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Hokkaido Japan
  • Laurie Berryman
  • Andrea Martin
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  • Laurie Berryman
  • Andrea Martin

Hokkaido Japan

Bike trip in Hokkaido July - Aug 26 . With Simon Murphy Weiterlesen
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  • Hokkaido Japan
    Natural onsen by the lakeKotan OnsenOnsen near our campsiteAndy in Lake Kussharo

    Onsens at Lake Kussharo

    20. Juli in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    We slept well beside Lake Kussharo and by morning the weather had improved. The view out across the still misty water surrounded by deep green pine forest was very Japanese. We rode along the shoreline visiting the local Ainu (aboriginal people of Hokkaido) culture centre, which was very interesting. We also stopped at a number of the natural rock onsen on the shoreline and had a dip in most of them. They are public, and allow bathers, but Japanese don't bother and just go in naked. After leaving the lake we climbed out of the caldera and then rolled on to a campsite near Kiyosato.Weiterlesen

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    Bihor Pass and Lake Kussharo 36km

    19. Juli in Japan ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

    We woke to rainy morning, so we relaxed for a few hours in the nice facilities at our onsen campground. We hit the road about 9.30am and slowly made our way to Bihor pass, a 500 mt climb. As we started the climb it was raining lightly, by the time we reached the top of the pass it was wet, completely clouded in and blowing a gale. We decided to wait and see if the weather would clear as there was a very nice, spacious roadside shopping and viewing area with a huge sitting area. The view was apparently spectacular, but today the clouds never cleared. We continued on down into the caldera and soon hit the lake shore. We found a campground right on the lakes edge, near a peninsula jutting out into the lake. It was misty and damp and very Japanese. After setting up camp we walked around the peninsula through beautiful oak and elm forest. Before heading back to camp we had a soak in the hot waters of a natural rock pool onsen beside the lake.Weiterlesen

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    Rubeshibe to Bihoro 65km

    18. Juli in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Another relaxing day of riding. We left our camp early and mostly cruised downhill to Kitami, passing huge fields of onions. At Kitami we visited a bike shop to buy a Rinko bag for Simon, who has been travelling with us. In a couple of days he will return by train to the main airport to fly home. To take a bike on a train in Japan you need to Rinko it, which means dismantling it and putting it into a bag. About 20km out of Kitami rain was threatening and we passed a nice looking Onsen resort that allows camping. It was a friendly relaxed place and we had a nice time soaking in the bath and eating in the restaurant.Weiterlesen

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    A day in Sounkyo.

    15.–17. Juli in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We had a quiet day enjoying our nice campground and exploring Sounkyo. We walked to a lovely waterfall and took the ropeway and chairlift up Mt Kurodake.

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    Asahikawa to Sounkyo 67km

    15.–16. Juli in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We had very tired and sore legs after the previous days long steep walk, so we were very slow leaving Asahikawa. We stopped in at the Sake museum on our way out of town. It was interesting, but they would not let us sample the products because Simon informed them we were riding bikes, and it's a zero alcohol law. It was a nice quiet, flat ride along a rapidly flowing mountain river. It was warm and humid in the middle of the day, so we stopped and soaked our feet in the cool water. We eventually made it to Sounkyo campground, a really well equipped campground in a beautiful place. We went for a cheap little bungalow which was just a small bare room. There was a very modern kitchen, toilets, showers, etc. The only others were a middle aged Swiss couple who were travelling by car. They went off for dinner at a restaurant and returned with beers for us all. So we had a good chat before bed.Weiterlesen

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    Climbing Asahidake

    14. Juli in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    We caught a local bus that went to the foot of Asahidake the highest mountain in Hokkaido. After a 2 hour ride the bus dropped us at the ropeway which took us part way up the mountain. From there we walked the steep route to the top and continued on around the summit through the volcano caldera making it a 12km loop back to the ropeway. The clouds never lifted and on the return it started to rain. We had to slip and slide down a few snowy slopes, and the trail turned to maze of small creeks. We were well and truly totally drenched by the time we got back to the ropeway. We did get to see the steam vents, the lakes and lots of wildflowers, but never a view of the mountains.Weiterlesen

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    Nayoro to Asahikawa 92km

    13.–14. Juli in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    It was a nice warm ride from Nayoro, on very straight back roads until Wassu were we joined a secondary major road to climb over the ranges and drop back down to the Ishikari River. We followed a nice bike path along the river to Asahikawa. On the way we stopped to watch and chat to a couple of men flying battery mini planes. We stayed in a tiny hostel set up like inside a big caravan. They had a couple of crazy cats.Weiterlesen

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    Nakatonbetsu to Nayoro 104km

    12. Juli in Japan ⋅ 🌧 22 °C

    We were given a kind farewell by our Japanese host. We followed mostly backroads through beautiful forest country. One small road turned into a steep and windy gravel trail through dense forest. At another point it started to rain heavily, so we stopped for an hour in a tiny train waiting room. It had garden beds, power, seating and somewhere to lay down. With forest country there is always hills and we found plenty. We stopped in Bifuka for lunch, where we enjoyed our best Japanese curry yet. We were very tired and happy when we pulled into the lovely Nayoro culture camping grounds, a huge expanse of parkland bounded by forest.Weiterlesen

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    Sarafutsu to Nakatonbetsu 52km

    11.–12. Juli in Japan ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

    We were woken early by the deep rumble of numerous large diesel engines. The large fishing ships in the nearby port were all heading off together. They made an incredible noise that seemed to be amplified by the auditorium we were sleeping in. We followed the coast for 30km to Hamatonbetsu where we stopped for a picnic lunch. A friendly fox wanted to share our lunch. We then turned inland up a valley between some big mountains. As we neared Nakatonbetsu we saw huge black clouds coming over the mountains. We pulled into a Buddhist monastery and sheltered for about an hour under the porch while it poured down. We noticed a share house sign on the way into town, so when the rain eased we decided to check it out. We found the place in town but no one was home. Just as it started to rain again an older man beckoned us to follow him to his house. It absolutely poured down as we followed his car to his house. We dried off in his comfortable shed and he offered for us to stay the night. This turned into a night on the town with him and several locals. We first went to a local restaurant and had a traditional Hokkaido bbq meal, with lots of different thin cuts of meat. After this moved to a newly built modern bar for drinks. We then slept very well in his nicely equipped shed come bungalow, which was great as it rained all night.Weiterlesen

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    Day 8 Rishiri - Sarufutsu 80km

    10.–11. Juli in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    We slept happily on the floor in our hotel room, knowing it was softly raining for a good part of the night. We were up early, on the bikes and rode 13km to catch the ferry back to Wakkanai. It was a cloudy, misty day but we still had a nice tail wind on the way to Cape Soya, the most northern point of Japan. We stopped for a photo and continued on down the eastern coast, again with a tailwind. The coastline was rather featureless, only punctuated by fishing ports and scallop factories. It was raining lightly when we pulled into Sarufutsu where we found a big camping ground with no body there. We went to the big onsen hotel next door and were the receptionist told us there was no Onsen?? Eventually he said there was a hot bath?? We had a nice soak, but never worked out why the reception thought there was no Onsen. We slept under a huge auditorium on the stage out of the weather.Weiterlesen

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    Day 7 West coast Rishiri Is -34km

    9. Juli in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Another early rise and then a very pleasant ride around the coast. We called in at a few places including an urchin processing shed in which a young couple were scooping out the contents of sea urchins. The swollen gonads are seperated and sold for about $200 kg. The young lady had worked at Mt Hotham several years earlier. We continued on and visited a few more ports and villages eventually stopping in Kutsugata were we had booked into a small hotel. We enjoyed a lunch of grilled whole mackerel and rice. Our hotel kindly let us check in early. The room was typically Japanese sparse with rolled up futons, a small fridge and a low table. We visited a local restaurant to try out the renowned local seafood, and it was good.Weiterlesen

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    Day 6 Rishiri Island - 25km

    8. Juli in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    We are getting into the routine of getting up just after 4am as it's well and truly light. We had a very lazy day riding clockwise around the island stopping to look at pretty much everything. We did a big climb up the side of the volcano to a beautiful lake that had a very pleasant trail through the forest along the lake with an amazing view of the volcano. We poked around a cemetery in the forest with lots of ornate family headstones. Early in the day we set up at a nice free campsites and explored the local scenery. We tried some bbq local scallops,and ended the night with a cook up at our camp with plumb wine and local whisky.Weiterlesen

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    Day 5 Teshio to Wakkanai and on to Rishiri Island

    7.–10. Juli in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    We had a nice tailwind and a long straight flat road up the coast. Lots of wind turbines and concrete work along the coast line, but no villages, just the odd farmhouse. We made very good time to Wakkanai, allowing us to take the mid-day ferry to Rishiri Island. It was about 2 hours on a large comfortable ferry to the little volcano Island. We camped at the lovely campground on the edge of town and wandered across the road to the onsen. We enjoyed a nice meal in a friendly Chinese restaurant.Weiterlesen

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    Day 4 Teshoi

    6.–7. Juli in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We left Misakidai Park and followed the coast road via Embetsu to Teshoi where we decided to stop at a nice Rider House. It was only 11.00am and we had covered 28km, but our legs were tired from the previous long days. Where we stayed had camping, bungalows and rider house rooms. We opted for a rider room which is a room with a concrete floor, and little wooden platforms that fit together to make a sleeping platform or seating. We joined a group of 4 young English men who were watching England play Mexico on a small screen. They had also ridden from Sapporo. We visited a local restaurant and tried the local speciality, fresh water clam ramen. The clams were quite small and the soup quite salty, but it was nice. We rode through the quiet little town with dilapidated builds to a forest park that has two replica pit houses. These houses built into the ground with strong bamboo beams and thatched roofing with an earth floor.Weiterlesen

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    Day 3 Rumoi to Misakidai Park 82km

    5.–6. Juli in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    The wind picked up during the night, but it was fairly still, calm and balmy when we woke to bright sunshine at 4.30am. We set of from Rumoi around 7am and followed the coast road past Obirio to a historical herring fishers hut and outpost. This was a huge old tradition wood building from which herring fishing and processing was completed. It looked like tough smelly work back in the early days. We stopped in Haboro for lunch at a fisherman's seafood restaurant, where I tried the local treat of sweet shrimp and octopus. The shrimp were raw, but had been marinated in sake and sugar, making them soft and slightly sweet. We continued on stopping off at some of the many little fishing port villages. We stopped at a campground we learnt about from Japanese motorcyclists we chatted to. The campground was just outside Shosanbetsu. We set-up our tents and walked to the onsen hotel nearby and had a nice soak. After making ourselves some dinner we visited a Shinto shrine on the pebble beach to watch sunset.Weiterlesen

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    Day 2 Tsukigata to Rumoi 112km

    4.–5. Juli in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We were up early and enjoyed a breakfast of boiled eggs on buttered bread. We followed our little road beside the river for the first 10km and tried using Google maps which took us on lots of interesting little back roads and gravel tracks. The last 35km was up and over a small pass and down through a road lined by forest into Rumoi, which is a pretty ugly little place sitting on the sea of Japan. We camped just outside of town on Golden Beach, and enjoyed taking in Japanese beach culture. As with all things Japanese, the beach is regulated, No Swimming after 5pm. Red flags go up, speakers announce the end and swimming has to end. It was a nice grassy campsite just off the beach. We cooked up a big hotpot of Udon noodles with lots of mushrooms, pork, tofu and lots more.Weiterlesen

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  • Hokkaido Japan
    2Bus stops that Noddy and Big Ears would be proud of
    Cycle racing CommissaireDrift catchers along the highway. They rotate to close in winter.A laundromat fit for an Emperor. I might suggest it to the NT government.

    Bits and pieces from Hokkaido's west coast

    4.–8. Juli in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    The scenery. Distant mountain tops speckled with snow drifts, burnished by the detritus of summer. Black sand beaches. A blue sea all the way to Russia - I was amazed to realise we are north of Vladivostok. Rice paddies, acres of spinach, roadside flowers and the occasional patch of dense forest.

    The derelict housing. Hundreds maybe thousands, of abandoned houses and farm buildings, many already nearly invisible in the overgrowth. This is apparently due to a combination of young people leaving their family farms to go to the city, and a hefty vacant land tax that doesn't apply if you have a building on it, even if it is decrepit.

    Drift catchers. To catch the snow blowing in from Siberia and stopping it from drifting over the road. See the photo.

    Bus stops that look like Noddy and Big Ears are about to jump out and greet you.

    Random conversations. Such as the Moto Commissaire of a cycling race yesterday who thought it hilarious that we were Commissaires and (in Simon's case ex-) officials of the Alice Springs Cycling Club. And the fishing carpenter with beautifully crafted carpentry tools even Simon hadn't seen before. In general, very few people speak any English. Thank goodness for Google Lens to interpret signs.

    The most over-engineered laundromat in the world, at a roadside services centre (sort of glorified Roadhouse with onsen). See photo.

    Litter management. There is no litter. But the systems take getting used to. At our first campsite we didn't quite get why we were told that litter disposal was included in the price, or why some reviewers first comments about camping sites is that 'they have trash cans!'. Disposing of your litter is your problem, tricky if you don't have a home to take it to. We soon learnt to eat near where we buy food so that we can return the rubbish to the store, or risk carting it for half the day to find a bin.

    On the other hand, the beaches are thick with marine debris, and there seems no system to deal with it.

    And finally, we are forever grateful for beautiful weather, mostly tail winds, onsens at the end of a days ride, great food (including Laurie's camp cooker hot pots) and yummy ice creams.    Weiterlesen

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    Day 1 Chitose to Tsukigata 78km

    3. Juli in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    The sun is up before 5am in Chitose. We all slept well after our overnight flights and our little container cabin was very comfortable and quiet. We got going about 7.30am and initially followed some big roads that either had a wide bike lane or a wide footpath. We noticed a small sealed road running along the Ishikari River that looked nice so we decided to follow that. We made Shinshinotsu by lunchtime and found a nice little traditional restaurant for a nice bowl of ramen noodles and a beer. The afternoon lunch was quite warm and sunny. We continued on our small riverside road, which at times turned to gravel, but it was ok. It eventually took us nearly all the way to Tsukigata were we stopped at a nice council camping place on a small lake. We setup our tents beside the lake and then went for our first onsen for this trip. Onsen is a wonderful thing about Japan, such a luxury to feel so clean and relaxed.Weiterlesen

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    Food glorious food

    3. Juli in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Three restaurants and three different experiences. The first night in Chitose (the airport we landed at) dinner was at a tiny restaurant that was really home cooked meals in the front living room of a house. Lots of laughs trying to decipher the menu using google lens. Great food, although we need to get used to the smaller serves you get in Japan. Followed it up with a few beers in an Izakaya - the closest thing to a pub. Again tiny but full of character (and cigarette smoke!!)..
    Sunrise is just before 4.00 so we got up early and had a few ks under our belt before 'asagohan' - morning rice - in a smart, modern eatery. Delicious salmon and brown rice tea.
    And lunch was another small restaurant where we sat on the tatami matting in a booth, this time eating Ramen noodle dishes.    Weiterlesen

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    1. Juli 2026