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

Hokkaido Japan

Bike trip in Hokkaido July - Aug 26 . With Simon Murphy Read more
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  • Hokkaido Japan

    Nozuka campground to Akaigawa

    August 18 in Japan ☁️ 21 °C

    Woke to light rain on the tent, and a cloudy but very still day. The rain had stopped before we had breakfast. We chatted to a couple of American riders doing a 10 day loop. We then headed out to Cape Shakotan and walked up to the lighthouse which had yet another grand view of the rugged coastline. We continued up and over the ranges, then dropped down into Yoichi where we had the most elegant Ramen soup ever. Homemade noodles, light herring flavoured broth, with a cured egg and rice, it was delicious. We then climbed up to Akaigawa through the forest on our way towards Mount Yotei. We camped in a cute little campsite beside a nice flowing mountain river just beyond Akaigawa.Read more

  • Hokkaido Japan

    Akaigawa to Kutcham

    Aug 19–20 in Japan ☁️ 28 °C

    Our wettest day in Hokkaido. We sat out early rain at the little restaurant in the campground near Akaigawa. The kind elderly owner had to set off to deliver vegetables to Sapporo, but was happy for us to sit inside in his absence. The rain only got heavier, so we headed off on the climb up and over to Kutchan where we had booked into a nice little guest house. We dried out and then enjoyed a beer at the local restaurant.Read more

  • Hokkaido Japan
    Getting off the seal onto farm tracks with Yoteizan in the background

    Kutchan to Rusutsu

    Aug 20–21 in Japan ☀️ 28 °C

    The weather had changed to sunny and humid as we rode through the famous ski resorts around Niseko. We stopped at a local shrine set on the banks of a lovely river. We camped in a well set-up, free parkland in Rusutsu that is also used by local Japanese travellers (including older women car camping on their own). They were very friendly and gave us many gifts of food. An older man came with tea and biscuits to share with us, and we had a long interesting conversation - he was a mountain climber in his youth including 7000m peaks in Argentina. He gave us a cedar spoon and butter knife set he had carved.Read more

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    Sapporo

    August 21 in Japan 🌙 23 °C

    We have made it to Sapporo the biggest city in Hokkaido. Our first night we stayed right in the city centre which was pumping on a Friday evening.

  • Hokkaido Japan

    Sapporo day 1

    August 22 in Japan ☀️ 29 °C

    First day off the bikes for a few weeks, so taking it easy. Quick stroll around the CBD, straight to a sweets-and-dessert fair of course, via a bakery. Checked out the excellent museum at the former Hokkaido Government Office, set up by the colonising Shoguns from Honshu to turn Hokkaido into an economic asset - turning forest into agriculture, building roads and railways, establishing a capital city (Sapporo), displacing indigenous Ainu as they went. We then stumbled across a really interesting underground Ramen restaurant that specialises in dipping Ramen. Using different thick wheat noodles the soup broth (shrimp) is served separately and you dunk the noodles before slurping them up very noisily.Read more

  • Hokkaido Japan

    Sapporo Day 2

    August 23 in Japan ☀️ 28 °C

    We had a nice look around the University Botanical Gardens, which included an interesting museum that included some fascinating taxidermied birds and animals. For a complete contrast we wandered around in the Labyrinth of underground shopping malls under the railway station. The range of fresh and prepared foods available is astounding. For lunch in a Chinese restaurant to taste a unique dark sesame seed and Sichuan pepper noodle soup. We went to dinner with Aki, a Japanese man we met at a campsite in Suttsu. We started in a beer garden with a bbq lamb menu and ended in a tiny whisky bar in a labyrinth of shops enjoying Nikki and good conversation.Read more

  • Hokkaido Japan
    A Tsunami emergency shelter
    A Tsunami emergency shelterThe closest we have come to a bear - the Hokkaido University Botanic Gardens museumA well-lit, wide tunnel. Easy!

    Things to be afraid of...

    August 24 in Japan ⛅ 29 °C

    Japan is incredibly safe. We rarely lock our bikes or take any of the safety precautions we do in other countries.
    But there are still scary things!

    1. Tunnels. We've ridden through more than 50 road tunnels, up to 3.5k long. The best are well lit with a separate lane/footpath for cyclists. The worst are so dark you can't see the surface; narrow with only just room for two lanes. The really scary thing is that the sound of vehicles bounces off walls into a crescendo of incredible, almost screaming noise (especially from trucks and motorbikes) and you have no idea which direction the noise is coming from. Twice we've had trucks not slow down and pass so close you get sucked in and risk getting the wobbles.

    2. Tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanoes. Every day you are reminded of the vulnerability of life on the Pacific ring of fire. Signs everywhere point to Tsunami or volcano escape routes; every coastline road informs every 200m or so how many metres above sea level you are. Memorials to disasters form part of the tourist routes.

    What Japanese people are scared of: Bears. The very first topic of conversation with a local will be them warning you about bears, and the importance of wearing bear bells and carrying bear spray. We can't buy whisky in a local bar without a little lecture. It is true that 230 people were attacked and 13 killed in 2025, but it does make us giggle - of all the disasters one risks here, bears have captured the cultural attention.    Read more

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    Sapporo Day 3

    August 24 in Japan ☁️ 25 °C

    We walked up Mt Moiwa on a pathway climbing 400m up through dense forest. From the observation lookout we had a good view over Sapporo. The walk was quiet and peaceful and nice and green.

  • Hokkaido Japan

    End of our Hokkaido ride

    Aug 26–27 in Japan ☁️ 24 °C

    We packed the bikes for the last time and then took a scenic route to Chitose. It was an easy 50km ride, half of which was on a dedicated bike path to the bike shop that had held our bike boxes for us. We had completed just over 3000km on the bikes. We packed the bikes and caught a taxi to the same motel room we stayed in on our first night in Hokkaido.Read more

  • Hokkaido Japan

    Flight from Sapporo to Tokyo

    August 27 in Japan ☁️ 27 °C

    The flight from Sapporo to Tokyo was very easy, but we spent quite a bit of time walking around Narita airport trying to locate a luggage storage place that would store our bikes for 6 days. Eventually we worked it out and headed off with small backpacks into Asakusa, Tokyo.
    We found some good food and started to get a feel for Tokyo.
    We had booked a small apartment that turned out to be very nice and well located. It cost $330 AUD for 6 nights.    Read more

  • Hokkaido Japan

    Tokyo Museum, Contemporary Art and Temples

    August 28 in Japan ☁️ 31 °C

    For our first day in Tokyo we walked from Asakusa where we are staying into Tokyo central park area. Asakusa suburbs are mostly little square houses lining tiny streets intersected now and again by a large two-lane streets lined with shops and bigger buildings. The huge skytree tower is not far from our apartment. It looms over the area, with its peak disappearing into the clouds now and again.
    It was very hot and humid, so after walking about 4km into Tokyo central we opted to visit the museum of contemporary art, which has an extensive collection of international art from across the ages. We got to see lots of works from lots of famous artists. After a nice Korean lunch we headed back into the cool environment of the National Museum, that has an extensive collection including lots of art and collectables from all of Asia. By the time we had enough of museums it was cool enough to walk home again via some of the temples, including Senso Ji. We also walked past the Asahi (beer) building with its big logo sculpture on its roof, colloquially called the flying turd! We walked under the skytree back home exhausted.    Read more

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    Tokyo Museum of Modern Art, Salsa

    August 29 in Japan 🌧 23 °C

    Today it was raining and cool, a nice change. We spent the morning at Modern Art Gallery viewing an exhibition of the works of Tada Minami. She spent a lifetime working with modern materials and light, creating sculptures and practical artworks such as chandeliers, brilliantly coloured aluminium theatre curtains, that grace important buildings all around the world. It was very interesting and good fun. We visited a Nepali restaurant for lunch and then went to the huge samba parade along a main street lined by hundreds of thousands of people. We concluded that Japanese Samba is pretty daggy, but they certainly enjoyed themselves. The groups involved all ages, shapes and sizes.Read more

  • Hokkaido Japan

    Our Exclusive Jazz Lounge

    August 29 in Japan 🌧 20 °C

    We had been checking out Jazz Clubs online for a few days, and finally decided to visit Soul Trane, not far from our hotel. It was a hoot! We walked into a very friendly small space the size of a big loungeroom that had a grand piano, full drum kit, double bass in one corner and a big bar with every whisky from around the world on display. There was one big central table and two small tables. A group of about 7 musicians sat around the big table or on bar stools, and we joined the one other guest, a young Chinese guy. They played lots of sets, rotating the musicians. One little ancient Japanese guy wearing tiny dark glasses played amazing double bass. The owner of the bar explained to us that he was the most famous Jazz bassist in Japan, had several albums and played all around the world. In old photos he looked like Jimmy Hendrix (or his hair did anyway). There was also a young 19 year old that had a go at the trumpet, he got lots of encouragement from the old guys. We sat listening to great music, sipping very nice Scottish and Japanese whiskies with the surreal background of the bullet trains winding through towering buildings on its elevated tracks, and the ever present Asahi Golden Flying Turd looming in the background (ref previous post). It all wound up about 10.30pm and they gave us a very warm farewell. It was an extraordinary experience all round, classically Japanese!Read more

  • Hokkaido Japan

    A Walk at Kamakura.

    August 30 in Japan ☁️ 25 °C

    We caught a series of trains to Kamakura, mostly because we keep getting lost in the stations and take the wrong trains. Lots of Japanese people try to help us, but even they end up arguing about which way to go!

    Kamakura is an early political centre in mediaeval Japan, so there are numerous ancient buildings including shrines and temples. We followed the Ten-en trail from Kencho-Ji (temple) up and along the range to Zuisen Ji. We wandered around Kencho-Ji which is the oldest active Zen Buddhist temple and monastery in Japan. The grounds and buildings built in 1253 are still all in very good condition. They are surrounded by beautiful gardens and bamboo groves. To reach the start of the trail we had to climb lots of stone stairs up the range.
    The walk was strenuous, but very peaceful. We were glad to get back on the train and rest on the return journey. On return to Asakusa we visited a favourite ramen restaurant and went home to crash.    Read more

  • Hokkaido Japan

    Keirin Racing Kawasaki Velo

    August 31 in Japan ☁️ 26 °C

    We travelled out to Kawasaki on the trains and found the bus to Kawasaki Velodrome. We followed a trail of old Japanese men into the Velodrome complex. The spectator and associated betting areas were spread over 3 floors, with lots of skirting areas facing TV screens. Everyone was either filling out betting slips or watching screens. We found the outdoor area, which again has several levels via a grandstand. We watched 4 races in total, and this took about 2.5 hours, as there are big gaps between the races, probably to allow everyone to get their bets in. The riders roll out a big sliding door, line up on the track and bow to the crowd. For every race there were 7 riders, all with the regulation colour jersey, helmet and number. They all ride what look to be old style steel track bikes, with very dropped bars. They settle into a row of gates that lock their back wheels. Instead of an electric bike or motor bike durney they are led out by a rider on a similar old style steel track bike. The gun goes, the gates release and they all drop in behind the lead rider. They complete two laps at moderate pace, then the lead rolls off and then the speed picks up a bit. They jockey for positions for a lap, obviously some riders assisting others by leading out, near the end of the final half lap a sprint to the line occurs. The crowd get into a bit in the outdoor section, yelling out to the riders, encouraging them on, but all in all its a bit clinical and robotic. It was not as exciting as watching track racing in Australia, but apparently the government does well out of the gambling. We made our way through the train network maze back to our Asakusa where we enjoyed our last dinner in Japan.Read more

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    Last day in Japan

    September 1 in Japan ☁️ 27 °C

    For our last day we visited the old bookstore street in the middle of Tokyo. We visited the oldest bookstore in Tokyo (1903) and looked through some ancient old amazing books. We then walked to the Contemporary Arts museum and the old Imperial Palace Gardens. It was then time to catch the train to Narita airport.Read more

  • Hokkaido Japan

    Flight home to Australia

    September 2 in Australia ☀️ 21 °C

    We had an uneventful flight home to Alice Springs where it was warm and sunny, with a big wide view.

    Trip end
    September 2, 2026