Solo Tour of Japan & Shimanami Kaido Event Part 1

by Brianin Aichi, Ehime, Hiroshima, Japan, Kagawa, Kanagawa, Mie, Nara, Osaka, Shizuoka, Tokushima, Wakayamaon Posted on

Phew, this is going to be a big entry.  Earlier parts of moving here I heard of an area in Japan that’s supposed to be the most scenic bicycle ride in the entire country.  It was always in the back of my mind as something I’d like to do, and by some chain of events I found out there was an event taking place on the route where they shut the expressway down exclusively for bicyclists in the event.

See link below for event information:
http://cycling-shimanami.jp/english/

There are multiple route options and I chose to do the longest (complete) round-trip route (best bang for the buck); 150km from Imabari to Onomichi and back to Imabari.  Because it’s such a popular event, there is a lottery system for applicants as there are only 500 spots for the complete “A” course.  I also didn’t realize until the day of the event that it is only held every two years, so for me to have been selected on the first try was extremely lucky and they even emphasized this at the starting ceremony.   Now, in planning for the event, one of the first things I noticed was that the shinkansen ticket to Shikoku was very expensive each way if I were only going there for one weekend (about ¥20,000 each way).  Even if it was a great event and I was lucky to get selected, I had a hard time justifying this cost if only for the weekend.  Then the idea hit me to combine this event with something else I’ve been meaning to do during my time here in Japan, and that’s to see the countryside by bicycle.  Originally I had envisioned something like Tokyo to Osaka but Yokohama to Imabari was actually longer so that fit the bill.  Then I’d only have to pay for one way on the Shinkansen while using the other would-be train fare on hotels to make a week long trip out of it…. perfect right??? I also thought about camping it on the way down but being my first tour and finding legit campsites legally is difficult for me after some research.  A little later I found out that there were no hotels available in Imabari for that weekend so the plan changed to the much bigger city of Matsuyama (more to do there anyway)…. so all planning things aside, I set out to ride from Yokohama to Matsuyama to arrive there in time for the event and then return by train.  If you want to get into the details of planning this trip, you can just ask me directly, but being my first bicycle tour obviously there was a lot of guess work, conditioning, research, and even testing involved.

So, after a lot of anticipation and preparation (hotels booked, route selected, equipment tested, etc), I set off on my own little adventure by bicycle.  For this trip, I kept a handwritten journal/notepad/my cheaper pocket camera (not as good pics but way more convenient), a gps watch, and my gopro.  I took a lot more video than pictures.

Day 1 - Yokohama to Fuji

Day 1 started off with me falling off the staircase at home, missing the last step in the dark somehow.... but no harm done even for a full on spill. Really woke me up though. Probably the most important bag to have on the bike. Started out with it overstuffed with things but it got much less crowded as I started figuring out the things I didn't need. The divider doesn't hold up so well after going over many bumps in the road/sidewalks but still better than nothing I guess. Super convenient quick release/lockable bag for quick trips into the conbini.
Set up for the trip and also first conbini stop of the trip. Started at about 645am and got here around 1100
Initially I thought I'd be able to just eat different onigiri everyday but after riding a lot and different environment each day your body just craves different things. Never thought I'd feel so at home at all the conbini's I stopped by during the trip but good chance to stop, refuel, and reflect all at once. Everytime I wash my face, freshen up, refill water, buy something to eat... like a routine. Noted that the fitbit also only tracks about 5 hours on a full charge (and that's kind of stretching it I think) so still learning about equipment.
Countless endless empty roads and fields
Near the start of Mt. Ashitaka. By here I was pretty drained already and it was only the start of the climbing that I didn't expect at all. One of the problems when planning the trip was the difficulty to account for elevation on certain routes. I originally planned on taking the more seaside route through Hakone but decided last minute to try for this as I thought it'd be more scenic and closer to Mt. Fuji. Also, smaller roads seem to be better along rivers even if a little longer they are generally safer and not as steep (found out the hard way).
Never knowing when the climbing will end can be very punishing to the spirit but the feeling of people watching you from the trees kind of spooks you enough to want to keep moving.
Never seen this kind of room key before, but come to think of it, all the hotels had somewhat unique keys. Made it to the hotel at about 330pm
First night in Fuji... not much open and I was too tired to look far. The first day was much more draining that I hoped and didn't do well for my mental state with the rest of the trip still to go.
Pigged out with food from 7/11 because it was easy hehe

Was feeling good the first half, hence not stopping until 42 miles in, however I think this was a mistake because the second half I had no energy to catch up to me.  Made a note to self to stop early for food/rest, even if not hungry.

Punishing second half and the weather wasn’t even good for viewing Mt. Fuji… downhill section into Fuji was also difficult due to the steep grades and load on the bike… Had to stop just because my hands were cramping on the brakes.  Highway 246 not good for bicycles especially in the tunnels (way too loud and not safe).  469 was all uphill and completely drained me.  24 was all downhill as mentioned before.

Day 2 - Fuji to Hamamatsu

Ahh breakfast buffet in the hotel. I never thought it could be such a great thing but given how tired I was and how convenient it was, I could not complain at all. Also, business hotel breakfasts, as I would find out, are pretty standard across the board but varied enough to not get tooooo tired of eating it (except for maybe the meatballs ehehe). Picking bones out of fish so early in the morning though I'm not a big fan of.
Early morning after just leaving the hotel (about 815am), I happened to look behind me and was greeted with this nice view of Mt. Fuji... pays to look back sometimes. Very clear in the morning...
Bicycle selfie hehe
Quiet early morning leaving town on Day 2
One of those sections on the highway I should've stayed on the sidewalk... but the view was much greater in person.
Was hoping for a little easier ride on Day 2 along the ocean for the most part.
Long stretch along the coast. Just crazy how many of those blocks were out there and how huge they were.
I assume these are for coastal protection
Just to give perspective to the size of those blocks
Took some time to shoot different angles with the gopro along this stretch. Bit slower start to the day with all the playing around and sights. Also, my initial route didn't work out so well because the highway was too big for bicycles. Had to improvise and find smaller roads in the same direction a lot.
Another nice good bye view of Mt. Fuji looking back. I realized here also that it is a one way trip, so I have to enjoy the views as they come since there wouldn't be a second chance.
Another pit stop at the Circle K at around 1130am. Feeling again like I have to force myself to stop/eat/rest.
Lost count of how many bridges and rivers I crossed over the entire trip so here's just one bridge shot.
There was some climbing after all but not nearly as much as the first day. Looking back to where I came from, you can kind of see the blue bridge in the distance that I crossed earlier.
Leaves are just starting to change color I noticed but majority still green.
Nice fields in the hills with nice long descent afterwards
Made it to Hamamatsu at around 5pm... highway 1 did not work at all today... feeling better overall but still longer ride than expected and little difficulty taking deep breathes... perhaps all the car exhaust is catching up to me. Hotel let me keep my bicycle in the lobby near the entrance since really nowhere else to lock it up overnight.
Nice to have a coin dryer, considering my nightly ritual of washing my clothes in the sink and hanging them to dry over night. This speeds up the process a little even if they never seem to work very well. Takes like 3 cycles just to moderately dry a very small load... would hate to think I'm just using them wrong.
Wasn't expecting much out of the city prior to visiting but it actually had a bigger city feel to it than I thought it would.
The good thing about riding a bike all day is that you can eat as much as you want and still not feel guilty about it.

Relatively easy first half but forced myself to take a break earlier anyway.  Ride was a little slower due to improvising on the route a bit.  Highway was too major for riding on so I had to find side roads that still led me in the general direction, plus time spent playing with the gopro.

Highway 1 did not work at all today… 381 through Shimada was a very long and boring stretch but the climb up the 2nd mountain was just right.  Very long stretch again to Hamamatsu.

To be continued!

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