Having been to a few countries initially in the military, I have been fascinated by the exposure to cultures unlike what I grew up with and have often wondered, 'How nice it would be to ride a bicycle here..' Nothing happens on it's own. Aware of the progress of aging and time, I decided to go on a dream ride while I could still enjoy it.
Japan is an island country formed by volcanic and plate tectonic activity. It has many hills and mountain passes but the vistas make the arduous climbs worth it. There is nothing like living in the moment and experiencing a place with your full senses and nothing lets you do this more efficiently and enjoyably than on a bicycle.
Japan is an island country formed by volcanic and plate tectonic activity. It has many hills and mountain passes but the vistas make the arduous climbs worth it. There is nothing like living in the moment and experiencing a place with your full senses and nothing lets you do this more efficiently and enjoyably than on a bicycle.
NOTE: A post-ride blog the associated 'blog locations' are approximates, not exact.
Preparing and packing
My kit includes MTB riding shorts (prefer with 3-4 pockets) x 3 with liners. Tops x 3 plus T-shirt and stuff indicated below. I like to have a nice shirt and travel pants if I want to visit a museum or see a kabuki play but be aware that many places in Japan are very relaxed regarding dress code especially for tourism centered cultural events. Because most of Asia has frequent rain, good rain gear is essential. I brought a Bontrager stormshell Jacket, rain pants and Shimano Gore-tex XM-9 adventure boots.
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| My (planned) Kit |
Two things in my kit were forgotten. My full fingered red Hertzl gloves, and the spare light. I ended up buying Ergon full fingered gloves in a bike shop in Okinawa. To my later misfortune in long evening rides and tunnels, I purposely left behind my spare light thinking my new Bontrager RT light system would suffice. The light system would randomly turn on or blink through my travels and fully charged only lasted about 3 hours. To Bontrager's credit, they later replaced the full system back in the states, but not before I had to get a spare back up light in Hokkaido.
The only other thing missing above is my tent. Japan has many hostels, guest houses, minshuku, & ryokans so that I only camped 3-4 times. I do have to say the diverse hospitality of these places and company and conversation from travelers throughout the world is enlightening, fun and enjoyable. The tent I had was a Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1 (extremely light).
I scored a real nice box and carefully packed my trusty steed.
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| Packing my Bike |
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