of the most crowded cities in the world!

Some familiar names of places in Tokyo

Today is also the day I hit the 2,000km mark of my journey. Its been a long ride - hard at times, but I thank God for blessing me with an exciting yet safe trip.

The 2,000km mark!
After crossing this bridge, I enter Tokyo!

Metropolis of Tokyo - Nerima Ward

Entering Tokyo, I turn off national highway #17 onto a prefectural road to get to Keith`s place in Kamishakuji, Nerima Ward. He kindly offered to put me up at his place for the next 3 days, so I`ll be able to save quite a lot on accommodation here while waiting for Eugene to arrive.

It took me quite a while to get to Kamishakuji station, primarily due to the very narrow pavements that I had to negotiate. Keith wasn`t home in the afternoon, so I had to find my own way to his place. Wasn`t too hard though, using the instructions he gave me...

Outside Plaza Kamishakuji - My hideout for the next 3 days

Relieved to have finally reached Tokyo

The rest of the afternoon was spent resting in his room and getting some groceries from the nearby supermarket - My usual routine... hahaha....

Staying with the Uzuka`s

2007-06-22T17:57:00.000+08:00

This morning, I took my time leaving Kumagaya City. I wasn`t scheduled to meet my hosts for the night until around 5pm int he evening, so after checking out of Chisun Inn Hotel, I went to the nearby internet cafe for a couple hours to watch a few DVD`s and surf the net.

Leaving Kumagaya City at around 2pm, it took me less than 2 hours to cover the 30km or so to Ageo City, where the Uzuka`s lived. The road to Ageo was busy with traffic, but the pavements were great to ride on! Nice and wide, and there were hardly any pedestrians at that time in the afternoon.

Nice, wide and empty pavements all the way to Ageo City

Great weather for riding

Entering Ageo City, I went to meet the Yiwei , Amy, Takeo-san and Yukiko-san at the supermarket nearby their apartment. Their home was a really cosy place with a great view of Ageo City. Takeo-san said that on clear days, they could even see Mount Fuji from their balcony!

Getting ready for dinner

In the evening, after everyone had washed up, Yukiko-san served us an extremely delicious dinner with sashimi, handrolls, `natto` and Takeo-san`s specialty - Tempura.

Takeo-san`s Tempura

Yukiko-san`s Sashimi

It was loads of fun chatting with the Uzuka`s and telling them about our life in Singapore as well as learning more about the life of a typical Japanese family. I even had lessons from Takeo-san with regards to Japanese drinking etiquette! hahaha.... (I`ll upload more photos of the delicious dinner once I get the rest of the photos from the 2 girls)

2 of Japan`s finest sake`s

`Kanpai!`

After dinner, Yukiko-san was nice enough to take out her daughters` old yutakas to let Amy and Yiwei try them on. And then of course, we took a group photo with our very kind hosts!

Me, Amy, Ikeko－san (Younger daughter), Yukiko-san, Yiwei & Takeo-san

Entering the Urban Sprawl of the Kanto Plains

2007-06-14T13:24:00.001+08:00

Today I begin the last 3 days of my journey - my 100km ride into the heart of the Tokyo metropolis spread out over the Kanto Plains. First stop, Kumagaya City in Saitama Prefecture, northwest of central Tokyo.

Leaving at around 8am this morning was a huge mistake. Due to the heavy rush hour traffic, I had to ride on the pavements all the way from Kiryu City to Isesaki City on my way to Kumagaya. But that wasn`t the worst of it!

Somehow, I guess all the schools in the area are located in Kiryu City because even as I was riding south out of Kiryu, there were throngs of teenaged school kids riding their bicycles in the opposite direction, going into Kiryu. Of course, this meant that they took up most of the pavement and every few minutes, I had to get off my bikes to let them pass through! This made my journey to Isesaki City rather draggy but as everyone went off to work/school, the streets became less crowded and the ride more pleasant.

Entering Saitama Prefecture

Crossing the bridge into Saitama

Finally, after more than 30 days since I left Fukuoka in the beginning of May, I see directions for `Tokyo` on the street signs!

The rest of the way was rather uneventful except that it started to drizzle a bit just as I entered Kumagaya City. According to the weather agencies, Japan is officially entering its rainy season now, so I guess the next few days are gonna be wet ones!

Goodbye to the Japanese　いなか　（Ｃｏｕｎｔｒｙｓｉｄｅ）

2007-06-14T12:39:00.000+08:00

Leaving Nikko at 7am today, I head for the final pass of my journey - Hosoo Pass. Compared to the other passes, this one was more like a hill, at 964m above sea level. Taking national highway #122 through the top of the pass, I leave Nikko City and head for Kiryu City, my stop for the night.

The way to Kiryu was a nice countryside road along the side of the mountains. Very pretty and probably my last chance to cycle on such roads!

Downhill from Hosoo Pass

Below is the entrance to Ashio Town, which was along national highway #122.

Taking a break at Kusagi Lake and Kusagi Bridge

The Road, the Rail and the River

My last glimpse of the Japanese countryside

As I rounded this final curve in the road, the urban sprawl of the Kanto Plains greeted me even as I said goodbye to the beautiful Japanese countryside.

Nikko National Park

2007-06-14T11:31:00.000+08:00

Today is my 3rd day on the Japan Romantic Road and it brings me to the city of Nikko. The way to Nikko from Katashina Village goes through the Nikko mountains and crosses Konsei Pass. The roads are quiet, there is greenery on both sides and this route also traces the banks of a few lakes, including the famous Lake Chuzenji.

The road to Konsei Pass (1,850m above sea level)

As I clear Konsei Pass, the serene Lake Yunoko with emerald green waters come into view. From here, it would be a downhill coast straight into the heart of Nikko City.

Clearing Konsei Pass and entering Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture

Lake Yunoko

Further downhill, I pass by the marshlands of Senjogahara (Plains of the Battlefield). I guess quite a few battles must have been fought here in the past, thus the name of Senjogahara. Pity I was a little too early as these marshlands are supposed to be filled with flowers in the summer!

In front of Senjogahara

A glimpse of Lake Chuzenji from the mountains

The ride into Nikko City was effortless. I went down slope after downhill slope as I covered almost 30km without even pedalling. The scenery was great, and with all the trees and lakes in view, it was like cycling through one huge park!

Nikko City - surrounded by mountains

Entering Nikko City, I checked into the Nikko Park Lodge owned by the friendly Sakamoto-san. Leaving my stuff at the lodge, I went to take a walk around the city. Most of the area`s attractions were out of the city, so I guess I`ll visit them again when I come back next week with Eugene and the others.

I did take a photo of the lovely Shinkyo Bridge though. Like the Kintaikyo Bridge in Iwakuni, this bridge is a designated national treasure. Its a beautiful red, and in winter it turns white with snow.

I spent 2 nights in Nikko to rest my legs before I start on the final leg of my journey towards Tokyo. Didn`t see much of Nikko though, cause I`ll be back again in about a week`s time!

Fukiwari Falls - The Niagara Falls of Japan

2007-06-13T12:37:00.000+08:00

It was raining again as I left Numata City. Today, I had 1 pass to clear - Shiizaka Pass. Good thing, it wasn`t as steep as expected, and I got over it without too much trouble.

As I approached Katashina Village, where I would be staying for the night, I passed by the Fukiwari Falls. This waterfall is rather interesting in that instead of looking at it from the bottom up, you stood at the top and looked down.

Fukiwari Falls is actually a fast flowing whitewater river that caused certain parts of the riverbed to be drastically eroded. This erosion resulted in sudden drops in the riverbed, thereby causing the water to fall too. Here it is known as the Niagara Falls of Japan.

The fast flowing river before the falls

A bridge that connected the hiking trail around the area

The sudden drop-off causing the waterfall

Huge amounts of water - I could feel the spray from where I was standing

After the water drops down to the lower riverbed, it continues its flow

Until there is another drop-off

By the time I got to Katashina Village, it had been raining throughout the day so all my clothes were soaked. Lucky for me, the rain wasn`t that heavy when I was at Fukiwari Falls, otherwise it would have been difficult to take photographs.

Anyways, spent most of the afternoon drying my stuff and preparing for the one of the last mountain passes of my trip - Konsei Pass into the Nikko region.

Japan Romantic Road

2007-06-13T12:29:00.000+08:00

Today, I leave Kusatsu Onsen and head for Numata on my way to Nikko. The route that I will be taking is called the Japan Romantic Road, a 230km stretch of national highway that starts from Ueda City in the west and ends in Uchinomiya City in the east.

Leaving Kusatsu Onsen, it is mainly a downhill ride of about 20km to the small town of Nakanojo. As I left Kusatsu, the clouds were looking rather threatening, and by the time I reached Nakanojo, it had started to drizzle lightly. I was still around 40km from Numata City, where I was supposed to stay for the night.

From Nakanojo, it was a gradual uphill ride to towards the city of Numata. The slopes weren`t very steep, but it was rather uncomfortable riding in my rainjacket. Furthermore, the roads to Numata were rather narrow and many times, there were no pavements to ride on at all!

All in all, my ride from Kusatsu to Numata wasn`t very romantic at all, save for the couple of `intimate` moments that I had with the 18 wheeler trucks that were passing me by..... hahaha...

Map of the Japan Romantic Road

Risking getting my N95 wet for a picture of the `Romantic` Road

Kusatsu Onsen - #1 in Japan

2007-06-13T11:38:00.000+08:00

Shibu Pass Hotel is located right at the top of Shibu Pass and according to the owner, this spot is the highest point of Japan`s National Highways. Apparently, Norikura Skyline Road is a prefectural road and not a national highway.

Anyways, the owner said the sunrise from Shibu Pass was beautiful and and that on a clear day, you could even see the peak of Mount Fuji from the pass. So, I set my alarm for 4am in the morning.

Unfortunately, as you can see below, it was a foggy morning. As I strolled 10 minutes to the lookout point, I could barely see 10m in front of me. But still, I presevered in the hope that the fog would clear in the next few minutes.... I was wrong... haha...

A walk in the fog

Shibu Pass Lookout Point at 0430hrs

Shibu Pass Lookout Point at 0930hrs

The couple who owned Shibu Pass Hotel had a 12 year old golden retriever named Indy. She wanted to follow me for my 430am walk to Shibu Pass Lookout Point, but I didn`t know how to undo the chain that tied her to her little doghouse...

Indy

Breakfast by the fireplace

Another interesting point of Shibu Pass Hotel is that its built on the prefectural border of Nagano Prefecture and Gunma Prefecture. The white line that I`m standing on below is the prefectural boundary and the dark brown part of the building is Nagano Prefecture while the light brown part of the building is in Gunma Prefecture. Just in case you were wondering, I slept in Nagano Prefecture that night and had my meals in Gunma Prefecture....

The only guest for the night - ME

Leaving Shibu Pass Hotel at around 9 plus, I start the downhill ride towards Kusatsu Onsen. Along the way, I go through Yamada Pass. Since Shibu Pass is at a higher altitude than Yamada Pass, this is the only time in my entire journey that I got to go through a mountain pass without having to climb up to it first!

The Eastern Shiga Highlands

These slopes become a beautiful montage of red, orange, green and yellow in the autumn

The long winding downhill roads - Reward for climbing a mountain pass

About 5km downhill from Shibu Pass, I come across Mount Shirane. Interestingly, there are 2 Mount Shirane`s in Japan, only 1 prefecture apart. Here, in Gunma Prefecture is Mount Shirane of Kusatsu. Further east, in Tochigi Prefecture, is Mount Shirane of Nikko. The propietors of Shibu Pass Hotel said it would be worth the stop to take a look at Mount Shirane of Kusatsu, so I park my bike at the carpark in the area and hike up to the top of the mountain.

A small onsen pool at the top of Mount Shirane

A view of the carpark and Mount Shirane from a neighboring peak

Below, you see the 2 delicious pieces of bread the owners of the Shibu Pass Hotel gave me before I left. Apparently, the bread is so delicious that people come from all over the prefecture to their hotel to buy it in bulk!

After tasting the bread, I concur!

A small pond in the Mount Shirane area

This place is also beautiful in the autumn

After Mount Shirane, it was a simple downhill coast all the way to the onsen town of Kusatsu. Kusatsu onsen is known throughout Japan as the onsen having the largest amount of onsen water flowing from its origin. Its water is also one of the richest in minerals!

The `Yu-Batake` or onsen source in the middle of Kusatsu Onsen street

The streets of Kusatsu are lined with various onsen houses, ryokans and high class hotels. Within the town, there are even a few public onsen houses where you can soak in the hot spring water at no charge! Everywhere you go in town, you will see people of all ages walking around in their `yutakas` either returning or going to their favorite onsen spots.

`Jizo No Yu` - One of the FOC onsen houses in Kusatsu

Killer Slopes

2007-06-13T10:55:00.000+08:00

I left Nagano City at around 6am today expecting a hard ride up the Shiga Highlands. In 1998, during the Nagano Winter Olympics, most of the outdoor events such as alpine skiing and cross country skiing were held in the Shiga Highlands.

By around 9am, I had already covered 30km which was about a third of the distance to Kusatsu Onsen, across the Shiga Highlands region. Unfortunately, right after the 30km mark, as I entered the Shiga Highlands, the steepness of the slopes increased dramatically!

Little did I know that this ride up the Shiga Highlands towards the highest point of Shibu Pass, would be THE hardest climb of my entire journey!

Entering the Shiga Highlands

Before I left Nagano City, I took down the telephone numbers of a couple of hotels in the Hasuike area within the highlands. However, almost all of these hotels were either not operational in the summer, or were under renovation! So, in the end I had to book a room at Shibu Pass Hotel, about 10km from Hasuike. And like the name of the hotel suggests, it sits right at the top of the pass, at 2,172m above sea level! Getting there wasn`t easy at all....

A huge treetop freeway that led up the highlands

Probably built in 1998 to impress the international visitors

Taking a break about 10km up the slope when I still had strength to smile

After lunch and a short 10minute nap at the Hasuike area, I continued on to cover the last 12km to Shibu Pass. Along the way I saw quite a few derelict hotels and ski resorts - probably the result of the sudden boom in tourism just after 1998 and as the novelty of the Nagano ski slopes wore off, the scores of hotels closed down one after another...

An onsen source spewing steam

One of the many ski slopes in the area

About 4 more kilometers to Shibu Pass - This was worse than the Norikura Skyline Road

When I entered the Shiga Highlands and started the 25km uphill climb, it was curve #1. Almost 6 hours later, I met curve #47 and by the time I reached Shibu Pass, I had climbed 54 curves! haha....

A great view of the Shiga Highlands

The final 2km up to Shibu Pass

At around 4pm, I finally rounded my last curve and as the Shibu Pass Hotel and the little wooden post marking the top of the pass came into view, you can imagine my happiness!! hahaha....

Today`s ride was the only time during my trip so far that I have finished all the water I was carrying! Luckily I had 3 full bottles, as there wasn`t anywhere to refill up here in the mountains.

A tribute to the 3 lifesavers

The City of Nagano & Zenkoji Temple

2007-06-06T15:46:00.000+08:00

It was a fairly easy ride to the city of Nagano today. Both the cities of Matsumoto and Nagano lay at around the same altitude so the road to Nagano was mostly level.

The road to Nagano City

I covered the 76km to Nagano in a few hours and was in the city by lunchtime. Checked into a decent business hotel next to JR Nagano station and then went off to take a look at the city`s main attraction - Zenkoji Temple.

Zenkoji Temple is apparently one of Japan`s oldest Buddhist temples and like Matsumoto Castle, it is also a designated National Treasure. From JR Nagano station, a straight road led directly to the entrance of the temple.

The outer gate of Zenkoji Temple

Unfortunately, I did not get to see the inner gate of the temple as it was under repair. Apparently, this is the first time the gate is being repaired in the Heisei period. According to the guide at the temple, repairs started in late 2002 and are expected to be completed by the end of this year. The repair work takes such a long time due to the intricate woodwork involved in the construction of the gate.

The inner gate that was under repair

The main hall of Zenkoji Temple

Inside the main hall of the temple, there were scores of visitors. Some were there just for the sightseeing but many others were there to pray. At the entrance of the temple, there was a wooden statue of a famous Buddhist disciple (not sure whats the name). Apparently, if you had an ailment in any part of your body, you could have it healed just by touching the corresponding part on the statue! Most parts of the statue had been worn smooth by the hands of countless visitors and according to the guide, the face of the statue had been recently replaced because all the features had been worn off by the touching!

Too bad photography was prohibited in the temple... wanted to take a picture of that statue... haha...

Total Distance to date = 1,590km

Karasu-jo - The Crow Castle

2007-06-06T15:13:00.000+08:00

Left Kamikochi at around noon today. According to the map it was a 50km downhill ride all the way to Matsumoto City. I had expected to take around 3 hours to get to Matsumoto, but it was even faster than expected!

Going down Kama Tunnel at around 50km/h was thrilling! The previous day, it took me more than 30 minutes to go up, but the trip down took less than 5 minutes.... After leaving Kama Tunnel, the road to Matsumoto City was a series of another 15 downhill tunnels. Without hairpin curves like in the Norikura Skyline Road, I coasted at around 40km/h for almost an hour before the descent tapered off into a flat road as I entered Matsumoto City.

Road to Matsumoto City

The tunnels cut through quite a few mountains

Reaching Matsumoto City just before 3pm, I checked into Su-e-Hirokan Hotel, which was just next to Matsumoto Castle. Of course, I put down my stuff and immediately went to check out the famous Matsumoto Castle.

Matsumoto Castle is one of the 4 castles designated as National Treasures in Japan. The others are Himeji, Hikone and Inuyama. Matsumoto Castle is also known as Karasu-jo, or Crow Castle because of its black and white theme. The castle building consists of a lower tower and the main tower which is 6 storeys high.

Karasu-jo

Below, you can see a picture of a musa-hashiri. These wide corridors built along the perimeter of each level in the castle were purposely made wider for samurai in full armor to run through. This allowed the warriors to quickly move from point to point in the castle to defend it against external attackers.

Musa-hashiri

View of Matsumoto City from the top floor of the main tower in Matsumoto Castle

Kamikochi - Heart of the Japan Alps

2007-06-06T14:15:00.000+08:00

After the usual Japanese breakfast at Hirayu Prince Hotel, I set off for Kamikochi via Abo Pass.

Breakfast at the Hirayu Prince Hotel

After the Norikura Skyline Road the previous day, going up Abo Pass didn`t seem so difficult. It was around 8km to the top of the pass and it took a little less than 2 hours. The weather was good and the air was fresh, so it was a great climb up!

Start of the uphill climb through Abo Pass

At the top of Abo Pass (1,780m above sea level)

The view from Abo Pass

From the top of Abo Pass, it was a 7km downhill, hairpin descent to the base of Kama Tunnel - entrance to Kamikochi. The descent was marked by 15 hairpin curves, and each curve had a signboard showing the number of curves left! Rather interesting...

Similar to the Norikura Skyline Road and Norikura Tatami-daira, private cars were restricted from entering Kamikochi. The only way in was either by taxi, public bus, or in my case, bicycle. The entrance, Kama Tunnel, is a 3km long tunnel that slopes uphill at a gradient of 16%. Inside, there was a 50cm wide footpath used by bicycles and pedestrians. 50cm was about the width of my bike with all the panniers on, so it was a little precarious.... hahaha...

Although there were no other cyclists or pedestrians using the tunnel, it was still rather slow going as I had much difficulty pedaling up the steep incline with my overweight bike...

Entrance of Kama Tunnel

Inside the Kama Tunnel

After almost half an hour inside the tunnel, I finally emerge on the other side into Kamikochi. It was still a 6km ride to the actual bus terminal where my accommodation for the day was.

On the Kamikochi side of Kama Tunnel

The short ride to the bus terminal was rather pleasant as traffic was limited to the rare bus or taxi. Took me about 30 minutes to finally reach the bus terminal.

Taisho Lake

View of Mount Yakedake from Taisho Lake

Leaving my luggage at the lodge, Kamikochi Nishitoya San-So, I take a hike around the beautiful surroundings.

Kamikochi is located in a valley within the Northern Japan Alps mountain range. Through it, runs the Azusa River. This river was created by repeated eruptions and lava flows from many of the once active volcanoes in the area such as the Hotaka Peaks and Mount Yakedake.

The snow covered Hotaka Peaks

Clear mountain water in the Azusa River

From my accommodation at Kamikochi Nishitoya San-So it ｗａｓ a 2 hour hike to Myojin Lake. I did not want to pay the 250yen entrance fee to see the lake and the temple inside, so I bypassed the entrance booth and took pictures at the nearby riverbank instead.

Mount Myojindake

Evening by the riverbank

On the way back to the ryokan, I pass by the Weston Relief. Walter Weston was a missionary and mountaineer from England who was one of the first to ascend the many peaks of the Japan Alps. He was so impressed with the beauty of these mountains that he named them the Japan Alps, after the Alps in Europe.

Every year, on the 1st of June, a small festival commemorating Weston is held at Kamikochi. This festival also marks the beginning of the hiking and mountaineering season in the Japan Alps National Park.

The Weston Relief

Standing on Kappa Bridge with the Hotaka Peaks in the background

After a whole day of hiking, I return to the lodge for a hearty dinner and a good rest.

Norikura Skyline Road

2007-06-05T15:50:00.000+08:00

Today is the day I attempt to climb onto the Roof of Japan via the Norikura Skyline Road. This road only recently reopened in May and it is usually closed for more than half the year due to extremely heavy snowfall in the higher parts of the mountains.

Leaving my stuff at Hirayu Prince Hotel where I would be staying later in the night, I set off for the start of the Norikura Skyline Road. To get there from the onsen village of Hirayu, first I needed to climb 5km! It was a hard climb and I`m glad I did not attempt the Skyline Road with all my luggage... I would never have made it to the top!

The Norikura Skyline Road is apparently the highest public road in the whole of Japan and it is closed to personal vehicles. The only way to get to the end of the road, is to either take a taxi or a bus to Norikura Tatami-daira. From Norikura Tatami-daira, hikers then start off on their treks to the nearby mountain peaks.

The winding uphill road to the start of the Norikura Skyline

Finally reaching the beginning of the Norikura Skyline Road after 1 hour of climbing from Hirayu Onsen, I meet a group of cyclists who were also going to the end of the skyline to Norikura Tatami-daira Bus Terminal.

Speaking to Taicho, an IT engineer, he told me that the annual Norikura Skyline Hill Climb would be held the next day, so they were there one day early to practise the route. Setting off together, we did a relaxed pace of around 5km/h. The average gradient of the road was around 15% so we took our time to climb.

Start of the Norikura Skyline Road

Taicho and his girlfriend (who also road a roadbike) coming round a corner

Taking a break to take some photos

As we climbed higher and higher, the air started to grow thinner and it also became significantly colder. When I left Hirayu Onsen village, the temperature was around 15 degrees Celsius. By the time I was halfway up to Norikura Tatami-daira, the temperature had already dropped to around 8 degrees Celsius. Luckily, we were constantly pedalling so this kept us relatively warm still. Most of the cyclists were also just wearing their cycling tights and jerseys.

If you look at the picture below, you`ll see that the road is slanted upwards to the right. This isn`t cause the photographer tilted the camera... Its cause of the gradient of the road!

About half way up to the top

Almost there - 1/3 more to go!

With about another 5km to go to the end of the road, we began to pass by snow-covered slopes! This was my first time touching snow in more than 10 years! According to Taicho, this area is almost always covered with snow throughout the year. In the winter, the snow piles up more than 7m high so they have no choice but to close the roads.

Crossing into the snow-covered region

Cycling in valleys of snow and ice

About 1km from the top, it started to become very foggy

As we approached Norikura Tatami-daira, we saw that there were people skiing! This area is the only place where you can still ski in the summer. Unfortunately, in the winter the snow is too thick to build a ski resort here, so there aren`t any chairlifts.

Skiiers take the bus up to Norikura Tatami-daira with all their ski equipment then they walk to the top of the slopes to ski down. Then when they reach the bottom, they repeat the whole process again! Tiring huh... but no choice if you want to ski in the summer! hahaha...

Can you see the skiiers on the slope?

Walking up and skiing down

3 hours after we had left the start of the Norikura Skyline Road, we finally reach the end at Norikura Tatami-daira. Suddenly, Taicho removed a huge pot from his backpack and opened it to reveal the `oden` that was inside! haha... he had carried the entire team`s lunch on his back throughout the climb as training!

Someone else produced a gas stove then we had steaming hot `oden` at 2,800m above sea level. The hot food and soup was really a welcome treat in the sub-zero temperatures!

The Team - Sakamichi Jitensha Tsukintai (Roughly translated as the Uphill Chiongsters)

A bag of coconut cookies I got as a gift from one of the cyclists

Me, Taicho-san and our bikes

After lunch, the team went back down to the beginning of the road to settle their registration and administration for the race the next day. As for myself, I initially wanted to take the 3hr round trip hike to the peak of Mt. Norikuradake. Unfortunately, according to the tourist office, the path to the peak was still covered in deep snow, so it would be difficult to go without proper mountaineering gear. So, I had to make do with climbing the nearby Mt. Fujimi.

The climb up to the top of Mt. Fujimi

Reaching the peak of Mt. Fujimi (2,842m above sea level), the view was spectacular! Although it was not as high as Mt. Norikuradake, from Mt. Fujimi I could see almost all the peaks of the Japan Alps. Standing here, I realise why the Japan Alps region is called the `Roof of Japan`!

Mt. Fujimi - 2,842m above sea level

Eating my bento from Eitaro Ryokan at the top of the mountain

A great view of the surrounding peaks

The path to the top of Mount Norikuradake

Norikura Tatami-daira Bus Terminal

After my second lunch of onigiri and eggs, the fog started to clear so I made my way down from Mt. Fujimi back to Norikura Tatami-daira. Along the way, took some really nice shots now that the sky was much clearer.

Entrance of the path to the top of Mt. Fujimi

Mount Fujimi

My first time walking in snow since 1995

The beautiful mountains that surround Norikura Tatami-daira

After almost 2 hours at Norikura Tatami-daira, I decide to head back down to Hirayu Onsen. The downhill was ride was great! Even pressing both my brakes, I was still going at around 25km/h. Its a good thing cars weren`t allowed on that road! hahaha...

It took me a whole 4 hours to get from Hirayu Onsen to Norikura Tatami-daira, but the trip back down took a mere 30mins! The climb up was really tough, but the view was definitely worth every drop of sweat!

Next stop - Kamikochi, heart of the Japan Alps National Park.

Hirayu Pass - Entrance into the Japan Alps

2007-06-04T08:12:00.000+08:00

Today, I finally enter the Japan Alps National Park via Hirayu Pass. From Takayama City, its 35km to Hirayu Onsen village where I will be staying for the night. The first 20km were rather easy with gradual slopes and quiet roads.

The road to Hirayu Pass

Then, after I passed the 20km mark, the road to Hirayu Pass began, and it became dramatically steeper! Dropped my gears to 1-1 ratio and I started the slow climb to Hirayu Pass.

Start of Hirayu Pass

Almost at the top...

The top of Hirayu Pass was marked by Hirayu Tunnel which led to the valley where Hirayu Onsen village was located. Although it was a downhill ride down through the 2.4km tunnel, the ride was rather unpleasant as the path for bikes was very narrow (narrower than the width of my bike and luggage at times). At certain parts of the tunnel, I even had to get off to push as it was too narrow to ride across safely. Losing my balance meant falling into the path of an oncoming truck...

Finally coming out of the tunnel after about 15 minutes, the valley where Hirayu Onsen village was, came into sight. The view was spectacular and it was a very dramatic downhill coast all the way into the Hirayu Onsen village.

Coming out of Hirayu Tunnel (1,670m above sea level)

Exciting 50km/h downhill straight into Hirayu Onsen village (1,300m above sea level)

Entrance into the onsen village of Hirayu

Entering Hirayu Onsen village just before noon, it was still way too early to check into my accommodation for the night - Eitaro Ryokan, so I left my bike there and went to look for a place to have lunch. Lunch was at a nearby ramen stall and after that, I proceeded to soak my feet at the town`s free foot onsen. The water was really warm and it helped to relieve the soreness!

Hirayu village`s public foot onsen

Taking a short walk around the town, I visited the local nature appreciation center as well as a few of the other small tourist establishments near the bus terminal. Then, it was back to Eitaro Ryokan to check in and rest for the next day`s big ride..... Another highlight of my trip - The Norikura Skyline Road.

Summer flowers beginning to appear everywhere

Onsen bath in Eitaro Ryokan

Takayama - Mountain City

2007-06-04T07:51:00.000+08:00

Spent a rather uneventful day resting in Takayama City - mainly to rest my legs before I enter the Japan Alps National Park proper. Woke up rather late in the morning but I was still in time to catch a glimpse of the `Asa-Ichi` (Morning markets). These markets are supposedly one of the main attractions of Takayama City, but walking past them, they weren`t much, especially when compared with the pasar malams we have back in Singapore.

Takayama`s Central District - Honmachi and the `Asa-Ichi` under the white tents in the center

In the afternoon, visited the Shunkei Kaikan, which was directly opposite my ryokan. The Shunkei Kaikan is a small museum and shop displaying Takayama`s specialty - Shunkei Nuri or Shunkei-style lacquerware. This style of applying lacquer to wood products apparently shows off the natural grain of the wood, rather than obscuring the grain of the wood. The pieces on display were rather nice, ａｎｄ I thought of getting one for a souvenir until I saw the price tag on one of the wooden trays that was on sale.... See below

Shunkei-nuri Lacquerware

This bento tray cost 60,000yen or SGD720!

I spent most of the rest of the afternoon in a nearby net cafe updating my blog and checking my mail... didn`t do much until the highlight of my day - dinner. For dinner today, I planned to visit Suzuya, a restaurant famous for the Takayama specialty - Hoba miso and Hida beef. For 1890yen, I had a rice set which included Hida beef cooked over a slow fire with Hoba miso and some mountain vegetables on the side. Yummy!

Hida Beef and Hoba Miso

My First Real Climb - Amou Pass

2007-05-31T16:59:00.000+08:00

Before I had even left Shirakawago this morning, my inner tube blew! Upon closer examination, I realised that my tire had a sidewall tear. Apparently, the Kenda Small Block Eight tires that I was using were very light, but that meant that the sidewalls were thinner and more likely to wear out quickly. Took me about 30mins to replace both the tire (good thing I brought a spare) and the inner tube before I could get going.

Leaving town, the climbing began almost immediately. This time, the climbing was not gradual Hirugano Highlands kind of ascent but more like Tibet-Nepal kind of climbing with roads that wound endlessly up the side of the mountain. My objective of the day was to clear Amou Pass (1289m above sea level).

It took me a total of 2 hours to cover the 13km up the mountain to the top of the pass. Along the way, it started to drizzle slightly which just made the ride more unpleasant!

View of the surrounding valley from Amou Pass

At the top of the pass, I stopped to snack on the onigiri`s that the kindly lady owner of Furusato Minshuku had made for me. After that, donning my helmet, jacket and gloves (which I had taken off during the climb), I prepared for the descent to the town of Kawai.

Onigiri`s from the owner of Furusato Minshuku

From the peak of Amou Pass, it was a 20km downhill ride all the way to the town of Kawai. Certain portions were rather steep with quite a few hairpin turns so I tried to maintain my speed at a safe 20-30km/h.

Climbing up worked my legs, but going down wasn`t all coasting either! By the time I reached the bottom of the pass, my fingers were a bit numb from constantly gripping the brake levers for more than an hour!

The downhill ride from the top of Amou Pass

From Kawai Town to Takayam City, it was a mostly flat road. The rain which had stopped when I cleared the pass, began again as I entered Takayama City. I quickly checked into Murasaki Ryokan and then hibernated the rest of the evening away.

Today was just a preview of what is to come as I enter the Japan Alps National Park from the city of Takayama. From here, its uphill all the way to Norikura Highlands - the highest point in Japan that is accessible by public road.

World Heritage Site - Shirakawago

2007-05-31T16:23:00.000+08:00

Just north of Shokawa village is the artificial lake, Miboro Lake. This lake was created by damming the Shirakawa River to flood part of the Shokawa Valley. An extremely calm lake - perfect place for watersports!

Miboro Lake

Below, these are 2 sakura (cherry blossom) trees that were transplanted from the flooded region of the Shokawa Valley. These trees are called the Shokawa Sakuras and each tree is 5m tall and more than 400 years old!

The Shokawa Sakuras

The road from Shokawa village to Shirakawago was mostly downhill with lots of tunnels to go through and bridges to cross. I made it to Shirakawago in good time and checked into one of the Gassho-Zukuri ryokan in the village.

Shirakawago was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 due to the unique architecture of its Gassho-Zukuri (Clasped Hands) buildings. These buildings are constructed without using a single nail and are made totally of wood. The roofs are a type of grass that is specially grown for use in the construction of these houses. The shape of the roofs allow them to withstand the heavy snowfall that this region experiences during the wintertime and most of these houses have been around for hundreds of years.

Visitors to the village are not allowed to smoke and its not surprising that amongst the local populace, not a single person smokes!

Entrance to Shirakawago Village

Deai Bridge - Connecting the tourist bus terminal to Shirakawago

My accomodation for the night was at Furusato Minshuku (120 years old). This place was run by a very kindly 83 year old lady. She did it with the help of various part-time helpers from the village.

The picture below shows Furusato Minshuku with its newly repaired grass roof. According to the old lady, they repair their roofs every once a year, and once in 5 or 10 years (depending on the condition of the roofs), they`ll completely replace the grass.

My first stop after I dropped off my stuff was the Gassho-Zukuri Minka-en. This place was a little area which housed historically significant Gassho-zukuri buildings from the Shokawa Valley region that was flooded by Miboro Lake. Each house had been turned into a small museum displaying the local way of life as well as a history the family who owned that particulary house.

Irori - An earthen fireplace found in almost every house

Inside the Gassho-Zukuri Minka-en

In front of one of the oldest Gassho-Zukuri houses - Built in the 18th century

After visiting the Minka-en, I took a hike up Shiroyama to get a bird`s eye view of Shirakawago. It was a short but steep hike up the hill. Lunch was at the restaurant at the top of this little hill.

Shirakawago Village

After lunch, it was still too early to return to the minshuku as the lady owner had gone out of town and locked up the place. So, I headed for the Shira River which ran between the tourist bus terminal and the village. Shira River literally means `White River` and you can see how it got its name from the foamy water caused by the many rocks in the river.

My nap spot by the Shira River

In the evening, dinner was prepared by one of the helpers at Furusato Minshuku. A very interesting meal of pork, fish and mountain vegetables!

In the Heart of the Shokawa Valley

2007-05-31T15:34:00.000+08:00

My route for today brought me across the Hirugano Highlands. Initially, I thought the climbing would be very tough, but luckily, the increase in altitude came gradually over 30km so the incline wasn`t that steep. But this meant the road up to Hirugano Highlands was a constant climb!

This area is a popular ski region during the winter and along the way I passed by numerous advertisements for ski resorts. Most of these resorts converted to golf courses in the summer.

Start of the road to Hirugano Highlands

The Shokawa Valley and the surrounding Hirugano Highlands

The roads leading through the Japanese countryside are usually populated by `Michi-no-Eki` such as the one below. These road-side rest stations are meant for long distance truck drivers, bus tours and tourists driving their own cars to take a short restroom and snack break at. Such rest stations are the only place with restrooms in the countryside!

Below is the origin point of the Nagara River. It flows from north to south, starting from this spot all the way to Gifu City where I stayed 2 days ago.

From the Hirugano Highlands, it was a 20km downhill coast all the way to the little village of Shokawa. It was only afternoon and I could easily have done the next 30km to Shirakawa-go, but I had already booked accomodation in Shokawa so I thought I`d take this opportunity to have a good rest.

I lounged in my room for most of the afternoon since the village was a very quiet place with not much to see. In the evening, went out to check out the streets and to have my dinner.

A watermill used to produce soba - Shokawa village`s specialty product

Dinner was a rather interesting one at a small eatery 5 minutes from my ryokan. The first course was a small bowl of soya bean milk. It did look similar to what we have in Singapore, but tasted totally different! Instead of being sweet, this soya bean milk tasted of miso and was much thinner than the soya bean milk I was used to.

Japanese `Dou Jiang`

I ordered the set meal which included a serving of the local specialty soba. The soba was delicious and the fish was yummy too! Apparently, they cooked the fish for four hours till it was soft enough to be completely consumed - head, tail and all.

Notice the small green stalk at the bottom of my tray. That`s actually a stick of fresh wasabi! They served it on a porcelain grater so you grated it yourself and add it into the soya sauce to eat with your soba. Interesting huh!

Purest Water in Japan

2007-05-31T14:29:00.000+08:00

The ride to Gujo Hachiman town was a rather pleasant one accompanied by the Nagara River all the way. It was much flatter than expected, probably because the route followed the river`s bank.

The Nagara River

Since it was a Sunday, the roads were rather quiet in the morning, save for the couple of fishermen who were driving to their favorite fishing spots along the river. All in all, it was a really peaceful ride to the town of Gujo Hachiman.

If you look carefully you can see the kayakers by the riverbank

Reaching Gujo Hachiman just before noon, I dropped by the tourist information office to ask for recommendations regarding accommodation for the night. I was introduced to this very nice minshuku called `Fukinoyu Minshuku`. The owner of this establishement was a very friendly lady and her husband. From the Mercedes in their garage, I could see that this place was probably doing rather well!

My room in Fukinoyu Minshuku

Gujo Hachiman is a town situated at the meeting point of four rivers in the Shokawa Valley region. Because of this, the town is well known throughout Japan for extremely pure and delicious water that flows straight from the nearby mountain ranges. No matter where you go in town, you can hear the sound of water flowing.

Below is Sogi-sui Spring - apparently the water that flows from this spring is ranked as the BEST spring water in the whole of Japan! And lucky for me, it was a 5 minute walk from my accommodation.

Sogi-sui Spring

The Nagara River is just one of the 4 rivers that flow through this quiet little town. In summer, scores of children and sunbathers gather along the riverbanks to enjoy the cool waters. Even today, though it was a little chilly, there were still quite a few swimmers in the water.

The Nagara River flows directly through the town

There were schoolchildren jumping off this bridge into the river below!

After a quick lunch at one of the many cafes in town, I took a short hike to Oto-hime Waterfall (Princess Waterfall). The path to the waterfall led through a nice, quiet wooded area and it was a 15 minute uphill hike to the origin of the fall. Being away from the center of town, this walk was much quieter and more pleasant!

Path leading into the woods to Oto-hime Waterfall

The waterfall itself was no Niagara Falls but it was located in a really peaceful spot in the forest that would have made a great picnic site! The sound of water against the rocks and the gentle rustling of the leaves just added to the serenity.

Oto-hime Waterfall in the back

Coming back from Oto-hime Waterfall back into the center of Gujo Hachiman, I started my trek up the slope to where Gujo Hachiman Castle was located. Avoiding the main roads, I followed the advice of one of the locals and took a shortcut through the backalleys of the town.

Shortcut up to Gujo Hachiman Castle

The castle itself was nothing spectacular especially after having visited Himeji Castle, but the view from the castle`s grounds was not bad. Didn`t bother going into the castle though.

Gujo Hachiman Castle

View of Gujo Hachiman town from the castle courtyard

Instead of taking the same route back to town, I tried a more roundabout way that took me along the ridgeline of the hill that the castle was situated upon. This hiking path took me through a beautiful forest of tall trees. The downhill route wasn`t so good for the knees though... hahaha...

My trek back down the hill

Dinner was a simple affair of bento from the local supermarket again. Tomorrow I ascend the Hirugano Highlands!

Ukai - Cormorant Fishing

2007-05-30T16:27:00.000+08:00

Headed east from Hikone City towards the city of Gifu this morning. With my new backpack on my back and 5kg of luggage off the rear of my bike, it was much easier riding.

My new Adidas backpack - 2,320yen

Along the way to Gifu City, I passed by the town of Sekigahara. This little town is situated in the plains of Sekigahara where the largest ever domestic battle was fought during the Civil War period. After this battle, the warlord Ieyasu Tokugawa united Japan under his banner.

The Plains of Sekigahara

Location of Ieyasu Tokugawa`s Command Post

The ride from Hikone to Gifu City was rather flat and uneventful and I made it to Gifu in good time, reaching at around noon. It was still way too early to check into the hotel so I went to a little park in town called Kanazono Park to wash my bike. Degreasing my drivetrain and re-lubricating took me a whole hour! But I guess its about time to clean my bike after more than 1,000km of dirt... hahaha...

Gifu Castle (the speck in the top left corner) and the 3 Storeyed Pagoda

Check out these parking lots! What if the owner of the car on top wants to go out for supper at 1am?

Checking into the Weekly Kanazono Business Hotel, I left my stuff and took a walk towards Nagara River to catch a glimpse of Ukai or cormorant fishing. Apparently, the fishermen use birds called cormorants to catch fish. Strings are tied around the throats of these birds so that they can`t swallow the fish they catch. I have no idea what a cormorant is, but I guess it looks something like the bird in this statue.

I was much too early to watch the fishermen go out and catch fish with their birds, and I didn`t want to pay 3,000 yen to get on these boats to watch them fish, so I just snapped a few photos and headed back to the hotel.

More boats on the other side of the bridge getting ready to watch the Ukai

I made my way back to the hotel via the bank of the Nagara River. The view at dusk was spectacular!

The Nagara River at dusk

Rain

2007-05-26T16:20:00.000+08:00

It rained the entire today! From the moment I left Kyoto till when I reached Hikone, it was raining. Wasn`t exactly pouring, torrential rain, but nevertheless, it wasn`t a slight drizzle as well....

Before I left Kyoka Ryokan, I spent about half an hour trying to waterproof everything. Once I thought everything was fine, I put on my Adidas windbreaker and headed out into the wet.

Initially, traffic was rather heavy along national highway #1 as I headed out of Kyoto City. Riding along the 6 lane national highway in morning rush hour traffic on a rainy day is really not fun. At first, I took care to avoid puddles by swerving around them or going through slowly, but after the first 18-wheeler came by and totally immersed me and my bike in water, I didn`t really care anymore. hahaha....

Its surprising that just the day before, when I reached Kyoto it was 25 degrees Celsius, but on a rainy day, the temperature could drop 8 degrees! Its a good thing my jacket most of my body dry, but unfortunately, it wasn`t as good as stopping the wind as my Salomon.

Anyways, reached Biwako (Lake Biwa) right on schedule despite the wet conditions and I proceeded to cross Biwako Bridge to get to the other side of the lake.

Biwako is the largest lake in Japan and its almost like a small sea! Crossing the bridge from one side to the other, the view would have been fantastic if not for the very gloomy weather. So, unfortunately all I saw was a vast expanse of grey.

Crossing Biwako Bridge

Risking getting my N95 wet, I try to take some pictures of the lake

After crossing Biwako into Omi-Hachiman City along Route #477, the road to Hikone was rather quiet. It was mainly countryside with the scores of rice fields as usual.

Golden rice fields on my way to Hikone City

Reaching Hikone City, I check into the somewhat pricey Hotel Estacion and begin to check my equipment. All my bags were totally wet and anything that was not ziplocked was soaked!

Luckily, everything important had been waterproofed and I did not destroy anything important. My bags were extremely dirty though, and even a little oily from the dirty water that the trucks repeatedly splashed onto me. It took me a whole 3 hours to wash everything and slowly dry everything with the hairdryer. The hotel`s electricity bill for that night must have sky-rocketed! hahaha....

Breakdown!

2007-05-26T15:59:00.001+08:00

Today, I head for Kyoto City - the old capital city of Japan. It was going to be a rather long ride, more than 80km, so I left Ashiya City at around 8am.

It was good that I left early, cause along the way, my bike rack broke! Due to my luggage being too heavy, one of the support bars on my rear touring rack broke off. This caused the rack to sink down and it kept hitting my rear wheel, making it impossible to cycle.

So, stopping in a nearby carpark, I had to make some emergency repairs to the rack. Finally, after about 30mins of struggling with the rack, I managed to use some twine to secure the rack to my bike frame again. However, in order to reduce the load on the rear, I had to sling my heavy trunkbag around my shoulders. Good thing the support broke only 30km from Kyoto!

Emergency Repairs

The remaining support bar on the other side of the bike (the bar with holes in it)

About 5km from Kyoto City central, I found a bike shop, but unfortunately they didn`t carry any spare to repair my rack or even a new touring rack, so I had to borrow a pair of their pliers and make do on my own. I managed to re-attach the broken support bar to the rack (its much shorter now though). Now the rack`s a little lopsided but I guess it`ll have to do! hahaha....

Entering Kyoto City, I checked into the very run-down Kyoka Ryokan and went out to catch a glimpse of the city. Kyoto is an extremely large place with lots to see. The city itself is split into 5 sections of which I was at the central area. However, since I was rather tired from cycling and fixing the bike, I just went to check out the area around Kyoto Station. Apparently, the station building is an architectural masterpiece...

The sprawling Kyoto Station complex

Kyoto Station Building

Inside Kyoto Station Building - `The Grand Staircase`

Too bad I didn`t have more time. Kyoto seems a rather interesting place and it would have been nice to spend a few days there!

The White Castle

2007-05-26T15:27:00.001+08:00

Before I started my journey for the day, I visited Himeji Castle - a World Heritage Site. It is supposedly the most beautiful castle in all of Japan and is nicknamed the `White Egret` due to its walls being covered with white plaster to prevent fires from spreading around the castle.

Himeji Castle

On my way to the castle, I met Chris, an American freelance photographer. Like me, he was travelling around Japan for a couple of weeks using his 7 day Japan Rail Pass. Since he was on his way to the castle as well, we went in together.

Chris adjusting the settings on his new Nikon DSLR

View of Himeji City central from the top floor of the castle

Chris from California, U.S.A.

After spending almost 2 hours in the castle, we parted ways as Chris had to catch his shinkansen to Nagoya.

As for me, the plan for the day was to cycle southeast down to Akashi City where I could catch a ferry to Awaji Island. From the island, I was supposed to take another ferry to Izumi Sano town in Osaka city. Unfortunately, when I reached Akashi City, I learnt that the ferry from Awaji Island to Izumi Sano was no longer in operation! This meant I had to change my plans and head to Kobe City instead. Lucky, the cashier at the ferry terminal was nice enough to refund me the ticket for the ferry that I had already bought!

On the way to Kobe City, I passed by the Akashikaikyo Bridge. This bridge linked Akashi City to Awaji Island, where I was supposed to go. I took a break there and took a few photos as well.

Akashikaikyo Bridge

The promenade in the park by the bridge

Me, my bike and the Akashikaikyo Bridge

From the bridge, it was another 20km to Kobe City and I reached the city central at around 3pm. Little did I know, there was a huge conference being held on the same day and ALL accomodation in Kobe City was fully booked!

So, I had no choice but to head for Ashiya City which was another 20km away. Luckily, the roads were quite flat and I was able to reach Ashiya City before 6pm. The only hotel in town was called the Hotel Takezono Ashiya and it cost me 10,500yen! But having no other choice, I checked in.

So far, this hotel has been the most expensive one that I`ve stayed at, and its also the one with the worst service! Upon checking in, I asked the counter staff if there was somewhere in the hotel I could keep my bike in. The unfriendly staff flatly refused to help me and asked me to leave my bike at the public parking which was 2 blocks away.

Not wanting to argue further, I went to the parking lot, which required me to pay 200yen to park my bike, and then lugged my bags 2 blocks back to the hotel.

Even small hotels that I`ve stayed in for half the price in little towns have better service than this `5-star` hotel. Never will I stay in a Hotel Takezono again!

Back to Honshu Island

2007-05-26T14:44:00.000+08:00

Kimi-san sent me off at Takamatsu Port this morning. She drove me and my bike in her lorry and we reached the port at around 8am. It was a pity that I couldn`t stay longer at the Nakamuras. Anyways, they promised to call if they ever came to Singapore, and then it`ll be my turn to show them around!

I caught the 9am ferry out to Shodoshima Island, which was my intermediate stop on the way back to Honshu Island.

Takamatsu Port

The ferry ride from Takamatsu to Shodoshima Island took around an hour during which I caught some shut-eye. Reaching Tonosho Port on the island, I immediately set out for my destination, Fukuda Port, from which I will take the ferry to Himeji City on Honshu Island.

Shodoshima Island is located in the Seto Inland Sea and is famous for its olive trees. All over the island, there are scores of such trees. Its a pity the Japanese don`t really use olive oil in their cooking!

Olive Garden - Where there was an olive tree museum

Cycling northwards towards Fukuda Port, I passed by the Olive Garden, but did not enter. Didn`t really fancy paying money to learn about olive trees! Next to it, was Olive Beach, where I took a break at the little pier below.

Olive Beach

Me at the pier

View of the Seto Inland Sea from the pier

About 20km from Fukuda Port, I ran into a mountain. Didn`t really expect it cause I was travelling along the coastline, but apparently the mountain ridge formed a cliff along Shodoshima Island`s eastern coast. The climbing was tough, but the views were good....

Start of the climbing

Taking a break at the top

Great views of the sea

Finally reaching Fukuda Port at 130pm, I realised that I had just missed the 115pm ferry for Himeji! The next one left only 2 hours later, so I had the opportunity to have lunch first. Lunch was at a small cafe next to the ferry terminal where I had `so-men`. `So-men` is the specialty of Shodoshima Island, and I had mine cold, `zaru-soba` style. Texture of the noodles were great and didn`t cost me that much as well!

My ride to Himeji City

Ferry to Himeji City took almost 2 hours and by the time I checked into the Washington Hotel which was near Himeji Station, it was almost 6pm.

The Nakamuras

2007-05-24T16:04:00.001+08:00

I woke up at 5am today and then left Imabari Station Hotel by 6am. I had 150km to cover to Takamatsu and I promised Kimi-san that I`ll reach at around 4pm so I had better start early!

Breakfast - The giant `ama-mitsu` that the kind fruit seller gave me during my Shimanami Kaido route

At around 1pm, I reached the town of Kotohira, about another 40km to Takamatsu City. In this town there was supposedly a very famous shrine called Konpira-san. Apparently, one has to climb over a thousand steps to reach the main shrine! I did a couple hundred then I gave up and went on my way to Takamatsu City.

The start of the steps to the main shrine at Konpira-san

Below is a box of rock candy that I received from a kind Japanese lady at the bottom of the steps. She had just come down from the shrine and wanted to bring these sweets home for souvenirs, but decided to give them to me as a good luck gift. Nice huh!

I finally reached Takamatsu City at around 4pm. At around 5pm, Kimi-san came to pick me up in a lorry because the Nakamuras did not actually stay in Takamatsu City, but they stayed in Sanuki Town about 20km away from Takamatsu.

Pachinko parlor opened by Aizen Sousuke in Takamatsu City

Upon reaching the Nakamuras` place, I left my stuff in the guest room then Osamu-san brought me out to tour his estate. In addition to their full-time jobs, the Nakamuras also grow rice and vegetables on their own land for sale at the local markets!

Me and my `Mama-Chyari` - Thats what the Japanese call their market bikes

One of the many cabbage patches owned by the Nakamuras

Kimi-san, Osamu-san & Me

Me and Osamu-san`s Parents

Dinner was a very delicious affair of yakiniku and rice. The rice was from their own fields and most of the vegetables were self-grown as well! The food was really great and very different from the barbecues that we have back at home in Singapore. We ate for a total of 3 hours (or more like I ate and they watched me eat, cause I was so hungry after the day`s ride)!

After dinner, Osamu-san showed me pictures from his travels in Europe, New Zealand and Singapore before we turned in at around 11pm.

It was a truly great experience staying with the Nakamuras and I am grateful for their hospitality!

Aston Martin`s Island Hopping Campaign

2007-05-24T14:46:00.000+08:00

The Seto Inland Sea bounded by Honshu Island to the north and Shikoku Island to the south. In between, there are numerous smaller islands - some inhabited, some uninhabited. The Shimanami Kaido is a series of huge bridges that allow vehicles to cross from Honshu Island to Shikoku Island. It is also the only large bridge in Japan that allows the passage of bicycles on it.

The Shimanami Kaido bridge system consists of eight large bridges - the Shin-Onomichi Bridge, the Mukaijima Bridge, the Innoshima Bridge, the Ikuchijima Bridge, the Tatara Bridge, the Oomishima Bridge, the Hakata-Oshima Bridge and the Kurushimakaikyo Bridge.

These bridges connect the islands of Honshu, Mukaijima, Innoshima, Ikuchijima, Oomishima, Hakatashima, Oshima and Shikoku. The total distance from Ononomichi City in Honshu Island to Imabari City in Shikoku Island is around 80km.

First Hop - Onomichi City to Mukaijima

The first bridge in the Shimanami Kaido system is the Shin-Onomichi Bridge. Unfortunately, bicycles were not allowed on this bridge so I had to pay 110 yen for the 5 minute boat ride from a little pier in Onomichi to Mukaijima.

The 5 Minute Ferry Ride

Reaching Mukaijima, I rode south towards the next connecting bridge. Mukaijima is one of the smaller islands in the Seto Inland Sea. It was a rather quiet place, with mostly fishermen out along the coastline. Didn`t see many residents on this island.

The Mukaijima Bridge - Did not cross this because it did not connect to the next island that I wanted to go to

The Innoshima Bridge - Just before I cross from Mukaijima to Innoshima

Second Hop - Mukaijima to Innoshima

Crossing the Innoshima Bridge from Mukaijima to Innoshima, I had to travel in a seperate portion of the bridge under the main carriageway meant for automobiles. Still, the view was great!

View from the Innoshima Bridge - Thats Mukaijima on the right

Crossing into Innoshima, I take a break at the peaceful Shimanami Beach below. Had a quick brunch of bananas and muesli bars.

Shimanami Beach on Innoshima Island

Riding towards Ikuchijima, my next stop, the huge Ikuchijima Bridge comes into sight. As I will find out later, all the bridge entrances and exits for cyclists are located on the top of a small hill, so everytime I want to enter a bridge, I need to ride uphill, and everytime I exit, I get to enjoy some downhill!

Below the Ikuchijima Bridge

The uphill ride to the entrance of Ikuchijima Bridge - This path is only for pedestrians, cyclists and scooters

Third Hop - Innoshima to Ikuchijima

Unlike the Innoshima Bridge, the rest of the other bridges allowed cyclists on the main carriageway in a lane next to the automobile lanes. This let me get a better view of the surroundings as well as nicer photos too!

View from Ikuchijima Bridge

Reaching Ikuchijima, I cycled southwards again towards Tatara Bridge that would link me to Oomishima. Again, this island was rather deserted. I stopped for a break at this place called Sunset Beach, but there wasn`t a soul there!

Oh yeah, along the way to the Tatara Bridge, there was this lady selling organic fruits. As I was passing by she held out a giant grapefruit/orange-like fruit and asked me to have it, wishing me luck for my journey! I later found out that the fruit was called `ama-mitsu` in Japanese.

The Tatara Bridge - Seen from Ikuchijima

Entrance to the Tatara Bridge

Fourth Hop - Ikuchijima to Oomishima

The Shimanami Kaido bridge system only passed by Oomishima for a mere 5km. So after reaching Oomishima and cycling for around 30 minutes, I reach the entrance of Oomishima Bridge, that would bring me onto Hakatashima.

The Oomishima Bridge - Seen from Oomishima

Fifth Hop - Oomishima to Hakatashima

Again, the Shimanami Kaido bridge system only passes Hakatashima for merely 5km. Within less than an hour, I was almost at the entrance of the Hakata-Oshima Bridge. This bridge will lead me into Oshima, the final island before I reach Imabari City in Shikoku Island.

Taking a break before I start the uphill climb to the entrance of the Hakata-Oshima Bridge

Sixth Hop - Hakatashima to Oshima

Along the various cycling tracks and bridges on the Shimanami Kaido, I met scores of cyclists doing the route as well. It seems that this route is a very popular one with Japanese cyclists who live in the area due to its beautiful scenery and quiet roads.

Beautiful view of the Seto Inland Sea from the middle of the Hakata-Oshima Bridge

Oshima is the largest of the six islands that the Shimanami Kaido crosses in the Seto Inland Sea. As I was cycling towards the final bridge in the bridge system, I met a couple who were cycling towards Imabari City as well. They were the Nakamura`s and were on a single day cycling trip. They parked their car in Imabari and were on their way back to collect it when I bumped into them. An extremely friendly couple, Osamu and Kimi, invited me to stay at their house the following day, after I rested in Imabari City for the night.

Osamu-san and I in front of the Kurushimakaikyo Bridge - the largest bridge in the Shimanami Kaido system

Final Hop - Oshima to Imabari City

For the final leg of my Shimanami Kaido journey, I cycled with Osamu-san and Kimi-san to over the Kurushimakaikyo Bridge towards Imabari City. Upon reaching the city, Osamu-san helped me to arrange accomodation at Imabari Station Hotel before driving back to his home in Takamatsu.

I rested early that night. Its gonna be a long ride (150km) to the Nakamura`s place in Takamatsu the next day!

Final photo of the Shimanami Kaido - View from Kurushimakaikyo Bridge

Yamato

2007-05-22T22:53:00.001+08:00

This morning, woke up early to see Eileen and Mom off. They left at around 6am in a taxi headed for JR Hiroshima station where they`ll take a train to Fukuoka airport for the flight back to Singapore.

After a quick breakfast, I set off for the port city of Kure, birthplace of Yamato, the largest warship every built. When I reached there, the Yamato Museum was not opened yet, so I had time for a second breakfast and to take some pictures of the port of Kure.

Kure Port - Where Yamato was Harbored

Below is a picture of a small park that was built next to the musuem. It is modeled after the fore deck of Yamato and is the exact same size as the front quarter of the ship itself.

This giant submarine model did not belong to the Yamato Museum but rather to the Japan Self Defence Force Museum next door

Entrance to the Yamato Museum

The museum contained models and specifications of every single warship built in the docks of the Kure Shipyards. It also had a detailed history of the port of Kure and its importance in Japanese naval history. Today, Kure is still an important port and shipbuilding facility, but its expertise is focused on the construction of commercial ocean liners and supertankers.

1:50 scale model of Yamato

After leaving the museum, I headed for my destination for the day, Onomichi City. Onomichi is the starting point of the Shimanami Kaido, a series of bridges that connects 7 islands in the Seto Inland Sea - culminating in Imabari City on Shikoku Island. This island hopping highway is one of the highlights of my trip!

Along the way to Onomichi, I was fortunate to be accompanied by great views of the Seto Inland Sea. Below you see a portion of the Inland Sea which is called the Sea of Eden. Its a really beautiful spot with the sun`s rays reflecting of the clear, green water.

My bike and me and the Sea of Eden

I reached Onomichi City in the early evening and stayed at Onomichi Royal Hotel. There wasn`t much to see in the city itself anyway so I turned in early to prepare myself for a long but scenic ride tomorrow!

Look out for my next post about the beautiful Shimanami Kaido!

Total distance covered to date (19th May 2007) = 595.98km

To Miyajima Island with Mom and Eileen

2007-05-22T22:35:00.000+08:00

Today is Eileen`s 25th birthday! She came over to Hiroshima together with Mom to celebrate her birthday in Japan. 2 days in Hiroshima - the first was spent mostly visiting the various sights around the city such as the Peace Memorial Park.

On the 2nd day, we went to Miyajima Island - a World Heritage Sight. Miyajima Island is south of Hiroshima City and the ferry ride there takes around 30mins from Miyajima-guchi Pier. Miyajima is a beautiful island covered with maple trees and free roaming deer.

The famous `torii` of Ikutsushima-jinja

The both of us in front of the `torii`

The splendid Ikutsushima-jinja

Miyajima Island has thousands of free roaming deer. These tame animals allow people to take photographs with them and can be found in almost any part of the island.

One of Miyajima`s main attractions is Mount Misen. We took the cable car all the way up the mountain, but it was still a good hour`s hike before we finally reached the peak of Mount Misen where we had a view of the Seto Inland Sea. Unfortunately, it was a foggy day so we didn`t have a very clear view of the nearby islands.

Trying the famous Hiroshima `okonomiyaki`

After Miyajima, we went back to Hiroshima City where we had a `shabu-shabu` dinner to celebrate Eileen`s birthday. It was something like steamboat but with more red meat rather than seafood. It was a great day, but too bad Mom and Eileen can only be here for 2 days....

Happy 25th Birthday dear!

Hiroshima - City of Peace

2007-05-22T20:59:00.000+08:00

Leaving Iwakuni, I rode towards Hiroshima City. The ride was rather uneventful, but traffic was extremely heavy so most of the time I spent on the pavements. Somehow, the pavements in this region are much narrower than those found in Kyushu and with my luggage and all, it was like attempting an urban single-track trail... Dodging pedestrians and lamp posts!

Coastal route to the city of Hiroshima

Checking into Aster Plaza International Youth House, I took a nap and then woke up in the evening to grab dinner and explore the city a little. Didn`t do much though - just walked around a bit and checked out the internet cafe.

The next day, I got up and headed straight for the city`s center - the Peace Memorial Park. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is a huge complex with a musuem, a memorial hall, an international exchange center, a tourist information office and the famous A-Bomb Dome.

In the picture below, you see the main path of the Peace Park which leads to the Cenotaph, remembering all those who died in the bombing. In the background you can see the A-Bomb Dome. The Peace Park was built in such a way that its entrance, the path to the Cenotaph, the Flame of Peace and the A-Bomb Dome all lie in a straight line.

Everyday, thousands of visitors from all over Japan and the world come to visit the Hiroshima Peace Park. Japanese tour groups and school children from across the country make up the majority of these visitors. Daily, visitors to the Cenotaph bring fresh flowers and below you see the caretakers arranging these flowers.

As the Peace Park is in the center of Hiroshima city, many office workers pass by here everyday on their way to work. Most of them usually take a few seconds to offer their prayers before heading off to work.

This is the Flame of Peace. It will only be extinguished when the last nuclear weapon on Earth has been dismantled. Being only one of two cities to have ever experienced the horrors of an atomic bombing, it is understandable that Hiroshima City is one of the strongest anti-nuclear advocates in the world. Everytime a country tests its nuclear weapons, the mayor of Hiroshima City at the point in time will send the leader of the country a protest telegram. Copies of these telegrams are still on display inside the A-Bomb Musuem in the park.

The A-Bomb Dome is called that because it was the building which was almost directly below the atomic bomb when it exploded 600m in the air. This building is also one of the only 3 buildings that were left standing after the explosion. Everything else was totally flattened.

After visiting the Peace Memorial Park, I headed towards Hijiyama Park. This park contained a museum of contemporary art (which I did not go into) and also a Manga Museum/Library. Since the Manga Museum/Library was free, I decided to go in and take a look. Nothing much, just like an ordinary library just that the shelves were filled with rows and rows of manga comics. Also, even though it was located in a deserted corner of the park, there were at least 30 people sitting and reading comics there!

Iwakuni City - The Land of Rocks

2007-05-18T15:59:00.000+08:00

This morning, the owner of Wakasagi-no-Yado Minshuku offered to send me and my bike to the top of Aonoyama. He said that from there, it would be a relatively downhill ride to Iwakuni City. Being lazy, I accepted his offer...hahaha.... Furthermore, looking at my map I saw that even after he dropped me off, I would still have to ride a good 80km to Iwakuni City. So I thought, why kill my legs? lol...

On my way to Iwakuni

The sign below states that this is the highest point on national highway #187. #187 was the road that will bring me into Iwakuni City so you can imagine how happy I was to see that sign! Iwakuni City is a coastal area, so if that sign is the highest point, it can only mean that its a downhill ride all the way!

Taking a break from braking to take a picture

I stopped at a small town called Miwa-cho to have my lunch by the river. In Japanese, Miwa means beautiful river and this town that was built along the river definitely deserves that name! Lunch was a simple affair of coke and onigiri. Very fusion huh! lol

Lunch point by the river

The beautiful Nishiki River that accompanied me all the way from Miwa-cho to Iwakuni City for over 50km

Entering Iwakuni City at around 3pm, I checked into the Iwakuni International Sightseeing Hotel. A very nice and comfortable business hotel with extremely professional staff. Leaving my stuff in the room, I immediately went to see the famous Kintaikyo Bridge. This bridge was built in the shogun era for samurai to use. Not a single nail was used in its construction and the entire bridge was made just from wooden planks! Beautiful huh... According to the signboard, commoners were not allowed to use the bridge and had to cross the river by boat. Only samurai could walk over it. Even today, they still discriminate between the rich and poor by charging 200yen just to cross the bridge... I, of course, boycotted it... hahaha... I used the free bridge which was 200m away to get to the other side.

Crossing to the other side, I took a 2min cable car ride up the mountain to go take a look at Iwakuni Castle. Having passed by castles in Fukuoka, Kokura, Hagi and Tsuwano, this is the first castle that I will actually be going in!

The view of Iwakuni City from the top of the mountain

The castle looked magnificent from the outside, but inside it was rather non-descript. It`s basically been converted into a museum housing artifacts from the feudal period of Japan.

Iwakuni-jo (Iwakuni Castle)

One of the many swords on display in the castle

After visiting the castle, I just managed to catch the last cable car back down to my hotel. Otherwise, I would have had to hike 30mins down the mountain. Something that I really do not want to do after 80km of riding!

Waiting for the cable car to arrive

Going back to the hotel, I decided to check out the `roten-buro` or outdoor bath. Its basically a huge outdoor bathtub that was constructed on the roof of the hotel. Nice view of Kintaikyo bridge, but the water was a little too hot so I came out after 5 minutes... hahaha....

My room which was about the size of a closet

The hallway to the `roten-buro`

Night Ride

2007-05-18T15:18:00.000+08:00

Left Hagi City at around 7am in the morning today. The previous night, Yoneda-san advised me to take the shorter prefectural road #13 to Tsuwano instead of the longer national highway #9. That proved to be very good advice as it saved me a lot of time and suffering...hahaha.... You see, the route between Hagi and Tsuwano was divided by a mountain. If I were to take the longer route, it would have just meant an extra hour or two spent climbing the mountain with my overweight bike!

Taking one last look at Hagi City before I left for Tsuwano

Shortcut to the town of Tsuwano

I managed to make it to Tsuwano rather early at around 2pm. Referring to my Lonely Planet Japan, I checked into Wakasagi-no-Yado Minshuku. It cost 4,500yen per night but as you can see below, it was a very spacious tatami room with comfortable futons and even my own television. The owners were a very friendly Japanese couple who did their best to make me comfortable.

My tatami room in Wakasagi-no-Yado Minshuku

The town of Tsuwano is a very small one with a population of 6,500. Its primary industry is tourism as visitors from all over Japan come to see Tsuwano castle and Taikodani Inari Shrine. The moat around Tsuwano castle is famous for its Koi. Apparently, in the Shogun era, samurai in Tsuwano castle bred Koi in the moats as emergency food in case they were besieged by their enemies. Anyways, that expected siege never came, so the Koi were never eaten and nowadays there`s supposed to be thousands of Koi in the moats!

There`s also an observatory in nearby Nichihara which is about 10km away from Tsuwano. I wanted to take a look, so since the observatory only opens at night, I decided to take a short nap before starting my sightseeing.

Unfortunately, by the time I woke up it was already 6pm and fast getting dark! The castle was rather far away so I had to give that a miss. Instead, I headed for Taikodani Inari Shrine which was 5 minutes walk from my accomodation. Taikodani Inari Shrine is a large shrine built on the side of the mountain. From the entrance, I had to take a 2 minute hike up a couple flights of steps to reach the actual shrine.

Entrance to Taikodani Inari Shrine

The steps up to the actual shrine

Climbing to the shrine, it gave me a panaromic view of Tsuwano town which was built parallel along the Tsuwano river. After the shrine, it was almost dark, so I grabbed a quick discount bento at the nearby supermarket and started by ride to Nichihara Observatory. Before I left, the owners of the minshuku which I was staying at tried to dissuade me from going and offered to give me a lift there and back, but I stubbornly refused. This was a decision that I I stubbornly refused. This was a decision that I regretted about an hour later!

Initially, the ride towards Nichihara on national highway #9 was rather easy. It was downhill most of the way and the air was cool. The only thing was that it was getting rather dark and there were quite a lot of large trucks passing by the area. Luckily, I had all my lights on so visibility wasn`t that much of a problem.. YET...

As I entered the town of Nichihara, it was totally dark! Being a small town in the countryside, Nichihara did not have much street lighting. Using my Cateye front lamp, I was somehow able to spot the signs pointing towards the Nichihara Observatory. The problem came when I reached the beginning of the road to the observatory. It was completely dark and isolated!

Being an observatory, it was located at the top of a mountain, whereas I was in the town at the foot of the mountain. So, now I had to climb up the narrow isolated mountain road in total darkness! To make matters worse, the temperature had suddenly fallen from 21 degrees celsius when I left Tsuwano to 8 degrees celsius by the time I had reached Nichihara. Totally regretted not heeding the owners advice! hahahaha....

Oh well, since I was there already I had no choice but to proceed right? So I slowly made my way up the mountain. It was 3km to the observatory but the slope was so steep that I kept going in zigzags! By the time I reached the top 30 mins later, I had made up my mind - I shall succumb to the owners` offer and call him to pick me up on the way back! lol...

Reaching the observatory, there were only 2 visitors that night - Myself and another lady who had driven up. As a result, this meant that we had the telescope all to ourselves. The resident astrologist had the huge telescope hooked up to his computer, so we could practically view any constellation or planet we wanted! haha.. he even gave us a running commentary about the stars that we were looking at, but unfortunately, my Japanese astrological vocabulary is very limited so I couldn`t understand half of what he was saying! hahahaha....

All　in all, despite the gruelling ride up the mountain to the observatory, the wonderful starscapes that I managed to catch with the Nichihara telescope made it all worthwhile! Next time, I`ll think twice before riding up a mountain at night in total darkness though!

The Youth Hostel that Wasn't for Youths

2007-05-17T14:10:00.000+08:00

Today, I woke up with a slightly swollen right knee. I guess this must be the effect of yesterday`s intensive climbing up the slopes towards Mine City. Anyways, after putting some of the ointment given by Eileen`s grandma and wrapping my knee in a kneeguard, it was still a little sore but I was good to go!

Left Mine Grand Hotel at around 8 in the morning and headed straight for Akiyoshidai which is the most well-known attraction in the area. Akiyoshidai is a limestone plateau that was supposedly a huge coral reef 300 million years ago. This means that 300 million years ago, the area where this plateau was situated was totally covered with water!

Underneath this plateau, erosion created a very large cave called Akiyoshido. Below, you see the entrance to this cavern as well as a dark shot of the cavern`s interior.

Entry into this area cost me 1,200yen and it covered entrance both to Akiyoshidai and Akiyoshido. I first explored the cave, and from the center of the cave, I took an elevator that went straight up to the top of the plateau. From there, it was a short hike to Akiyoshidai observatory where I could get a good view of the entire plateau and the surrounding highlands.

After spending about 2 hours at the Akiyoshidai area, it was time to head towards my destination city of the day, Hagi City. Although Hagi is situated in the Chugoku Sanchi as well, it was located along the northern coast of western Honshu. Being a coastal town, this meant that it had an altitude of 0m above sea level. This translated for rather easy riding for me as I cruised downhill most of the way from Akiyoshidai (225m above sea level) to Hagi (0m above sea level).

The Downhill Route to Hagi City

Upon reaching Hagi City in the evening, I decided to give sightseeing a pass as I was quite tired. However, I did go check out the famous Hagi-yaki. Hagi-yaki is earthenware that is specially made in Hagi City. It is said to be the 2nd best quality in Japan, coming after Kyoto earthenware. So, I went to a shop recommended by the Lonely Planet guidebook and bought a nice coffee mug for my mom at 2,500yen. It was beautiful!

After my shopping, I attempted to look for Hagi Youth Hostel. The map wasn`t very clear so it took me about an hour to locate it. Checking in, I found out that I was going to share a room with 3 other persons. Naturally, I expected it to be people of around my age, it being a youth hostel and all.... but, after I came out of my shower, I saw 3 guys in the room, all in their 40's! hahaha... it is soooo not a youth hostel man!

Anyways, it was a great fun sharing the room with Yoneda-san, Sekihara-san and Murakami-san. Yoneda-san was also on a cycling holiday, but his was a short weekend ride to the city of Hagi. He`s a really nice guy who gave me a packet of his favorite Japanese crackers specifically to be eaten with beer, according to him.

Sekihara-san is a portly salaryman who was in Hagi for a course that he had to complete for his long-distance degree. He was really helpful in showing me the terrain and the way for the next few days as he had a Japan driving atlas... lol... it was even more detailed than mine....

As for Murakami-san, I didn`t have a chance to talk to him much as he went out for a movie after dinner, but all I know is that he was very friendly and he stays in Eastern Hiroshima City.

Oh well, although Hagi Youth Hostel isn`t really a youth hostel, I must say that it was really great fun and a wonderful experience getting to meet and talk to these people!

Goodbye Kyushu Island!

2007-05-17T13:27:00.000+08:00

Today is the day that I say goodbye to Kyushu Island - its friendly people, chanpon and hakata-bijin! I woke up rather late in the morning and set off for a bike shop called Click! in Kokura City. Shinji had earlier reserved a portable bike bag for me to collect. With it, I should be able to get on trains, buses and ferries should the need arise.

On the way to Kokura City, I stopped by a small neighborhood park to use the washroom there. When I came out, I saw an old lady admiring my bike. She asked me where I was cycling to so I described to her my planned journey from Fukuoka to Tokyo. And she was so nice! She wanted to give me a gift for good luck but she didn`t have anything with her, so she gave me her apple that she had brought out as a snack. Really sweet huh? And it was a huge apple too!

Sarakura-yama or Mount Sarakura in the background

Kokura Castle - Passed by it on my way to Click!

After I picked up my little big bag from Click!, that cost me 5,985yen, I continued to make my way towards the coastal town/port of Moji. Moji was where the Kanmon Tunnel was located and I planned to use that tunnel to cross into Shimonoseki City in Honshu Island. Surprisingly, as I cycled along the coastal route towards Moji Port, there wasn`t much headwind to contest with.

On the way to Moji Port and the Kanmon Tunnel

Oh yeah, along the way to Moji Port, passed by the Asahi Beer Company Moji Port Brewery - XT, this picture is for you... hahahaha...

Moji Port Asahi Beer Brewery

Mehari Shrine - The Northernmost Shrine on Kyushu Island

I finally reached the Kanmon Tunnel at around noontime. The tunnel is an 800m long undersea tunnel connecting Moji in Fukuoka Prefecture to Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture. It is free for pedestrians to use, but cyclists have to pay a token fee of 20yen. There`s a seperate tunnel for vehicles that runs parallel to the pedestrian/cyclist tunnel.

Half my bike in Fukuoka Prefecture and half my bike in Yamaguchi Prefecture

Crossing over into Honshu Island, I start to ride for Mine City (pronounced as Mi-Neh). It didn`t look that far on the map so I was expecting to reach there before 5pm. Little did I know that a mountain stood between me and my destination!

Random monkey sculpture that I took a picture of before I hit the mountain roads

Today, I experienced my first mountain pass in Japan. Little did I know that this was just a hint of what kind of riding I was to do in the next few days. Later on, I found out from one of the owners of the hotels that I stayed at that I was entering the Chugoku Sanchi or Middle Kingdom Mountain Range.

The Mountain Roads to Mine City

By the time I entered Mine City, it was just getting dark at around 7pm! I was just glad to be able to check into a hotel, even though it cost 5,775yen. Leaving my stuff, I headed out to get some much needed fuel for my weary body. And that`s when I discovered something very important!

Japanese supermarkets all have a section selling freshly cooked food such as corokke, bentos and other yummy stuff. However, due to quality control reasons, they have to clear such foodstuffs by the end of a business day. SO, if u go to a Japanese supermarket about 1 hour before their closing time, all such leftovers are going for 50% discount! hahahaha....

I couldn`t resist it and bought enough food for my dinner, supper, breakfast and lunch - all for only 1,550yen!

A Day with Shinji

2007-05-16T16:14:00.000+08:00

Today, I was supposed to meet Shinji Abe at Munakata Shrine at 1100hrs. He came right on time and we went off riding after paying a short visit to Munakata Shrine.

He brought me along for a very scenic coastal ride which followed the coast of Genkai, or the Gen Sea. At first, it was rather difficult for me to keep up with a roadie using my fully loaded 40kg bike and battling strong coastal headwinds. But luckily, after awhile, Shinji realised that I was always like 100m behind him, so he started to slow down... hahaha...

Riding along the coast of Genkai

Lunch was a ramen-like meal called Chanpon. The difference was that unlike ramen, Chanpon had lots of vegetables and meat piled on top. Forgot to take a picture of it though!

After lunch, Shinji brought me to Ashiya Village. This place is well-known for the production of iron tea kettles called Ashiyagama. Such kettles are then used in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, Sado. Each kettle is unique and takes months to produce!

Ashiyagama and other tools used in Sado

After a very yummy and authentic cup of matcha that cost me 300yen, we continued our ride towards Shinji`s house in Mizumaki Town. He brought me along a nice cycling track by the river and various backroads to avoid the heavy traffic in Kitakyushu City.

Taking a short break at his house, we then continued on to Kurosaki Town where I was to stay for the night. Left my bike in the hotel, took a quick shower then went downstairs for dinner with Shinji.

Dinner was Shinji's treat. He brought me to a very nice yakitori place in Kurosaki. His childhood friend, Yoshiyuki, who currently owns a dental clinic in Kurosaki joined us too. Apparently both of them grew up in Kurosaki and knew the town like the back of their hands! Dinner that night was great as we enjoyed very good yakitori with Japanese beer, and made interesting conversation with a mixture of English and Japanese. Good food, and even better company makes for a great evening!

Yoshiyuki-san on the left, Shinji-san in the middle and me on the right

The Riding Starts

2007-05-16T15:36:00.000+08:00

Left at 7am today. Riding through Fukuoka City was relatively simple. Traffic was heavy though, so I kept mostly on the pavements while I followed National Highway #3 towards Kitakyushu City. Breakfast was on the go at a convenience store along the way.

Bike and me in front of Hakozaki Shrine in Fukuoka City.

As I entered Wajiro town along National Highway #495, I saw the sign for the road leading to Uminonakamachi. This place is supposed to be one of the attractions of Fukuoka Prefecture so I decided to take a short detour to check it out. Little did I know this detour would turn out to be 34km!

Uminonakamachi used to be quite a popular attraction. But as the novelty of the place wore out, less and less people visited it. While I was there, all I saw was the rare jogger in Uminonakamachi Park. Opposite the park, the amusement park was totally deserted and didn't even seem open!

Continuing along my way towards Fukutsu City, I took a few more breaks before reaching my destination without problems. However, when I reached Fukutsu, I realised that it wasn't really a city but more of a town only. There was no accommodation to be found!

The road to Munakata Shrine and Konominato Sky Hotel

Having no choice, and since it was still rather early, I decided to ride down to Munakata Shrine. This was the place where I was to meet my friend Shinji Abe the next day. According to him, Munakata Shrine was a very famous shrine in Japan, so I figured, if its famous as a tourist destination, there's sure to be hotels right?

Reaching the shrine, I asked around and one of the caretakers pointed me in the direction of Konominato (roughly translated as the Gods' Pier). So after an hour later, I finally checked into Konominato Sky Hotel.

My dinner for the night

After dinner, I went to the common bath area on the ground floor of the hotel. Apparently most Japanese hotels have these common baths even though every room has an attached shower room. It seems that communal baths are very much part of the culture here. My first time in a public bath - quite an interesting experience! No pictures though... hahaha...

Fukuoka

2007-05-08T18:53:00.000+08:00

Once the bike was settled, it was time for a short ride to Khaosan Hostel in the Hakata area. The road to the hostel was quite straight and keeping in mind that its been awhile since I cycled on the road, I decided to go by the pavement. Pavements here are quite wide (from what I’ve seen so far) so it was a fairly easy ride to the hostel.

However, the bags on my bike were really heavy， and it made the bike a little hard to control. I guess I’m also a little rusty riding a fully loaded bike, so it’ll probably get better as I go along… hahaha….

Reaching the hostel, I locked the bike downstairs (hopefully its still there tmw!) and put my stuff in my dorm room, shared with 7 others. All the people here are really friendly! And I even met this guy,　Toshio, who offered to cook dinner! Hahaha…. I actually had planned ｔｏ go out for some ramen, but since he offered, I shan’t turn him down…. Lol

After dinner, we went up to the roof to relax a little. Think I’ll probably give sightseeing a miss since the owner of the hostel said there’s nothing much to see in Fukuoka, unless you’re into drinking and clubbing (of which I obviously am not into!)

Guess I’ll have an early night tonight and start off early tmw for Fukutsu City!

The view from the roof of Khaosan Fukuoka Hostel

Re-assembly

2007-05-08T18:25:00.001+08:00

As usual, my bike bore the scars of transportation. Good thing it was just a chip in the paint, and not something more serious. Oh well, it will probably need a new paintjob by the time this journey is over.

Unpacking and re-assembling my bike took me close to an hour! People were staring at me as they walked past, but I was lucky enough not to be chased out of the airport while unpacking. I bet if I did the same in Changi, within seconds the security guards would be asking me to unpack outside…. Hahaha…

Flight (Part 2)

2007-05-08T18:25:00.000+08:00

After boarding the plane bound for Tokyo, I found out that I had the whole row of seats to myself! Haha, shiok! Looks like its gonna be a good flight．

After transiting in Narita, I got on the ANA flight to Fukuoka and reached the southern city at around 130pm. Time to start unpacking and re-assembling my bike!

Flight (Part 1)

2007-05-08T18:09:00.000+08:00

Ｗａｉｔｉｎｇ　ｆｏｒ　ｍｙ　ｆｌｉｇｈｔ　ｔｏ　Ｎａｒｉｔａ

The flight from Singapore to Bangkok was rather uneventful. Touched down right on schedule at the new Thai airport (Don’t know how to spell its name) Anyways, its huge! But a lot of it is still under construction and the bare concrete walls in many parts of the airport made it seem rather “cheap”… haha…

Preparations

2007-05-08T17:54:00.000+08:00

The past few days have been really, really busy. Packing my bags, running about buying last minute stuff, meeting up with friends and also, trying to settle the yearbook!

Finally, just minutes before I’m supposed to leave for the airport, everything is packed and good to go! Now I only hope that my luggage doesn’t exceed the weight limit. Its also gonna be rather difficult lugging all　that stuff around the airport, but oh well, I guess I’ll manage somehow….

Alright, time to go for now – Goodbye Singapore, Hello Japan!

Prologue

2007-04-22T01:31:00.001+08:00

It's 0130hrs, I'm sleepy and tired.

Nevertheless, I shall heed the advice of a certain person, to post reasons for this blog and my motivations for embarking on a seemingly insane endeavor.

The idea for cycling in Japan came to mind sometime in the middle of 2006. The prospect of graduation loomed near and people were starting to think about their post-graduation plans - shopping trips to Bangkok, backpacking in Europe and even vacationing in the Caribbean.

Well, I've never really been a "shopping" type of person (Eileen can testify to that), and Europe and the Americas did seem rather expensive - so I thought, "Why not try something different?"

And so, I attempted to pursue my dream of touring Japan (why Japan, is another story for another time), and decided to get some exercise in the process by bringing my bike along. Having done long distance cycling in Malaysia and Tibet, I must say that biking is definitely one of the best ways to truly experience the way of life in a different culture.

This blog will be an online collection of my experiences during the tour. Through it, I hope to bring to you the ups and downs of my journey and the daily happenings in my travels.

With it, may you see Japan through my eyes.