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Japan 2025
  • JaccoW
  • JaccoW

Japan 2025

A 18-day adventure by JaccoW Read more
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  • Trip start
    May 28, 2025
  • JaccoWJapan 2025Traveler

    Day 0: The flight itself

    May 29, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Today... well I left on the 28th and arrived by the end of the 29th. 😅

    Anyway, today was mostly about actually getting to Tokyo.

    The first stretch to Shanghai was relatively uneventful. No issues with paying extra for the bike (#nice) and the stopover of 4 hours was just waiting.

    When I arrived in Tokyo itself there were some shenanigans with fitting a rolling bike bag into all the elevators of the Tokyo public transport system but all in all that was fine.

    Tomorrow I will be finalising my route a bit over breakfast and put the whole bike together again. Wish me luck 😂    Read more

  • JaccoWJapan 2025Traveler

    Day 1: Tokyo to Fujisawa

    May 30–31, 2025 in Japan ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    The land of endless suburbs.

    Today I rode from where I was in #Tokyo near #Akihabara down south to the coastal city of #Fujisawa.
    I got treated to a full day of drizzle but luckily I brought the good jacket and pants. +1 for the former #Bever in me.

    Along the way I visited the "world famous in certain circles" bike shop called #BlueLug. They've got some of the best and coolest gear around with many custom orders from awesome Japanese manufacturers like @MKS, @Panaracer and @Nitto.
    I'll have to drop by again when I come back to Tokyo at the end of my vacation.

    The plan now is to continue going down and do a loop around the #Izu #peninsula before going back up again and zoom by the base of #MtFuji before heading into the mountains.

    Still lots of #rain being predicted but I can dress for that.

    While I should have of course expected it with 14 million people in the main city and 41 million in the Tokyo area, I was not entirely prepared for a day riding though... Japanese suburbs.

    It was a fun (and slow) trip riding through endless rows of similar homes with gardens for the entire day. It wasn't necessarily boring though. While most of these houses looked similar or even had the same shapes, you can tell they put in the work to make each one look different on the outside. The extreme range of surface materials I saw today was impressive.
    From tiles in all colours, spre-shaped plastic cladding to wood. It was all there.

    Most of it would look gaudy elsewhere but here it looked cute. What definitely helped was the care people took of their gardens. No fields of grass but perfectly shaped trees, flowers and bushes everywhere.

    It almost made up for the complete lack of bike paths. 😆

    Japan doesn't do bicycle paths like but essentially has blue arrows in some places with a bicycle on it... but those are all used for parking by cars.
    Another score for #paintisnotinfrastructure.

    Alternatively, you get to share the sidewalk. Which is slow. 🐢

    That being said, expect a bit less buildings and more nature the coming days.    Read more

  • JaccoWJapan 2025Traveler

    Day 2: Fujisawa to Ito

    May 31, 2025 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    -'Rain all day makes for a wet... everything'-

    Today I finally started leaving the cities behind and started heading into some of the beautiful countryside and nature of Japan.

    Today was also very, very, very... WET.

    It started out with the rain absolutely pouring down at the start and it basically never got really dry. Think the kind of big fat drops that you'd get during a storm but with barely any wind.
    So less time spent fighting the wind.

    I headed west from Fujisawa and mostly rode the coastal road and the bicycle patch that all the surfers use. And there were a lot of people surfing.

    After that the road turned into the coastal road of the peninsula of the Shizuoka district. A mountainous stretch covered in trees, bamboo forests and loads of other greenery. The cliffs on the east side at least are very steep and very tall and there are several hot springs in the area.

    But today, was wet.

    While I am used to a little rain and packed the gear to ride comfortably, I still got soaked by the end of the day. My shoes were quickly filling with water and the sleeves of my thermal layer were getting wet from the rain being blown up my pit zips.
    And as a cherry on top, my phone managed to get some moisture inside and started freaking out. Right as I was climbing up the last mountain to get to my guesthouse. Which led to some awkward talks at other hotel, asking them for help with finding my guesthouse 😅

    But I did enjoy today. The views were amazing, the roads nice and windy and I've had some amazing ramen and pastries along the way.
    Even while dripping wet.

    Having to swap brake pads somewhere because I wore down the first pair and couldn't stop anymore was a bit meh though.

    Luckily the guesthouse had great food and an onsen ♨️

    Tomorrow morning I will probably adjust my route a little bit and cross the island earlier to see Kawazu Seven Waterfalls but we'll see.

    The weather should be improving the next few days so the raindgear can stay packed.

    Looking forward to it!    Read more

  • JaccoWJapan 2025Traveler
    11

    Day 3: Ito to Matsuzaki

    June 1, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Today was the first dry day of riding and the landscape was beautiful.

    After a delicious breakfast at the guesthouse I went on my way and started riding.

    I wanted to stay away from the main highway surrounding the Izu peninsula and kept to the mountains at first. But I sucked at climbing last year and I still do. Basically, I tend to shift down to the lowest gear on long ascents and just crawl up. The downside of that is that it takes ages. 😅

    I'm definitely getting better at it though. This is day 3 and I feel like I am starting to push my body a bit more each day without being dead tired or sore the day after.

    Just hungry.

    Turns out, #Matsuzaki is a perfect place for that. It's a walkable little town that is littered with small mom and pop restaurants, connected by bridges everywhere. It's pretty quiet outside of the high season and the first restaurant I tried was already closing. At 18:30.

    I ended up at a small fish restaurant with a mix of tempura, sashimi and pickled vegetables. And loads of other things that just taste good without actually knowing what they are. 🤤

    Tomorrow I intend to leave the peninsula again to head up towards the base of Mt. Fuji. It is however pretty far and with more climbing than I've done before. But there are no real options between where I am now and there so an early start is in order.

    Wish me luck 😆    Read more

  • JaccoWJapan 2025Traveler

    Day 4: Matsuzaki to Numazu

    June 2, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Today I wrapped up my tour around the Zijn peninsula and headed back up north again.

    Turns out the entire area was formed by a volcano that deposited large amounts of ash up until 500,000 years ago, which explains why it was so green and fertile.

    The western part of Izu is quieter than the eastern part but I still saw plenty of motorcyclists and car enthusiasts ride up and down its winding roads.
    All the while with me sweating buckets toiling uphill of course. 😂

    But the old farmers I found further I land are still the most talkative people I've come across here.

    After 5 big climbs I finally made my way to a city called Numazu.
    First impressions are that it was quite big in the 80's looking at the architecture. My cheap hotel room also has that distinct smell of 4 decades of cigarettes. 🚬💀

    Tomorrow I will be staying here to rest up a bit and do some repairs and gather some supplies.
    It's expected to rain the entire day and I feel like my legs could use some rest. I've already climbed over 3500 meters these past 4 days.

    I'm slowly planning more of the remaining part of the trip (*spoilers, it's mostly unique bike shops*) and chatting with a few people online about suggestions for the road.

    I'll try to capture some of that old Japan tomorrow!    Read more

  • JaccoWJapan 2025Traveler
    2

    Rest day at Numazu

    Jun 2–4, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Today was a rest day.

    Since I knew it was going to be raining and my legs were feeling it already i decided to stay an extra day in #numazu.

    You can tell the city boomed a lot during the 80's since a lot of the architecture is from that time. Lots of fluorescent tubes everywhere.
    It's weird though. While there are lots of restaurants everywhere there were barely any shops. It's like you're standing in a town with the density of downtown Brussels on a small area.

    Still, a good stop for a night or two.

    The hotel room is clearly an old business hotel with small rooms for a single person. So perfect for me.
    Including the console at the head of the bed with various buttons and a nice layer of brown nicotine.
    But I'm not complaining for the price I paid.

    When in Asia, one of my favourite restaurants to try (besides local cuisine) is #Italian. They always give it a local twist that stays within the spirit of the dish but with completely different ingredients.
    A spaghetti with local fish, zucchini, radish and tomato for example.

    Delicious but non-standard.

    Tomorrow I will be heading up to #Fuefuki city and pass Mt. Fuji 🗻. Should be an awesome sight but a painful amount of climbing 😝    Read more

  • JaccoWJapan 2025Traveler

    Day 5: Numezu to Fuejuki

    June 4, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    -'A volcano hidden in plain sight'-

    After the peninsula (and some rest) I made my way into the mountains West of Tokyo. Also known as the Japanese Alps.

    It was a long day of riding up and around Mount Fuji, even though the cloud coverage was so low that I have no idea whether it was on my left hand side or my right hand side.
    At least I still have a map that tells me it was the right hand side. 😅

    I was treated with some gorgeous downhills through the woods and along some small waterfalls. Eventually heading into a big valley where the towns #Kofu, #Fuefuki and #Yamanashi are located.

    The hillsides are lined with grape vines and other fruit trees and I should really try some tomorrow.

    The hotel I booked turned out to be a love hotel 🏩. Including curtains that didn't really open and windows that were opaque.
    Still made for a good night's rest.

    Tomorrow I will be riding to the other side of the valley and up into the mountains again to get to the start of a narrow trail that travels through several old mining towns. Apparently it's very cute.    Read more

  • JaccoWJapan 2025Traveler

    Day 6: Fuefuki to Sawa

    June 5, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    We're pretty much at the halfway point and I've got a few more days lined up in the lovely mountains over here.

    Today was a relatively easy day. Less climbing than the days before and generally nice and sunny weather being kept comfortable by a cool breeze coming in from the mountains.

    I finally got a good look at Mt. Fuji🗻 behind me and it certainly stands out compared to the rest of the mountains. Impressive.

    I am mostly riding through the farmlands and rice fields of the valleys right now, lined with cute houses and cute gardens.
    Oh, and there is a regional road that constantly has trucks thundering up and down. 🚛🚚🛻

    But I've learned to stay away from those roads unless necessary. It was fine on the Izu peninsula but over here there's just too many trucks and not enough space sometimes.

    As I crested the tallest point of today I was greeted with the intense heat of a sun heating up the valley where Sawa is located and a view of the lake.

    I had picked another cheap hotel in the area since hostels are scarce here and... got another love hotel. 🏩🚲

    This one a bit more extreme with garages on the outside where you can hide your car against prying eyes and... let's just say they thought of everything. A "handy massage wand" (including a hygienic condom), pachinko (gambling) machine in the room and a menu for ordering food and more toys. 🪀🧸

    Great restaurants and shops nearby though.
    Tonight I gorged myself on curry. ❤️

    Tomorrow I will ride North again and make my way through the start of the historical Nakasendo route. It used to be a rich industrial wood logging area with heavy protections but nowadays it's mostly used as a hike through the Kiso valley.

    After that I will make my way to Nagoya and later Kyoto.

    It's starting to look like I brought my camping gear for nothing. This part of Japan, people go camping as a way to get out on the weekends and while cheap campsites exist, many of them are even more expensive than hotel rooms. Let alone how incredibly hard it is to find them and make a reservation. Ah well.

    Looking forward to seeing the rest. 😎    Read more

  • JaccoWJapan 2025Traveler

    Day 7: Suwa to Kiso

    June 6, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Today I finally entered the #Nakasendo route, a hiking trail through a valley and several historic towns.

    Starting at Lake Suwa this morning I made my way down into the valley again, walked up an incredibly steep mountain and then made my way South into the valley of the Nakasendo route.

    It's also finally one of the first places where I see any foreigners. Though I'm mostly still chatting with the Japanese people around here.

    Like the first bicycle tourer I came across. He was maybe one of the more extreme ones. He started at #Tokyo this morning at midnight and was planning to get to #Nagoya by midnight again... For those that don't know, that's 300+ km and more than 3000m of climbing. And I ran into him when he had already done 250 km of that.
    Hats off to you sir. 🚲🧢

    My route was a little more relaxed. Winding down the valley across rice fields and little villages I started seeing more traditional wooden houses and more signs explaining what was there.

    Eventually I made my way to #Kiso where my hotel was. The place is jam packed with elderly Japanese and a lot of foreigners, myself included.

    Had some dinner, washed my clothes and carefully carried my bike into the room across the #tatami mats to a little nook near the river. Beautiful and relaxing room.

    After an #onsen tonight I will get some rest for an earlier start tomorrow.
    I'll be going down the rest of the Nakasendo route and start getting near Nagoya. Most of it will be downhil but there will still be a significant amount of climbing. But maybe I will try to push it and add some distance so I have more time in Nagoya the day after.    Read more

  • JaccoWJapan 2025Traveler
    1

    Day 8: Kiso to Tajimi

    June 7, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Less adventure and more just covering the distance today.

    Aa I exited the #Kisovalley the river widened, turning a deep greenish blue, and the businesses by the side of the road got bigger as well.

    I mostly followed road 19 West but was briefly blocked when it turned into Expressway 19, a place where I could not (nor did I want to) ride a bicycle. And there were no clear alternatives on the map that didn't mean a big detour.

    Through a variety of stairs, bridges and small alleyways in the nearby towns I got back on a more direct route again and ended my day in #Tajimi.

    Tomorrow I will be riding through the satellite cities of #Nagoya with a small detour to #Circles. A special bike shop.
    After that I'll head over a small mountain again to go to #Hikone.    Read more

  • JaccoWJapan 2025Traveler

    Day 9: Tajimi to Hikone

    June 8, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    As I am leaving the countryside behind me I ride down into the big city of Nagoya.

    And it turns out they even have bike paths! One of the first places where I've seen them in Japan.
    That is being offset by their atrocious traffic light 🚦 settings though. I think I actually had to stop at every single block. 😅

    I went down to Nagoya to visit @Circles_JP, another special bicycle shop Japan has. Bought some small parts and some goodies and went on my way again after lunch nearby.

    As I leave the city again I enter a wide valley with gorgeous layers and layers of mountains in the distance. The classic different shades of blue.

    There is one final climb today, or so I thought, as I head into the final stretch to #Hikone. It's a small town next to a big lake but for me it's right in the middle of my road to #Kyoto.

    I refuel at a Family Mart and up the speed so the owner of the guesthouse can get home in time as well.

    After a quick shower and change of clothes I go eat some #okonomiyaki, have a nice chat with the daughter of the owner of the restaurant who tells me about her husband from Michigan and I head to bed.

    Tomorrow is the final day of riding to Kyoto and hopefully I am early so I can see a bit of the city already.    Read more

  • JaccoWJapan 2025Traveler

    Day 10: Hikone to Kyoto

    June 9, 2025 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 22 °C

    So the bicycle bit of this vacation is mostly done.

    As I left #Hikone this morning, most of the day led me along the coastline of lake #Biwa. Apparently it is one of the oldest lakes of Japan and also one of its biggest.

    Around the lake are various small tourist towns but more importantly for me, there is a bicycle paths going around the lake. I met several other cyclists along the way and even saw a few people who had put up their tent at the shores.

    Heading into #Kyoto I knew I wanted to visit @CyclesGrandBois. Also known as I's Bicycle. It's a shop that's famous for building classic touring bikes and randonneurs but also restoring a lot of vintage French randonneurs and porteurs. As I entered, one of them was brazing a rack and I had a nice talk with the lady who runs the place. Bought some small parts and a really cool cycling cap with cats 🐈 on it.

    After that, I headed over to the hostel while riding through the rainy backstreets of Kyoto.

    The predictions are rain for the next week so I will be doing most of my exploring from underneath an umbrella tomorrow. ☔🌂☂️    Read more

  • JaccoWJapan 2025Traveler

    Day 11: Rest day in Kyoto

    Jun 9–11, 2025 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 22 °C

    If the countryside was practically devoid of foreigners, Kyoto is shockingly full of them.
    I don't think it's an overstatement to say about 30-40% of the people walking down the streets here are tourists.
    Kind of makes you understand why the local Japanese sometimes get a bit overwhelmed.

    And yeah, I know. Present company included 😇

    As the former capital of Japan, Kyoto is filled with lots of interesting districts that flow into each other and tons and tons of temples.

    Famous is #Gion, the geisha district and the #Yasaka shrine right next to it.
    On the other side of the river is a huge shopping area with lots of covered streets or sidewalks.

    Which was a good thing, because it was absolutely #pouring the entire day. Luckily the hostel has um fellas we could borrow but by the evening you could feel the dampness in the air.
    Not as bad as sweat beading into my eyes 👀 on a hot sunny climb so I'm not complaining. 😋

    I did a fair bit of shopping today. Mostly Japanese brands or the kind of thing you cannot find anywhere else.
    Luckily for my wallet I had to keep it in check because I have limited room for extras before i fly home in a couple of days... but there is always #Tokyo. 🤑

    Speaking of which, tomorrow I will be taking the bike on the train, #rinko style. Meaning partially disassembled and inside a special kind of bag. 🛍️

    Let's hope it stays dry as I heave all these bags over there. 😅    Read more

  • JaccoWJapan 2025Traveler

    Day 12: Kyoto to Tokyo

    June 11, 2025 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 21 °C

    Kyoto was great but I'm not going to be able to cover the 500 km needed to catch my flight back home in 3 days. 😅

    So #shinkansen it is! 🚅😎

    Packed up the bike in a #rinko bag in front of the train station and boarded the train. After a comfortable 2 hours I'm back in #Tokyo and riding a short distance to the hostel I'm staying at.

    After some haggling to allow the bike to be stored in my room I head into town for some dinner and explore #Akihabara for a few hours.

    It's filled with some anime toy shops and some electronics stores, the biggest one being #Yodobashi where I spend an hour or two looking at cameras, hifi and other little electronics.

    Tomorrow I'll have to pick up the bike bag and prepare the bike for transport before heading back into town to visit a few more sites and be a tourist.    Read more

  • JaccoWJapan 2025Traveler

    Day 13: Tokyo

    June 12, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    So now, after 14 days (I didn't count a couple of travel days at first), over 840 km of cycling 🚲, over 9000 meters of climbing ⛰️ and who knows how many steps my trip to Japan 🇯🇵 is coming to an end.

    On my final day in Tokyo I first picked up the bike bag from the hostel I started this vacation at and disassembled the bike.

    After which I went into town like a proper tourist. 😋

    I walked through the park at the #Meiji shrine, snacked and drank some of the delicious #peachsoda 🍑 with chunks of fruit they sell here, explored #Takeshita street and finally made my way to good old #Shibuya for some of the best shopping this vacation.

    Bought a load of #CDs 💿 at #TowerRecords (yes, I'm one of those 😎), got some postcards with bicycle themed art from @__tree_13 for back home (I NEED some of these in the large prints they had on display) and got some more small souvenirs for friends back home.

    Now all that's left is getting everything in the bag and heading to the airport for a long 36 hours of travel. 🥲    Read more

    Trip end
    June 14, 2025
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