(#1/9) Off to Japan- land of sushi, hot springs, and fancy toilets

27 August 2018
With no plans or reservations, just a bicycle and a tent, I realize my style vacation is not for everyone. But I am thrilled to head off into the mountains of Japan. One long day of travel and I'll land in Hokkaido, the northern most island to start my trip. Steep terrain, lots of rain in the forecast, and a bit of a language barrier... I can't wait!

(#2/9) Glorious heaven of hot springs!

1 Sept

I arrived at Chitose Airport in the late evening, threw my bike together and headed out the door. When first in another country the littlest things feel like huge achievements. Found an ATM, money! Used a vending machine, food! Decided to pitch my tent in the public park, shelter!

 The bike paths were wonderful and the traffic minimal. I decided to take the long way into sapporo past lake Shikotsu, which was beautiful and damp. It's a hot springs resort town, but all the onsens were only open to the public during select hours. I remained stinky as I continued north to Sapporo.
The hills were intense and though it was low 70s, the humidity left me dripping with sweat.

 Finally into Sapporo, I sat down to a delicious hot bowl of rice and something. A raw egg was cracked over the top and I dug in. I was eager to get put into the mountains so again I headed north on a wonderful bike path that followed the river. Another damp camp, a little rain, and I was off to the coast to find an onsen.

 Glorious, wonderful, blissful onsen! It's a natural hot spring made into an imposing, intimidating looking spa. I tentatively walked in, paid my 6 dollars and got naked. The men and women have separate sides and you get a washcloth for modesty. You scrub down while sitting on a little stool and then... Hot pools, cold pools, bubbly tubs, outdoor pools, pools where the bottom is contoured like a lounge chair. It was pure heaven and made me feel human again.

Fully refreshed, I headed west to ride around the Shakotan peninsula. First stop was Otaru with its beautiful canal and strange ice cream, I chose sweet potato flavor but passed on the scoop of jet black squid ink.

The coast was beautiful with seastacks making dramatic scenery along the way.

My rainy day quickly turned into the best weather and I was able to dry my tent and clothes. The bathrooms are amazing and plentiful. With high powdered hand dryers that take the damp right out of your shoes.

The toilets deserve a post all to themselves. Heated seats, background music (so no one knows what you are doing in there) and a thorough wash and dry to finish the job. It's hard not to take your time and linger.
With so many buttons to push, and not one in English, going to the bathroom has never held so many surprises.

 I'm starting to learn where to get bowls of delicious ramen and the freshest sushi. But English is rare so I am relying on pictures and charades.

Next stop, the mountains of Niseko, site of the 1972 Olympics and still a popular ski area.

(#3/9) South west Hokkaido

4 Sept
Niseko, site of the 1972 Olympics and many steep roads. There are multiple ski resorts along the mountain, all of them have hot springs and the whole area is surrounded by farmland. As with everything, it wasn't quite what I expected but it was gorgeous.

I wanted to go to Gosheiki, an onsen and popular hike. There was a campground right across the street and after a long, sweaty, muscle cramping climb uphill I finally made it. I pitched my tent and onsen-ed my evening away. 

 The next morning i took off early for the 16km Gosheiki circuit. I underestimated the trail greatly. It climbed 3 mountains and the trail was... Sporty.

 Sometimes it was more of a washout and sometimes a hand over hand scramble. At one point there was a climbing rope tied off to a tree to aid hikers up a slope.
Mixed with the challenging terrain were board walks that passed over beautiful swamps filled with dressed up tourists. I gasped out a sweaty "konichiwa"as they gave me a wide bearth.
The views from the top of course were worth it. The sandwich and sweet fried crunchy things I brought were not so much.

 I made it back to camp in one piece and decided to ride down to the valley floor that afternoon, passing rice paddies along the way.

 I limped my way into a campground, much farther along than I had planned to go. The caretaker made a point to repeatedly let me know where the showers and the laundry were located. The camp was wonderful, in the middle of a beech tree grove, and I woke up with a dry tent for the first time on the trip.

Down the road I ran into Onuma, a little town between two lakes. I stopped at a bakery on the way and each treat was way different than I thought. I need to get used to the fact that chocolate is not chocolate, but instead, bean paste. Custard is mayonnaise, and what I thought was egg was really crab meat in batter. Not bad, just unexpected.
My campsite was free (instead of $3) since they were closing due to a typhoon. I opted to leave early the next morning instead of seeing what camping in a typhoon felt like. I made it to Hakodate with enough time to see the snow monkeys at the botanical gardens. It must have been too warm for them to be using their onsen.

 The tropical gardens were beautiful and even more humid than outside. I was able to spend the morning there, wall along the historic brick buildings on the wharf, and still catch the noon ferry to northern honshu.

The ferry was like a cruise ship, or maybe I had just been outside for a really long time. Sitting in the dry ship for 3 hours was like a mini vacation and for the first time in days I did not spend my afternoon covered in sweat.

Southward I go!

(#4/9) Northern Honshu-everything is uphill

7 Sept 2018
I finally got a room in Aomori to avoid the impending typhoon. My tiny room felt like the height of luxury and I was finally able to dry out all my things.

 The next morning I climbed and climbed. For 3 sold hours I had my bike in its smallest gear without a break. The mountain views were stunning, the roads smooth, and the traffic almost non existent.

 My endless hours of climbing were rewarded by beautiful tree lined roads and gorges with more waterfalls than I could keep track of.
I have been seeing so many other cyclists, almost all of them have been Japanese. Somehow they manage to cycle in the heat with long sleeves and tights whereas I would be in my birthday suit if I could.

Up at lake Towada, I caught my breath and snapped some photos. The lake is a massive caldera and once all the leaves change color, it must be gorgeous! Being a crater, I readied myself for another steep climb out.

 Onwards to my camp. I thought I would make it before dark, which happens at 6:00, but the mountains were to steep. With a headlight and taillight I climbed, then it started raining, and I climbed. Then it started pouring, and finally, at 8pm, I squelched my way into camp. The weather only got worse, screaming winds and sheets of rain. Fortunately I was able to sleep in the reception house with 3 motor cycle riders who also came in that night.

 I woke up to more rain and heavy wind- seems the typhoons had been a day late. By the afternoon the skies cleared and the wind slowed. I made my way down the mountain only to find out that the area I had been traveling in Hokkaido was hit with a 6.7 earthquake and mudslides.
I was thankful that I had decided to push south even through the storm.

My goal was a meager 60km away, to lake Tazawa. I was thrilled that it was mostly flat. On the way to the lake I of course had to stop at the mountain honey shop and get honey ice cream as well as sample every kind of honey flavor I could. My favorite was honey orange, and I figured I should leave before they started having to refill the samples.

 The lake was stunning. White sandy beaches and calm. The legend of the lake is the fair maiden Tazawa drank so much water so keep her youthful beauty, that she turned into a water dragon and resides in the lake. Her lover is another lake dragon and their passionate relationship is why the lake never freezes in the winter.

The next morning I set out for Kakunodate, the samurai town. The samurai district has many houses over 300 years old, some with the same family still inhabiting them.

The streets are lined with cherry trees and it is suppose to be beautiful in the springtime. The town was getting ready for a parade, lining the streets with paper lanterns and life sized samurai warriors. Onwards and southward!

(#5/9) Back roads and byways of Honshu

9 Sept

 There is not much for tourist spots in the yamagata prefecture, but the area is beautiful. Silly me was thinking I would bike along flat river valley's, but this is Japan, and flat is only here and there. So I used these last couple days to stop often and take pictures of the mundane, which to me, is a great part of the fun.

 I love grocery stores in other countries. Everything is familiar but so different. Here I have no idea what I'm buying, usually I'll pick up a package to get a better look and it will be white and somewhat squishy. Everything here is wrapped in plastic, including individual carrots.
In bigger grocery stores they have bakeries and the bread here defies physics. It is so light that if seems like you are biting into little Debbie frosting rather than bread. Breads are usually filled with sweet beans or mayo. Every now and then I'll bite into something sweet and delicious which gives me a false sense of confidence when picking out my next treat.

 People's gardens are spectacular. Even in tiny plots, gardens become works of art. Trees are coached into artistic shapes and flowers are exploding right now.

 I've been relying heavily on my tablet for Google maps. Even still I find myself going the wrong direction and having to detour through little towns. I'm never disappointed since the smaller roads are by far more scenic.

 It's been cracking me up passing construction zones. All the barriers are held up with different creatures. Sometimes ducks, frogs, giraffes, little monsters, or dragons, Japan can even make muddy construction cute.

(#6/9) Hot springs, mountains, castles, temples, oh my!

13 Sept

 Up to more ski areas! I decided to go up to Mt Zao, a ski area and onsen village. I knew it would be a steep grind up there so I found a camp ground almost up at the summit.
Once I got there I found the campground was closed, so I pitched my tent on the porch of a bungalow and watched a man fishing for the rest of the evening. Once it grew dark, a heavy mist rolled in, so thick I couldn't see across the lake. I feel asleep early with plans to ride up and catch an early morning onsen.

 Always at the top of a hill, the onsen was fabulous! A short walk down stairs and I was in my own heavenly pool of milky water that soothed sore muscles and turned my silver rings black.

I had the outdoor pools to myself for most of my soak. I have bathed more on this trip than I regularly do at home, not that it helps when I sweat so much every day.
A zippy ride down through the cedar forests back to town and back to my southward trudge.

 My campground for the night was once again closed. This time there was a sign saying that there had been a bear seen on July 25th and so the camp was closed for the rest of the season. Angry, scary bear signs were posted so once again I had a nice quiet place to spend the night.
I needed a new bike lock since I forgot to buckle mine down after one of my pit stops. I stopped at a tourist info station and the woman called around to find a shop for me. I ended up getting picked up in the owner's truck and brought to his shop (also his house) where I was able to buy a new baby pink bike lock. He then invited me in for tea and much, much later, sent me off with cup o noodles for dinner.

Kitikata, a small town known for its brick and mud store houses was a nice coffee stop before heading up into the mountains to Bandasahi national park.

 The plateau was created when a volcano blew and now is full of little lakes and hiking trails. I walked the Gosheki Ponds trail, where every pond along the way was full of koi and a different shade of blue or green.

 I camped next to a beautiful lake and was up with the sunrise and 48 degrees- by far the coolest temps of my trip.

 By 9am, the temperature was back up to 75 and humid. I saw my first castle and was happy for the stop.

The castle was built 600 years ago and the view from the top was mountains in all directions. It was significant due to the part the area played in Japan civil war 150 years ago.

The castle was full of stories of samurai fighters and restoration history... And photo opportunities.

 The next day I made it to Nikko, 150kms north of tokyo and come full of temples and shrines.

 All of the images I had of temples and Japanese buildings were crowded into a wooded hillside. The temples were stunning. Every twist in the path opened up a new vista of pagodas, lanterns, and lacquered stairs leading up to incense filled rooms.

I spent a wonderful afternoon wandering around, then topped it off with a scoop of soybean and brown sugar ice cream over sweet beans.