Japan by Bicycle

1
japan by Bicycle Documentary

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As youll see in the Japan by Bicycle adventure, Japan

is close to my heart. After talking with others who share
my interest in this fascinating country, I realized that
many of you have questions about exactly how to get
to Japan. How do I get a job? What visa do I need?
How much money should I bring? Do I need to know

Japanese? I answer all these questions and reveal
everything you need to know to successfully get yourself to Japan for either a short or long term stay in this
eBook How to Get Yourself to Japan.
Topics covered:
The many opportunities and options

to go to Japan
Visa options, which visa you need, and
how to avoid being denied
The proven forumula to successful job
hunting in Japan
Exact budgets and figures for both
tourists and residents
Self-studying Japanese effectively
Travel insights and secrets to
maximize your time in Japan
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JapanByBicycle.com
Copyright 5
Dedication 6
Foreword 7
Introduction
About the Trip
Meet the Team
Our Gear Recommendations
8
13
16
Trip Prep
Responding to Disaster
Assembly Week in Review
Final Prep with Dylan
20
24
28
Trip Journal
Trip Overview (map) 20
Phase 1: Pre-Trip (map) 31
Yakushima I - To the Forested Island of Mononoke 32
Yakushima II - The Island of Mononoke
Kicks My Butt
40
Yakushima III - Cedars and Monkeys and
Deer, OH MY!
46
Phase 2: Kyushu (map) 53
Day 1 - Hard Fought Start at Cape Sata
54
Day 2 - Soggy Ride to Topher
61
Day 3 - Famed Japanese Hospitality
66
Day 4 - 100 km to Kumamoto
72
Day 5 - Gusty Hills to Nagasaki
76
Day 6 - Nagasaki: Memorials and Mikans
81
Day 7 - Japan by Ambulance
87
Day 8 & 9 - More Road Rash Research
92
Day 8 & 9 - And Then There Were Two
96
Day 10 & 11 - Blood Infections & Gratitude
102
Phase 3: S. Honshu (map) 107
Day 12 - Bring It On Honshu
108
Day 13 & 14 - The Familiar Sinking Feeling
113
Day 15 - The Scooby-Doo Method Employed
122
Day 16 - In Spokes We Trust
126
Day 17 - Foul Laundry Mathematics
132
Day 15 - 17 Bridges and Citrus: Dylans Solo
Shikoku Tour
136
Day 18 & 19 - Deep Night Towa Tei Show
143
Day 20 - Kansai Doldrums
151
Day 21 - The Kansai Crawl

156
Day 22 - What to See in Kyoto in 5 Hours
161
Day 23 - The 308 Blues
170
Day 24 - Dylan Takes the Plunge
177
Day 25 - Dangerously Cheesy
183
Day 26 - More Money, More Problems?
189
Day 27 & 28 - Typhoon of the Century
193
Day 29 - Creatures from the Deep
202
Phase 4: N. Honshu (map)
207
Day 30 - Home is Where You Lean Your Bike
208
Day 31 & 32 - Two Days Through the Alps
214
Day 33 - Everything Happens for a Reason
224
Day 34 - The Key to Progress
229
Day 35 - The Crazy Cycle
234
Day 36 - Know Your Role
241
Day 37 - Out of Akita
246
Day 38 - Butterflies for Japans Final Boss
252
Phase 5: Hokkaido (map) 258
Day 39 - Convenience and Comforts
259
Day 40 - Desire VS. the Police
263
Day 41 - Zen Riding with Three Drifters
268
Day 42 - The End is Nigh
273
Day 43 - To the Finish Line and Beyond
279
Wrap-Up
Stats & Facts
Insight & Advice - What Worked & What Didnt
291
295
Bonus Chapters

Bonus Chapters Intro

Walking North America - Profile of a Thru Hiker
Traveling on Drugs - Funding My Addiction
Traveling on Drugs - The Fix
Procrastination and Travel - A Cautionary Tale
Alone in Hiroshima
297
299
301
302
304
306
Get More Japan by Bicycle!

Watch the Japan by Bicycle Movie!
Further Reading
308
309
Japan by Bicycle
by Andrew Marston, Scott Keenan, & Dylan Gunning
This book and its contents are copyright 2013 Andrew Marston. All commercial rights reserved. Case # 1-939211431.
Feel free to distribute this book for free and use its content for non-commercial purposes. Please get permission before
using any of the content of this book commercial purposes. Direct inquiries to andrew (at) andrewmarston.com
Book layout, design, and formatting by Andrew Marston. Cover illustration by Yannick McLeod. Cover design by Andrew
Marston and Casey Snyder.
Dedicated to the victims of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.
The meat of this book is the Trip Journal

section with the entries Scott, Dylan, and I took
turns writing as the trip unfolded in 2011. Ive
included a by-line and the original publication
date for these chapters to help keep our voices
distinct. Otherwise, its safe to assume that the
supplementary chapters such as About the Trip
and Our Gear were written several years later by
me, Andrew Marston.
About this book

This book is the revised, expanded, extra shiny,
collectors version of the Japan by Bicycle
trip journal entries published daily on the
JapanByBicycle web site during the end-to-end
cycle tour of Japan I took in 2011 with my two
friends Scott Keenan and Dylan Gunning. With
added commentary, riding data, gear lists, 600+
never-before-published photos, and even a fullfeature documentary, Ive pulled out all the stops
to give you the most complete picture possible
of what it was like to bicycle 3,500 km from Cape
Soya to Cape Sata only one month after the 2011
Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.
Watch the entire Japan by Bicycle documentary for
free now at JapanByBicycle.com.
Purpose of the Japan by Bicycle book

and documentary
While on the trip, publishing the journal entries
online was great for keeping family and friends
updated in real-time, but time constraints meant
we couldnt share as much as we wanted. After
the trip was over it was more than a year before I
revisited the footage and photos. Looking back at
the great memories, I realized Japan by Bicycle
wasnt finished. If solo Japan hiker Tyler McNiven
had decided not to make his documentary Kintaro
Walks Japan (available on YouTube here), or if
Craig Stanton hadnt put in the effort to keep his
blog One Man Walking as he walked all of Japan,
I might never have been inspired to attempt this
trip at all. Surely, theres someone out there primed
and ready to do great things, all they need is a little
inspiration. Hopefully this book and the Japan by
Bicycle film will do just that. If three average guys
like Scott, Dylan, and I can bicycle all of Japan, big
feats are definitely within your grasp too. You just
need to go for them.
Also, I made the Japan by Bicycle book and
documentary because Im an organizational nut
who needs everything tied up neatly with a bow on
top... but mostly the other stuff.
- Andrew Marston
To prepare for being in Japan, I had the team practice flashing peace signs in every picture... obviously Dylan still has some work to do.
Overview
After living in Japan for over two
years, I decided to return to America. To end my
time in Japan, I cycled the entire country from south
to north with my friends Scott and Dylan. At night we
camped or stayed with hosts. Our route stretched
over 3500 km and took 43 days. One month
before the trip began, an earthquake and tsunami

devastated the country. To help, we turned the trip
into a fund-raiser. Our goal was to raise $10,000 of
relief aid. By the time we crossed the finish line, over
$13,500 had been given. Completing this trip was
one of my major life goals. It taught me the value of
big dreams, good friends, and perseverance. This
ride will always be one of my best memories.
Why cycle all of Japan?

The short and philosophical answer:
Because pursuing big goals is essential to realizing
your capabilities and pushing your boundaries
further.
The long and quasi-logical answer:
The idea of propelling myself the length of Japan
started in college (thats university for the non-US
crowd) when watching the documentary Kintaro
Walks Japan (available on YouTube here) in which
Tyler MacNiven stepped his way from Cape Sata,
the southernmost point of the Japan, to Cape Soya,
the northernmost point. At that time I was mostly
focused on my goal of moving to Japan to live and
work, but the idea of traversing the whole country
was still simmering in the back of my mind. Then in
2008 I found out that another hiker, Craig Stanton,
had walked a similar South to North route, blogging
the whole way on his site One Man Walking.
Entranced, I read every entry on the site and even
contacted Craig asking for more info. He was very
helpful, encouraging me that I could do the same
thing if I put my mind to it.
Five days after graduation in 2009, I went to Tokyo
with zero Japanese ability, a backpack, and a deep
love of ramen noodles. In three weeks I received
four job offers, moved to Fukuoka Prefecture and
made it in Japan. For two years I taught English,
traveled all over the country, and learned to read

and write (in Japanese). Ive gone into much deeper
detail about the nuts and bolts of moving to Japan
in the book How to Get Yourself to Japan which
you can download at JapanByBicycle.com (be
sure to use the discount code Ramen9000). I
realized that without consciously making it a goal,
I had started assuming that someday I wanted to
undertake a similar journey as Tyler and Craig. From
then on I put it on my list of life-goals and looked
for an opportunity. Such a chance came up when
my fiance, another second year English teacher in
Fukuoka, and I decided not to renew our contracts
for a third year teaching. Both our visas expired in
August, but my contract ran out in March. Suddenly,
all the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place.
The trips Craig and Tyler took definitely impacted
my life. They seem like two fairly easy-going,
self-motivated guys who decided they could do
something awesome. If they could do it, why not
me? Setting big goals is scary stuff. What if it
doesnt happen? What if I try and fail? Thoughts
like these can play on the mind. It was important
to me to show myself what I was capable of
accomplishing, where my limits were, and areas I
could improve.
The decision to travel by bicycle was because
Im too impatient to walk, and backpacks are
uncomfortable. ^_^
10
Buying my bike and gear all at once at L.L.Beans Bike Shop in Freeport, Maine... thumbs-up are still cool right?
Preparing
Pulling this trip off was actually much easier than
I thought it would be. After I had decided to do
the trip, I spent about 2 hours and $1,100 at the
L.L.Bean bike shop in Freeport, Maine when I was
home for Christmas in 2010. Buying everything all
at once from a salesman who was an experienced
cyclist and spoke English was a good idea. Lugging
it all back to Japan was a hassle, but at least I knew
what I had bought. Plus L.L.Bean has an incredible
return policy which I was able to utilize after the
trip to return a few items I didnt end-up using. In
hindsight, the only things I should have bought in
Japan were my inner tubes since the ones I had
had valves uncommon in Japan. This would have
made conversations with repair shops on the trip
much less complicated. Also, I wish I had bought a
front rack with front panniers to better distribute the
weight over my bike. This wouldve prevented the
need to replace my rear wheel with a sturdier one for
$300 on Day 19 in Himeji.
As for planning, I think Scott and Dylan had to do
much more than me since the trip required them
to interrupt their lives for two months. To fund
and make time for the trip Dylan did drug testing
(chronicled in his hilarious two part series Traveling
on Drugs) and Scott took a leave from his job as
an environmental consultant. My end of things
was pretty simple since I already had time and
opportunity. This was my plan: ask Scott and Dylan
to come with me; if they said no, go to Cape Sata in
mid-April and start pedaling north anyway. Happily,
they both said yes, we settled on the start date,

and they came to Japan about a week beforehand.
We did not map out our route before setting out but
opted to plan as we went, using my iPhone and a
small netbook we bought for the trip.
As youll discover when you read the Meet the Team
section, we all trained in separate countries. Truth
be told, only Dylan and Scott trained in different
countries. Although I had good intentions, I dont
think I logged more than 30 km before the trip
started. Based on how difficult the first 2 weeks of
the trip were, I recommend anyone looking at doing
a similar trip to follow Dylan and Scotts example,
not mine.
Time zone differences between Japan, Canada,
and the USA made for some sleep-deprived Skype
planning sessions. Most of the details we discussed
revolved around what impact, if any, the earthquake,
tsunami, and radiation leak would have on the trip.
After doing our homework, we decided that we could
easily avoid the danger zones and that it was safe to
proceed as planned. At this point, with only 4 weeks
left until the trip, Scott took the helm on turning the
ride into a fund-raiser. His crazy goal of $10,000 was
intimidating, but we figured it couldnt hurt to aim
high. Looking back at the $13,092 that came in, it is
just another testimony to the power of dreaming big.
One other point of interest is that before the team
assembled in Japan, Scott and Dylan had only met in
person once at a Christmas party at my parents house
in Maine. They were both friends of mine, Scott from
high school and Dylan from teaching in Japan.
11
Andrew looks intelligent as ever while photographing on Maui, Scott eating mussels in Argentina, Dylan in traditional Japanese attire in Kyoto
After the Trip

Two years after the trip heres where we are now.
Andrew: Full-time graphic designer and
photographer. Future plans involve moving to
Singapore, many more adventures in Japan,
passing the top level of the Japanese Language
Proficiency Test, and teaching photography.
Scott: Grad student getting his MBA at Dartmouth

College, hoping to work in the business side of the
music industry after graduation. Hangs with Andrew
occasionally, misses Dylan and Japan dearly.
Dylan: Living his dream teaching English in
Shizuoka, Japan. May return to Canada in a few
years... or may not.
12
The following profiles were written before the trip began.
Andrew
ne day, little scrawny seventh

grade Andy said to himself while
watching his favorite television show,
Dude, Dragonball Z is the bomb! I want to learn
more about the culture from which it came!
I wonder if mushroom hair cuts are still cool
because I have one! Now, after living in Japan for
the past two years as an English teacher, I have
gotten my fill of this unique culture and intend to
end my time here with style. I am especially eager
to cycle through the areas North of Tokyo since its
less tourist-influenced and more rural. My greatest
fear regarding the trip is that the three of us will
overuse some dumb catchphrase and forever after
draw a mental connection between Im down with
that and eating cheap noodles.
In 3 Words: Creative Friendly Focused

Foods You Dont Like: Boiled chicken feet
Pet Peeve: Dirty dishes and slow Internet
Favorite Book: All Creatures Great and Small by
James Herriot
Favorite Movie: Kung Fu Panda
Favorite Music: Audio-books appeal to my obsession with
time-management. Also, ambient and electronic music such
as The Album Leaf, Eluvium, and Mutemath, and my singer-songwriter father Frank Marston.
Hobbies/Interests: Photography, the outdoors, technology,
time management, ultimate frisbee, studying Japanese
Embarrassing Moment: In third grade, while casually crawling over to play Legos in the popular kids corner during story
time, I inadvertently farted so vehemently that the teacher
stopped reading to ask if I was alright.
Secret Passion: UFO Catcher (Japanese crane game)
Name: Andrew Delbert Marston
Marital Status: Engaged
Riding Name: Crash
Irrational Fears: Leeches freak me out
Country Trained In: Japan
Secret Abilities: Accordion, juggling, sleeping with eyes open
Favorite Color: Green (used to be blue)
Japanese Language Proficiency: Intermediate listening

and reading, Advanced beginner speaking and writing
University Degree: Photography and Graphic Design at

Taylor University
Occupation: Photographer and Designer
Greatest Athletic Achievement Thus Far: 4x400m and

4x800m relay at NAIA track nationals in college
13
Scott
y reasons for joining Andrew

and Dylan on this trip are threefold:
1. I love sushi and sake, 2. I need an
adventure, and 3. I havent seriously worked out
since college and need to get in shape! Theres so
much about this trip to look forward to. I cant wait
to see all the mountains, cool cities, delicious food,
beautiful coastline, and rural villages. Im also
looking forward to the quality dude time, which of
course leads me to my biggest fear about the trip
the stank. This whole camping 6 days a week and
occasional showering while biking 75 miles a day
thing has me worried! Bike breakdowns can be
fixed, but body odor has to be tolerated.
In 3 Words: Obsessive Scatterbrained Hungry

Foods You Dont Like: Bell peppers
Pet Peeve: Other people chewing
Favorite Book: Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich
Favorite Movie: The Lives of Others
Favorite Music: Radiohead, UK Garage, and New
Minimal House
Hobbies/Interests: Music, music, music, music (i.e. listening, sharing, making, and going to shows)
Embarrassing Moment: While performing a solo that was
way too high for me in a high school Gilbert & Sullivan play,
I had the most horrific voice crack youve ever heard: deeds
OF derring-do (on the word of my voice jumped about
2.3791 octaves and 8 decibels. Be glad you werent there.)
Name: Scott Russell Keenan
Secret Passion: Alison Krauss (I know shes way too old,

but that voice!!)
Riding Name: Calves
Marital Status: Single
Country Trained In: U.S.A.
Irrational Fears: Going deaf
Favorite Color: Green (never was blue)
Secret Abilities: Improving other peoples music taste, clapping with one hand, sleeping with eyes open
University Degree: Chemistry with Economics minor at

Hillsdale College
Occupation: Environmental consultant
Japanese Language Proficiency: Negative

Greatest Athletic Achievement Thus Far: Winning the
Shep Olympics and not getting cut from a NCAA DII track team
14
Dylan
apan and I have had a relationship

of extremes. Pretty much from the first I
heard of it, I have been fascinated by the
country, and over the years, I have fostered an
increasing desire to go and spend some time
there. Unfortunately, this has been coupled with
a series of roadblocks and setbacks everything
from exchanges being canceled, to getting
painfully close to scoring a government job
placement, to nearly going broke in Japan trying
to find a job. All this culminated in a horrible fiery
work visa debacle that almost got me deported.
After that, me and Japan decided it would be best
if we spent some time apart, saw other people,
and work through our issues. Two years later, this
trip marks the beginning of our reconciliation. I
have high hopes that this trip will be some kind of
defining moment in my life or something, but even
if it isnt, itll definitely be an exhilarating, sweaty,
amazing way to experience Japan.
Name: Dylan Charles Wilson Gunning (yeah, its a mouthful)

Riding Name: Spock
Country Trained In: Canada
Favorite Color: Teal (best of both worlds)
University Degree: Applied Linguistics at University of Victoria
In 3 Words: Inquisitive Passionate Unfocused

Foods You Dont Like: Coffee
Pet Peeve: People wasting food
Favorite Book: Enders Game by Orson Scott Card
Favorite Movie: The Man Who Wasnt There
Favorite Music: The Magnetic Fields, The Weakerthans,
Shoegaze, Noise/Post-rock
Hobbies/Interests: Cooking from scratch, watching anime,
taking things apart and then putting them back together,
learning new things
Embarrassing Moment: When I was about eight, I sleepwalked up to the front door, glanced at my parents in the
living room, and bolted outside. Apparently I desperately
needed to catch the schoolbus, and it didnt matter to me that
it was the middle of the night, or that I was completely naked.
My Dad caught up with me a couple houses down the street
and dragged me back home.
Secret Passion: Reading Wikipedia (honestly, hours at a time)
Marital Status: Married
Irrational Fears: Mold
Secret Abilities: Rock climbing, parallel parking, sleeping
(with eyes closed) anywhere, anytime
Japanese Language Proficiency: Never good enough.
Intermediate pronounciation with beginner content.
Greatest Athletic Achievement Thus Far: Biking around
1000 km solo from Victoria, BC to George, WA and back,
passing up and over the Cascade Mountains on the way.
Occupation: English Teacher
15
recommendations
Of all the gear we used on the trip, several items withstood the journey and proved invaluable to our
success. If I had to do it all over again here are the products I would not leave home without.
Scotts Bike, the Dahon Tornado - Not only was it

designed to be folded and packed in the included airline friendly case, it also only needed mild
maintenance twice on the whole trip.
Andrews Bike Computer, the Simga 1009 - It
worked well the whole trip and even survived three
crashes. Of course it displayed the current speed
and time of day which were handy, but what we
loved was that it kept track of both the daily and
total trip riding distances and pedal times.
Scotts back-roller rear panniers by Ortlieb - They
carried a lot, were waterproof and adjustable,
had huge reflectors and easy release handles.
Andrew was jealous the whole trip.
Dylans front panniers - Dylan was the only one
on the team to have front panniers and as a result he could carry more gear without sacrificing
balance or stability.
Andrews Topeak handlebar bag - With pockets
on both sides, the front, and the top, along with
a spacious main chamber Andrew had everything he needed within reach while riding. When
we got off the bikes, he could take it with him
because of the easy detaching mechanism and
carrying strap. There was also a clear plastic
sleeve on top for maps.
Scott and Andrews Clip-less pedals - Scott was

happy with these road cycle pedals and Andrew
appreciated the two different sides of these dual
platform pedals. Clip-less pedals and shoes lock
your feet to the pedals. As Dylan proved, they are
not a necessity for biking long distances, but the
pedal efficiency they added over the course of the
trip was worth it. Definitely practice releasing from
the pedals while leaning against a wall so that you
dont end up falling over at a stop light.
Dylans rear-view helmet mirror - Andrew had
Dylan buy one for him also. After three crashes,
this specific product showed no sign of wear and
proved extremely well-made.
Andrews polarized clear cycling glasses - Purchased in a sport shop about halfway through
the trip, they were great for keeping wind and
sand out of Andrews eyes and also for reducing
glare from the sun. Looking at whats available
online, this pair of Pellor cycling glasses look like
a better investment than what Andrew had because of the interchangeable lenses.
Dylans Sundog anti-fog cycling goggles - Aside
from making Dylan look really cool, they fit snuggly without being uncomfortable, didnt fog, and
were polarized. The perfect pair of goggles.
16
Andrews cooking stove, the Muka Muka OD1NP by Soto - The reason we loved this so much
was because it was compatible with the fuel
canisters sold in Japanese convenience stores.
This meant that if we ran low, more fuel was just
around the corner. Also, it collapsed down into a
small carrying bag that was easy to pack.
Dylans blue tarp - This was excellent in multiple

situations and became an essential item. Mainly
we used it as a ground cloth under my tent. It
also made a great wrapping material when we
had to take our bikes apart to board the bullet
train to Kagoshima, ferry to Yakushima, and my
flight back to Fukuoka.
Scotts Marmot Limelight Tent - This Marmot tent

wasnt quite as ultra-light as my Henry Shires,
but it was a mesh tent with a fly which meant
that condensation wasnt as much of an issue, It
was roomy enough to fit two comfortably, and we
even fit all three of us in there one desperate and
rainy night in Nagasaki. It usually took about 5
minutes to set-up by himself.
Andrews Gerber Compact Sport Multi-function

Tool - Its got scissors, pliers, a can-opener, two
screw drivers, and much more. It fit in my saddle
bag and was used everyday of the trip... until I
left it at our campsite in Mihara. Its still hard to
talk about it.
Andrews Henry Shires Rainbow Tarp Tent - I

love my Henry Shires tent. Its the perfect size for
one person with gear, or two people. By myself I
can set it up in under three minutes. The whole
tent including pole and stakes weighs only .9kg!
Dylans Petzel E97 Tikka Plus 2 Headlamp - This
thing was super bright, had variable brightness
levels, could emit red light, and wasnt a battery
killer. Basically, it was everything you could want
in a headlamp.
Scotts sleep mask - A great way to check-out

and fall asleep anywhere. I wish I had brought
one of these. I couldnt find the exact mask Scott
used, but if I were buying one now, this one is
the clear winner and it comes with ear plugs.
Andrews earplugs - Similar to Scotts sleep mask,
earplugs helped me tune out and fall asleep faster. You can get these at any convenience store
or hardware store, and they also come with the
sleep mask I recommended above.
Andrews cooking set, the GSI Outdoors Bugaboo Base Camper (Small) - This set was a good
size to cook for three people. It came with two
pots with lids we frequently used as plates, a fry
pan, handle, and a plate. The non-stick surface
survived the whole trip and I still use it today.
17
Andrews camera, the Canon Powershot G12 Ive always shot with Nikon DSLRs and Canon
point-and-shoots. Since a DSLR wouldve been
too bulky to take along and access easily while
biking, I went with next best thing, my Canon
Powershot G12. I liked the G12 because it shot
HD video, allowed me to take photos in full manual mode, and could capture photos in the RAW
and JPG formats simultaneously. Since the trip
Canon has continued the Powershot G series,
and I wouldnt hesitate to recommend the G12 or
any of its successors.
Dylans Asus Netbook - This was our primary
way to stay connected to the world and manage
our photos on the trip. I considered pricing out
iPads, but this netbook had ports for USB devices and SD card, a keyboard, web cam and
was less money. As times change better options
might be developed, but on the trip this Asus netbook that Dylan bought met our needs well.
Andrews Otterbox Drybox 2000 - This is the

secret to keeping your hard drive safe while
travelling. This case is crush-proof, water-proof,
padded, and is held closed by two solid latches.
Its a testimony to the quality of this product that
protected the teams hard drive for the length of
Japan, including multiple crashes and several
hours in a typhoon. Now, I wont trust any product
but this otterbox when travelling with a hard drive.
Scotts Bose IE2 Headphones - On the trip, we
spent a lot of time pedalling in a single file line.
Listening to music or audiobooks was critical to
maintaining sanity. Scott made a good investment in the quality of his ride when he purchased
these high-end headphones.
Andrews Western Digital external hard drive Everyone has their brand of hard drive that they
trust. So far Ive had solid performance without
issue from my Western Digital drives. The one
I used on this trip to back-up all the trip photos
and videos was only 150GB and purchased in
2006. Every night I would collect the teams SD
cards, move the photo and video files to the netbooks internal hard drive, and copy them to the
WD external as a back-up. In my regular workflow as a graphic designer and photographer, I
usually buy the WD Elements 1TB drives in pairs
follow a similiar file management workflow.
18
Wicking T-shirts - Dont bring cotton t-shirts,

youll regret it. Synthetic wicking shirts keep you
cool and dry. Every outdoor sports apparel company has their own version. I was happy with the
Techwick shirts I bought from Eastern Mountain Sports. Scott has a Reaxion wicking shirt
from The North Face and Dylan got his from the
excellent Canadian outdoor company Mountain
Equipment Co-Op.
Dylans MSR Microfiber Towel - Since the trip
Ive bought one of these for myself to take on
camping trips and when showering at the gym.
Its incredible that such a small piece of cloth can
absorb so much and dry so quickly.
Andrews biking shorts from Easter Mountain
Sports - I couldnt say if my shorts were better
than Scott or Dylans, but I know I was happy
with the two pair I bought from Easter Mountain
Sports. They dried quickly, repelled odor, and
didnt chafe.
Dylans Mountain Hardware Alakazam Jacket With about a million different pockets and vents,
water resistant exterior and a hood, this proved
to be the ultimate jacket for an epic journey.
Andrews Smartwool Cycling Socks - I swear
these socks are magical. They repelled moisture
and odor, keeping my feet cool and happy. The
days I was wearing other socks I noticed the
difference and wished I had more of these. I will
only buy Smartwool socks on future adventures.
Andrews North Face convertible pants/shorts Since these pants could turn into shorts, I saved
valuable space in my pack. The material was
light but durable, and I found them perfect for the
heat of Kyushu and the cold of Hokkaido.
Scotts rain jacket, the Showerpass Club Pro The ideal rain jacket, not just for biking. It kept him
completely dry, was warm, but breathed well. Now
that the trip is over, he still uses it as his primary
rain jacket.
19
20
Responding to disaster
Background info
Only one month before the start date of our trip, Japan was devastated by an 8.9 earthquake which triggered a 30 ft
tsunami. The damage was unreal. Bullet trains went missing, nuclear power plants broke down leading to radiation
contamination in Fukushima, and the death toll in the first few days alone was estimated at over 10,000. Obviously,
this could greatly impact our plans to cycle the length of the country. This article was our response to the disaster.
Written by Scott on April 7, 2011

Click here to read the original post
While the three of us would admit to having gone on some foolish adventures, we will be putting health and
safety first on this trip in light of the earthquake and tsunami. Last Friday evening Andy, Dylan, and I videoconferenced from our 3 countries via Skype to discuss this very issue. Is the trip still on? The short answer is
yes, but we did have a lot to consider and will continue to revise our trip plan as events unfold in Japan.
21
First, although the trip was never

intended to be a fundraiser, all three
of us easily agreed that we should try
our best to raise money for the victims
of the earthquake and tsunami.
Please consider donating to help us
reach our $1 per kilometer goal of
$10,000 (collectively well be riding
about 10,000 km).
Help Us Raise $10,000 for Japan Relief Efforts!
UPDATE
All you generous donors exceeded
the $10,000 goal! See the Post-trip
follow-up section at the end of this
chapter for the details.
View the fundraising video
Second, we did our best to evaluate the relevant safety concerns of biking through the Tohoku region
in Northern Japan. The most obvious danger is the Fukushima Power Plant where workers are still
courageously working to repair the damaged units. As of now, the radiation levels do not appear threatening
but well of course look to the latest news as we approach the region. Heres an interesting chart that gives
some information on radiation exposure. Another concern is the conditions of the roads, but weve learned
that the highway on the west coast is perfectly fine for travel. A less obvious difficulty is where well be able
to get food and water in that leg of the trip. Our best bet is to carry enough with us for the couple days it will
take to cycle through. As for sanitation concerns, I have purchased a Katadyn water purifying system with
a replacement cartridge as well as iodine tablets to make sure that we all have clean water. We will plan to
purify all municipal water we drink and cook with in areas that may be affected.
We have formed some back-up plans:
(see map on next page):
Taking a ferry up to Hokkaido to avoid the Tohoku region all together
Cycling a loop covering only Southern Japan until Nagano.
Skipping Japan altogether and riding the length of South Korea.
We are hoping that we will be able to do our original trip, but most importantly we hope the situation improves for
the Japanese people who have suffered from this disaster. Thanks for your support and please feel free to leave
comments on this article with other things we should be aware of and consider!
22
Post-trip follow-up
It is my pleasure to announce that through your
generous support we have met and exceeded our
fundraising goal for earthquake and tsunami relief aid!
Fundraising Goal: $10,000
Grand Total Raised: $13,902
Thank you to all Japan relief donors: Jennie, Lori,
Chazzum, Serena, Carolyn, Jim & Mary, Becca, Jenn,
Sasha, Kristy & Andy, Michelle & Isaac, Masa, Rose,
Erika & Brad, Jane, Janelle, Amy, Kristen, Tom, Lisa,
Hannah, Harvester, Lauren, Meghan, Ohly, Jonathan,
Sallie, Cheryl, Helen, Samantha, Rachel, Diane, Lucy,
Debbie, Becky, Jeannine, Bob & Wilma, Karen & Dom,
Leslie, John, Bridget, Davey & Jenna, Scott, Maria,

Emy, Julie, Ikuko, Steven, Hilary, Josh, Mary & Don,
Kristen, Arndt, Beth, Mia, Antoinette, Erin, Andrea, Alexis,
Chigako, Deb, Tracy, Dee, Jen, Kelley, Ruth, John, Chris,
Mrs. Baum, James, Unkie, Deb, Tobey, Johnathan &
Rebecca, Bob & Julie, Simon & Darrelle, Frank & Deb,
Elizabeth, Harriet, Lynne, Grammy & Poppy, Patti, Erick,
Paula, Santosh, Don & Doreen, John & Debbie, Kathryn
& Russ, Dave & Beth, Wendi, Suzy, Christine, Steffanie,
Erik, Wes & Mary, Woodwards, Clair, Go & Kazuya,
Andrea, PinkGloom, Todd, Norman, Deb, Andrew, Bryan,
Tom, Muji, Dan & Alice, Brian, Alex, Carl, Katie-Rose, Joe
& Jess & some of their kids, Brittani, Rhiannon, Donald,
Fukuoka AJET Charity Group, the Nichols, Joy, Kevin,
Bobby, Wendy, and anonymous donors.
23
Assembly Week in Review

Written by Andrew on April 8, 2011
Heres a quick update covering Dylan and Scotts trips to Japan and the past week of preparation.
Tuesday, March 29th

Dylan attempts to fly from Canada to Japan. Instead, he finds great material for his article Procrastination
and Travel: A Cautionary Tale when he unwittingly forgets his passport. He returns home and waits for
another flight on Thursday.
Thursday, March 31th

Dylan arrives in Japan and hauls his suspicious-looking plastic-wrapped bike on multiple trains before arriving at
Loris apartment.
Friday, April 1st

Dylan and Andrew sleep late and play tennis for 2 hours before some rousing Wii Resort competition for
the rest of the night once Lori gets home. Lori defeats Dylan and Andrew at most of the games (Archery,
Basketball, Fast Sword Chopping game, etc) to both boys dismay.
24
Saturday, April 2nd

Lori pulls off a spectacular charity bicycle event (unrelated to Japan by Bicycle) which Dylan and Andrew
valiantly assist in by carrying participants rented, motorized cycles up stairs along the course.
Sunday, April 3rd

Dylan takes some fantastic engagement photos of Lori and Andrew in a local park.
Monday, April 4th Wednesday, April 6th

This time span is kind of a blur for me. I dont think I left the apartment for these 3 days and spent 15+
hours each day tying up loose ends on trip web site and other details of this major life transition period.
Dylan spent his time training like a good team member and also making my Nintendo Wii play movies from
my hard drive. Thanks Dylan. ^_^
On Wednesday, Lori pulled off a great farewell BBQ for Dylan and I (Scott couldnt make it as he was in
America). We grilled out and laughed it up with friends.
25
Thursday, April 7th

Scott lands in Narita airport near Tokyo and only has time to make a bullet train as far south as Hiroshima.
Without a phone or WIFI card on the train he cant contact Lori and I. We went to meet him around midnight
at the nearest bullet train stop. Being the resourceful guy he is, he found a reasonable hotel where he sent
me the following email:
(Before I show the actual email, let me just say that Scott is a very intelligent adult. Given this fact, this e-mail was all
the more enjoyable to find waiting for me upon Scott-less return from the train station around 1am this morning.)
From Scott:
Perhaps the hotels Japanese formatted keyboards were a bit much even for Scott. Via hotel room wifi he
was able to connect with us and hash out a plan for the morning.
26
Friday, April 8th (today)

Scott arrives in Kitakyushu, we lug his somewhat abused bike-in-a-bag up to Loris apartment, I write this
article, and generally escape the real work happening in the other room where Scott and Dylan are busy
assembling Scotts bike and game-planning gear options. With Scott now in Kitakyushu, the Japan by
Bicycle team is finally assembled on the same continent and even in the same room! Its an odd experience
to be talking to both Dylan and Scott in person. Im not used to conversing with 6 foot adults here in Japan.
Also, Im accustomed to seeing their talking heads on Skype group video chat rather than face to face (at
eye level no less). After Scotts bicycle is assembled, the three of us are planning to ride to the local ramen
shop for some cheap noodles.
Also of note, we are now over 50% toward our $1/km of relief aid to Japan goal ($10,000).
27
Final prep with dylan

In our final day before leaving Loris apartment, we are nearly all packed and fervently attempting to beat
each others Bejeweled high scores.
Getting Prepped with Dylan - Japan by Bicycle (BusanKevin at the End)
View todays video journal
28
Trip Overview
Phase 1: Pre-Trip
x2
To the forested
island of mononoke
32
To the forested
island of mononoke
Sunday April 10th
T 4 AM THIS MORNING, Dylan, Scott, and I departed from

Loris apartment on our bicycles after staying up all night
packing and prepping. Why didnt we sleep the night before
the trip you ask? Thats what youre supposed to do the night
before the biggest adventure of your life right? It was definitely not
because we were unprepared or totally not ready for this... we just
had stuff... that we still needed to do... you know?
Our end destination was Yakushima Island whose mountain
forests were the inspiration for the scenery of the acclaimed
animated movie Princess Mononoke. It was a difficult trip to
say the least. At Hakata station, the bullet train staff adamantly,
but politely (they are Japanese after all), informed us that we
had to take our cycles apart and carry them in bags to be
allowed on the train. After about 45 minutes, we (and by we I
really mean our resident bike technician Dylan) had our wheels
off and bikes collapsed. Having no bike bags, we were again
saved by Dylan who brought tarps and some duct tape just in
case. Thats two points for Canada. After boarding, the bullet
train ride to the south of Kyushu Island went quickly since all
three of us fell asleep... and also since its the bullet train.
Arriving in Kagoshima (the southern most prefecture in Kyushu)
we promptly assembled our bicycles and rode to the ferry that
would take us to Yakushima. At the boat terminal, we were
informed that we had to break down and bag our bikes again
like on the bullet train. Just awesome -_-. Of course, Dylan did
all the real work, but I wont be robbed of this opportunity to
complain. Finally, after the ferry ride, we arrived on Yakushima,
reassembled our bicycles, and rode about 50 km around half
the island to an outdoor natural hot spring overlooking the
After boarding, the

bullet train ride to
the south of Kyushu
Island went quickly
since all three of
us fell asleep... and
also since its the
bullet train.
Kagoshima Bullet Train

Traveling a distance of 257 km in
an hour and a half, the Kyushu
Shinkansen (bullet train) is as
fast, and much more comfortable,
than an F1 race car. This train line
opened only one month before
our trip. In fact, the opening
ceremonies were cancelled due to
the earthquake.
33
South Pacific Sea. Completely depleted from this somewhat

tame ride, I was happy when we decided to camp right there
on the rock beach neighboring the hot spring. Dylan made
a delicious dinner of eggplant, curry, and rice and we all fell
asleep instantly.
Monday April, 11th

We awoke and broke camp around 9:30am after Scott made
a great breakfast of instant noodles and soft boiled eggs.
Sadly, Scott lost his iPod somewhere near the hot springs. This
could be a major blow to our trip if it remains unfound since
Scotts life basically revolves around music. Id give him 15
days maximum before he goes crazy without his tunes-of-life.
Plus, it could mean I might have to share my music with him
once in awhile. As an only child, this idea doesnt sit well. After
thoroughly searching the area several times and leaving my
cell number with the hot springs manager, we departed to head
back up the coast the way we came yesterday.
For me, the trip has been really difficult physically so far. Weve
only logged about 25 km today, but my muscles are screaming.
Right now were eating lunch outside of a supermarket (I
grabbed some tofu and kimchi, with canned peaches for
dessert mmmmhmmmm). We hope to cycle inland later to
hike around the islands famed foliage. The cell reception on
Yakushima is spotty which leads me to suspect I may not be
able to post updates daily as I had hoped until were back on
Kyushu after this pre-trip adventure. Thanks for tuning in!
Crashs crash count

The first crash of the trip happened
on the night of Sunday, April 10th.
When looking for a campsite on
the southern half of Yakushima, the
team stopped to talk over options.
Unused to having his feet clipped
to the pedals, Andrew failed to put
his feet down after stopping and
tipped over. It was pretty hillarious
to watch.
Id give him 15 days

maximum before he
goes crazy without
his tunes-of-life.
Inspiration for a film

Released in 1997, Princess Mononoke by legendary
director Hayao Miyazaki is the 5th highest grossing
film in Japan ever and is a lasting favorite among
anime lovers around the world. The breathtaking
scenery of this earth friendly, adventure film was
inspired by the lush forests of Yakushima. An amazing
144,000 cels were hand drawn for the film.
View the Princess Monoke trailer | Buy it here
34
April 10th Photos
Breaking down our bikes on the train ride to Hakata where well catch the bullet train to Kagoshima
With bikes bundled up, the team is ready to board the bullet train to Kagoshima
The beautiful Kyushu countryside as seen from the bullet train
35
Assembling our bikes to ride to the Yakushima Ferry terminal

Arriving on Yakushima by ferry
36
Cycling on Yakushima was amazing, as you can tell by Andrews fist pump action
Thanks for sending me off with a ton of protein bars mom!
This is why we call him calves
Lounging in a natural outdoor hot spring was the perfect way to end the first day of riding
37
April 11 Photos
Andrew somehow sleeps through his tent collapsing on him

The natural hot spring we enjoyed the previous night
Scott making breakfast on a cement breakwater near the campsite
38
The beautiful Yakushima coast

Dylan prepares a snack for the hiking trip tomorrow
39
The island of mononoke

kicks my Butt
40
The island of mononoke

kicks my Butt
akushima some kind of tropical paradise. Sure, with

its lush foliage, balmy weather, and jagged mountains
that meet a gorgeous coastline, its one of the most
beautiful places Ive ever been. But it also really knows how to
hand it to you. Let me explain.
Monday, April 11th

As Andrew shared yesterday, I woke up yesterday morning to
find my iPod missing. Yes, my iPod with 80 gigs of wonderful
music and my Bose headphones that I purchased specifically
for this trip. Im most concerned that without my music I have
nothing to distract me from my thoughts. Ask anyone who
knows me, 3,500 km is a long way to go with nobody else to
listen to.
A bit distraught over this loss and tired from Sunday, the
ride back really took its toll on me. From where we stopped
yesterday and posted our last update we had another 25 km to
make it back up Yakushimas East coast. A couple of near clipfalls and a mighty headwind made this quite a long trip
We set up camp in the dark again and as I fell asleep I thought
the punishment was over.
Japan by Bicycle dictionary:
Clip-Fall
The kinetic result of an attempted dismount when the bicycle
operator fails to twist his ankle
and un-clip his shoes from his
pedals. A clip-fall is usually
accompanied by a moment of
panic, a realization of helplessness as the bike is tipping over,
and a large amount of pain as
the rider becomes pinned under
a fully-loaded bike to which his
feet are still attached.
Tuesday, April 12th

Not so. AaaCKRrOOAOAOAAArrW!! A gang of roosters and
hens surrounded our tents at 5:30 am and started their battle
cry. No amount of shooing or reason would persuade them to
leave. They were on a mission to take back their campground.
The birds won and we set off to go hiking. Andrew was just
about as tired as I was so when Dylan said he wanted to spend
41
the night on the mountain we agreed to split up. Andrew and I

would go for an easy day hike and Dylan would prove himself
manlier than us.
After biking about 5 km up to the trail-head with portions of
the road at least at a 25% grade, Andrew and I were really
ready for some easier adventuring. It didnt take long for us to
realize that we hadnt brought any food, so we decided to turn
around after making it up the trail to a pretty stream and three
huge cedars. About halfway down the trail I grabbed onto a
branch for stability and snap, stumble, grab, snap, claw, twist,
tumble, thump. I fell about six feet from the trail onto relatively
soft ground between a tree and relatively hard boulders, one of
which I pounded with my shoulder. Im very thankful that I didnt
tumble down the whole mountain and also glad that Andrew
saw the whole thing so I can laugh about it.
It didnt take long

for us to realize that
we hadnt brought
any food...
Yakushima Hiking: Pre Japan by Bicycle Trip
You know, as Im writing this back at the campsite swinging on

a hammock with blue sky above and a refreshing 65 degree
breeze passing by, its a bit hard for me to complain about
Yakushima. I didnt sign up for this trip because it would be
easy and now that I think about it, Yakushima may just be
preparing me for whats to come.
Yakushima
Some of the oldest trees in the world are found in the
spectacular mountains of Yakushima. As the wettest
place in Japan, its no wonder that nature thrives
so well here. The wild monkeys and deer who call
Yakushima home actually outnumber the humans
living on the island. Not all of Yakushimas wildlife
are the cute and furry type. The island is also home
to several species of snake, including the highly
venomous mamushi viper, hornets, and centipedes.
In 1993 Yakushima had the honor of becoming
Japans first natural UNESCO World Heritage site.
Thousands of visitors flock to the island each year
for incredible hiking and a luxurious soak in one
of several natural hot springs. The primary way to
travel to Yakushima is by ferry from Kagoshima.
42
April 12th Photos
He may look adorable, but this rooster was really annoying in the morning
The forests of Yakushima were the inspiration for the scenery in the film Princess Mononoke
43
Scott, minutes after falling down a slope and landing in a soft patch of brush between a tree and a boulder
Dylan with his DIY pannier backpack, ready for an overnight hike to see Jomonsugi
44
45
Cedars and Monkeys

and Deer, Oh my!
46
Cedars and Monkeys

and Deer, Oh my!
Written by Dylan on April 13, 2011
heard the monkeys before I saw them. Yakuzaru,

the monkeys of Yakushima. I was five hours into my
whirlwind, 25-hour tour of the inland mountains, and I had
almost forgotten I was keeping an eye out for these sometimes
elusive animals. I was trudging down into a valley when I
was startled from my reverie by an unmistakable grunting
and screeching coming from the trees above. The one voice
was joined by another, and another, and I realized that I was
surrounded by the monkeys, although despite my frantic
searching, I could only hear them rustling branches as they
moved from limb to limb. I fumbled my camera out and walked
slowly for the next 10 minutes, turning at every noise. Finally, I
spotted a monkey, casually loping along the ground rather than
swinging through the trees.
That sighting was part of the trifecta of things to see when
hiking in Yakushima. I had already spotted another part of
that, the deer, or shika, that have actually become numerous
enough on the island to be a bit of a pest. Most sightings
of those consisted of me coming around a corner and one,
or both of us having a startled moment of eye contact, and
the deer gracefully bolting into the trees. The final portion of
the sightings, also the oldest, is the great, ancient cedars,
yakusugi. Not having too much time, I decided to try to reach
the oldest one, Jomon-sugi, which is also one of the highest
up in the mountains. At an estimated 2000-7000 years old, it
would have been an imposing sight even if I had not come on
it in the dark, exhausted from the steep 2-hour hike from the
valley floor. But it certainly didnt rely on its history to inspire
awe; the massive over-arching boughs backdropped by the
moon and stars took care of that.

I heard monkeys
before I saw them.
Meanwhile...
Scott and Andrew return to the
camp site and proceed to lounge
the rest of the day away. At first
they questioned if they shouldve
gone with Dylan to see the
rediculuously old tree. However,
these doubts were quickly
smothered by hot showers and
eating generous portions of food.
47
I passed it once more, heading out of the mountains after an

overnight stay in a spartan mountain hut. This time I saw it as
the rays of the sunrise broke over the ridge, and it was no less
spectacular. From there, it was a 6-hour quick march down
and up and down again, out of the mountains to catch the ferry
back to the mainland, which is where I am now. We are on our
way to another ferry, to cross the bay, and then hopefully get
as close to Cape Sata as possible for the start of our main trip.
Wish us luck.
Jomon-sugi
At a ripe old age of 2,600 to 7,200 years old, Jomonsugi is Yakushimas oldest cedar tree. Here is a look
at what was going on around the world as Jomon-sugi
grew up:
Jomon-sugi
History
6,000 years ago:
The American Mastodon
goes extinct.
4,500 years ago:
The Great Pyramid of
Giza is built.
From there, it was

a 6-hour quick
march down and
up and down
again, out of the
mountains to catch
the ferry back
to the mainland,
which is where I
am now.
3,500 years ago:

The Chinese writing
system is fully developed.
2,000 years ago:

Jesus is born.
1,100 years ago:

Pope Urban II calls
for the Crusades
500 years ago:

The printing press is
invented
Present day:
Dylan visits Jomon-sugi
48
April 12th Photos
49
Jomon Sugi
Dylans fearless deer friend
Jomon Sugi the next morning
50
April 13th Photos
The ferry from Yakushima back to Kagoshima
51
Landing on Kagoshima and heading toward the start line
52
Phase 2: Kyushu
Hard Fought Start

At Cape Sata
54
Hard Fought Start

At Cape Sata
Written by Andrew on APRIL 14, 2011
DIDNT PLAN TO START OUT THIS WAY. For several years,

Ive had the notion to propel myself (either on foot or by
bicycle) from one end of Japan to the other. Starting today,
that dream is being realized. However, it began much differently
than I had imagined.
Scott, Dylan, and I got off the ferry yesterday, April 13th, with
about 85 km between us and the starting line: Cape Sata,
Japans southernmost point. After biking 45 km we pitched
our tents for the evening. That left us with 40 km to travel this
morning before our trip could officially begin.
Today was much more physically demanding than I had
anticipated. No one had warned me (more like, I didnt research
enough) that near the Cape, the roads switch from being flat
and coastal to steep and mountainous. Im talking about 20
km of muscle-binding inclines. My Japanese isnt perfect, but
I swear I saw a sign that read abandon all hope ye who enter
here. Our average speed was reduced from a comfortable
23 km/hr on the day to around 15 km/hr, and the sun was hot.
After an hour of sweaty first-gear hill-crawling we made it to the
entrance gate. Paying the 500-yen admission fee and walking
our bikes through some final park paths, we arrived at the
southernmost point of mainland Japan.
On this day in history

Exactly three years ago today Craig
Stanton set out for his walk across
Japan from this exact spot on Cape
Soya.
Others who have taken end-to-end
journeys across Japan include Tyler
MacNiven, Will Ferguson, Charles
and Sho Scott, and Alan Booth to
name only a few.
Start line of Japan by Bicycle: Cape Sata - Day 1
A few things immediately stuck out to me:

From this southernmost point, I could see a lighthouse
on a barely disconnected island only a minute walk away.
Apparently, that didnt count as part of the Mainland.
Only from now did our mileage start to count toward the trip
total. All the tough cycling we had done previously on the trip
on Yakushima and today was part of the pre-trip. As hard as
55
all those 204 km (so says my bike computer) were, our trip
odometer was now set to 0.
Scott, Dylan, and I were really here and really doing this. Many
other end-to-end travelers had stood at this very spot, taken a
picture or quick video, and then set out with the whole country
ahead of them. Now, we were entering their ranks. That was
(and is) very cool to me.
After taking way too many photos of ourselves, we turned
around to face north, and headed out. Retracing our steps,
we once again traversed the mountains and made it back
to the deliciously smooth coastal roads. Next time you and
your friends decide, Great idea! Lets bicycle to Cape Sata!
I suggest you bring several water bottles, energy bars, and a
pick-up truck in reserve.
Although we wanted to press on late into the night, we
ended up making it as far as 46 km north to a small beachside campground where we pitched our tents right on the
sand. Currently, its drizzling out, and I am blogging from the
campgrounds public restroom. Despite some distinct aromas,
the restroom is relatively warm, dry and has a power outlet.
I attempted to post this yesterday, but Internet was scarce.
Today, April 15th, our plan is to head inland about 70 km
to where we have a connection for a place to stay. This is
good news for me as my body is really feeling the 85 km and
mountains from yesterday. While I am encouraged by what I
could (and did) do yesterday, I can see the logic of easing into
longer distances.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Worn out but happy to start
Calves: Post work-out high
Spock: Pondering
Daily Riding Data

Distance to Start Line: 39 km
Distance from Start Line: 46 km
Pedal Time: 5 hrs 5 min
Average KM/H: 16.7
After taking way

too many photos
of ourselves, we
turned around to
face north, and
headed out.
Explosive Kagoshima
Kagoshimas largest mountain,
Sakurajima, is still an active
volcano. This means that the
majority of the prefectures
bathhouses are fueled by natural
hot springs. After a day of hiking
and exploring, visitors can head
to Sakurajima Yogan Nagisa
Park, where one of Japans
longest foot spa is located.
The park and spa are free and
also boast an excellent view of
Sakurajima. Another interesting
result of the volcano is that over
half of the prefectures land is
covered by ash. You can bet there
are a lot of happy and healthy
plants growing in Kagoshima.
56
Day 1 Photos
Dylan powers up for our push to the start-line with a breakfast of natto (fermented soy beans...or as Scott
calls them Sewer Beans)
Apparently lawn croquet is quite popular in Southern Kyushu as we often saw folks playing at community
fields during the morning hours
At least were in the right town now...the start line cant be far
Gorgeous vistas near Cape Sata, the southernmost point in Japan and the official start line for our trip
57
Of course, we had to have a photo shoot
58
Cape Sata, the southernmost point of Mainland Japan
59
After reaching the southernmost point of Cape Sata, Dylan makes stew for lunch before we head out
Although the trip ended up being over 3500km, this sign points toward our eventual finish line, Cape Soya
Andrew finds an outlet outside a convenience store and sets-up his mobile work station to back-up the days
photos and update the trip blog
What a beautiful sunset over rice fields to finish off Day 1
60
Soggy Ride to Topher
61
Soggy Ride to Topher

Written by Scott on APRIL 15, 2011
HE COPS WOKE US UP THIS MORNING. No trouble;

they just wanted to bring Andrew his huge bottle of Shochu (Japanese rice liquor) that they assumed he had left
while near the convenience store last night. After Andrew politely explained that it wasnt his, they wished us well and left.
It was also pouring when we awoke, and it continued to do so
off and on until late this afternoon. This made for a slow morning of packing, trying not to carry wet sand from our beach
campsite with us. We finally got on the road and set off for the
promised land Tophers House.
This is my first time couchsurfing, and its turning out to be as
great as we all were imagining during our 50 km ride in the rain
to Iwagawa, which is where Topher lives and teaches English
as a JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme). His
house is warm with a strong internet connection and free laundry. When we arrived, we all showered, hung up our tents to
dry, and threw our clothes in the washer. Then, we grabbed
some delicious ramen down the road. Now, Im looking forward
to a good nights rest on the living room floor without having to
take down my tent in the morning.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Limbering up
Calves: Still tired
Spock: Pleased
Daily Riding Data
Camping streak broken

Although we didnt know it at the
time, staying with Topher broke our
longest streak of nights camping ina-row for the whole trip.
Kagoshima
Kagoshima is a port city located
within Kagoshima Bay. Marine
life enthusiasts make their way
to this city for its stunning aquarium, which features many of the
Bays indigenous creatures. One
such creature is the taka-ashi
crab whose legs can grow to be
as long as four meters. If you
happen to take a boat tour around
Kagoshima Bay you may run into
one of its newer residents. About
50 bottlenose dolphins moved
into the Bay a few years ago.
Distance: 51.5 km
Average KM/H: 17.75
62
Day 2 Photos
Camping on the beach

Andrew downs some refreshing Pocari Sweat, the Gatorade of Japan
The text of the sign says This lane, construction in progress...but the photo says
playful, cute animals ahead
63
64
Hot ramen, rice, and gyoza was the perfect way to warm-up
The promised land itself, Tophers House.
65
Famed Japanese
Hospitality
66
Famed Japanese
Hospitality
e rolled out of Tophers house around 11 am this

morning. This was later than we had hoped, but we
still made good time. Around noon we stopped to get
a snack at a convenience store. Seeing our bicycles, the owner
and his wife asked where we were going. I think they expected
a response like All the way to next prefecture! since they were
stunned when we told them of our plans to bicycle the entire
country. Generously they gave us each a cream puff! If you
ever want to put a cyclist in your eternal debt, give him a cream
puff. We can never eat enough calories, and these unexpected
gifts were very appreciated. I quickly penned them a thank you
note in Japanese. We gave it to them, bowed, smiled, and were
on our way.
Thankfully, the hills today were gentle inclines and quite
manageable compared with some of the terrain we faced on
Day 1 near Cape Sata. Although a little sore, I was able to
complete all 85 km of todays ride and felt very able to continue
without a problem. It seems that my body is finally admitting
that it will be doing a lot of work and is starting to get in gear
with the mileage we are trying to tackle everyday. Either that or
Im slowly going numb from this new grueling work-out routine.
Its a lot different from my previous sit-all-day regime.
Around 6:45pm arrived in a town called Isa and had split
up to look for a campsite. This is when Maryann Hiwatashi
pulled up next to me in her car. What are you doing? She
asked in English.
If you ever want to

put a cyclist in your
eternal debt, give
him a cream puff.
Scott eats Tako Yaki (Grilled Octopus Ball) - Day 3
67
Nani to iimashita ka.[What did you say?] I reflexively said

back. One of my ultimate pet peeves is when Japanese people
dont understand my Japanese simply because they werent
expecting it. Now I had done the same thing to this lady.
Thankfully she was undeterred. Haha, youre Japanese is
excellent! I saw you biking about three hours ago in Kirishima.
What are you doing?
I never know how to answer general questions like this. All I
could come up with was, Were going to Hokkaido.
Hahaha! You guys are crazy. Do you need a place to stay
tonight? Why not come and stay with my family?
This was an easy decision. Scott, Dylan and I followed her
back to her house where we expected to camp on the lawn.
Of course, Maryann would have none of this nonsense and
had us dump our gear in her guest room. She then drove us to
the local hot springs and even paid for us! I suspect this was
because we stank something powerful, but Im not complaining.
If I had invited three sweaty bikers into my house, I would
probably treat them to a bath also. As if this werent generous
enough, she took us to her husbands izakaiya (Japanese pub)
where we were given more food than we could finish (almost)
and hung out with her mother-in-law and two wide-eyed middle
school daughters.
It turns out that Maryann was originally from the Philippines. After
marrying a her Japanese husband they settled here in Isa where
he runs an izakaiya and she raises their two daughters and high
school age son. Now, Im sitting in the Hiwatashis living room
writing this journal entry before turning in to the guest room where
Scott is already asleep. This sure beats camping.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Finally getting in gear
Calves: Asleep when this was posted
Spock: Overwhelmed by hospitality
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 85 km
Average KM/H: 19.35
One of my ultimate
pet peeves is when
Japanese people
dont understand
my Japanese
simply because
they werent
expecting it. Now I
had done the same
thing to this lady.
Bathing in public
Public hot springs and baths

(onsen in Japanese) are a staple
of Japanese culture. There is
usually a changing room several
rows of showers, multiple pools
at varying temperatures, and
a sauna. At fancy onsen, there
also could be mineral pools, tubs
with message jets, and even
pools with mild (and safe) electric
currents. Men and women use
different facilities when bathing
and changing. The best part is the
cold flavored milk afterward. If you
havent already seen it, Themae
Romae is a hilliarious film about
the Japanese public baths with my
all time favorite Japanese actor
Hiroshi Abe. View the trailer here.
68
Day 3 Photos
Andrew poses with the local guardian statue of Tophers town

A generous convenience store owner gave us some much appreciated treats to help us on our trip
Japan can be very peculiar
69
Proof that the Super Mario games werent exaggerating, radishes really do grow this big
Scott has his first takoyaki (grilled balls of octopus meat in batter)
Searching for a good campsite before being taken in for the night by a kind Filipino woman whose husband
was a local restaurant owner
70
The restaurant owner not only let us stay at his house but also fed us at his shop for free
71
100KM to Kumamoto
72
100KM to Kumamoto
Written by Dylan on APRIL 17, 2011
ONIGHT, our unbroken streak of comfortable,

secure places to sleep, Im happy to say, continues.
Although its not quite as overwhelming as our surprise
homestay last night, finding a secluded, dry, and reasonably quiet
field just off the highway while still within city limits is quite nice.
Now that camp is set up and dinner eaten, theres time to reflect
on the day.
Breakfast with the Hiwatashis was just a continuation of the
amazing benevolence we had been fortunate enough to enjoy
last night. After eating (a bit too much), we went outside for the
all-important photo-op. We ended up leaving (a little heavier
than we came) near noon and setting out for Kumamoto. Then,
we turned around and went in the right direction. Then, our
hostess came driving up with a few things Scott had forgotten.
Then, I nicked a pole with my pannier, and we had to stop to fix
that. Finally, we actually managed to make it out of the city and
get on our way.
The day itself was a reasonable mix of good and bad. The
good: gyoza for lunch and ice cream on sale. The bad:
Andrews rear wheel has a broken spoke that will need brief
bike shop attention, and camp had to be set up in the dark. But
we made our mileage (kilometreage?) goal, crossed into our
second prefecture, from Kagoshima to Kumamoto, and had our
first +100 km day! And since were going to fit a bike shop, a
ferry ride, and another big chunk of kilometres into tomorrow,
Im leaving you with that and going to bed.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Tired and happy
Calves: Feelin good in the neighborhood
Spock: Optimistic
Andrews rear
wheel has a broken
spoke that will need
brief bike shop
attention...
Kumamoto
Located directly North of Kagoshima

prefecture is Kumamoto, making it
the second prefecture that the team
rode through. The most notable
landmark in Kumamoto City is
Kumamoto Castle. It was built by
1610 and is known as one of the top
three castles in all of Japan. During
Satsuma rebellion of 1877, much of
the original castle was burnt down.
Restoration began in 1960 and was
completed in 2008. During the same
time as the 1877 rebellion, horse
meat became popular in Japan.
Today horse sashimi (raw horse
meat) is considered a delicacy in
Kumamoto prefecture.
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 106 km
Average KM/H: 20
73
Day 4 Photos
At home with the Hiwatashis before leaving late in the morning
74
Another day, another prefecture; we enter scenic Kumamoto
75
Gusty Hills
to Nagasaki76
Gusty Hills
to Nagasaki
AGASAKIS NATURAL COASTAL BEAUTY can be

deceptive. Today, the team started out around 9am from
our campsite in Kumamoto. After pedaling 20 km, we
rode onto our 11am Nagasaki-bound ferry amidst the motorized
vehicles, left our bikes with the ferry staff who strapped them
to the cargo bay walls, and proceeded up to the passenger
seating area. A short but enjoyable 30-minute nap later found
us docking in Nagasaki Prefecture. Although this sounds
like we were only a small distance from the atomic bomb
memorials, the prefecture is actually quite large.
The bottom line was this: we had about 70 km of long hills
and ferocious headwinds between us and Nagasaki City. In
my memory, I will mostly recall today as a day of pedaling
along Nagasakis gorgeous coastline while wondering if I was
traveling forward or backward against the wind. In the end, we
did make it to Nagasaki City where we gratefully consumed
champon, a Chinese noodle dish for which the city is famous.
And, despite today being tough with all the gusty weather
and inclines, I am greatly encouraged that my body is finally
handling the enormous amount of daily work.
A few other things happened today. A nice bicycle shop owner
spent about two hours fixing two broken spokes on my back
tire, also truing the wheel in the process. Furthermore, Scott
purchased a Japanese prepaid cell phone. Now, the whole team
has a way of reaching one another if we need to separate.
Welcome to Nagasaki - Day 5
Putting on the brakes

This visit to a bike repair shop to fix
Andrews rear wheel would the first
of many. The first half the trip was
marked by broken spokes. Not until
Day 19 did the team finally find a
permanent solution.
77
I write from a tent in a small, out-of-the-way location in the

Nagasaki Park with Dylans feet inches from my face. It started
pouring rain as we looked for a campsite and in our hurry we could
only find a spot big enough for Scotts tent. So, all three of us are
crammed in here together. Clearly the people who labelled this as
a 3-man tent had a dark sense of humor. Tomorrow, the team
tours the atomic memorials in the morning and, if time permits,
well try to see some other Nagasaki attractions.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Awake but barely
Calves: Asleep
Spock: Asleep
Daily Riding Data
Clearly the people

who labelled this
as a 3-man tent
had a dark sense
of humor.
Distance: 91 km
Average KM/H: 17
Nagasaki Park on Google Maps
Nagasaki
1543 - Previously a quiet fishing village,
Portuguese explorers arrived in Nagasaki and
began building it into a thriving port town.
1597 - As part of a ban against Christianity to
deter colonists the shogunate had 26 Christians (6
Europeans and 20 Japanese citizens) crucified in
Nagasaki.
Early 1700s - Nagasaki welcomes hundreds
of Chinese traders and merchants. The lasting
impact of the Chinese can most clearly be seen in
Nagasakis cuisine and yearly lantern festival.
1889 - Nagasaki left its status as a port town to
become an official city and its docks were utilized
by the Japanese Navy.
August 9th, 1945 - The US drops an atomic bomb
on Nagasaki, killing around 70,000 people and
injuring 300,000.
1955 - The Nagasaki Peace Park is established
near the hypocenter of the atomic bomb.
78
Day 5 Photos
Boarding the ferry to Nagasaki
Feeding the birds from the ferry
Andrews spoke broke for the
first time
79
Low tide at fishing village in Nagasaki

Scott does the dishes
Nagasaki station
Nagasakis famous noodle dish, champon made all the kilometers worthwhile
80
Nagasaki: Memorials
and Mikans
81
Nagasaki: Memorials
and Mikans
OUR URBAN CAMPING ADVENTURE worked out decently

although it was a break from our streak of amazing campsites.
We awoke this morning to a car parking a foot away from our
tent. After the heels-wearing driver got out and walked into the
building and other cars started to pull up, we realized we had
set up camp in some kind of business hillside parking lot. As
more of the staff arrived, they kindly told us to take our time
while packing up. An earlier morning than we were hoping for,
but we were happy it wasnt the cops pulling up.
When packed, we rolled down the steep hillside and pedaled
a few blocks to the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum. Andrew
had visited the museum twice before and gave Dylan and me
a heads-up to take our time and let it all soak in. I was glad
for this as the museum narrates the events of August 9, 1945,
with as much to experience emotionally as to absorb factually.
As you enter the dark exhibit, lights brighten and dim to show
glimpses of ruined buildings, rubble, and clocks stopped at
11:02am, the moment the bomb had exploded. The exhibit
continues to wind through hallways that reveal one devastating
effect of the bomb after another.
After the museum, we visited the Nagasaki National Peace
Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims. Like the
museum, this hall of remembrance was designed to allow for
contemplation and all guests instantly become reverent. Its
quite stunning.
We awoke this
morning to a car
parking a foot away
from our tent.
Atomic Bomb Museum
The Nagasaki Atomic Bomb

Museum was completed in 1996.
As the number of survivors of the
atomic bomb dwindle, the museum
fights to keep the memories and
lessons learned from the horrible
bombing alive.
82
This puts it way too lightly, but the other thing that struck me as
I pondered the destruction was the incredible Japanese spirit
of perseverance. Nagasaki was once completely leveled and is
now an impressive modern city. A tragic event that killed 75,000
and injured another 75,000 is remembered and mourned, and
the dead are honored; however, life continues for the people of
Nagasaki.
We stopped by the Peace Park on the way out of town, and I
also took a lap around the track in the Atomic Field. We set off
out of town on a gorgeous winding coastal road, stopped for
some clementines (mikan in Japanese) along the way, and are
now setting up camp in some kind of sports park. As I write this
Im listening to some epic taiko, traditional Japanese drumming,
coming from the building across the field. I feel as if I should be
off to battle, but instead, Im off to bed.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Upbeat
Calves: Chilly
Spock: Thoughtful
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 42 km
Average KM/H: 16
Nagasaki Atomic Bombing

bomb dropped at 11:02 am
...the other thing

that struck me as
I pondered the
destruction was
the incredible
Japanese spirit of
perseverance.
Peace Park
The most prominent figure in the

Nagasaki Peace Park is the Peace
Statue. With one hand stretched to
the sky to remind of all of the threat
of nuclear weapons and the other
hand stretched out horizontally in a
symbol of peace, the Peace Statue
in an impressive and moving piece
of art. Nearly 50 other memorials are
scattered through the Peace Park,
many of them donated by other
countries to show their support for
Japan and for world peace.
mushroom cloud 45,000 feet high

atomic bomb was nick-named Fat Man after
Winston Churchill
20 neighborhoods within a 1 kilometer radius were
completely destroyed
About 80% of the houses 2 kilometers from the
hypocenter burned
83
Day 6 Photos
A clock in the Atomic Bomb Museum, frozen at 11:02 by the atomic blast
The Memorial Hall for Atomic Bomb Victims
84
Atomic bomb hypo-center memorial

Memorials in the Nagasaki Peace Park
Peace Statue in Peace Parkthe statues right hand points to the threat of nuclear weapons, while the
extended left hand symbolizes eternal peace
85
The stunning Omura Bay coastline of Nagasaki

Andrew makes a friend
Beef stew and noodles for dinner
86
Japan by Ambulance
87
Japan by Ambulance
oday, I took a crash course examining the

difference between bruising, road rash, and broken
bones. (Get it? ... Crash course. Ha ha ha.)
The team had set out early at 9am on this gloriously breezy
and reassuringly sunny day in beautiful Nagasaki prefecture.
Our target was ambitious: Fukuoka City, some 125 km+ to
the north. Although tiring, we knew our bodies were ready. It
also helped that Dylans former host mother was expecting
us. The promise of a hot shower and roof over our heads was
motivation enough to gear up for full day of pedaling.
After a relatively easy 60 km morning, we entered neighboring
Saga prefecture on pace or better. Stopping briefly for a quick
bean-paste filled bun at a convenience store, we agreed lunch
would be in 25 km.
Dylan set out at a manageable but aggressive pace with me
close behind. I saw Scott slightly lagging in my helmet-clipped
rear-view mirror. I gave a thumbs-up sign to him and watched
for reciprocation. Seeing none, I turned, full body, to look
back and make sure he was okay. To my chagrin, this cost me
some skin.
As I turned in my seat to see Scott clearly, I left only my left
hand on the handle bars. Suddenly, I felt the bike shift as my
awkward left hand failed to hold course. Facing front on the
double, I had just enough time to put my hands up before the
bike swerved out from under me, and the hard road rose to
meet my gloved palms at 25 km/h.
I slid to a stop and lay there quite scared. My whole body stung.
Facing front on the

double, I had just
enough time to put
my hands up before
the bike swerved out
from under me...
Crashs crash count

Counting the clip-fall on the first
night in Yakushima, this is Andrews
second crash of the trip.
88
A car pulled up ahead of me as I lay there half over the line,

and the driver called for an ambulance before I could say
whether that was necessary or not. It was hard to tell what
damage had really been done. My wrist was hurting the worst,
but was it broken? I didnt know. The medics arrived and were
very quick in asking me a barrage of questions in Japanese
that somehow I was able respond to (more or less). Since I still
wasnt sure how bad my injuries were, I was hurried into the
ambulance by the medical team, and taken to the local hospital
while Scott and Dylan wheeled my relatively unscathed bike to
the nearby police box for safe keeping.
At the hospital, an English-speaking surgeon named Sakaisan stayed with me to translate as the medical team efficiently
x-rayed my hips, knees, and wrists. In no time, they had the film
developed and told me that I had no fractures and should be
fit to ride tomorrow. What a relief! Poor Dylan and Scott came
about 30 minutes later after biking the 16 km to the hospital.
Needless to say, we didnt reach Fukuoka City today. In fact, we
only managed about 60 km. Now we are making camp near an
old shrine on the outskirts of Takeo, the town of the accident. I
feel pretty guilty for holding up the team half a day, especially
because the time consuming trip to the hospital. But Im also
grateful that I escaped with only some decent scrapes.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Sting-y
Calves: Full of burger = happy
Spock: Sleepy
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 61 km
Average KM/H: 20.2
... I was hurried

into the ambulance
by the medical
team, and taken to
the local hospital
while Scott and
Dylan wheeled my
relatively unscathed
bike to the nearby
police box for safe
keeping.
National Health Insurance

Fortunately, having lived in Japan
for a few years, Andrew was on the
National Health Insurance plan.
This meant that he only had to pay
30% of the total hospital bill.
Saga Prefecture
Saga may be the smallest prefecture on the island
of Kyushu but it has its share of unique festivals and
attractions. One such festivity that brings in visitors
from all over the world is the annual Saga International
Balloon Fiesta. It began in 1978 with just 5 hot air
balloons but today it boasts nearly 200 hot air balloons
brought in from more than 35 different countries
89
Day 7 Photos
90
91
MORE ROAD RASH RESEARCH

ANDREWS DAY 8 & 9
92
MORE ROAD RASH RESEARCH

ANDREWS DAY 8 & 9

fter extensive investigation, I can confirm that grating

skin off with asphalt doesnt hurt at the time. Only
several minutes later does a dull throb start to pulse in
the wound. Furthermore, only after proper cleaning does the
scrape turn into a crippling sting. And as a side-note, the whole
area goes numb in the shower after a brief climax of pain.
Day 8 was a big day. Rising to the sight of an old shrine, the
three of us packed out around 9:15am. My wrist had regained
nearly all its strength after the previous days crash and my
other scrapes were already scabbed. After some discussion, I
went one way and Scott and Dylan went another. The previous
night I had been Skyping with my beautiful fiance Lori while
looking over maps online. We discovered that I was within a
one day ride from her apartment. The team was planning on
staying with Dylans old host mother in Fukuoka City next, but
the prospect of more time with Lori was too tempting. Originally I
had planned to do the entire trip solo if Dylan and Scott couldnt
come, and so was not hesitant to make todays journey alone.
I have a decent command of the Japanese language, a cell
phone, and would be biking through highly populated areas.
Dylan and Scott agreed that it seemed ok so long as both
parties checked in via text message frequently. So, they headed
to see Dylans connection in Fukuoka City while I aimed for
Kitakyushu. They would meet me at Loris in two days.
It was sunny with a slight breeze and 19 degrees Celsius,
magnificent conditions for biking. After about 55 km of steady
progress, it was around 12:30 pm. This is when I took my
second spill. Heres what happened.
Originally I had
planned to do the
entire trip solo if
Dylan and Scott
couldnt come, and
so was not hesitant
to make todays
journey alone.
Crashs crash count
Looks like Crash was a good

riding nickname after all since now
Andrews total is up to three.
93
As I was riding between the white stripe and curb along a

freshly repaved black road at about 35 km/hr, I naturally
drifted over to the line. This isnt a worry because traffic was
slow-moving and Im very visible. When biking, the bicycle
rarely holds a perfectly straight course, there is always some
lateral movement as the rider pedals and shifts. However,
from my birds eye view of the line, I couldnt see the 2 inch
lip hidden partially by the white line that had risen to separate
the shoulder from the main traffic lane. As I glided onto the
line, my wheel didnt glide with me but instead slipped on the
nearly invisible lip. My pride still believes that even experienced
cyclists wouldve fallen here too.
Quickly I was reliving the horrors of yesterdays crash.
Unfortunately, I slid mostly on my right hand which was ungloved due to the bandages from the last fall and so a good
amount of skin was scraped off my right palm. I also added
a fresh set of road rashes to my left side. Fortunately, all the
damage was only superficial and no ambulance necessary.
Nonetheless, pedaling to the nearest 7-11, cleaning my rugged
wounds, and proceeding to Loris was one of the most difficult
things Ive ever had to do. I couldnt help but wonder, if maybe
I shouldve stayed with Scott and Dylan after all... but that sort
of self-doubt wouldnt do me any good. There have been a
few times on this trip that I really wanted to quit. Biking alone
over the hills to Kitakyushu with burning scrapes was one of
them. By the time I had finished my long 120 km trek to Loris
I was in better spirits with solidified resolve. I didnt sign-up for
this journey to stop short for scrapes. It is wonderful to see my
future bride in person and Im sad that soon I will have to leave.
Nonetheless,
pedaling to the
nearest 7-11,
cleaning my
rugged wounds,
and proceeding to
Loris was one of
the most difficult
things Ive ever
had to do.
Meanwhile...
Dylan and Scott arrive at Dylans

old host-mothers house, head the
hot springs, and go out for dinner.
I write this from her apartment on Day 9. Today I am taking the

day off as I await Dylan and Scotts arrival from Fukuoka City
this evening. I plan to go for a jog, research our trip route a bit
more, and take Lori on a date. In the next post, Dylan and Scott
will share their experiences from Day 8 and 9. Tomorrow, Day
10, we will finally finish Kyushu Island and start in on Japans
main island Honshu.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Happy to be with Lori
Calves: Safe in Fukuoka City
Spock: Safe in Fukuoka City
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 118 km
Average KM/H: 21.26
94
Day 8 Photos
Camping near a shrine in Takeo Saga

Thanks for the Stinger bar mom!
That was one of the most difficult rides of my life
95
And Then There were two

Dylan & ScottS DAY 8 & 9
96
And Then There were two

Dylan & ScottS DAY 8 & 9

REAKING UP IS HARD TO DO, as Mr. Sedaka knows,

but when Andrew told the two of us that he was planning
to go solo straight to Kitakyushu, we saw that his mind
was made up. There was no choice but to help him plan his
route, wish him luck, and see him off. That left me and Scott
with two relatively gentle 80 km days to do on our own. So we
set off, with the destination being my old host-mothers house
on the outskirts of Fukuoka City.
We made good time, and reached the coast and the city of
Karatsu before long. It was there, however, after an instantnoodle lunch, that we hit a small delay, literally. I rolled over a
small catseye reflector on the road, which caused not one but
two pinch flats in my rear tube. After trying, unsuccessfully, to
patch the tube (pinch flats can be tricky), I ended up swapping
out the whole tube for Scotts spare. However, changing that
tube left me with a bit of a valve problem; I now had a Schrader
valve on the front and a Presta on the back, neither of which are
very popular on bicycles in Japan. They instead generally use
a French-style valve, which we didnt have any adapters for. I
didnt relish the idea of pumping my tube up all the way with my
small hand pump, so I thought I would try the gas stands and
bike stores we had just passed. But the valve issue meant that,
although they had pumps that they were perfectly willing to let
me use, they had no way of actually getting the air into my tires.
So I was stuck grunting and straining with my little pump, until
the wheel was at a decent enough pressure to ride on.
The rest of the ride went by smoothly. We made it to my old
host-mother, Aoki-sans house by late afternoon. She set us
up in a free room, gave us some bananas, and made us feel
After trying,
unsuccessfully,
to patch the tube
... I ended up
swapping out the
whole tube for
Scotts spare.
Deflating
Between slow-leaks and

punctures, keeping air in Dylans
tires proved to be a chronic issue
throughout the trip. Fortuneately
bicycle travel is common in Japan
and nearly every town has a bike
shop with spare tubes.
97
at home. Then we all piled into her tiny Japanese kei-car, and
went and had a very relaxing soak and some dinner at a nearby
Japanese bathhouse. From there it was on to some sleepy
socializing with her friend Yuko-san and another homestay
language student from the Netherlands named Vincent. After
that, it was off to bed for a solid eight hours of baby-like sleep.
The next morning, after a filling breakfast and quick photo-op,
we set off amidst a steady drizzle. The forecast called for some
heavy rain, but in the end we managed to reach the leading
edge of that storm and ride it all the way to Kitakyushu. While
passing through Fukuoka City, I took the opportunity to visit my
old language school, GenkiJACS, and say hi to the teachers
and receptionists, some of whom even remembered me from
my short course in summer 09. Also in Fukuoka, we stopped
at Raumen Stadium in Canal City, which is a collection of some
seven ramen restaurants tucked away in the fifth floor of a
shopping center, with different varieties of ramen from across
Japan. Scott went for a spicy Kansai ramen, and I (foolishly)
took on a ridiculously massive bowl of Tokyo ramen called
Ramen-dai, literally Ramen-big. After barely defeating that, we
were back on the road, sloshing away.
We made Kitakyushu by 5, and got to Loris house, only to find
out that Andrew had gone to the ER to get his hand checked
out, which was now throwing faint red lines up his arm to his
chest. As it turned out, the 7-11 bandage job on the savaged
hand had caused a mild blood infection! Now, upon hearing
this, our first thought was that the words mild and blood
infection did not really fit together, but apparently its easily
managed. However, after a follow-up visit this morning, the
doctors orders are to rest for a couple days, and let the hand
heal to avoid a re-infection. This means we are waylaid in
Kitakyushu for a couple of days, which, of all the places on our
trip to get delayed, is definitely the most convenient. So that
brings us up to now, thoroughly relaxing and enjoying Loris
hospitality. I might not even get on my bike tomorrow.
Fukuoka
Fukuoka is Japans 6th largest cities and is an
international hub. A short ferry ride is all it takes to
go from Fukuoka to Busan, South Korea, and many
visitors from China come to Fukuoka to shop for
Japanese goods. If youre in the mood for ramen,
fukuokas specialty is Hakata ramen. Its made with
a rich broth of pork bones and can be found in the
many street stalls lining the citys river.
Meanwhile...
Andrew takes a hard digger into
the pavement while cycling to
Kitakyushu alone to see Lori.
Digital Love in Canal City - Day 9
As it turned
out, the 7-11
bandage job on
the savaged hand
had caused a mild
blood infection!
98
Day 8 Photos
With two holes in one tube, Dylan is forced to swap it out for a spare
The gorgeous Fukuoka coast
99
Staying with Aoki-san
100
Canal City and Raumen Stadium in Fukuoka
101
Blood infections
& Gratitude
102
Blood infections
& Gratitude
AYS 10 AND 11 = 0 KM AND 0 KM. Unfortunately Im

getting used to this and it may be difficult to get back
on the bike tomorrow. Still, my fingers are crossed that
the doctor will give us the go-ahead regarding Andrews blood
infection tomorrow morning so we can start chipping away at
the 2,500+ remaining kilometers.
The team has spent most of the last two days resting, watching
movies, playing Wii, and eating. This morning we attended
Easter Mass in Japanese. Dylan and I stayed for the church
potluck and pizza lunch afterwards and then went back to Loris
for a delicious second Easter dinner. As if that wasnt enough
food, tonight we went out again to a Japanese chain restaurant
called Joyfull (yes, with two Ls). We better start biking again
I think. Our one bout of exercise was a friendly tennis match
(Andrew had to sit it out due to his injured hand).
Engrish?
Putting two Ls in the restaurant
name Joyfull is only the tip of
the iceberg when it comes to the
humorous English mistakes found
nearly everywhere in Japan. From
menus selling lamp kebabs to
ramen shops advertising Good
law-men times! sometimes
the missteps might actually
be stokes of genius. For more
hillarious examples of Engrish, I
recommend a visit to Engrish.com
Inspired by my purchase of a Haichew candy after dinner at

Joyfull, we had a haiku contest:
I bought this haichew

So I dont need to write one
But you all need to
Evening brings hunger

Dylan is in the bathroom
I steal his dinner
~ SCOTT
~ ANDREW
Dinner at joyfull
Videos and teishoku
Tomorrow we ride
Joyfull is so fun
Joyfull, yum yum yum, yum yum
Joyfull in my tum
~ DYLAN
~ LORI
Out to Dinner at Joyfull - Day 11
103
Were continuing to be overwhelmed by Japanese kindness.

Heres a bit of big news: my iPod was returned! The workers at
the onsen on Yakushima found it, called Andrews cell phone
number, which we had left just in case, and mailed it to Loris
ahead of us. I still cant really believe it, but Im so happy to
have my music again. Apparently Japanese people havent
heard of finders keepers.
It seems that even this spirit of hospitality infects gaijin
(Japanese word for foreigners) who have been living here long
enough. Lori has been such a wonderful host; cooking for us,
giving us clean linens and towels, and putting up with all our
biking gear everywhere in her apartment. Topher, the star of
Day 2, also opened his home to us and insisted we treat it as
our own. We have a few more couchsurfing opportunities lined
up so well see if this rule holds true.
Just to emphasize how many times weve benefited from
Japanese kindness, heres a list:
The one-man welcoming committee at Kagoshima Station
who saw us assembling our bikes and gave us some gifts
from his shopping bag,
The safe and timely return of my iPod and Bose headphones,
The English-speaking tour guide on Yakushima that, when
we asked for directions, told us about a much better campsite
and then drove us there,
The kind school group in the mountains of Yakushima that
gave Dylan some extra food when he didnt have enough,
The convenience store owners who energized us with free
cream puffs when they heard that we were biking the length
of Japan,
Apparently
Japanese people
havent heard of
finders keepers.
Not just hospitable

With the exception of the Yakuza
(Japanese Mob), Japan has a
reputation for being one of the
safest developed nations. For
example, one random statistic is
that youre nearly 200 times more
likely to die of firearm assault in
the US than in Japan. Youre also
19 times more likely to have your
car stolen in the US than in Japan.
The absurdly generous Filipino woman, Maryann, who saw

us looking for a place to camp and decided to take us to the
onsen, feed us at her husbands restaurant, and put us up in
her home for the night,
The bike store owner on the way to Nagasaki who dropped
everything to repair Andrews wheel,
The office workers in Nagasaki who told us to take our time
packing up when we had camped in their parking spots,
The park caretakers who also told us to take our time packing
up when we had camped where we probably shouldnt have,
The Japanese man who jumped out of his car to help Andrew
after his first crash and called for help,
Andrews doctor at the hospital who, when finding out his patient was planning to camp that night, did 10 15 minutes of
research on campsites and cheap places to stay in the area,
The truck driver who saw us on the side of the road and
stopped to see if we needed help and then gave us energy
drinks and bananas,
104
The staff at Mister Donuts who, when we brought our instant

noodles into their store looking for hot water, willingly prepared them for us and gave us utensils to eat them there,
Dylans old host mother, Aoki-san, who took us to the onsen,
bought us dinner, and took us to her friends house, where
her friend Yuko-san gave us copious amounts of chocolate,
cookies, and fruit,
The Japanese Catholic Church who invited us to join them for
their Easter feast,
The many people along the way who have bent over backwards to give us directions and help us get on our way, and
Countless other small acts of kindness.
Though it sometimes comes in handy for camping in public
places or getting hot water at Mister Donuts, were trying to
control our Gaijin Smashes.
Over the past few days Dylan and I have also had some really
good bonding time. Yesterday we managed to annoy a postal
worker while trying to mail a package with a small thank-you
gift to the kind people on Yakushima who returned my iPod.
We couldnt make out the Kanji (Japanese characters) for the
recipients name and we had to ask for help quite a few times
at the price of some nasty glares and sighs. That was definitely
a Gaijin Smash. Today we played a fierce tennis match, which
nearly required a tie-breaker. And on Friday evening, Dylan
introduced me to my first Nomihodai, though were going to
have to try again for a Karaoke night.
Rider Conditions
Though it
sometimes comes
in handy for
camping in public
places or getting
hot water at Mister
Donuts, were trying
to control our Gaijin
Smashes.
Gaijin Smash
A technique used by foreigners,
or gaijin, in Japan in order to
take advantage of innate Japanese
helpfulness.
Crash: Nearly 100%

Calves: Immersed in music
Spock: Rested
Kitakyushu
Kitakyushu was the home and meeting place of
Andrew and Lori in Japan. He lived and worked
in Wakamatsu ward (famous for its Green Park
botanical gardens) and she lived and worked in
Yahatanishi Ward (famous for... not much). Another
little known fact about Kitakyushu is that the filming
of Koneko Monogatari known as The adventures
of Milo and Otis to English speaking audiences took
place there. The movie occupies the title of 27th
most popular film in Japan of all time.
105
Day 10 & 11 Photos
Japan by Bicycle Team plays tennis about as well as a Sumo Wrestler runs the 110m hurdles
Recently reunited with his iPod, Scott makes up for lost time
The reason for our delay, Andrews hand wound that led to a blood infection
At Joyfull (yes... two Ls) for our last supper with Lori before hitting the road again
106
Phase 3: S. Honshu
107
Bring it on Honshu
108
Bring it on Honshu
E LEFT SEVERAL THINGS behind today. I dont

mean only unused gear at Loris place as we set out
this morning, but also a whole island.
Finally, the two day delay due to my blood infection is over.

Today, the team was able to continue making headway toward
the trip after I visited a local hospital for my final follow-up
appointment regarding the deep scrape on my right palm from
my fall last Friday. The doctor thought everything looked good
and Dylan, Scott and I said farewell to Kitakyushu.
We made a brief stop in Mojiko to take a picture with the locally
famed Banana Man statue as well as to dine at a delicious
Indian curry restaurant per Dylans recommendation. Then it
was on to business, turning tail on Kyushu Island and starting
in on Japans main island Honshu. Oddly, Ive grown somewhat
attached to cycling in Kyushu since its where the team learned
the ropes of bicycle touring. Weve learned a lot about what we
need and dont need and were thankfully able to ditch some
gear, tune our cycles, and rest our muscles at Loris while
I recovered. Its almost like the training course is over and
Honshu is the real deal.
Moji-ko
Mojiko or Moji Port is the
northernmost town in Kyushu and
contains a unique blend of old and
new. Built in 1938 as a miniature
replica of the Termini Station in
Rome, Mojiko Station is today
considered important cultural
property. Within view of Mojiko
Station is a bright blue pedestrian
drawbridge dubbed Blue Wing
that gets raised and lowered 6
times a day.
Crossing to Honshu - Day 12
Kyushu and Honshu are connected by the Kanmon Bridge. It

being illegal for cyclists and pedestrians to travel on the bridge,
so we made our way to the main island via the underwater
tunnel. After a few photos and video at the prefecture line we
officially left Kyushu Island behind us.
The afternoon passed quickly and the 110 km we pedaled
seemed easier than many of our sub-100 days starting out.
Maybe were actually starting to be in decent riding shape.
109
At the end of the day, around 7pm, we made it to little known

Hofu station where we met Steffanie, our couchsurfing host
tonight. She lives only a 5 min ride from the station, and we
are very grateful for a roof and shower tonight. Steffanie is an
enthusiastic sci-fi fan who also had recently been shopping at
the local Costco. While she and Dylan discussed some finer
points of Stargate, we all enjoyed her distinctly western tortilla
chips and salsa followed by quesadillas with real cheese and
hot sauce!
Currently Dylan, Scott, and Steffanie are out to help one of
her friends celebrate their birthday. Feeling drowsy, I opted
to stay in and guard the fort. Tomorrow we plan on riding the
remaining 125 km to Hiroshima and tour the sights there the
following morning.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Sleepy
Calves: Dece
Spock: Talking philosophy in Japanese
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 110 km
Average KM/H: 21
While she and

Dylan discussed
some finer points
of Stargate, we
all enjoyed ...
quesadillas with
real cheese and
hot sauce!
Kyushu Riding Stats

Distance: 600 km
Average KM/H: 18.8
Yakaguchi
Located on the other side of the Kanmon Straits
from Mojiko, Yamaguchi is Japans main islands
first prefecture. In fact, one of the most popular
festivals is the Shimonoseki Firework Festival
because it is a display of rivalry between the
neighboring cities. Both take turns shooting off
fireworks from either side of the Straits, in an
attempt to outdo the other in splendor.
Another point of pride for Yamaguchi Prefecture is
the city of Iwakuni. A stunning five arch rock bridge
called Kintai Bridge is the most popular tourist
destination. Each year in April there is a parade
across the bridge where locals dress in samurai
costumes. The area is also known to have some of
the best cherry blossom viewing in all of Japan.
110
Day 12 Photos
Blood infection free is the way to be

The famous Bananaman statue in Moji, Kitakyushu
Fueling up with Indian curry in Moji before crossing into Honshu
111
Crossing from Kyushu to Honshu via the underwater pedestrian tunnel

HARD OFF is the best for discount computer hardware in Japan (chuckle chuckle)
112
That Familiar Sinking Feeling
113
That Familiar
Sinking Feeling
ESTERDAY STARTED OUT SO PROMISING. We woke

up warm and dry, cooked breakfast on our couchsurfing
hosts stove, and set off in beautiful sunny weather,
bound for Hiroshima some 120 km away. That warm, optimistic
feeling lasted about 5 km, until we stopped to check a noise in
Andrews rear wheel. A broken spoke. Wait, two broken spokes.
Suddenly, facing our longest mileage day yet, we had hit a
depressingly familiar roadblock.
Now, you can still ride on a wheel with a broken spoke or two.
It isnt as strong, and it doesnt quite roll straight, but its still
workable. So we decided to ride on, to the nearest reasonablysized city, Shunan, another 20 km down the road. However,
this city wasnt going to give up its bike shops so easily. After
getting directions four times for a bike shop that, Im increasingly
sure, doesnt exist, we looked up the nearest place on the
iPhone. That store didnt have the right parts, but sent us further
on to another bike store that would. As luck would have it,
the mechanic at that store was currently out on a errand, and
wouldnt be back soon. The cashier did point us down the road
once again, for a yet further bike shop that would, for sure, be
able to do it. Long story short, we did manage to get it fixed,
although the place we ended up at was about 20 km out of our
way, and by the time we got back to our highway we had lost
about 5 hours to the delay.
The optimism was now thoroughly gone, replaced by a grim
determination to reach Hiroshima tonight, no matter what. We
slogged on like that through dusk and into the night, only to
run into another problem after a quick dinner of conveyor-belt
sushi. Actually, it was more of the same problem, another broken
spoke. We were now within spitting distance of Hiroshima, a
Broke spokes
The job of spokes is the evenly
pull in on the rim of the bicycle
wheel. This strengthens the wheel
while also transferring the cyclist
leg power from the hub to the
rim. When one spoke breaks,
the distribution of inward tension
becomes uneven and increases the
likelihood that many more will soon
give way which could cause the
wheel itself to warp or collapse.
The optimism was

now thoroughly
gone, replaced by
a grim determination to reach Hiroshima tonight, no
matter what.
114
tantalizing 25 km away, it was 10 oclock at night, and Andrews

wheel was looking more like a mobius strip with every passing
moment. As it deteriorated, we first loosened, then completely
opened the rear brakes to let the wheel drift from side to side
without rubbing. We also redistributed Andrews gear and
panniers between the two healthy bikes to lower the strain.
Finally, we made it to our park camping destination near
Hiroshima castle around 1:30am, with the trip odometer reading
around 135 km, a record-breaking day. Exhausted, we sleepily
set up our tents and tumbled into them for a short nights rest.
We woke, ate, and packed up early the next morning
before setting out looking for a bike shop that could repair,
or preferably replace, Andrews wheel. After a couple
understocked and closed bike shops, we found a store that
could do the repairs. Since they would take a little while, we
left that in their hands, and decided to make our way to the
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. And then the skies
opened, and we barely found an awning to shelter under before
a torrential downpour, complete with thunder and lightning,
drowned the city. The rain kept us pinned down for the better
part of an hour, but when the weather cleared, we made it the
rest of the way to the museum.
Now, I generally dont like hurrying through museums. I prefer
to take my time, read the plaques, and absorb as much
information as I can. But with the somber memory of the
Nagasaki museum barely a week behind us, I hoped that the
tighter time frame would force me to not take in the horror quite
so deeply. And, to some degree, it worked. The tone of the
Hiroshima museum seemed markedly different to me, more
optimistic and less political, and Im sure that helped, but after
sinking into the facts and figures in Nagasaki (200 meters
from the hypocentre, 2000 degrees Celsius, 90% reduced to
rubble) it was a bit of a relief to skim lightly, and try to take in
a more holistic impression of the worlds first atomic bombing.
Of course, with this relief came a bit of guilt, because I believe
there is a responsibility, as unaffected outsiders, to unflinchingly
observe, and try in some small part to understand. However, I
also believe that it is the set of the hearts and minds of people
that will help keep anything like this from happening again,
and I was grateful that I could experience the museum and
memorial, and have it impact me, without being despondent for
the rest of the day.
The tone of the

Hiroshima museum
seemed markedly
different to me...
Hiroshima Bombing Stats
August 6th 1945

Clocks were frozen at 8:15am, the
time of the explosion
The bomb was an equivalent of
20,000 tons of TNT
$2 million in research costs went
into the bomb
The bomb exploded 1,900 feet
above the city
The mushroom cloud reached
about 40,000 feet
About two-thirds of Hiroshima City
was destroyed
70,000-80,000 were killed by the
blast or firestorm, another 70,00080,000 were injured
Around 140,000 people died
afterward due to radiation
exposure from the bomb
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum - Day 14
115
The rest of the evening went by without much event. We went

back and picked up Andrews bike, which had been fixed in a
slightly different way than we thought we had agreed, but the
mechanic, pointing to himself and carefully pronouncing pu-rofe-su-yo-na-lu, fervently swore that our problems were behind
us. We can only hope. After that, we devoured a delicious
dinner of okonomiyaki, a massive Japanese pancake/omelet
packed with delicious things and covered in sauce. We sat
at the bar and ate ours right off the big iron-plate grill it was
prepared on, which kept it wonderfully piping hot to the last
bite. Now, we are holed up in a McDonalds, waiting for the onagain off-again rain to be off again, and discussing our nearfuture route, timing, islands and deadlines. We will probably try
to get a little ways out of town before camping, both to make
the coming days easier and to hopefully find a dry, out of the
way place to set up. Looking out the window at the dark, rainy
streets, try as I might I cant work up the optimism that came so
easily the morning before last. Oh well, its an adventure, right?
...the mechanic,
pointing to himself
and carefully
pronouncingpuro-fe-su-yo-na-lu,
fervently swore
that our problems
were behind us.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Connected
Calves: Net Cafe...
Spock: Damp
Day 13 Riding Data

Distance: 134.7 km
Average KM/H: 19.03
Day 14 Riding Data

Distance: 15 km
Pedal Time: 56 min
Average KM/H: 16
Miyajima
A popular destination in Hiroshima
is Miyajima Island. The brilliant red
Itsukushima shrine and matching
giant torii, or gate, in the water
make Miyajima one of Japans top
three views and also a UNESCO
World Heritage site. It also doesnt
hurt that a herd of friendly deer
wander the island and greet visitors.
Hiroshima
When traveling in Hiroshima Prefecture, many
tourists dont realize that theres much more to see
than the Peace Memorial Park and Peace Museum.
Shukkeien Garden is a beautiful traditional Japanese
garden not far from Hiroshima station. Hiroshima
Castle has excellent exhibits inside the stronghold
and extensive grounds to complete the experience.
One other do-not-miss spot is Miyajima island, only a
short ferry ride away. This brief list only scratches the
surface. Find out much more about Hiroshima at the
official tourism web site Visit Hiroshima.
116
Day 13 Photos
Couchsurfing beats camping any day

Andrews spokes broke yet again... sigh
Signs in Japan are usually worth a second look
you me town is a popular franchise of malls all over Japan... obviously its a place for everyone.
Dylan has the insane ability to sleep anywhere anytime
117
Biking past a festival

Conveyor belt sushi!
118
Day 14 Photos
Camping on the grounds of Hiroshima Castle

Unsuccessfully inquiring about a permanent fix for Andrews weak rear wheel
It started raining neko and inu when we started cycling toward the peace memorials
119
Scott is bombarded by a school group practicing their English

Considering the exhibits of the Peace Memorial Museum
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park seen from the Peace Memroial Museum
120
Atomic Bomb Dome

Heaven on Earth, okonomiyaki
Late night power snacking in Hiroshima Station
Staying in a padded cubicle in a internet cafe near Hiroshima Station
121
THE SCOOBYDOO
METHOD EMPLOYED
122
THE SCOOBYDOO
METHOD EMPLOYED
IVIDE AND CONQUER. The Scooby-Doo gang always

uses this strategy to solve a case. Scooby and Shaggy
split from the rest to gather clues and cover more
ground. Lets ignore the fact that this formula is what usually
gets them into trouble and hope that it works for Japan by
Bicycle.
Right about now Dylan is probably coasting over a bridge
onto Shikoku, another one of Japans four main islands, while
Andrew and I are blogging from a McDonalds in Mihara, an
easy 60 km out of Hiroshima. Hell be putting in some heavier
mileage, biking along the northern shore of Shikoku, and taking
a ferry back to the Mainland (Honshu) on Saturday afternoon
when hell meet us in Okayama. Thats the plan, and so long as
no disgruntled islanders dress up like monsters to scare him off
the trail, it should work fairly well.
Cycling Shikoku was originally on the itinerary, but with all
of our recent delays it was beginning to feel like more of a
detour. On his own, Dylan should be able to cover the island
faster than the three of us could, and since he was pretty set
on seeing it from the start he wanted to put in the extra effort
to make it happen. Andrew has already been to Shikoku, and
even though I would have loved to see it, the extra time for
more than one person to do it would have made it hard to reach
an event I want to attend on Saturday night. Im keeping that a
surprise though.
Cycling Shikoku
was originally on
the itinerary, but
with all of our
recent delays it
was beginning to
feel like more of a
detour.
Dylan Departs for Shikoku - Day 14
123
Last night Andrew and I took advantage of the lighter schedule

ahead and spent the night in an Internet cafe, catching up on
some email and enjoying the unique Japanese experience. For
about $25 we each got a cube with a comfortable padded floor,
a computer to ourselves, and access to the drink bar, shower,
and manga (Japanese comic-book) library for 12 hours.
Andrew was more excited about the manga library than I was
but I found the whole experience quite fun. It actually felt pretty
similar to Hillsdale College all-nighters in the library.
Tonight well be looking for a park or shrine here in Mihara
where we can set up our tent and hopefully not be bothered
until sunrise. Mata!
Rider Conditions
Crash: Tired
Calves: Greasy
Spock: Tangy and citrus scented
Day 13 Riding Data
Andrew was more

excited about the
manga library than I
was but I found the
whole experience
quite fun.
Distance: 80 km
Average KM/H: 19
Manga Cafes
In Japan, the terms Internet cafe, Media cafe, and
Manga cafe are basically interchangeable and refer to
establishments offering access to the Internet, a large
library of thousands of Japanese comics, a personal
cubicle with either a padded floor or computer chair,
a array of free non-alcohol drinks, and sometimes a
shower. Usually guests purchase a block of time or
pay by the hour. When traveling on a budget in Japan,
buying the overnight block at these cafes for $15-$25
is great way to get a unique experience in Japan while
also saving money on lodging.
One interesting side note is that these cafes are
so affordable that as underemployment rises some
part-time workers who dont make enough to have
their own aparment have started renting cubicles in
net cafes as their primary dwelling places. A study in
2007 estimated the number of net cafe refugees to
be around 5,400.
124
Day 15 Photos
The scenic hills of Hiroshima Prefecture

Look at this cute giraffe!
Camping on the grounds of a small shrine overlooking the coastal town of Mihara
This is Andrews normal expression, you should see him when hes really focused.
125
In Spokes We Trust
126
In Spokes We Trust
RUST IS BOTH valuable and fragile. For example

I trusted convenience stores to carry my favorite type
of ice cream bar, but some of them seemed to have
missed the memo. Now when the team stops for a bathroom
break (usually just an excuse for me to buy ice cream), I dont
have as much confidence that my bathroom break will be as
satisfying as I would like. Boo hoo.
Its also because of a lack of trust that Scott and I decided
to stop at a bicycle shop this afternoon about 30 km into our
journey. Being around lunchtime, we stopped in Fukuyama, a
bustling, if not somewhat rusty town. Was my cycle broken or
even riding funny? Oddly, no. It had been a full 80 km since
Hiroshima where it was last fixed for the third time. We stopped
because we didnt trust it and wanted to make sure I was riding
on a safe wheel. The gentlemen at the shop said he would
have it inspected by the time we got back from lunch. Perfect.
Nearby was a cozy looking cafe named Nanairo. In Japanese
this means seven colors and is a clever play on the overused
Japanese proverb that goes ten colors, ten people, which is
similar to how we call ourselves unique snowflakes in English.
Nanairos interior was decorated with various retro items like
vinyl record cases and vintage photos. For around $10, we
each ordered the delicious hamburger steak plate which came
with a small salad, miso soup, a drink, and a bowl of white rice.
After the meal we conversed briefly with the owner/cook and
was able to tell him about our trip. Theres a chance hes even
viewing this journal entry.
Japanese Idoms
Japanese people love their idioms,
especially when they come bundled
in neat four character phrases called
Yojijukugo (... which is also
a four character phrase). Examples
of idiomatic yojijukugo are:
[ichigoichie]
(one + life + one + meeting)

once-in-a-lifetime experience
[issekinich]
(one + stone + two + bird)

killing two birds with one stone
[ikkakusenkin]

making a fortune at a stroke
[suiseimushi]

idling ones life away
[akuinaka]

an evil cause produces an evil effect
[ytkuniku]
(sheep + head + dog + meat)

false advertising
127
Once back at the bike shop the man working on the wheel
assured me that it would get me to Hokkaido without a
problem. He also said that he changed one of my spokes since
it was bending and about to break. Its nice to get a second
confirmation that the wheel is ok, but also doesnt completely
rebuild my trust because of the consistent spoke issues.
Departing Fukuyama, we made good time towards our
destination of Okayama City where we will rejoin Dylan
tomorrow. After a total of 78 km on the day, we landed in the
suburbs about 20 km shy of Okayama station. Currently, I write
from the bicycle parking area of a local grocery store that has
outdoor outlets (woohoo for a full charge!) Last night we found
a beautiful spot on a hillside near a shrine overlooking Mihara.
Hopefully the flat, grassy tenting spot under a bridge in a
nearby public park we scouted will be just as quality.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Hi Lori!
Calves: Stevie Nicks
Spock: In need of a shower
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 78 km
Pedal Time: 4 hrs
Average KM/H: 19.62
Meanwhile...
After cycling 160 km and taking a
one stop train ride over the nobikes-allowed bridge, Dylan reenters Honshu and camps in park
only 35 km from the meet-up spot
Okayama Station.
Once back at the

bike shop the man
working on the
wheel assured me
that it would get me
to Hokkaido without
a problem.
Okayama
Okayama was the 8th prefecture that the team
cycled through (10th for Dylan). The biggest city in
Okayama prefecture is Okayama city, which has
bragging rights for having one of the three most
beautiful gardens in Japan, a stunning mountain top
castle, and a well preserved historic canal town.
There arent too many places in Japan that preserve
the look and feel of the Samurai Era as Kurashiki
town in Okayama Prefecture. During the Edo period,
Kurashiki served as an important rice distribution
center due to its central location and canal. The
canal and adjacent buildings have been preserved
as a historical site.
128
Day 16 Photos
Camping in Mihara
More unsuccessful attempts to fix Andrews weak rear wheel
129
Lunch at Nanairo
130
Welcome to Okayama Prefecture

Blogging outside a grocery store
One of the most amazing camp sites of the trip
131
Foul Laundry
Mathematics
132
Foul Laundry
Mathematics
T SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE DIFFICULT to smell myself

while outdoors, under a bridge no less. Yet, try as I might,
I could no longer keep telling myself that dogs must live
around here. This stench was me, specifically, my clothes.
Im a fan of numbers. When applied correctly they tend to
clarify situations and help discern the next course of action. In
the context of my smelly garments, the math is fairly simple.
The last time I did laundry was on day 12 at Loris apartment.
I only have 4 shirts and 2 pairs of padded riding shorts. Given
that today is day 17, and that my secret super power is
apparently to sweat all the time, the obvious course of action
was to make today a laundry day.
After departing from our campsite-under-a-bridge, Scott and
I rode an easy 20 km to Okayama Station. While waiting for
Dylan to make his glorious return from Shikoku, we found a
coin laundry shop on a street corner near the station and put
the washing machines to work. While the clothes were rolling,
I managed to video chat with my beautiful fiance Lori who
is currently visiting her family in Hawaii. Since she left Japan
on this trip a few days ago, I havent been able to text or call
her whenever I want. Needless to say, the face time was a big
boost.
Side-note to all you engaged or soon-to-be-engaged men out
there: I highly discourage you from planning an epic adventure
during your engagement if it takes you away from your future
bride. Its miserable sometimes.
Given that ... my

secret super power
is apparently to
sweat all the time,
the obvious course
of action was to
make today a
laundry day.
Laundry Day in Okayama - Day 17
View our video journal
133
While the dryer ran its cool down cycle, Dylan gallantly
appeared right on time. He came bearing oranges of a
mysterious origin, and also a luke-warm carton of milk which
he implored us to help him finish quickly. Scott and I listened to
Dylans tall, but probably true, tales from his island adventure
as we folded clothes and consumed the milk with granola. Ill
leave the stories from Shikoku for Dylans upcoming summary
journal entry about the excursion.
Then, it was time for the team to split once again. Dylan and
Scott have been giddy to attend a concert in Kyoto ever since
they realized there was a slice of hope they could make it.
Our music enthusiast Scott will tell you all the details of the
outing in the next few days. Although given full opportunity and
encouragement to go, raves really arent my style. Considered
a comfortable escape for some, they are too chaotic, crowded,
and loud for me. Give me a quiet coffee shop, free wifi, and
headphones over strobe lights and glow sticks any day. In fact
Im in such a place right now (and quite happy ^_^).
After publishing this Ill be heading back to the capsule hotel I
checked into after Dylan and Scott left. With height enough to
sit up in and length to lay down easily, the capsule rental also
includes access to the hotels baths, rest rooms, and internet
terminal in the lobby. At about $22 USD, this is a welcome
alternative to not showering for the 4th day in a row.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Content in Pod No. 310
Calves: Pumped
Spock: Pumped
He came bearing
oranges of a
mysterious origin,
and also a lukewarm carton of milk
which he implored
us to help him
finish quickly.
Wheres the cooler?
The team didnt have any cycle with

any sort of refrigeration to keep
perishables from spoiling. This
wasnt a problem because usually
everything was finished with a day
or two including cartons of milk.
With so many calories being burned
biking all the time, very rarely did
food have to be thrown away.
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 30 km
Average KM/H: 15.5
Capsule Hotels
Consisting of sleep pods 2 m long by 1 m wide
by 1.25 m tall, capsule hotels can be found in the
downtown areas of most major Japanese cities. For
$25-$50 per night, guests get access to showers
or baths, lockers, and toilets. Usually there is a
television, light and control panel in the capsule itself.
Similar to manga cafes, some underemployed guests
rent capsules by the month since its more affordable
than an apartment.
134
Day 17 Photos
Skyping with Lori, classy as ever

Although the smell of cycling in the Sun for days has its appeal, we were glad to find these coin washers
With free WIFI and outlets at every seat, McDonalds became the go-to blogging spot
135
Bridges & Citrus
Dylans Solo Shikoku Tour
136
Bridges & Citrus
Dylans Solo Shikoku Tour

Written by Dylan on May 1, 2011
m a sucker for bridges. Big, striking ones in beautiful

locations especially. Its something about all that metal and
concrete arranged in careful balance to make something that
looks light and airy, yet can hold the weight of dozens of cars
at a time. Im not a bridge buff, I barely know the difference
between cable-stayed and cantilever, I just really like looking
at them and crossing them. So when I heard that there was a
7-bridge, island-hopping highway system between the largest
island of Japan, Honshu, and Shikoku, the smallest of the four
main islands, I was sold. Then I found out that almost the whole
way was bikeable, with separated bike lanes on each bridge
and a clearly marked, flat route between the bridges, and I
really got excited.
But, if youve been following this travel journal, youll know
that weve hit a few snares and delays, so when we were
approaching that part of the trip, the option of skipping Shikoku
entirely started to be talked about as a way to make up some
lost time. I was against it, but I understood that getting back
on schedule was good for the team. So I talked about it with
the guys and decided the only way I was going to see Shikoku
and ride those awesome bridges was by doing it solo, and in a
hurry. We had been averaging 80-100 km a day, and now I had
about 320 km to cover, and barely over two days to do it in.
So, without wasting any time, I set out from Hiroshima ahead
of them, at about 9pm on a damp evening. I wanted to cover
50 km that night before turning in, but after a slow 30 km, I was
nearly falling asleep on my bike, so I found a small, out-of-theway shrine up a disused mountain road and caught a couple
hours of sleep.
I had about 320 km

to cover, and barely
over two days to do
it in.
7 Bridges to Shikoku
Shimanami Kaido is a stretch
of highway connecting Honshu
(Japans biggest main island) and
Shikoku (Japans smallest main
island). Its roughly 60 km and
zig-zags over six small islands.
Although there are two other
routes from Honshu to Shikoku,
Shimanami Kaido is the newest,
being completed in 1999, and the
most tourist friendly. Having only
gentle slopes, it was built with
cyclists and foot traffic in mind. The
quaint fishing village scenery and
sparkling ocean makes the journey
on Shimanami Kaido a delight, no
matter how you travel.
137
The next day, I set off bright and early, since I still had another
70 km to go before I reached the Shimanami Kaido, the line
of bridges leading to Shikoku. After an uneventful, if slightly
rainy ride, I found myself in Onomichi, one of the Shimanamis
endpoints. After grabbing a map of the route at the train station
and gulping down a bowl of the towns special ramen, I hopped
on the very very short ferry ride over to the first island. The first
bridge is not bike-friendly, so a couple of small ferries shuttle
passengers and bikes back and forth all day over the 4-minute
crossing. Almost as soon as I got on, I was off the ferry and on
the route.
The going was very easy, and I would have made amazing
time, but the scenery, and bridges, simply could not be rushed.
I tried to soak it all in and take pictures of what I could, but more
than anything, the ride itself was thoroughly enjoyable. After two
weeks of narrow shoulders, busy roads, and honking trucks, it
was great to coast along with my head up and the space and
time to look around. I was still moving along at a decent pace,
but I ended up taking out an hour chunk in the late afternoon for
a completely unexpected, but wonderful diversion.
I had seen marked on my route map a place called Setsunoda
Citrus Park. I had no idea what kind of place it would be, but
it was only 2 km out of my way, and I really wanted to find
some cheap kumquats like a bag I had bought earlier on the
trip. Since I had been seeing them on trees on the side of road
since Id left Honshu, I hoped these islands would be the place.
However, what I didnt know was that those 2 km, which looked
so small on the map, were one long, steep hill. After 5 minutes
of grunting and straining up the hill, my chain slipped off the
chainwheel, and I had to stop dead to right it. After fixing that,
I noticed a small group of farmers across the street, weeding a
garden, and decided to ask if this Citrus Park would really be
worth my time and effort.
As it turned out, the answer was no. Not only did they think
the Citrus Park would not have what I was looking for, it had
closed an hour earlier. But when I mentioned that I was looking
for kinkan (kumquat in Japanese) they pointed up the hill and
informed me that there were some right there. Confused, I
looked where they were pointing, but I saw no store or stall.
After a bit of conversation, I realized that they were pointing
me to their kumquat tree, and the point was driven home when
they handed me a pair of shears and a plastic bag. Apparently,
they hadnt gotten around to harvesting this tree this year, and
the birds were slowly eating all the fruit, so they were happy to
let me take as much as I wanted. I was overjoyed, and showed
it by spending a good half an hour with my head stuck in their
Worlds Shortest Ferry Ride

Around minute 19 of the Japan by
Bicycle documentary, Dylan can
be seen riding the ferry between
Onomichi and Shinhama on his way
to Shikoku. He states that, this ferry
ride is one of the shortest ferry rides
in the world. While, its definitely
on the list, as it turns out this is a
rather popular claim to make. The 3
minute ferry ride on Ironton in Lake
Charlevoix has made the claim. In
Texas there is a ferry that covers
just 65 feet of water. In Sri Lanka
a ferry covers a mere 50 feet of
lagoon. A 90 second ferry in Toronto
takes passengers to the Billy Bishop
Airport. There are many others all
making the same shortest ferry ride
in the world claim =).
After a bit of
conversation, I
realized that they
were pointing me to
their kumquat tree,
and the point was
driven home when
they handed me a
pair of shears and a
plastic bag.
138
tree, snipping away. Upon emerging with a sizeable bag of

fruit, I found an even more sizeable bag of full-sized oranges
sitting beside my bike. They had gone and gathered up a mix of
other oranges from their other citrus trees, and were just giving
them to me! All told, I rolled back down the hill with at least 20
pounds of citrus, a very heavy bike, and a big smile.
After putting a bit more mileage behind me, that night was
another quick stay at a Shinto shrine, which is becoming a bit
of a habit. I was up with the sun the next morning, and on the
road by the unfortunate hour of 6am, since I had my biggest
day ahead of me, what looked like a 100 mile, 167 kilometre
haul. I ended up camping a couple of bridges off Shikoku
proper, but I made the island by 8am.
The day, and the island, went by in a bit of a haze of hills and
winds and pain. The sightseeing leisure of the previous day was
now gone, replaced with a get-it-done, endurance mentality, which
was a bit fun in a different way. In the end, I rode about 160 km,
and adjusted my plans a bit on the way to give me a little more
time and save some money. Rather than take the ferry, I packed
up my bike to take the train back over to Honshu, which was a bit
of a hassle, but cost about $5 to the ferrys $25. Plus it was a good
hour shorter, which meant that I missed out on biking my century
by a couple miles, but I didnt mind.
After taking the train just one stop over the no-bicycles-allowed
bridge, I spent the night in a park, and ended up with a relaxing
35 km ride into Okayama to meet up with the guys the next
afternoon. Im still a bit tender from the hard riding, but it was
great to be able to see everything I wanted to see and still
make up some time overall. Even for just the oranges though,
Id say it was worth it.
Shikoku
The smallest of Japans four main islands, Shikoku
is also the least populous with 4.1 million residents.
The island is famous for its 88-temple pilgrimage.
Although traditionally the 1200 km course is covered
on foot by henro (pilgrims) wearing traditional white
jackets and sedge hats, most modern henro use
buses, bicycles, or cars.
Eight of the eighty-eight temples can be found in the
largest city on Shikoku, Matsuyama. Boasting the
oldest bath house in Japan, Dogo Onsen, as well as
the formitable Matsuyama castle, Matsuyama is a
popular tourist desitnation.
Meanwhile...
After a good nights sleep in the
Net Cafe, Scott and Andrew pedal
a leisurely 78 km on Day 16 and
have delicious hamburger plates at
Nanairo restaurant.
The sightseeing
leisure of the
previous day was
now gone, replaced
with a get-itdone, endurance
mentality, which
was a bit fun in a
different way.
139
Day 15-17 Shikoku Photos
First Night Shrine campsite

Short ferry to Shikoku
One of the bridges to Shikoku
140
Cross the 6 Bridges to Shikoku
141
Kumquat heaven
Second nights campsite
Train friendly, packed-up bike
142
Deep Night
Towa Tei Show
143
Deep Night
Towa Tei Show
Written by Scott on May 2, 2011
OSTONS SATURDAY ENDS AT 2 AM. All bars close

and everyones asleep by 2:30. Not so in Kyoto. This
Saturday I finally got to experience a deep night
electronic show. It was fantastic.
The idea of finding Towa Tei, one of my favorite DJs, at a show
in his native country was in the back of my mind when I booked
my flight to Japan. Never did I actually think it would happen.
Even after seeing that he was on tour I didnt get my hopes up
that Id make one of the shows since our location is so variable.
It wasnt until he dropped the needle 10 feet in front of me at 1
am that I believed it was happening.
An hour after the team was reunited on Saturday afternoon,
Dylan and I left Andrew to a quiet night of coffee shops and a
capsule hotel to board a train bound for Kobe, the location of
one of our three transfers on our trip to Kyoto. Choosing the
cheaper 4-hour, multi-transfer option didnt really bother me
since Im used to trekking from Boston to New York for big
shows. Plus, we made it with a little time to spare and didnt
feel so bad splurging for Kyotos version of okonomiyaki. We
made it to the club right in the heart of Kyotos downtown
nightlife but had to wait outside the entrance until they let us
enter the dark basement venue at about 11:30. We didnt mind
the wait though since we befriended and chatted with two cool
dudes, Go and Kazuya, and convinced them to come to the
show with us.
We made it to
the club right
in the heart of
Kyotos downtown
nightlife but had
to wait outside the
entrance until they
let us enter the dark
basement venue...
Towa Tei
Towa Tei is a DJ and record

producer located in Yokohama,
Japan. He started making mix tapes
when he was 16. After moving to
America to study graphic design in
1987, his music career skyrocketed
when he became part of the house
act Deee-lite. Moving back to Japan
in 1994, he released his debut solo
album Future Listening! and has
experienced success ever since.
144
The club didnt fill up until about 12:30, but once it did the party
didnt stop until 5 am. Towa Tei traded off a few times with
the DJ who opened for him, but they switched control without
dropping a beat, perfectly mixing Teis happy 90s bounce house
with the other DJs darker house. It was impossible to be in that
room and not dance.
Needless to say, Dylan and I were exhausted the next morning.
We took a quick sidewalk nap, stammered into a 24-hr
McDonalds, ate a couple breakfast sandwiches, and hopped
on the first of the 4-train route back at 6:30 am. The trip took a
couple hours and we arrived at Okayama Station around 1:30
pm. After meeting up with Andrew, we took our time packing
and eating more of Dylans oranges before setting out. We only
made it 20 km out of the city before calling it a day and setting
up camp at a hillside shrine.
The question was asked, but the obvious answer was that the
concert adventure was totally worth it.
We set out early this morning, determined to put in some
heavy mileage after a good nights rest; but alas, Andrew broke
another spoke. Just about 10 km before the bike shop, Dylan
turned to tell us something and hit a bump in the pavement.
He was able to pull out of a potentially disastrous fall but put
too much force on his wheel with the correction and his wheel
tacoed. This meant that even before getting to the shop he had
to take apart his wheel and bang the wheel back to something
resembling a circle. We all eventually made it to Cycle Shop
Tomato in Himeji City and presented them our many issues.
Thank God for Tomato. Its the seventh bike shop weve
stopped at regardings Andrews weak rear wheel, yet the
only one to actually agree with us that it should be replaced.
Although a bit more than Andrew had been hoping to spend, his
new rear wheel is the strongest around and should hopefully be
more than adequate for the rest of our trip. Fingers crossed.
A permanent fix
Rural shrine campsites

The team didnt have any cycle with
any sort of refrigeration to keep
perishables from spoiling. This
wasnt a problem because .
He was able to pull

out of a potentially
disastrous fall but
put too much force
on his wheel with
the correction and
his wheel tacoed.
Thankfully, the new wheel Andrew purchased at

Cycle Shop Tomato lived up to expectations. Although
occasionally his gears and brakes needed maintenance,
for the rest of the ride to Hokkaido there were no more
broken spokes.
145
The amiable owner also trued Dylans wheels into shape and
gave him a new tire for a discounted rate and tuned up a
couple things on my bike for free. While waiting for the repairs
to be made, we made small talk with a friendly young Japanese
man named Kazu who taught himself English. Finally, Tomato
also sold us three fundraising bracelets created by a Japanese
pro-cyclist, with proceeds going to help the Japanese Red
Cross disaster relief. Then, with bikes like new (almost) we said
sayonara to the owner of Cycle Shop Tomato.
For dinner we ate at a hole-in-the-wall yakitori (grilled
chicken) restaurant. Heres a short clip from that fun and
delicious experience.
Tonight were staying at another couchsurfing hosts place in
Himeji. Before arriving we stopped for my first yakitori. Big
day tomorrow??!
Rider Conditions
Crash: Hopeful about the new wheel
Calves: About to be clean - shower time!
Spock: Clean
Day 18 Riding Data

Distance: 20 km
Pedal Time: 1 hr 10 min
Average KM/H: 17.8
Day 19 Riding Data

Distance: 73 km
Average KM/H: 19.9
Andrew Eats a Chicken Heart in Himeji - Day 19
View our video journal
Yakitori
Yakitori means grilled chicken
and can also refer to any
skewered food in general. Yakitori
restaurants in Japan are common.
The following items are staples of a
yakitori restaurant menu:
momo - chicken thigh
tsukune - chicken meatballs
kawa - crispy chicken skin
tebasaki - chicken wing
bonjiri - chicken tail
shiro - chicken small intestines
nankotsu - chicken cartilage
kokoro - chicken heart
reb - liver
sunagimo - chicken gizzard
toriniku - all white meat on skewer
Himeji
Located in Hyogo Prefecture along with Kobe in the
Kansai region the city of Himeji is surrounded by
mountain the sea. Although it has beautiful gardens,
the Engyo-ji temple, and the Nada Fighting Festival,
the most popular attraction in the city is Himeji Castle.
Not only is it the largest castle in Japan, it is also the
oldest. The castle has remained intact for over 400
years, surviving typhoons, earthquakes, and even the
Himeji bombings during World War 2. In 1993 it was
registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
146
Day 18 Photos
Towa Tei live

Countryside shrines are the best places to camp
147
Day 19 Photos
Dylans tacoed wheel
148
Finally, a permanent fix to Andrews weak rear wheel issues
149
The staff of Cycle Shop Tomato saves the day

The team and Kazu
Remnants of our Yakitori extravaganza
Couchsurfing in the library of Jodys apartment building
150
Kansai Doldrums
151
Kansai Doldrums
Written by Andrew on May 3, 2011
TS NOT EVERYDAY that super exciting stuff happens. With

that in mind, this journal entry will be relatively concise as we
had a low-key day.
After finding our couchsurfing host Jodys apartment

building last night, we were delighted to be given access to
the buildings multipurpose library room. Complete with
kitchenette, bathroom, and even cushions to sleep on, it was
a dream come true. Jody was very gracious and let us use her
shower and hang out in her apartment before we turned in for
the night.
This morning Dylan overfed everyone with French toast and
home-fries while we watched the recently released Star Trek
movie. It was Scotts first viewing of the film. As a Trek fan
since TNG, I was a tad disappointed that he didnt tear up at
any time during the movie. The three of us packed up and left
later than expected around 1pm.
The rest of the day is one big blur of Kansai metropolis
outskirts. In case you dont know, Kansai is the flat area of
Japan that includes Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, and the surrounding
urban development. Since flat land is hard to come by in Japan,
almost all relatively level stretches of real estate are developed
to the hilt. Such is the Kansai plain.
Around 3pm the team stopped in a city called Akashi, which
had an interesting shopping arcade, vending mostly octopus
and a few other locally caught fish.
The rest of the day

is one big blur of
Kansai metropolis
outskirts.
Scott Eats a Whole Baby Octopus - Day 20
152
Finally, we ended the day spending about an hour and a half

biking out of the densely urbanized area surrounding Kobe to
find a small, grassy residential park where weve put up the
tents for the night. Its soft ground and Im looking forward to a
good nights sleep.
Today we biked about 55 km to land near Kobe. Tomorrow we
hope to make it to the heart of Osaka.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Feeling cramped in the city
Calves: Are we there yet?
Spock: Glad to have the tent up
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 63 km
Average KM/H: 18.2
Kansai Region
The Kansai Region is Japans second largest lowland
plains, the largest being the Kanto Plains (where
Tokyo is located). There are ten prefectures within
the Kansai region and several major cities including
Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and Nara with a current
population of more than 24 million people. The Kansai
region has been an integral part of Japan since the
country began. In fact, the birthplace of the Japanese
Nation is said to have started here since the first,
second, and third capital cities are all located in the
Kansai Region.
Kobe
Kobe is one of Japans ten largest
cities and has been voted the
most beautiful city in Japan.
Chances are though, if youve
heard of Kobe its not for its size
or beauty but for its world famous
beef. Real Kobe beef comes
from the Wagyu breed of cattle
born, raised, and slaughtered in
Hyogo Prefecture. Even then, it
has to pass a rigorous inspection
for the correct fat content and
marbleization that characterizes
Kobe beef, in order to be given
the title. A Kobe beef meal can
easily cost between $80 and $300
depending on the portion size and
preparation. When its imported
to the United States, those prices
can rise even higher. Be careful
though because there are many
fake Kobe beef claims in America,
which is perfectly legal for the
food vendors but not nearly as
satisfying for your mouth or wallet.
As Japan opened its borders to foreign trade, the

Kansai region played a dominant role being the
easternmost point of the Silk Road. It continues to
be a hub of cultural exchange and a unique blend of
ancient and modern life.
Another interesting fact about the Kansai region is that
its home to the largest number of UNESCO World
Heritage Sites in all of Japan. This is due not only to
the enormous cultural significance of the region, but
also to its lack of natural disasters or wars that might
have damaged the heritage sites.
153
Day 20 Photos
Akashi Uontana shopping street

Snacking on taiyaki
154
You can find anything in vending machines in Japan, here we have batteries
Camping in a park in Kobe
155
156
THE KANSAI CRAWL

HEN YOURE BIKING, BRAKING SUCKS. Hills, you

get back on the other side. Headwinds are balanced
out by tailwinds. But braking, that takes all your
energy, all the speed youve worked so hard to accumulate,
and wastes it in useless sound and heat. Obviously, sometimes
its necessary, but I prefer to avoid it when I can. Some days of
touring, out on the open highway, you can go for hours without
touching your brakes. Today was not one of those days.
Today we got a bit of a late start, after our late finish last night
and our lucky last minute campsite in a small park in Kobe. We
rolled out of our tents around 9:30 am, had a leisurely breakfast,
and made use of the frisbee weve been carrying these past
three weeks and have barely touched. Then, around 11, as we
were packing up and preparing to get on the road, a Japanese
lady came up and asked us the standard, Where are you from,
where are you going? questions. Then she asked if there was
anything we needed. I jokingly suggested a shower, since thats
something we could always use, and she, without hesitation,
suggested that we come to her apartment and use her shower.
Oh, and we could do a load of laundry too, if we wanted.
Mrs. Suzuki, as she introduced herself, had a son around
our age currently off at university studying kendo, which is a
kind of Japanese fencing-style martial art. I think maybe we
reminded her of her son because she certainly treated us like
family. She brought us back to her apartment, introduced us
to her somewhat surprised husband, and let us charge our
electronics. We all had showers, did a load of laundry, ate
some chocolates and had some tea while the laundry dried a
bit. Then we were sent off with some fruit and snacks, having
made some new friends in Kobe.
Some days of
touring, out on the
open highway, you
can go for hours
without touching
your brakes. Today
was not one of
those days.
157
Im sorry to say that that was by far the high point of the day.
We were now very solidly in the Kansai urban sprawl, and if
you want to bike a long distance at a decent pace in a straight
line, a city is not the place to do it. From when we set out
around 1pm, the day became a monotony of stoplights and
exhaust. Between each light, we would just start to get up
to speed when the light ahead would turn yellow, killing our
meager momentum. Then, it was a short wait at the light,
followed by a push on green to get back up to speed while
trying to stay out of the passing traffic. Then, another red light.
Stop, rinse, repeat. This meant that the unimpressive 70 km we
put down today felt a lot more like something over a hundred.
There were some food highlights. We had a nice late lunch
of assorted groceries beside a pleasant little city creek park.
Dinner was a delicious last-minute decision of tsukemen tantan
noodles, a super flavourful broth and noodle-dipping dish. And
were all looking forward to tomorrow, and seeing the sights of
Kyoto. But as for city riding, at least for the near future, theres
no end in sight.
We were now
very solidly in
the Kansai urban
sprawl, and if you
want to bike a long
distance at a decent
pace in a straight
line, a city is not the
place to do it.
Noodles in Japan
Rider Conditions
Crash: Zoned out
Calves: Oni-giddy
Spock: Noodley
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 80 km
Average KM/H: 19
Hyogo
Hyogo is the largest prefecture in the Kansai
region and stretches from the western to
the eastern coasts of Japan. As a result, the
prefecture contains a range of climates, industries,
cultures, and historical hotspots. It is sometimes
referred to as Japan in miniature. The most
famous tourist destination in Hyogo (other than
the capital city Kobe) is Himeji Castle, which
has the title of the most beautiful feudal castle
still standing in Japan. Its currently undergoing
a five-year reconstruction and will open again in
March of 2015. A more recent claim to fame for the
prefecture is that The Last Samurai was filmed in
Mount Shosha temple of Himeji City.
Rice may be the staple food of the

Japanese diet, but noodles are
dearly loved and widely consumed in
a plethora of varieties. There are 26
different types of ramen alone and
over 10,000 ramen shops across
Japan (not to mention a ramen
museum in Shin-Yokohama). Other
popular noodle dishes enjoyed in
Japan include soba, udon, somen,
yakisoba, and champon.
Today the team enjoyed a noodle
dish called tsukemen which means
dipping noodles. Picture a bowl of
ramen where the noodles are served
on the side to be dipped in the broth
rather than served swimming in it.
158
Day 21 Photos
Packing up our tents after a great sleep in a Kobe park.

Super cute sleep mask, intellectual book, and ipod... clearly
this is the inside of Scotts tent.
This is why we call Scott Calves
These frisbee photos were totally staged to make us look good.
159
During lunch Andrew decided to explore.

Tsukemen tan tan dipping noodles are worth every calorie.
Night biking into Kyoto.
160
What to see in Kyoto

in 5 Hours
161
What to see in Kyoto

in 5 Hours
AYBE BECAUSE of its overwhelming options, Kyoto is

a very difficult city to tour well. Theres the shiny new
area near the station, the multiple poorly designed
public transportation systems, and more important temples
and shrines than even most travel agencies can process. Ive
been to this city three times now, and finally I think I have a
handle on what is truly a must see and what can wait.
Having camped only 6 km from Kyoto station last night in

a community sports park, today Dylan, Scott and I allowed
ourselves 5 hours to attempt the impossible: tour Kyoto. We
wouldnt have time for anything but the absolute most beautiful
or famous sights. With this in mind here is the short, but 100%
satisfaction guaranteed itinerary I composed and which we
executed in just under 5 hours (see photos of each location at
the end of the chapter):
1. The infinite red gates of the Fushimi-Inari Taisha Walk
2. Kyomizu Temple and surrounding grounds
3. The Golden Pavilion and surrounding grounds
Side-note
We traveled exclusively by bicycle
between locations. I recommend this
to all who are able since Kyoto is
packed to the gills with little things
to discover. Bicycle rental shops are
numerous in the city. Otherwise,
familiarize yourself with a bus
route map. My advice is to generally
ignore the subway system since its
poorly laid out and doesnt go directly to many sightseeing locations like
the buses do.
Kyoto Fushimi Inari Red Gates - Day 22
Had Dylan and Scott not seen Kyoto Station when on their
concert adventure, I would have wanted to stop by there too.
To close the day we pedaled nearly 50 km to Osaka Station.
Rolling in around 11:30pm, we found a nearby Internet cafe for
cheap (1500 yen) where we will stay for the night. Personally,
although I love the city, its annoying when traveling by bicycle.
162
I look forward to the more rural areas where we have easy

camping options and less stop-and-go traffic. Still, a dork at
heart, I am very happy writing this journal entry from a small
cubicle with high speed Internet and all-you-can drink hot coco
dispensers at my disposal.
Tomorrow we head for Nara Park and its numerous World
Heritage UNESCO sites.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Online
Calves: Phosphorescent
Spock: Connected
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 82 km
Average KM/H: 18.1
Kyoto
c.500 - The Hata clan are able to move into the area
of present-day Kyoto by successfully controlling the
Katsura River.
678 - Kamo Shrine is begun
794 - The Capital of Japan is moved to Kyoto (then
called Heian Kyo)
894 - Emissaries are no longer sent to China to study
c. 1096 - Samurai rise in power
1336 - Kyoto is divided with an emperor in the north
and in the south districts of the city
...a dork at heart,

I am very happy
writing this journal
entry from a small
cubicle with high
speed Internet
and all-you-can
drink hot coco
dispensers at my
disposal.
UNESCO sites
There are an enormous amount

of options when planning a trip to
Japan. One sure-fire way to ensure
you visit worthwhile sites is to plan
your trip to Japan around UNESCO
World Heritage sites.
1600 - Tokugawa Ieyasu unites Japan under one rule

1788 - The Great Fire of Tenmei destroys most of Kyoto
1868 - The capital of
Japan is moved to Tokyo
1869 - The first primary
school is opened in
Japan
1928 - Bus service in
Kyoto is begun
1950 - Kyoto is called
the International Culture
Tourism Capital
2011 - Andrew, Scott,
and Dylan visit Kyoto
163
Day 22 Photos
Camping near sports fields about 6 km from Kyoto Station

Emptying memory card and keeping the trip files organized before heading out to tour Kyoto
Golden week festivities in a Kyoto neighborhood
164
Fushimi-Inari Taisha Walk
165
That poor cat had no idea.

Stuffed Japanese raccoon, called tanuki, are said to bring luck.
Brief break after walking through hundreds of red gates.
166
Kiyomizu Temple
Dylan attempts to lift the legendary Benkei Iron Staff

Legend goes that if you leap off this 13m stage and survive, your wish will be granted. 234 jumps were
recorded in the Edo period with an 85.4% survival rate. This practice is now prohibited.
167
The Golden Pavilion
168
Abbey Road anyone?

Scott and Dylan discover Osakas famous nightlife and dance their hearts out
Andrew gets in touch with his inner-geek at a 24/7 Internet cafe
169
The 308 Blues
170
The 308 Blues

ERE HAVING FUN, I SWEAR. Its the trip of a

lifetime, no ones making us do it. Every day we have
amazing experiences, ones that Im sure well tell our
grandkids about. Some days, though, it takes a lot to remember
that this is fun, and not some forced endurance challenge, or a
kind of torture. Unfortunately, today was one of those days.
Although we should have started the day well rested, none
of us got more than five hours sleep. Andrew fell victim to the
easy computer access at our net cafe, and ended up working
on the trips web site until late at night, and Scott and I went out
to see Osakas nightlife. While all of us had a good time, rolling
out of our computer cubicle/bed to make the cafes 9am check
out was a bit of a struggle. But today was the day to be sleepy,
because the map showed an easy, straight 30 km to Nara,
where we would recharge by enjoying the famous temples in
Nara Park. We could just glide sleepily along and reach Nara in
no time without working too hard, right? Right?
Wrong. A combination of our navigator (me) not checking
the terrain of the route and Google Maps neglecting to factor
altitude into its directions meant that our nice straight route
went straight over a mountain range. As the rise came into view
on the outskirts of Osaka, I told myself there must be a way
around, or a low pass, or something Im not seeing. Surely the
road cant go over that. We stopped at the last convenience
store before the foothills to check one last time that our route
would indeed take us to Nara. The clerk confirmed that, then
mimed a cyclist flipping over backwards on a steep incline, and
told us to take care. He knew what we were in for.
As the rise came

into view ... I told
myself there must
be a way around,
or a low pass, or
something Im not
seeing.
From Osaka to Nara - Day 23
171
The next 3 hours were not something I enjoy remembering. We

managed to ride for about 15 minutes past the store, before
the road got so unreasonably steep that we were forced to
walk our bikes up the slope, under the pounding sun on a
windless day. The highway, boldly drawn in stout yellow on
the map, turned out to be a twisting, narrow road barely wide
enough for one car to pass us on the shoulder. The going was
so strenuous that we could not push for more than a handful
of minutes at a time without a breather. Finally, exhausted, we
reached the crest of the road, complete with a small souvenir
shop and rest stop, and the border into Nara Prefecture.
We were too exhausted to be excited, but at least we were
satisfied. Surely, the worst was behind us.
By the end of the day that proved to be true, but not by as
much as we would have liked. Coming down off the mountain,
while easy on the legs, was hard on the nerves and brakes.
Now we were taking occasional stops to cool down our brake
pads. Our route, the straight and true 308 running all the
way to Nara City, meandered down into a valley town, and
disappeared. Once we realized we were no longer on the right
highway, we had to loop back and try to pick it up again as it
wound through town along narrow streets in umarked turns. It
also seemed to seek out the steep hills, and more than once
we were again forced off our bikes, pushing.
We persevered though, and eventually reached the City
of Nara, and the end of our path along the deceptive 308.
However, much to our disappointment, our easy 30 km had
taken the better part of seven hours, putting us on the wrong
side of 5:30pm, which is when the temples of Nara Park, which
we had come solely to see, closed. We went for a despondent
ride through the Park, but the blowing sakura and famous
ubiquitous deer could only console us so much.
Thankfully, the day ended on a much more positive note. As
dusk was gathering, we made our way to an okonomiyaki
restaurant that Andrew recommended, having been to it when
in Nara before, and that he in turn had been recommended
to by his friend Craig Stanton, who had walked the length of
Japan some three years prior. Dinner there was ridiculously
delicious, complete with what Im sure were abnormally
large portions for us worn out cyclists. The proprietor, Mr.
Jun Ohashi, chatted with us amicably about his restaurant,
okonomiyaki varieties, and our trip while preparing our fare,
Tough terrain
Throughout the trip, the team
encountered hills almost everyday.
However, pushing our cycles over
Mt. Ikoma for three hours to only
travel five kilometers was one of
the top three most difficult sections
of the entire 43 day journey.
The other two were the 20km of
hills surrounding the Start Line on
Day 1, and the last 20km to Fuji in
the torrential rain of a typhoon after
midnight on Day 27.
However, much to
our disappointment
... the temples of
Nara Park, which
we had come solely
to see, closed.
172
and even investigated as to where we could camp that night

in the area. We were sent off happy, with full bellies and good
directions to a riverside area a little ways down the road, where
we could stay in peace. Even better, when we reached the river,
we found a small bamboo forest right beside the bridge, shady
and well-sheltered, and set up camp there. And there ends our
unexpectedly challenging, somewhat disappointing day, as we
settle down amidst the creaking, knocking bamboo and rustling
leaves. Tomorrow, Im sure, will be better.
Rider Conditions
Crash: OKOCalves: -NOMISpock: -YAKI
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 65 km
Average KM/H: 13.5
Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki literally means what
youd like, grilled. The basic batter
is like runny pancake mix to which
you can add pretty much anything.
The most common ingredients
include shredded cabbage, pork,
and eggs, topped with a teriyaki
sauce, Japanese mayonnaise,
bonito flakes, and dried seaweed.
The dish became popular during
and after World War II when rice
was scarce and the Japanese
people needed to become more
creative with the ingredients that
they had
Nara
Situated as a landlocked prefecture in the Kansai
region, Nara had its fair share of historical
significance. The present day city of Nara was
Japans first permanent capital. The main reason
for the move away from Nara was the rise in
power of Buddhist monasteries that threatened the
government. The many shrines and temples that
remain in Nara are some of the oldest and largest
in the country. For example, Todaiji (which the J by
B team touring by about 30 minutes) is the worlds
largest wooden building and houses a 15 meter
tall, bronze Buddha statue. Within walking distance
from Todaiji are two other
important historical locations.
Kasuga Taisha Shrine has
been maintained since Nara
was the capital and is most
well known for its stone and
hanging lanterns. Kofukuji
Temple was also established
at the same time as the
capital and belonged to the
most influential family of
that era.
Todaiji
Stone and hanging lanterns

of Kasuga Taisha Shrine
173
Day 23 Photos
Pushing our way to Nara was the longest 30 km of the trip

The village at the top of the mountain between Osaka and Nara.
174
Todaiji (Great Eastern Temple) is the largest wooden building in the world... and also closed just
before we arrived -_Sakura blooming in Nara!
175
Okonomiyaki by the master himself, Ohashi Jun

Our campsite for the night, a real-deal bamboo forest
176
177
Dylan Takes
the Plunge
YLAN WAS RUNNING HEADLONG into the lake

naked, and I was filming.
The day had been humid starting from the morning when
we awoke in our honest-to-goodness bamboo forest campsite.
The creaking and swooshing in the wind of the hollow, pliable
trees had made for sublime sleeping conditions and a peaceful
start to the day. I didnt mind the humidity at first since the
morning was cool and breezy. We stopped at a closed riverside
road stand with outdoor benches and counter after only 6
km. Dylan made a superb grilled noodle and kimchi breakfast
while I worked a bit on the web site and Skyped with Lori. To
our chagrin, after a while, an ancient lady pulled up and firmly
informed us that we couldnt be there.
When we were back on the road, the humidity quickly turned
against us when the clouds disappeared and allowed a burning
midday sun to beat down. Glistening with sweat, we made our
way over some moderate but very long hills. Somehow my
odometer only read 28 km when we stopped for a late lunch at
a supermarket. While we sat beside the entrance and ate, the
temperature seemed to be slowly rising. When we finally got
back on the bikes after lunch, the sweat and discomfort were
intense. However, the landscape flattened out, and soon after
we passing a few quaint rice-farming towns, we were once
again surrounded by countryside.
At first, rolling beside the reservoir, I thought Dylan was kidding
when he suggested cooling off in it. I jokingly encouraged
him to take a dip. For a moment, I could see him waver
Top 3 Coolest Campsites

Day 2 - On a beach
Day 16 - Under a bridge
Day 24 - In a bamboo forest
Side-note
The Japanese summer is notoriously
unbearable. Being both uncomfortably hot and absurdly humid, it is
not really surprising that now in
early May we are beginning to get
23C days.
178
in indecision. Then, committing fully to the endeavor, he

dismounted, wandered off the road, and disappeared into the
trees. Next I saw him, he was several hundred meters away,
barefoot in the mud next to the water, stark nekkid. He ran
into the reservoir with vigor and fully submerged with a splash.
Upon resurfacing, as I recall, he eloquently described the
water as Oh man, its cold! Like really, really cold! Yet, he
remained and apparently adjusted. I took a few pictures and
generally laughed my head off. After 15 minutes, he was done,
and we were on our way to Kameyama City.
Now, the tent is pitched on some soft grass along an
abandoned backroad next to a river and some rice fields. Im
typing this in a nearby convenience store. Total mileage today
was an underwhelming 72 km. Tomorrow, we arrive in the
ginormous metropolis that is Nagoya. City biking in the heat will
take a lot of patience and concentration. With that in mind, Im
going to head back to camp and crawl into my sleeping bag.
Rider Conditions
Oh man, its cold!

Like really, really
cold!
Camp caramel
After this journal entry was written

and published, Dylan made one
of the best decisions of the trip
and cooked caramel on the camp
stove right there at the rice field
campsite. If theres a perfect food
to eat while camping after biking
all day, its hot caramel.
Crash: Have a nice flight, Lori!

Calves: Bing!
Spock: Chatting with the Y
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 75 km
Average KM/H: 17.5
Mie
Mie prefecture is blessed with abundant natural
beauty from the mountains to the plains and
coastline. Accordingly, a third of Mies land area
is covered by parks. The Ise-Shima National Park
is the most famous of them all as it is home to the
Ise Shrines. These shrines date back to the 3rd
and 5th century and are known as the most sacred
Shinto shrines in Japan. Every 20 years the shrines
are rebuilt according to Shinto tradition and 62nd
rebuilding will be completed in 2013. Another notable
location within Mie is Iga Province, which is the
birthplace of the most famous ninja clan as well as
the well known poet Basho Matsuo.
179
Day 24 Photos
Camping in a bamboo forest was an amazing experience
180
Blogging and skyping with Lori at a vacant roadside stand

Neighborhood rice patties
181
Dylan skinny dipping

Dylan talking with Tammy, his wife, via skype
Making caramel in the woods
182
Dangerously Cheesy
183
Dangerously Cheesy
ODAY DIDNT GET INTERESTING until after dark.

Stopping only a few times (once at an interesting river
lock that looked like a bunch of giant alien brains!!),
we easily biked the remaining 60 km into heart of metro
Nagoya where Scotts friend Yae met us at the station. Once
at her apartment, we immediately filled it with our gear before
showering to go out.
Usually, the team just wanders around new areas until we find
a restaurant we like the looks of. So, it was nice to be led by
Yae since she knew a place to go. A brief subway trip away
was a very nice all-you-can-eat pizza/pasta place. As Pizza
Marino discovered, all you can eat are dangerous words to
say to a team of mid-20s men who cycle all day, every day. For
only 2000 yen, we gorged ourselves. Cheese is hard to come
by in Japan, and I think we took the restaurant staff slightly off
guard when we cleared the buffet table every time they put
out new pies. It was delicious. Yaes friend Haruka also came,
and we had a good time conversing in a combination of broken
Japanese and English.
After the pizza buffet, we went to a nearby arcade and did
purikura, a fun activity involving lots of friends in a photo
booth with a time limit and a post-shoot editing pen. Japanese
kids have scrapbooks full of all their purikura. The pictures also
make great souvenirs.
I think we took the

restaurant staff
slightly off guard
when we cleared
the buffet table
every time they put
out new pies.
Japanese photo booths

Derived from the English Print
Club purikura are fun photo
booths in Japan that allow users
to decorate the photos afterward.
Usually video game arcades (called
game centers) will have a section or
floor devote to these booths. After
decorating is complete, the pictures
are printed and also sent digitally
to users cell phones. Browse a
massive gallery of purikura and
even create your own online at
www.puricute.com.
184
After this, I decided to turn in early and headed back to Yaes

apartment while the other four went to karaoke. I dont mind
singing my heart out in front of other people, but its Mothers day
and I wanted to call my Mom. It was nice to talk to her since its
hard to stay in touch while on the trip. After we said goodbye, I
turned in just as the rest of the team was coming back.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Mellow
Calves: Ka-ra-OK!
Spock: Pizzalicioust
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 64 km
Average KM/H: 20.3
Aichi
Karaoke
When westerners think of karaoke,
a picture of public humiliation in a
dingy bar usually comes to mind.
In Japan though, karaoke has a
much more intimate association.
Friends or family will rent a private
karaoke room and enjoy comfortable
seating, their own karaoke player,
TV, microphones, and access to
a full menu of food and drinks for
order. Karaoke rooms are available
to rent by the hour and come a vast
array of sizes to accommodate small
to large parties. It has become a
popular hangout spot for youth. One
fun karaoke fact is that the inventor
of the first karaoke player won the
2004 Ig Noble Prize for providing an
entirely new way for people to learn
to tolerate each other.
A large portion of Aichi Prefectures border is

coastline along the Pacific Ocean in central Japan.
Its largest city is Nagoya (the fourth largest city in
all of Japan) and its climate is mild in the winter due
to ocean, but very hot and humid in the summer
months. Another city in Aichi Prefecture is Toyota.
It was once known as Koromo but was renamed in
1959 after the automotive factory that was becoming
world famous by that point. Even today the main
plant of the Toyota Motor Corporation is still located
there. Interestingly, Toyota City is the largest city
in Japan (population of about 423,000) that is not
served by the Japanese National Railways.
In 2005, Aichi Prefecture played host to the World
Expo. The theme was Natures Wisdom with
contributors to the expo showcasing their innovations
and ideas to produce are more harmonious
relationship between humans and nature. Over 22
million visitors attended the expo over its six month
duration, enjoying attractions such as a frozen
mammoth, latest robotic creations, state-of-the-art
theatres, and fabulous dining opportunities with food
vendors from around the world.
185
Day 25 Photos
Pushing our bikes back to the main road after packing up our campsite in the morning
Soon after this photo was taken we discovered that these were not giant brain statues
but were locks to regulate water flow
Spiral Tower in Nagoya
Scott visits Nagoya Castle
Even robots need a break once in a while
186
Taking over Yaes apartment

Andrew ruins another group photo
A pizza buffet has never looked so good
187
Editing our purikura (super fun Japanese photobooth)

Singing the night away at Karaoke
188
More money,
more problems?
189
More money,
more problems?
HERE ARE A FEW ITEMS that we absolutely cannot

bicycle Japan without. Getting right down to it, the
spare clothes, the cooking set, and even the tents are
classifiable as luxury items. It is possible to cycle without them.
A few things we must have are our bicycles (in working order),
water, food, and visas to be in the country. However, there is
one item we each carry that is debatable: our wallets. Inside we
keep cash, our domestic IDs, credit cards, and family photos.
For Dylan specifically, he may be about to find out exactly how
crucial his wallet is to his Japan by Bicycle experience.
BACKTRACK 20 HOURS AND 75 KM

As you may recall, we stayed at Yaes in Nagoya last night.
Dylan left before Scott and me in hopes of arriving at his
friends place 195 km away in Shizuoka (our next destination
city) before tomorrow afternoon. With some procrastinating
and packing to do before leaving, Scott and I departed Yaes
around 2 pm. Based on the principle of inertia, we should have
seen this coming. We only made it about 45 km east of Nagoya
Station before stopping for dinner at a supermarket and
scouting out campsites.
As per the usual routine, I also kept an eye out for locations
with power outlets in order to post the days blog. A 24-hr
McDonalds was perfect, and the dull day seemed almost at
an end. As we pulled up to the bike parking lot, however, I
received a call from Dylan who was now a full 40 km ahead of
us. Have you passed the 7-11 in Okazaki yet? This question
seemed odd, and I knew something was up. As it turns out,
Based on the
priciple of inertia,
we should have
seen this coming.
Tech Savvy Toilets in Japan - Day 26
190
Dylan had met up with some Japanese cycling tourists headed

in the same direction. Somewhere between using his pocket
electronic dictionary and making an ice cream purchase, he
had misplaced his wallet. The convenience store in question
was still out of range for Scott and I to check. The last we heard
from him before writing this journal entry, Dylan was heading
back to the 7-11 in hopes of recovering the valuable lost item.
Stay tuned tomorrow to hear how this mini-story concludes.
Praying folks, feel free to jump on this.
Not one to be outdone for attention, while securing our
campsite, Scott was in a minor traffic accident. Apparently, he
was turning off the sidewalk onto a side-street as a minivan
was slowly turning the opposite way into Scott, the side
of the van colliding with the side of the cycle. Somehow,
Scott managed to keep his wheels under him before quickly
dismounting and discussing the situation with the middleaged, non-English speaking Japanese man who was driving.
From what Scott described, the conversation was brief,
friendly, involved many gestures, and concluded with both in
agreement that no damage was done. Both the bicycle and the
minivan were unscathed. When recounting the tale, Scott was
still recovering from the incident but laughed as he digested
a comforting McFlurry. Were glad it wasnt anything more
serious. To reassure those of you who may now be worrying,
we always ride cautiously and wear our helmets.
Ok, thats all for today. For such a short ride, Im pretty tired.
Tomorrow should be a nice pedal. For me, saddle time is filled
by books on mp3. Im excited to hear the exciting conclusion of
In Search of the Castaways by Jules Verne. Goodnight!
Rider Conditions
Crash: Connected
Calves: Net Cafe...
Spock: Damp
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 42 km
Average KM/H: 18
Cash in Japan
Although Japanese do have credit
cards, the primary way to pay in
Japan is still with paper money
and coins.Its not uncommon for
people to carry upwards of 20,000
yen (about $200 in the U.S.) in their
billfold at all times. While on Japan
by Bicycle, we would use ATMs to
refill our cash supply, but generally
we could be found with $300-$400
of cash each at any given time.
Thanks to the incredible low-crime
rate in Japan, we never felt uneasy.
Not one to be
outdone for
attention, while
securing our
campsite, Scott
was in a minor
traffic accident.
191
Day 26 Photos
We made sure to put Yaes apartment back in order before we left

Construction on the outskirts of Nagoya
The comedy duo Dylan met while cycling to Shizuoka
McDonalds is the ideal place to blog since it always has outlets and WIFI...and ice cream
Scott and Andrew are both Eagle Scouts and therefore knew that the best way to deal with post-cyclingaccident shock is to smother it with a McFlurry.
192
Typhoon of the Century
193
Typhoon of the Century

F YOU DONT LIKE THE WEATHER, just wait five minutes.

Probably every state in the US claims this saying as its own.
Having grown up in Maine, I can attest that my state is one
of the many to claim it, and this is not altogether unwarranted
for its weather is quite unpredictable. After about a month of
exposure to the elements of Japan, I have come up with a
proverb for Japanese weather patterns. If you dont like the
weather, just wait 2 hours, enjoy an hour of peace, begin to
think the bad weather has passed, and then expect it to get
worse for the rest of the day.
Andrew and I awoke Tuesday morning baking in our tents from
the morning sunlight. The sun was strong enough to quickly dry
off our tents from the light rain the night before and to fool us
into thinking that we might have a nice day for biking. It was no
more than 20 minutes into our ride when we saw what the day
would actually be likewet. Im still not sure if it actually started
raining at that point or if it just got so humid that water droplets
suspended in the air and smacked us in the face as we biked
through them. Nevertheless, we knew that it would actually rain
soon. Andrew opted to put on his rain jacket, but since it was
so warm, I decided to endure the constant poking of raindrops
through my soaked shirt. An hour later, Andrew gave way to the
heat and removed his jacket. Between the hot, humid weather
and the distance to catch up with Dylan, we could tell the day
would be tough, and we accepted it.
As the proverb goes, there were a few very pleasant breaks
in the bad weather. During one particularly nice break, we
rode past a gorgeous stretch of beach. I couldnt resist the
temptation to swim, and Andrew kindly agreed to stop so I
could get my fix from the ocean. Soon after getting back on our
Im still not sure if

it actually started
raining at that point
or if it just got so
humid that water
droplets suspended
in the air and
smacked us in the
face as we biked
through them.
194
bikes, we had a nice steady push from a tailwind. Of course, I

just assumed the sea re-energized me and made it easier to
pedal. The nicer weather and hearing news from Dylan that he
had recovered his wallet led us to believe it wouldnt be such a
bad day after all.
Well, it wasnt a bad day. Andrew and I pulled into Shizuoka
Station a little later than we had hoped, but it was record
mileage for us at 162 km, just shy of our first century! We were
proud that we had made it so far in one day and had enjoyed a
healthy pace of 24 km/hr despite the heat and steady soft rain.
It wasnt a bad day, but it would be a bad night. We found Dylan
sitting on the sidewalk at the station and talking on his cell
with his friend Haruna, whose house we would be staying at
that night. Although he had managed to recover his lost wallet
the night before, the grim, exhausted look on his face told us
that all was not well. Apparently, there was a breakdown in
communication, and Dylan had just learned that Haruna does
not live in Shizuoka City but further into Shizuoka Prefecture
in Fuji City, another 40 km by car beyond Shizuoka Station.
We were faced with the option of biking on or trying to camp
somewhere in the city in the rain. Both Andrew and I felt pretty
good so we were ready to press on, but we were concerned
about Dylan.
Dylans trek to Shizuoka Station was a little bit tougher than
ours. Backtracking to recover his wallet at a cheap ramen
restaurant 50 km behind him added 100 km to his trip on
Monday. After getting only 2 hours of sleep on the front steps
of a bike shop, he biked the rest of his 302 km two-day total to
the station only to find out that he might not be seeing his friend
that night after all. On top of that, his back rack had started to
bend under the weight of his panniers and the teams food box.
We talked it over, had a little caffeine, and decided to press on.
One of the deciding factors for heading to Harunas that night
was that Dylan had learned from another biker that a typhoon
was due to hit from the South the next morning. This explained
the nice tailwind Andrew and I had experienced. The thought of
packing up soaking wet tents only to bike in a typhoon seemed
to make it obvious we should keep going that night.
The typhoon hit us regardless. It poured and poured, leaving
puddles so deep that, at times, they would reach our pedals
and soak our shoes. Visibility was poor, and at one point, we
Century
A cycling term for 100 miles. 100
miles is about 167 km.
The typhoon hit

us regardless. It
poured and poured,
leaving puddles so
deep that, at times,
they would reach
our pedals and
soak our shoes.
The Longest Day

Logging 222 km over 10 hours of
pedalling, Day 27 was longest day
of riding on the entire trip both by
distance and time pedaling.
195
found ourselves biking on a bypass with trucks screaming past,

splashing us with cold stormwater and sometimes honking to
tell us that bicycles were prohibited from the road. Long story
short, 62 km later, we ended up at Harunas house at 3AM,
drenched and shivering. She kindly sent us to the shower and,
after that, placed warm bowls of soup and cups of tea in front of
us. Dylan had biked back-to-back centuries on 2 hours of sleep,
and Andrew and I had biked 224 km in one day. I certainly hope
that is the longest day of the trip.
Were now recovering and waiting out the typhoon at Harunas.
Today, we slept in till 1 pm, washed and dried our wet clothes
at the coin laundry, stuffed ourselves at Yakiniku King, which
is an all-you-can-eat BBQ meat restaurant, and finished up
with a relaxing soak at the town bath house. Harunas friend
Miki also joined us for the dinner and the bath house (men and
women on separate sides, of course). The night ended with
me starting to write this post. Now, the morning of Day 29, its
finally finished. Phew. The typhoon is still drizzling outside, and
the team is enjoying Harunas hospitality.
Rider Conditions
Typhoon Trivia
There are around 30 each year
Okinawa is typically hit with the
most typhoons but any part of
Japan is vulnerable.
Typhoon season is from May
to October with August and
September as the peak
Typhoons are numbered rather
than named in Japan
The most recent typhoon with
large casualties was in 1959. More
than 5,000 people died.
Usually typhoons result in
transportation cancellations with the
biggest dangers being the sudden
rise in sea level and mudslides.
Crash: Dry
Calves: Yakiniku King
Spock: Hello wallet
Daily Riding Data
Grilled Meat King! - Day 28
Distance: 222 km
Average KM/H: 21.7
Shizuoka
Tea is a 1.3 billion dollar industry in Japan and 40% of
it is produced in Shizuoka Prefecture. Eight different
varieties of Japanese tea are all made from the same
tea plant. The differences come from the way the
leaves are harvested and then prepared. Only the
highest quality leaves are ground up into the famous
Japanese green tea powder called matcha. Matcha
has found its way into all sorts of specialty foods in
Japan including ice cream, Kit-Kats, salt, cookies, and
soba noodles. Unfortunately, the Fukushima radiation
leak has lead to some tea contamination even as far
away as Shizuoka (350 km). All teas are carefully
screened for raised levels of cesium and iodine before
they are shipped for consumption.
196
Day 27 Photos
Dylans campsite after recovering his wallet

After biking a century and nearly losing his wallet, Dylan thought the worst was behind him; he was wrong
Mukade (Japanese centipedes) are misunderstood creatures who are actually quite cute
197
Dylan takes a quick break at a small shrine

Andrew photographs beach grass while Scott frolics in the ocean
198
As his hair grows, the holes in Andrews helmet cause him to look increasingly like Sonic the Hedgehog
Arriving at Harunas after cycling for several hours in torrential rain
Dylan considers a career in the undead hand modeling industry
Scott warms up with hot green tea while waiting for the shower
199
Day 28 Photos
Safe and sound at Harunas after biking through the typhoon the night before
Tea fields surrounding Harunas house
Doing laundry with Haruna
200
At Yakiniku King (an all-you-can-eat buffet specializing in meats) with Haruna and her friend Miki
Each line of the receipt is a different item we ordered
201
Creatures from the deep
202
Creatures from
the deep
AIN ISNT SO MUCH OF A PROBLEM when you can

plan on it. Yesterday we knew it would rain all day today,
so we made plans to do the best thing possible on a
rainy day.
We slept late into the morning again and left for the Mito
Sea Paradise around noon. Andrew stayed behind to relax
and catch up on some blogging while Dylan, Haruna, and I
jumped into Harunas friend Mayos large station wagon to
drive the 1.5-hr car ride to the aquarium. In defiance of Dylans
objection, Mayo and Haruna paid for our admission, and we all
shuffled excitedly down the hallway to experience the secrets
of Japans oceans.
The aquarium had the basic colorful treasures that never fail to
amaze the eyes of land-lubbers: sea anemones, starfish, coral,
sharks, turtles, jellyfish, clown fish, etc. Right as we entered,
however, there were a few pleasant surprises including a
couple of old sea turtles and two huge manatees that were
swimming laps or doing backstrokes in their tank to entertain
us. The craziest thing we saw was the fish with crab-like legs
that it used to troll the bottom of its tank. A quick Google image
search tells me that it was probably a gurnard fish, but I cant
be sure since there was no label posted on the tank.
The highlight for most visitors to the aquarium is the
performance at the main tank put on by a seal, two penguins,
a sea lion, and three dolphins. The penguins were pretty
unimpressive as they only waddled across the stage wearing
bow ties, but the other performers put my best talents to
shame. The dolphins jumped about 20 feet in the air, and the
seal even wrote some kanji.
The penguins were

pretty unimpressive
as they only
waddled across the
stage wearing bow
ties, but the other
performers put
my best talents to
shame.
Scott Commands Dolphins - Day 29
203
As impressive as this show was, the highlight of the day for

me was seeing the series of outdoor tanks and pens that
housed many different kinds of dolphins and seals. Most of
the pens were actually just roped-off sections of a beach so
the sea mammals always have fresh ocean water. I wandered
over to this area at the end of the day as the rest of the
group went to check out some penguins. It must have been
the blue jacket I was wearing that fooled the dolphins into
thinking I was one of their similarly dressed trainers, but they
all seemed to be paying a lot of attention to me. As I peered
over the edge of the railing, they each took turns popping
up from the water to stare and speak some dolphin at me. I
waved, said Konichiwa! and tried out a few commands I had
seen the trainers do during the performance. To my surprise,
the dolphins actually responded! One dolphin even jumped
three times for me before realizing that I didnt actually have
any fish for him. I then tried to use my new dolphin-whispering
talents to communicate an apology subconsciously. He
muttered something about never doing a trick again, but it was
a Japanese dolphin so I couldnt quite understand.
Tonight, we had our first home-cooked okonomiyaki, made
by Harunas mother, and it was amazing! Dylan also whipped
up a delicious lemon custard for dessert. Were now about
to discuss plans for our departure tomorrow. It will be nice to
get back on the road but difficult to leave this relaxing and
welcoming home.
I then tried to use

my new dolphinwhispering talents
to communicate
an apology
subconsciously.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Virtually connected
Calves: Dolphin master
Spock: Lightly salted
Tkaid Road
During the 17th to 19th century the Tkaid road ran
through the Fuji area connecting Kyoto to Edo (now
Tokyo). Meaning East Sea Road, it was the most
important highway in Japan as it allowed people and
goods to travel between to the two metropolis.
In present day, this corridor is still the most heavily
traveled area in Japan. Opening in 1964, the Tkaid
Shinkansen (bullet train) connected the Kansai
and Kanto regions like never before by allowing
passengers to travel from Shin-Osaka station to
Tokyo station in less than two and half hours.
204
Day 29 Photos
Scott and Dylan At the aquarium with Haruna and Mayo
205
Andrew relaxes with coffee, the trip blog, and his seal-drawn kanji poster
At home with the Kasai family
Haruna stayed up all night making us team shirts
206
Phase 4: N. Honshu
Home is Where You

Lean Your Bike
208
Home is Where You

Lean Your Bike
HEN YOU START EVERY DAY by packing your

life onto a bike and then get on the bike and ride
100 km away, its hard to develop a sense of home.
Sometimes, when we find especially good campsites, there
is an urge to linger but more for convenience than anything.
Truly feeling at home is something I think weve all had to put
aside for the duration of this trip. That being said, even though
we were only there for some 60-odd hours, leaving the Kasai
household and my old friend Haruna today felt a little like
leaving home all over again. Maybe it was because we got
much-needed shelter from the typhoon there; maybe it was the
familiarity of a friend from the good old days. Probably, a lot of
it was the sizable, bustling family of five siblings, mother, father,
and brand new grandson all packed into a cozy, well-lived in
house. But whatever it was, I know Ill be looking back fondly on
this midpoint oasis of home-away-from-home as we continue
down the road.
Continuing is exactly what we did today, although not too far.
We slept-in a bit again, a luxury that just doesnt work as well
when camping in a city park. Eventually, I rolled out of bed and
set about making a tower of French toast for breakfast. Halfway
through, Haruna came down and beckoned me outside, saying
that the clouds had cleared and you could see Mt. Fuji. I came
around the corner, expecting a little hump on the horizon, and
was blown away by the view. The typhoon had kept the mist
quite thick, so I had not realized, until that moment, how truly
close we were to the imposing mountain. It was all I could do to
tear myself away and go flip my French toast. Honestly, I dont
know how people near Mt. Fuji work on clear days and not just
gaze at it for hours.
...even though we
were only there for
some 60-odd hours,
leaving the Kasai
household and my
old friend Haruna
today felt a little like
leaving home all
over again.
Mt. Fuji from the Tea Fields - Day 30
209
Scott and Andrew were lured out of bed by the promise of Mt.
Fuji and French toast, and we spent the morning and early
afternoon taking pictures, eating, and packing. Finally, around 4
pm, we were ready to set off. We took a few more group shots
with Fuji, gratefully accepted the sandwiches Haruna had made
us for lunch/dinner, and got on the road, looking stylish in our
brand-new team shirts, graceful kanji calligraphy also courtesy
of Haruna. The two-day rest was definitely noticeable and
welcome, and our afternoon ride went by smoothly and quickly.
Now, we are camped, almost 30 km down the road, beside
the Fuji River. We are currently facing the mouth of the South
Japanese Alps, planning to follow the river valley up into the
mountains. Were not sure what kind of hills and challenges
await us tomorrow and beyond, but sitting here, listening to
the running water and croaking bullfrogs, with homemade
sandwiches in my belly and a fading, happy sense of home, I
feel sure we can somehow handle them.
Scott and Andrew

were lured out
of bed by the
promise of Mt. Fuji
and French toast,
and we spent the
morning and early
afternoon taking
pictures, eating,
and packing.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Excited for the Alps
Calves: Early to bed
Spock: Warm
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 28.6 km
Pedal Time: 1 hr 35 min
Average KM/H: 18
Mt. Fuji
At 3776 meter, Mt. Fuji is the tallest mountain in
Japan. With the most recent eruption occuring in
1707, it is still an active volcano. Interestingly, Mt.
Fuji held the title of most hiked mountain in the
world until a road to the summit was built which cut
down the number of hikers and gave the title to Mt.
Monadnock in New Hampshire, USA.
Mt. Monadnock
965 m
Mt. Fuji
3776 m
Mt. Everest
8848 m
210
Day 30 Photos
Harunas younger brother tries to lift Dylan

The wonderful Kasai Haruna herself
211
Group photos with Mt. Fuji in the background and our new team shirts made by Haruna
212
Cycling to the start of the Southern Japanese Alps near Mt. Fuji
Welcome to Yamanashi Prefecture!
213
Two DaysThrough the Alps
214
Two Days
Through the Alps
WASNT SURE WHAT TO EXPECT. I had images of the

Japanese Alps being impossibly steep vertical inclines and
frosty peaks. Whatever the case, after rising early yesterday
near Mt. Fuji, the team set out aggressively toward the
Southern Alps to meet our fate. After 40 km or so, I decided to
check in on a connection in Matsumoto, Nagano. His name is
Takefumi Sato, and he has also ridden the length of Japan. In
fact, before the trip, I often consulted with him for insight when
preparing. Since learning of my intent to cycle from end to end
of his home country, he generously offered the team a place to
stay when we passed through his city. Our dilemma was that
Matsumoto was 115 km and several mountain ranges away.
Surely we would be in for a rugged day of hard pedaling if we
were to make it all the way to Takefumi-sans. Gluttons for
punishment (and warm beds) as we are, the team decided to
dig in and shoot for his place.
The day was rather uneventful on the surface. We pedaled for
a long time, and finally arrived around 10 pm at Takefumi-sans.
However, this recount overlooks the splendid views of the
Southern Alps we had the privilege of staring at all day. Also,
it omits the difficulty of our trek. Except for the final 30 km into
Matsumoto City, we cycled nearly all 154 km uphill yesterday.
Needless to say, we were tired. Also, somewhere between the
constant incline and beautiful views, the teams total mileage
for the whole trip edged over 2000 km! Once we showered at
Takefumi-sans apartment, we revived a bit to hang out with our
friendly host. As he cycles around Nagano frequently, he gave
us lots of invaluable insight into the route that lay ahead of us
and also, to our surprise and joy, promised to ride the 65 km to
Nagano City with us the next day!
Sleeping soundly, we awoke this morning when Takefumi-sans
friend from Tokyo, Shimizu Takuya, arrived by car. Turned
Except for the

final 30 km into
Matsumoto City,
we cycled nearly
all 154 km uphill
yesterday.
Mountains vs City
It took the team less time to travel

280 km across the Japanese Alps
(including touring in Hakuba) than it
did to ride 236 km on flat land from
Okayama to Kyoto on Days 18-21.
This stat confirms that riding in the
city is slower.
215
out he would be riding with us as well. Awesome! After some

discussion between the two, the plans were changed to get a
more direct and downhill route to our goal for the day, the Sea
of Japan. This also meant we would ride to the 1998 Winter
Olympic site in Hakuba Nagano.
We rode quickly, but Im not sure how we stayed on the road
since most of our time was spent admiring the snow-capped
Northern Alps. Every bend brought a more stunning view, and
it was nice to have experienced guides to show us less a few
traveled roads.
In Hakuba, we went to Takefumi-sans favorite restaurant called
Grindel where I ordered a jumbo rice omelet that Dylan had
to help me finish. After lunch, we rode the chairlift and toured
the large hill of the Olympic ski jump. It was impressive to look
down, but Im glad Im not afraid of heights. Finally, before
parting ways the five of us enjoyed soaking in a free public foot
bath. It was hard to say goodbye to our new friends, but dusk
was quickly approaching and we still had 50 km between us
and the Sea of Japan.
This 50 km was cake and made up for all the pain of the day
before (almost). Completely downhill, we cruised toward the
huge setting sun, arriving at the Sea of Japan just as it dipped
into the horizon. Mission accomplished. I am happy to be done
with the Alps. Although they were really physically challenging,
they also only took two full days of cycling.
Now, I write this outside of a supermarket as Dylan and Scott
pick out dinner which Dylan will cook for the team. After eating,
well find our campsite sleep. Todays total mileage was around
130 km, making our two-day Alps total nearly 290 km. Hopefully
there are flatlands ahead.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Focused
Calves: Positively Maybe
Spock: Sea of Japan!!!
Day 31 Riding Data

Distance: 152.5 km
Average KM/H: 19
Top 3 Best Views

Day 6 - Nagasaki Omura Bay
coastline
Day 30 - Mt. Fuji from the Kasais
house after the typhoon passed
Day 32 - Northern Alps from
Hakuba, Nagano
Nagano Olympic Ski Jump - Day 32
Japanese Alps
The Japanese Alps were named
after the European Alps of which
they are reminiscent. Most of the
mountain ranges are contained
within the Chubu Sangaku
National Park. With peaks up to
3,000 meters, its not surprising
that some of the best ski resorts in
Japan are found in the Japanese
Alps. A unique route has been
carved through the snowy peaks
between Toyama and Nagano
prefectures that can be walked
or enjoyed by trolleybuses or a
ropeway. During winter the snow
banks on either side of the route
can reach up to 20 meters high.
Day 32 Riding Data

Distance: 126 km
Pedal Time: 5hrs 39min
Average KM/H: 22.24
216
Day 31 Photos
Camping in the foothills of Fuji-san

Befriending the local wildlife
Dylan sports his new team shirt expertly drawn by Haruna
Tan lines that would make any farmer proud
217
Heading into the alps

Hello Nagano!
The team passes the 2000 km mark on the trip odometer
218
Day 32 Photos
Breakfast at Takefumi-sans
Cycling with Takefun-san and Shimizu-san from Matsumoto to 1998 Winter Olympic site in Hakuba Nagano
A manhole cover from Hakuba where the 1998 Winter Olympics were held
219
The beautiful Northern Alps

Calorie loading at the delicious Grindel restaurant
220
Exploring the 1998 Olympic Ski Jump
221
Few things are as luxurious as a warm foot bath after biking for hours.
Welcome to Nigata Prefecture!
Decending the Northern Alps toward the Sea of Japan
222
Relaxing with a beautiful sunset at the Sea of Japan after completing both the South and North Alps in two days
223
Everything Happens
for a Reason
224
Everything Happens
for a Reason
ITTING OUTSIDE A 7-11 near Kashiwazaki this

evening, trying not to throw up, I reflected on the day,
wondering if things could have gone any worse. All
kinds of things had gone wrong, but we still had to find a place
to camp, make dinner, and sleep. The sun was setting, we
were all a bit tired, and we had only managed 75 km in the
last 10 hours. I thought back to the start of the day and how
promising everything had looked.
We left our comfortable park campsite by 9am, and it was
already plenty hot from the morning sun. As we rolled along
the coast, a tailwind picked up, gently pushing us along.
After finding a relaxing, separated bike path that followed the
highway, we gazed out at the beautiful ocean view, all thinking
that today would be a wonderful day. That feeling lasted exactly
until the first flat.
Coming out of one of the converted railroad tunnels along the
cycle path, I heard a loud hiss, followed by a rumbling in my
rear wheel and a sinking feeling in my gut. Upon inspection, I
found a large metal staple driven through the tire and both walls
of my tube. Unfortunate as it was, I tried to stay in good spirits.
I still had a spare tube, and the tools to change it. And indeed,
it was quickly fixed, and we were back on the road, still making
great time despite the delay. No, what really got me down was
the second flat.
Coming into Joetsu around noon, I spotted an electronics store
off the road about a kilometre away. I had been on the lookout
for one because I wanted to buy the things necessary for
listening to music on my Canadian cell phone, since my iPod
had been unfortunately murdered by biking in the typhoon. The
store was a bit far, but we decided that it wouldnt take very
long. We were wrong.
Coming out of one

of the converted
railroad tunnels
along the cycle
path, I heard a loud
hiss, followed by a
rumbling in my rear
wheel and a sinking
feeling in my gut.
Deflating
This is the only day on the trip the

team suffered two flat tires.
225
We left Joetsu four hours later, discouraged. First, I had gotten

another flat on the way to the electronics store and had to
remove my rear wheel and carry it to the nearest bike store.
Next, I found out my Japanese cell phone was no longer
working when I went to call the guys. Finally, when I took out
my Canadian cell phone to look up the word warranty, I
discovered that the touchscreen had cracked, and I could only
use the keyboard, sometimes. I ran around town for an hour or
so trying to get either of my phones fixed, to no avail. Finally,
discouraged, I met up with the guys, and we set off in the
afternoon sun.
Perhaps in response to my mood, clouds rolled over the sun,
darkening the day. A brisk headwind picked up, slowing us
down. As we entered the hills before Kashiwazaki, my stomach
started to churn for no apparent reason. Before long, I was
taking deep breaths and drinks of water, trying desperately
not to vomit while on my bike. The next 10 km were a haze
of nausea and pain. Finally, we made it to the 7-11, tired and
fading as fast as the sun was.
It was there that our luck finally turned around. After I let
my stomach settle, we decided we would camp near the
convenience store, rather than push on into the night. We took
a ride around the neighbourhood, past a startling barking dog
and owner, looking for a place to camp. Finding nothing, we
decided to go ask the dog owner if he knew any good spots
around here. This was the right choice as the owner, Watanabe
Seiya, and his wife Yoshiko-san, completely changed the
course of our night for the better.
It turns out the best spot around here is the Watanabes front
yard. The two of them fed us a delicious dinner, let us use their
shower, and altogether made up for the disappointment and
tribulations of earlier. They even have a cool dog blog about
their beloved Afghan hound. We are now settled down in their
yard, ready to turn in. I cant help but look back on the day now
and appreciate that such a truly fortunate show of hospitality
was made possible only by our mishaps and delays. If I could
go back and write a script for the day, I dont think Id write it
this way, but I really dont mind how it turned out.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Greatful
Calves: Pleasantly Plump
Spock: Sleepy
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 85 km
Average KM/H: 18.9
Keitai
Excluding the smart phone market,
Japan is a world leader in cell phone
technology. In 2005 when USA
was freaking out about phones that
recorded video, Japanese keitai (cell
phones) already had apps to write
music and act as a tv remote. Here
are a few common features of keitai:
Display live broadcast television
GPS/navigation system
Electronic wallet, ID, & credit card
Electronic dictionary and translator
Train pass
House key
Not only are Japanese phones more
advanced than in any other country,
but they are more highly adorned
as well. Keitai straps and other
accessories are a huge market. In
fact, companies such as Chanel and
Gucci have designed straps that sell
for up to $300 each.
Finally, when I took

out my Canadian
cell phone to
look up the word
warranty, I
discovered that the
touchscreen had
cracked...
226
Day 33 Photos
The coast of Niigata

Hypnotizing pedestrian tunnels
Dylan gets another flat -_-
227
Dinner with the Watanabes and their lovable Afghan hound

Dylan makes a new friend
The happiest spoon youll ever find
Camping on the Watanabes soft lawn
228
The key to Progress
229
The key to Progress

THIS IS NOT LIKE US. Its only 4pm, yet weve already made
our mileage for the day, and it appears Ill also be able to post
this before dark. Its somewhat odd, a little unnerving, but also
a great luxury to have made excellent progress today. Often we
roll into our target town after dark, hungry, tired, and desperate
to find a campsite. What was different about today?
Inertia.
Since we started the Alps, everyday weve been making big
strides toward our end-goal of Cape Soya, Hokkaido. This
has established a nice pattern of progress that it would now
be difficult to deviate from without intention. In the morning
we break camp quicker and while riding we stop less often at
convenience stores. Stopping almost always makes it more
difficult to start back up again. So rolling passed the tempting
7-11s has helped us keep up with our large daily kilometer
quotas. With the trip coming into the home stretch, we have set
our sights on making it to the northernmost point in Japan on
or before time. Simply, we have about 1000 km remaining and
11 days in which to do it. There are a few fall-back days before
Dylan and Scott need to return to North America just in case,
but wed rather not rely on those.
Its somewhat odd,

a little unnerving,
but also a great
luxury to have
made excellent
progress today.
Today carried on with the built up inertia. We awoke to find that

it had rained during the night and that Dylan and I had failed to
prepare the tent properly for such precipitation. The result was
that my sleeping bag needed some sun-drying while I packed
other gear. Mrs.Watanabe secured her spot in the generoushost-Hall-of-Fame by offering us coffee before leaving for
work around 8am. With my sleeping bag more or less dry, we
departed.
230
Kilometers of endless rice field vistas passed quickly despite

gusty conditions. After only one restroom break in the morning,
the team pulled into a supermarket for a snack and to gameplan the rest of the day. Already having made 50 km before 1
pm, we discovered that we were only 30 km from Niigata where
we will be couchsurfing tonight. Snacks finished, we made it
easily to Niigata by 2:30pm.
Scott and Dylan stopped by a top-notch cycle shop for repairs
to Dylans crippled back rack and to true Scotts front wheel.
The owner informed us that we were not the first team of
end-to-end bikers who had stopped by Attack Niigata Cycle
Shop. Apparently, it was visited by the father/son duo Sho and
Charles Scott when they cycled Japan in 2009. Before 4pm, we
were finished at Attack Niigata and now we sit in a nearby park
eagerly anticipating a pasta dish that Dylan is cooking over the
gas burner.
Free time is a strange beast. We are currently programmed to
be either pedaling, eating, packing, or sleeping. Right now, Im
wondering what to do after I post this and eat. We meet our
host at 8pm and have about 3 hrs to kill. In any case, it will be
nice to not set up camp in the dark and also to sleep inside our
hosts house. Hopefully, tomorrow we can keep up our mileage
momentum and make it all the way to Tsuruoka, 150 km from
Niigata where we have another couchsurfer host arranged.
The last cycle shop

Attack Niigata Cycle Shop ended
up being the last cycle repair shop
the team needed to visit on the trip.
Although several more instances
came up where maintence was
necessary, Dylan was always able
to handle it.
Days End in Niigata - Day 34
Rider Conditions
Crash: Hungry
Calves: Cat Nap
Spock: Cooking
Day 34 Riding Data

Distance: 87.5 km
Average KM/H: 22
Niigata
Many people around the world spend time admiring
the Japanese ornamental carp called koi. These fish
originated in ancient China but were first bred for
their beauty in the 1820s and 30s by the Niigata
Prefecture farmers. The national popularity of koi took
off in 1914 when Emperor Hirohito used them in the
moat around his Imperial Palace. Niigata is also well
known for the best sake or rice wine in Japan even
though it only produces 8% of all Japanese sake.
Koi fish
231
Day 34 Photos
Rice fields of rural Japan

Attack Niigata cycle shop
Making dinner on the grounds of a small local shrine
232
This restaurant is famous for serving boiling noodles in heated stone bowls
Our cushy sleeping arrangements at our couchsurfing hosts apartment
233
The crazy cycle
234
The crazy cycle

here is a trick to cycling 140 plus kilometers in one

day. After over a month of painfully forging my body into
long-distance condition, I can tell you that fitness has
little to do with it. I would wager my top three gears that my
current thighs could easily push me past 300 km in one stretch
if I could stay awake for such a prolonged effort. No, the trick
isnt being in shape. Nor is the issue to keep the bike running
properly. Although important, with a decent base knowledge of
most common cycle maintenance, a repair-free day is easily
managed. The trick is simply to stay sane.
On average, I am conscious for 16 hours per day. Recently,
over half this time has been spent sitting quietly on my seat
listening to myself think. In some ways its nice to have time to
mull over the conundrums of life. However, after 3 or 4 hours
this internal conversation has a way of bending itself away from
stability. I endlessly check my on-board mileage computer,
question mental calculations about projected arrival times, and
over-process any slight muscle tightening. My calves are sore,
should I stop and stretch? Ill wait until the next convenience
store since theres ice cream there. But am I hungry? Hmm,
I guess I could eat, but I should just forget about it and keep
pedaling. Did that bump just slow me down? If I hit one
bump every minute for the next 40 km, how much time will I
lose? Should I text tonights host to let him know well be late?
He said hed take us out to dinner though Am I hungry?
As you may recall, yesterdays journal entry left off at a
playground near a shrine in Niigata with the team waiting to
meet up with our couchsurfing host. After eating, we kicked a
Close to the quake

Today the team rode the closest
to the earthquake, tsunami, and
radiation effected areas of Northeast
Japan that we would come all trip.
Well outside the danger zone on
the West coast, there were hardly
any signs of the disaster to be seen.
Surely the people living in the towns
we passed had been impacted, but
to passersby like us, life appeared to
be going on relatively normally.
Stunning Coast of NW Honshu, Japan - Day 35
235
soccer ball around with an elementary school-aged boy and girl

until they had to go home; then, we played cards and generally
lounged until our meet-up time arrived. Our host was a friendly
woman named Ryoko who not only spoke perfect English but is
also fluent in Thai. The highlight of the evening was when she
drove us to a ramen noodle restaurant where the noodles come
boiling (literally) in a stone bowl right in front of you!
In the morning, she was trusting enough to leave us her spare
key so we could pack up after she left for work. Getting on the
road around 10:15 am, we rode with focus. With about 155 km
between us and our days target town of Tsuruoka, Yamagata,
there wasnt much time for loitering. Riding conditions were as
perfect as we could ever hope for with temperatures between
65 and 70 Fahrenheit, low humidity, and jaw dropping coastal
scenes all day. I often forgot I was pedaling as I stared at the
uncommon, gorgeous rock formations accented by quaint
Japanese fishing villages. It was very pleasant. The final
40 km turned inland with moderate hills but was nothing we
couldnt handle.
Now, we rest comfortably with an English teacher named
Dan in his excessively spacious house in a rural town near
Tsuruoka. After arriving here, we indulged in ramen again
tonight and followed it up with a dip in the hot springs to relax
our constantly tense muscles. Tomorrow, we have yet another
couchsurfer host lined up in Akita City, which is only 120 km
away. I look forward to tomorrow.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Mellow
Calves: Guitar Content
Spock: Burnt
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 150 km
Average KM/H: 22
I often forgot I was

pedaling as I stared
at the uncommon,
gorgeous rock
formations
accented by quaint
Japanese fishing
villages.
Yamagata
The climate in Yamagata

Prefecture is characterized by
long humid summers and long
cold winters. Despite the snowy
winters, Yamagata is one of
Japans biggest fruit producers.
It dominates the cherry market,
supplying 70% of the cherries
grown in Japan. Many visitors
come during June and July to
pick their own cherries at one of
the many farms in the prefecture.
Another reason to visit Yamagata
is the flower hat festival. Held
each year in the beginning of
August, hundreds of thousands
of participants from around the
world don a flower filled hat and
dance their way down the 1.2 km
parade stretch.
236
Day 35 Photos
Cycling along the stunning coastline of northwest Japan

Many shrines and temples have statues, but this one was particularly large
237
Dylan fixes another flat

A street sign warning of high surf also reminds us that only a few months ago a tsunami devastasted
the coast of northeast Japan less than 200 km from where we were cycling today
238
239
240
Know Your Role
241
Know Your Role

HERE IS SOME PSYCHOLOGY behind cycling in a

group of three. The leader has some pressure to set an
agreeable pace and find the route while also fighting the
wind. However, he has the benefit of a clear view of the open
road. The number two rider reacts to the leader and can rest
easy if he falls back because he is still not last. Number three
must ride back from the pack for a clear view of the road while
also staying close enough to keep connected. The benefit of
the back (which I tend to exploit) is that the rider can fall back
either to take a picture of a stunning coastal scene or go at a
slower pace without holding others up.
For the second half of today the team did not cycle as usual.
Typically Dylan leads, Scott rides behind him, and I am in the
third position. Sometimes, Scott will move up, giving Dylan a
rest from the headwind. I usually remain in the rear. I tell myself
that Im touring not training, but the reality is that I am a few
kilometers per hour slower.
In college, I was an endurance sprinter specializing in the 400m
dash. Learning to sustain a 100% output of effort for just under
49 seconds was my obsession. Fighting the burn of lactic acid,
I would relax through the pain knowing I could recover after
stopping past the finish line. Unfortunately, this approach is not
transferable to ultra-long-distance cycle touring. My muscles
need to learn to recycle while working, not after.
I like hard work, setting my own pace, and dislike holding back
my best effort. Maybe I was tired of falling half an hour behind
the pack, maybe I needed to feel the burn in my quads from
pushing my pedals hard, or maybe I just saw open road and
finally put the pieces together. But somewhere around kilometer
60, I started to book it at a solid 32 km/hr. My fast twitch
The benefit of
the back is that
the rider can fall
back either to
take a picture of a
stunning coastal
scene or go at a
slower pace without
holding others up.
242
muscles finally started to refresh while pedaling, enabling me to

maintain high output without lockingup.
This quickly brought about todays previously mentioned
peculiarity. I led for over 20 km. Although mundane for Dylan
and Scott, leading was slightly unnerving and a large personal
achievement for me. Truth be told, Im not really a cyclist nor
am I very confident on a bicycle. The fact that Im currently
attempting to bike the length of Japan still baffles me. The best
parts of the trip for me are camping, seeing new areas, being
with the guys, and sharing my experiences on the web. Cycling
is just a means to this end.
Once in Akita City, Dylan was somehow able to overcome
my formidable sense of misdirection and lead us to our
couchsurfing host for the evening. So far, all our couchsurfing
hosts have been amazing. Takaaki Yatsuyanagi was no
exception. He is a well-respected textile artist whose work is
displayed in exhibitions worldwide. When we first entered his
neat apartment, we noticed two things. The first was his 5000+
DVD collection that lines every wall of his living room. The
second was the lavish spread of carefully prepared food laid
for us. The evening faded into night as we pleasantly chatted
over pepperoni slices, green olives, stew, and other assorted
delights. Having showered and done laundry, its about time to
hit the sack.
I write from his front balcony looking over Akita City. Hopefully
on tomorrows ride I can maintain the confidence I found today.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Comfortable
Calves: Chillaxed
Spock: Asleep under the coffee table
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 142.5 km
Average KM/H: 24.26
Once in Akita
City, Dylan was
somehow able
to overcome my
formidable sense
of misdirection
and lead us to our
couchsurfing host
for the evening.
Feasting in Akita - Day 36
Akita City
Akita City is best known for the
Kanto Matsuri (pole lantern festival)
held in the beginning of August each
year. Performers take turns hoisting
long bamboo poles covered in paper
lanterns lit with real candles. The
poles can be up to 12 meters long
with as many as 46 lanterns each.
The most common techniques for
balancing the poles are one-handed,
on the hip, shoulder, or forehead.
Each night, there are parades with
over 250 poles being balanced
along the street.
243
Day 36 Photos
Another day, another prefecture

Local festivities in Akita City
244
The man himself, Takaaki Yatsuyanagi, with the amazing spread he prepared for us
Takaaki Yatsuyanagis 5000+ DVD collection
Dylan sleeping under the table at Takaaki Yatsuyanagis house
245
Out of Akita
246
Out of Akita
E ARE DEFINITELY BIKING NORTH. Evidence of

Hokkaidos rapid approach is easily found in the
slightly colder weather, the changes in vegetation,
and a rockier coastline. It sort of feels like Im biking home to
New England.
In a way, it really does feel as if I am biking home with just over
a week until the trip is over. Naturally I have mixed feelings
about this. It will be wonderful to see my friends and family
again after being gone for two months (Happy 1st Birthday,
Fiona Harrell!). But Im really going to miss Japan and the
people Ive met here.
Close to home
The northernmost part of Akita
prefecture is only one degree below
the southernmost point of New
England, so it makes sense that it
feels like home for Scott.
As Andrew mentioned yesterday, last night we stayed with an

accomplished Japanese artist who turned out to be an amazing
host. Takaaki Yatsuyanagi made us breakfast this morning and
then invited us to stop by his art studio, which was on our way
out of Akita.
Our visit to Takaaki-sans studio, the Studio of the Japanese
Rhinoceros Beetle, was the highlight of the day. Much like his
apartment, in the studio, everything was neat and orderly but
also visually appealing. He had made most of the furniture in
the studio and told us that he often builds similar pieces for his
clients. Indigo-dyed tapestries and place mats on the tables
helped display the beauty of his stained wood furniture as did the
warm light that fell from his handmade light shades. The corners
and shelves in the room were filled with small creations of paper
or clay, many of which were beetle themed. We had a cup of tea
Calorie Load! - Day 37
247
and some jelly sweets, took a few pictures with beetle hats, said
our goodbyes, and got back on the road with fond memories of
our unique Japanese experience with Takaaki-san.
Right now were sitting at a few picnic tables overlooking a
gorgeous rocky coastline about 86 km from Akita City. Dylan is
cooking chili while Andrew and I update the trip journal, after
which well try to get back on the bikes for another 20 km and
find a campsite a little more sheltered from the wind and mist.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Chili!
Calves: Art Garfunkled
Spock: Cooking ineffectively
President of Pioneer
One other story that Takaaki-san
related to the team was the time
the president of the electronics
company Pioneer company
came to his apartment. Aparently,
Takaaki-san was the first person in
Japan to buy a laser disc player.
When he put his first disc in, the
player shot it back out and across
the room. Soonafter, the president
of Pioneer came to his dwelling in
person to apologize and replace the
faulty unit.
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 86 km
Average KM/H: 24
Akita
Akita Prefecture marks the teams 20th prefecture (22nd
for Dylan). Anyone with a passion for samurai would enjoy
a visit to Kakunodate,
Akita, a former castle town
and one of the best places
to visit preserved samurai
homes. Out of the original
80 homes, six are now
open to the public for
viewing. The most popular
time to visit Kakunodate is
in late April or early May,
as it is also known as
the best cherry blossom
viewing town in the whole
Tohoku region.
248
Day 37 Photos
The 40th parallel

Andrew relives his former track & field days with a practice start on the 40th parallel
Takaaki Yatsuyanagis art studio
249
Touring Yatsuyanagi-sans studio

Tea with Yatsuyanagi-san
Takaaki Yatsuyanagi = awesome dude
Yatsuyanagi-san made these beetle hats himself!
250
Little did we know this would be our campsite for the evening
The beans are finally hydrated and ready to evolve into chili
Scott writes the daily trip blog post while Dylan looks super creepy
251
BUTTERFLIES FOR
JAPANS FINAL BOSS
252
BUTTERFLIES FOR
JAPANS FINAL BOSS
N MANY WAYS, biking Japan has been like playing a

video game. Our pre-trip Yakushima excursion was the
tutorial level that explained the basic controls and gave us
a glimpse of what the real ride would be like. Kyushu was
the introductory level of the main game where we got used to
riding, camping, and generally learning the ropes. Then came
the real levels in Honshu. From the sprawling metropolis
of Kansai to the heart of the Alps to the rural northern
countryside, we pedaled through all sorts of environments
in a wide variety of conditions. Progressively weve become
more capable riders and have successfully risen to overcome
challenges. Having now finished Honshu Island completely, it
is time to face the last stage of this adventure.
In video game vernacular, Hokkaido is the final boss level. I

am both excited and nervous for this final island. If Japan by
Bicycle holds to the pattern of most games, this final segment
will be an intense cumulative test of all the skills and fitness
weve acquired thus far. However, not all games are designed
the same. For example, Mario Galaxy 2 had several tough
bosses along the way to a lack-luster skirmish with Bowser (if
I do say so myself). Although I am up for a hard-fought push to
Cape Soya, I would much prefer these last 630 km to be a flat,
smooth, victory lap. Regardless, come Godzilla or high water,
the three of us are solidly determined to finish our epic journey.
First, however, our ferry must dock at Hokkaido.
24 hours earlier...
Last night, in the most literal way, Dylan made chili in the
bathroom. With less wind, it was the ideal location on the
gusty look-out shelter jutting into the sea. After we all gratefully
consumed his perfectly seasoned creation, the team opted to
sleep there at the rest stop viewpoint.
Honshu Riding Stats

Distance: 2236 km
Average KM/H: 20
Last night, in the

most literal way,
Dylan made chili in
the bathroom.
253
Six oclock this morning was our target departure time. In

keeping with our usual fashion, we departed promptly at six
fifteen. It was still raining, chilly, and generally uncomfortable
weather. Nonetheless, 140 km away was a ferry we needed
to catch. On and off throughout the day, the rain subsided
and returned in varying degrees of heaviness as we pedaled
through progressively more picturesque rural fishing villages of
Aomori Prefecture. After I was warmed up from cycling, today
turned into a good ride.
Waiting for Hokkaido - Day 38
Continuing with the gamer lingo, by arriving at the Aomori Ferry

Terminal and completing todays route, our team has earned
the achievement Cycled all of Honshu. Approximately 2200
km of effort went into traversing this beast. Along the way,
weve hurdled huge obstacles and made wonderful memories.
Were glad weve made the journey, and we are also glad
it is behind us so we can now adjust our focus to the trips
overarching finish line.
Due to our early start, we pulled into the ferry terminal with
enough time to have a small toast to the slain mammoth
Honshu and even to make an earlier ferry than anticipated.
With plenty of cushy chairs, easily located power outlets,
and a Cup Noodle vending machine, its one of the nicer
ferries weve ridden. Upon disembarking, we will be on our
last island and prefecture with game faces equipped. I know
were ready to pwn.
Rider Conditions
Inter-island ferries
The ferries that bring passengers
long distances between the major
island of Japan are like minicruiseliners. Usually they have
dining facilities, cafes, gift shops,
video game arcades, play areas for
kids, comfortable chairs, and even
big rooms for napping.
Crash: Excited
Calves: Sleepy
Spock: Unconscious Japanese mumbles
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 144 km
Average KM/H: 22.3
Aomori
Each fall, the Japanese people head outdoors for
the fall color leaf viewing called koyo. One of the
most beautiful places to see koyo in Japan is around
Lake Towada in Towada-Hachimantai National Park
located between Akita and Aomori Prefectures.
Aomori Prefecture is the northernmost prefecture of
Honshu and Lake Towada is the largest caldera lake
on Honshu.
254
Day 38 Photos
Dylan makes bathroom chili
255
Exploring a rock outcropping along the Aomori coastline

Scott makes a friend
256
Oh Canada
Waiting for the ferry to Hokkaido
Cup Noodle vending machine on the ferry
The ferry was much more comfortable than we expected
After much anticipation, we finally arrive at the final island of the trip
257
Phase 5: Hokkaido
CONVENIENCE AND
COMFORT
259
CONVENIENCE AND
COMFORT
HEN THE HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR DAY revolve

around familiar supermarkets and unexplored
convenience stores, its a clear sign youve been
away from home too long. Being on the road for six weeks has
really illustrated how many comforts you can pare away from
daily life and still get by, as well as which comforts are essential
to happiness. For example, Andrew wouldnt be happy without
an internet connection, Scott is deeply invested in the sanctity
of his tent, and I get pretty morose if I go for too long without
granola. Luckily, thanks to a good find today, I wont have to
worry about that for a little while.
Today was an uneventful and somewhat unproductive day.
After oversleeping a bit, we took our time getting on the
road, with a lazy miso soup and oatmeal breakfast and some
planning and accounting time on the netbook. After an hour
or so of biking, we hit our first highlight, a Trial Supercenter.
Trials are a bit like Wal-Mart, but with a more developed food
side and delicious 50 cent tubes of crackers. Up until Nagoya,
we had been seeing them frequently, and usually stopping, but
after that, they completely disappeared. We thought we may
have seen the last of them for the trip. Turns out we just had to
wait. We all stocked up on food, maybe a bit too much, and I,
of course, replenished my granola supply. Our panniers bulging
with snacks, we rolled away happy.
Konbini
A Japanese convenience store. Unlike
those in North America, these shops
actually are convenient. They sell
home goods and real food, are a dropoff spot for shipping packages and
annual taxes, and always have clean
bathrooms. With over 40,000 located
throughout the country open 24-7,
we were rarely more than 5 km from
anything we could possibly need. Our
most common purchases are usually
ice cream, pre-made lunches, and fuel
for the camp stove.
260
Not much happened between that and our second highlight,

which came around 60 km later when we stopped at the
seemingly Hokkaido-only SeicoMart. This convenience store
blew us away with its extensive and cheap baked goods, ice
cream, and snacks. Scott wasnt quite ready to let it replace
his favourite konbini (Circle K) as number one in his heart, but
it was close. We even took advantage of the free hot water to
save some time making stew for an evening meal.
We got back on the road around dark to make a few more
kilometers before stopping, and to warm up from the chilly
Hokkaido wind. Unfortunately, a sharp rock decided our
campsite for us. My rear tire popped a slow leak and we had
to settle for a somewhat out-of-the-way spot in the corner of a
schools grounds. The bikes are settled, the tents are up, and
Im going to go have some granola and try not to think about
fixing my flat tomorrow.

Unfortunately, a
sharp rock decided
our campsite for us.
Deflating
This was Dylans sixth flat of the

trip. Oddly, Scott and Andrew
never had even one.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Focused
Calves: Breezy
Spock: crunch crunch crunch
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 97.8 km
Average KM/H: 20.7
Hokkaido
With slightly less area than Ireland, the island of
Hokkaido is the largest and northernmost prefecture
of Japan. The name Hokkaido means Northern
Sea Route. Interestingly, prior to 1869 it was called
by the name Ezochi and was not technically part
of Japan. With the threat of Russia moving in on
Ezochi, the Meiji government decided to include the
territory in its plans to modernize Japan. Devoting
four to five percent of the national budget to exploring
and civilizing Ezochi, the region was renamed
Hokkaido and officially integrated as a prefecture of
Japan. As the Development Commission to civilize
Hokkaido was carried out in the following decade, the
population jumped from 58,000 to 240,000.
Today, Hokkaido has a population of approximately
5.6 million, of which 1.9 million live in the Sapporo,
the islands largest city.
261
Day 39 Photos
Camping in a public park in Hakodate

Mt. Komagatake
Hokkaido manhole covers
Seicomart easily becomes our new favorite convenience store
262
Desire Vs. The Police
263
Desire Vs. The Police

AD I FORESEEN THAT THE CAR ahead of me would

stop so abruptly, I wouldnt have slammed my bike and
body into its rear door.
Waking in our tents near a rural elementary school, we headed

out with a big goal of reaching a willing host who lived about
220 km away. Although a lofty aim, we had both a plan and
motivation. Today, we formed a rotation where each team
member took an hour leading and then dropped back for a
rest. This worked really well to keep progress consistent and
morale high. The morning was cloudy with the kind of brisk
wind that stings your face. We stopped briefly around 10:30am
to celebrate our 3000th kilometer of the total trip. Also, I had a
nostalgic moment when I noticed dandelions on the side of the
road, which I havent seen since the last time I was home in
Maine during the summer in 2009.
As noon came around so did the sun, but to our chagrin, the
wind persisted. Biking through the hills of Route 37 we passed
several tempting strawberry stands. Fortunately for the team,
Scott gave in to his craving and bought a carton to split. The
friendly owner chatted with us about our trip and even gave us
some delicious mutant berries that were the size (and shape)
of several berries put together. Pressing on, we finally got past
the mountainous section of todays leg, which hopefully was the
last set of inclines well tackle on this trip. After a quick lunch
break, we were back on the road, enthusiastic to reach our host
at the expected time.
Suddenly, as we were passing a side street, I heard a yell
from Scott as an unaware driver nearly turned into him on the
side street. I was just behind this turning car, and my course
assumed that the car would keep turning. However, noticing
Scott, the driver screeched to a halt. With little time, I squeezed
my brakes and swerved.
Suddenly, as we
were passing a side
street, I heard a
yell from Scott as
an unaware driver
nearly turned into
him on the side
street.
264
I heard a sound similar to that of a trunk being aggressively

slammed shut as I collided with the back door of the Honda
Cube-like car. It must have looked somewhat comical as I
bounced off the vehicle, tottered for a split second, and then
went down. Right away, I knew I was fine. Nothing was really
broken or even scraped except a gouge on my left Achilles from
my gears. My bicycle had minor scratches, the handle bar was
turned parallel to the wheel, and the front wheel was slightly out
of true. They were all minor issues.
The driver was apologetic, and we reassured each other that
we were both fine. The was basically closed when the police
arrived. At first, there were just two of them asking questions
and filling out countless papers. Quickly, though, two more
came to thoroughly document the accident. Endless questions,
clarifications, and photos cruelly consumed the next 120
minutes. Our hopes of making it to our host that evening
dwindled and eventually disappeared. When all was said
and done, five officers and a translator had gone over every
conceivable detail of the event backwards and forwards. If it
wasnt killing our day, the absurdity of their thoroughness would
have been laughable.
Finally, after everyone was satisfied, we were free to head
out. Our rotation still intact, we pressed on with the sun drifting
toward the horizon and the biting wind tearing at our resolve.
The battle had begun. How far would we go today? Our bodies
are in excellent shape and can propel us about as far as we
have gumption to persevere. With the cold of the Hokkaido
night upon us, we fought hard to keep moving. Unlike this
morning, the terrain was flat and straight. The procedure was
simple: dont stop pedaling. Although easy to suggest, in the
gusty 8-degree Celsius darkness, pushing forward eventually
became too unbearable, especially once the rain started.
After a total of 155 km for the day, mostly done after sunset,
we stopped under an overpass and made camp. It was a
tough day, but I also have a strange sense of accomplishment
looking back at the obstacles we dealt with and the distance we
advanced in spite of them.
It must have looked

somewhat comical
as I bounced off the
vehicle, tottered for
a split second, and
then went down.
Crashs crash count

This puts Andrews total crashes on
the trip up to four. Thankfully, this is
the last one.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Cold but good
Calves: Asleep
Spock: Fire-d up
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 152 km
Average KM/H: 21.3
265
Day 40 Photos
Camping near an elementary school

Woohoo for 3000 km on our trip odometer!
Chatting with the strawberry stand owner
The 100yen super jumbo Melon-pan (melon flavored sweet bread)
was our go-to convenience store snack in Hokkaido
266
A tooth on one of the cogs near Andrews pedals dug in pretty deep
The driver and Andrew make peace (signs)
The police were very thorough in their investigation of the crash scene
Camping under an overpass out of the rain
267
ZEN RIDING WITH

THREE DRIFTERS
268
ZEN RIDING WITH

THREE DRIFTERS
ODAY, THE terrain WAS more flat than weve

seen so far on the trip. It was a welcome change to be
able to cruise for hours as the pedals seemed to push
themselves with the wind always at our backs. Combined with
the picturesque scenes of rice and wildflower fields, the whole
experience was almost too good to be true. After last nights
acid test of our resolve we dubbed this type of cycling Zen
riding, since it was easy to space out in peaceful day dreams.
The only thing that nagged at the perfection of todays jaunt
was still the cold. Hokkaido has proven itself a formidable
final opponent on our bike trip. Although it hasnt tested us
with impossible terrain, it has constantly attacked our will to
push forward by simply being cold. At night, the temperature
is low enough to make it hard to sleep without several layers,
and as we get further into the freezing North, it has become
increasingly difficult to convince ourselves to mount our cycles.
Today, after packing up our campsite, which was under an
overpass, we soared through the chilly midsection of Hokkaido,
landing in Takikawa and reaching Kelvin, our couchsurfing
host for the night. When we arrived, he had a full spread of
vegetables and meats waiting to be boiled in the Japanese
nabe style. He also had friends over to enjoy the meal with us.
All of us ate, chatted, and generally had a grand evening.
...Japanese people
probably stare at
us less because
were white and
more because
we look like such
vagabonds.
Also, while the team was sitting outside a supermarket this

morning and I was eating yogurt straight from the carton, the
three of us concluded that Japanese people probably stare at
us less because were white and more because we look like
269
such vagabonds. All of us have a significant amount of facial

hair, unfocused stares from hours of riding toward the horizon,
and we carry all our possessions with us as we move from
place to place daily. We are drifters, and we look the part.
Even with showers and clean laundry at Kelvins tonight, I
doubt well look any less sketchy by evening time tomorrow.
With only 260 km left in the trip, hopefully well make it to
the North West coast of Hokkaido tomorrow. From there its
a straight and flat shot to our end-goal of Cape Soya. If the
rest of the trip is like today, I will be very happy. I will also be
carrying hand warmers in my pockets at almost all times.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Nabe!
Calves: Wait, were in Hokkaido
Spock: Grateful
Daily Riding Data
Couchsurfing Stats
Although we would stay with
Dambar from Nepal in Wakkanai
after completing the trip, Kelvin
was our last couchsurfing host
before the team reached the
finish line at Cape Soya. This
made the total number of times
we couchsurfed eight. Thanks
again to Topher, Steffannie, Jody,
Ryoko-san, Dan, Takaaki-san,
Kelvin, Dambar.
Distance: 135 km
Average KM/H: 24.3
Rice in Hokkaido
Rice is so important in Japan that it was once used
as currency. It is not uncommon for a Japanese
person to feel that a meal is not complete without
rice being a part of it. Hokkaido Prefecture is the
biggest producer of rice in Japan, just barely topping
the amount produced in Niigata. This was not always
the case since Hokkaidos cool summers are not
the ideal climate for growing rice. However, new rice
strains that are more resistant to the cold have not
only increased production but also increased the
flavor profile of Hokkaido rice.
Rice has been creatively turned into a whole
multitude of food products in Japan including sake
(rice wine), senbei (rice crackers), onigiri (rice balls),
komepan (rice bread), nukazuke (rice bran pickles),
mochi (sticky rice cakes), and kayu (rice gruel). One
of Hokkaidos specialty foods is its seafood donburi
(rice bowl).
270
Day 41 Photos
We look really sketchy at this point in the trip
271
Riding through the plains of central Hokkaido to Kelvin and his nabe party (Japanese hot pot)
272
The End is Nigh
273
The End is Nigh

ERE ALL A LITTLE BIT SICK of this trip. Dont

get me wrong, were still having a blast and soaking
in the once-in-a-lifetime experience. But being on
the road this long, drifting from town to town, with mileage and
schedules and weather constantly on the brain, it wears you
down a little bit. So, with one day left, we all have a bit of a
bittersweet feeling about the approaching end.
We began our penultimate day excited for a few reasons.
First, we were excited that we had been lucky enough to have
another great couchsurfing experience and sleep somewhere
warm out of the overnight rain. Second, we were thrilled to
find that the weather had cleared, and we were in for a sunny
day with fluffy white clouds and a light tailwind. Finally, we
were stoked knowing that only 260 km lay between us and our
ultimate goal, Cape Soya. Furthermore, those 260 km looked
almost completely flat, running along Hokkaidos northwestern
coast. We all felt like today would be a good day.
For once, we had none of our usual luck, and our day really
did go more or less according to plan. The roads were flat, the
sun shone just enough, and we managed to cut the distance
to Soya in half. Sure, there were a few headwinds, and some
tiring rolling bluffs along the coast, but compared to some
of the challenges weve faced and overcome, they werent
too bad at all. In the end, we called a stop a little earlier than
wed planned, not because we had to but simply because we
knew we had the time, which is a luxury weve gone mostly
without on this trip. So, we rolled into the little seaside town of
Shosanbetsu, and after watching a picture-perfect red sun sink
into the Sea of Japan, Andrew decided to treat the team to a
celebratory bowl of ramen. As it turned out, though, we were all
to be treated.
So, with one day

left, we all have a
bit of a bittersweet
feeling about the
approaching end.
274
Telling the ramen shop owner our story over bowls of Shio
Ramen, a specialty of Hokkaido, we found out that this ramen
restaurant had seen its fair share of all-of-Japan travelers. In
fact, they had a guestbook, stretching back 12 years, with all
manner of travelers notes and stories. We left our own mark
on an open page and, having received some campsite advice,
gathered our things and prepared for a chilly night. However,
in classic Japanese hospitality style, at the last moment the
owner casually offered up his restaurant for us to sleep in,
seemingly unaware of how much it meant to us. So, instead of
writing this journal entry shivering beside the road, or outside
a convenience store, Im safe and warm in the restaurant with
the owner and his friend, eating some graciously-made grilled
mutton and onions, drinking some kindly-offered rice wine, and
enjoying some genial conversation.
This is a perfect example of the kind of mixed feelings we
have about this trip ending. Weve had so many amazing
experiences that were only possible because weve been
traveling so far and long. That traveling has brought
discomfort, but the end of that discomfort also means an
end to these serendipitous stops. It will mean the end of
this strange little world of bicycles and highways that weve
created and the return to real life. Scott has an office job to
return to, Andrew has a wedding to plan, and Im moving cities
two weeks after I get home. Right now, though, all any of us
need to focus on is making the mileage and finishing the trip.
The dream, even if sometimes it has approached a nightmare,
will last at least that long.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Focused
Calves: Christmas Eve
Spock: Mutton-y
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 128.3 km
Average KM/H: 22.4
...in classic
Japanese hospitality
style, at the last
moment the owner
casually offered
up his restaurant
for us to sleep in,
seemingly unaware
of how much it
meant to us.
Standout Meals
There are too many great meals

from the trip to list, but here are a
few of the highlights:
Day 3 - Treated to dinner at the
Hiwatashis restaurant on Day 3
Day 23 - Okonomiyaki in Nara by
Ohashi Jun-san
Day 25 - Pizza buffet in Nagoya
Day 36 - Takaaki Yatsunagi-sans
traditional Japanese feast
Day 42 - Eating shio ramen in
Hokkaido and then being invited
to sleep in the ramen shop
Home of the Crane

Hokkaido Prefecture is the least developed
prefecture in Japan. Holding on to its natural beauty,
Hokkaido has eight national parks. The Kushiro
Shitsugen National Park is the largest conserved
marshland in Japan and the only natural home of the
rare Japanese Crane.
275
Day 42 Photos
Packing up at Kelvins, Scott uses the handheld Internet device that Craig Stanton lent us
Beautiful Hokkaido flower fields
Dylan dominates Andrew and Scotts challenge to run up a huge hill to some windmills
276
This town used a penguin statue as their town marker

The next town chose a bear
Our last sunset before the finish line
277
The ramen shop owner invited over his friend and we spent the night grilling and talking
It just so happened that Tyler MacNiven stopped here and left an entry in the restaurants guestbook in 2004
while walking the length of Japan and making his documentary Kintaro Walks Japan
278
To the finish line

and beyond
279
To the finish line

and beyond
HE ACT OF STANDING at the monument on Japans northernmost tip is not overwhelmingly significant. Medium sized
and fairly simple, the triangular stone statue marking the
point of Cape Soya is not a highly coveted tourist destination.
However, this is contingent upon how you arrive. If you pull up
by bicycle, having pedaled 3,518 km for 43 days from Japans
opposite extreme point, then standing at this marker suddenly
becomes very special. This was the case for us when we stood at
the monument today.
Today, Day 43, we arrived at Cape Soya and completed our endto-end cycling tour of Japan!
With a fixed focus on finishing the trip, we departed early from
our generous ramen shop host and took the shop owners advice to head up the 106 which proved a profitable decision.
This less-trafficked road skirted around the wetlands and also
cut 10 km off our route. Impossibly straight and flat, the pavement melted into the horizon as we cruised along at a good clip.
At times I felt like I was cycling on a treadmill as the gorgeous
coastal scenery never seemed to change as I pushed the pedals.
Eventually, we finished the infinite marshy shoreline and hit a
major milestone, Wakkanai, the northernmost town in Japan. Past
Wakkanai, only the Cape remained.
With 30 km between us and completion of our goal, we rested
briefly in the town so Dylan could pursue a very important side
quest. With some encouragement from Scott and me, he decided
to eat one waffle ice cream bar for every Seicomart convenience
store we passed today on the way to Cape Soya. Up until Wakkanai, he was up to only four (which he ate all at once at this stop),
but by the end of the ride, the total climbed to 10 ice creams! We
documented him eating each one. I assure you that in each picture, Dylan is eating a different bar of ice cream.
From Wakkanai, it was a very windy trek out to the Cape. All in all,
Hokkaido proved itself to be a worthy final challenge due mainly
to the will-crushing cold gusts. Nonetheless, we pressed on to-
With 30 km between
us and completion
of our goal, we
rested briefly in
the town so Dylan
could pursue a
very important side
quest.
Hokkaido Riding Stats

Distance: 650 km
Average KM/H: 22
280
ward our goal. With 5 km left, the team broke our usual single
file formation to ride three abreast (when cars werent coming),
hooting, hollering, ringing our bells, and generally celebrating our
approaching accomplishment.
The Cape was cold, but our spirits were so high that it didnt matter. Together we walked up the steps of the monument and completed our trip. After a toast and proper speech-making, we posed
for pictures and took a video to document the occasion.
Having cooled down, we bundled up and rode the chilly 30 km
back to town where we met up with our host for tonight and tomorrow night, Dambar. He is from Nepal, speaks five languages, and
is in the process of earning a graduate degree in IT networking
at Wakkanai university. To our delight, his other Nepalese friends
came over, and we greatly enjoyed ending the evening swapping
stories while eating delicious curry.
Tomorrow, we will take a welcome day of R&R here in Wakkanai; then, we head home. I will take a bus to Sapporo, fly back to
Fukuoka, and meet up with Lori. Dylan plans to hitchhike back to
Sapporo where he has a couchsurfing host until his flight to Canada. Scott will hitch with Dylan, fly out of Sapporo back to Nagoya,
and then return to Boston.
I think I can speak for myself, Dylan, and Scott that cycling the
length of Japan was difficult but brought us together and will stand
out in each of our lives as a major feat. Personally, this journey
has shown me that doing big things is completely possible. The
real challenge is daring dream big enough. Completing this trip
has been a life-goal of mine for many years. It is deeply satisfying
to have finished the trek, and with two of my best friends no less.
Also, now I have some quality stories to regale my future grandkids with.
Thank you so much all of you who tuned in! Your comments and
encouragement were a wonderful support to us as we cycled. I
encourage you to set big goals for yourself. This trip was result of
three average guys deciding they could bike Japan. We had never
done anything like this before, but we knew we never would if we
didnt try. Dont be afraid to challenge yourself. If we can cycle all
of Japan, I know youve got what it takes to do something big too.
Rider Conditions
Crash: Life goal complete!
Calves: Huzzah
Spock: Really though, Whats next?
At the Finish Line of Japan - Day 43
...this journey has

shown me that
doing big things
is completely
possible. The real
challenge is daring
dream big enough.
Daily Riding Data

Distance: 135 km
Average KM/H: 21.35
281
UPDATE:
Donation Goal Exceeded, $13,902 Raised! Thanks to You!
Donation Goal Reached! Thank You!
View the fundraising update video

It is my pleasure to announce that through your generous
support we have met and exceeded our $10,000 fundraising
goal for the earthquake and tsunami relief aid! The total
amount raised ended up being $13,902! I wish to express my
deep gratitude to all who have supported our bicycle trip and
fundraising effort with prayers, donations, spreading the word,
and following our trip journal online. This trip has impacted me
in a way in which I will never forget, and the team owes the
success of it to all of you.
I can assure you that all of your donations have touched the
Japanese people we met. So many wished to express their
sincere thanks to us for giving them hope, and this thanks
really should be extended to all of you who have supported our
trip in one way or another. Please join us in the celebration of
reaching Cape Soya and raising over $10,000 with a kampai!
(Japanese toast!) wherever you are.
...we have met

and exceeded our
$10,000 fundraising
goal for the
earthquake and
tsunami relief aid!
The total amount
raised ended up
being $13,902!
Finally, I would like to say to our parents and family, our friends
back home, our new Japanese friends we met along the way,
and our wonderful couchsurfing hosts, thank you. A special
thank you to Tammy, for letting Andrew and me take Dylan from
you for two months, and to Lori, for all your behind-the-scenes
work on the web site and helping us prepare for the trip.
~Scott
282
Day 43 Photos
Waking up in the ramen shop and heading out

Dylan starts his challenge to eat one ice cream for every Seicomart convenience store we pass
283
Cruising for hours on some of the flattest and straightest roads of the trip
Andrew displays his game face for the final push to the finish line
Dylan eats his second, third, fourth, and fifth ice creams of the day
284
The first sign for Cape Soya

Celebrations as we approach the finish line
Touching the water at the northernmost point in Japan. We made it!!
285
Of course, we had to have a photo shoot
286
287
The finish line, Cape soya

Dylan dominates the ice cream challenge eating a total of 10 ice creams bars
288
Day 44 Photos
Hanging out with our Nepalese couchsurfing hosts for a few days after the trip is over.
Touring the university where Dambar is a graduate student
Our Nepalese couch surfing host Dambar
Dambars professor who also is from Nepal
Dylan conquers another food challenge by eating the hottest curry in Japan
289
Day 45 Photos
Andrew waits for the bus which will take him to Sapporo where hell fly back to Fukuoka
Scott and Dylan hitch a ride
290
291
Distance
(km)
PRE-TRIP*
187
START to FINISH** 3518
TOTAL TRIP***
3733
Pedal Time
(hr:min)
10:04
175:01
186:25
Ave KM/H Days

18
20.1
20.03
4
43
49
* bike computer read 204 after pre-trip at

START LINE, but I think the sum of the daily
totals here is more accurate
** bike computer read 3518 measuring from
START to FINISH LINES. This is slightly
higher than sum of daily totals
*** includes ride from finish line to hosts
house and 2 days stayed there until
returning home
292
Daily Riding Data

Day
PRE-TRIP
1
2
3
4
1
START LINE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
FINISH LINE
POST TRIP
43
Date
Location
Distance Pedal Time

(km)
(hh:mm)
4/10/2011
4/11/2011
4/12/2011
4/13/2011
4/14/2011
Yakushima
Yakushima
Yakushima
to Kagoshima
to Sata
48
45
10
45
39
7:46
2:18
19
17
Cape Sata
to Shiromoto, Kagoshima
to Iwagawa, Kagoshima
to Isa, Kagoshima
to Uki, Kumamoto
to Nagasaki City, Nagasaki
Nagasaki Memorial
to Takeo, Saga
to Kitakyushu, Fukuoka
*Blood infection
46
51.5
85
106
91
42
61
118
2:47
2:54
4:24
5:18
5:21
2:38
3:01
5:33
16.5
17.75
19.35
20
17
16
20.2
21.26
to Hofu, Yamaguchi
to Hiroshima, Hiroshima
Hiroshima Memorials
to Mihara, Hiroshima
to Kurashiki, Okayama
to Okayama, Okayama
to Seiriki, Okayama
to Himeiji, Hyogo
to Kobe, Hyogo
to Kyoto, Kyoto
to Osaka, Osaka
to Nara, Nara
to Kameyama, Mie
to Nagoya, Aichi
to Okazaki, Aichi
to Fuji City, Shizuoka
*Tsunami
110
134.7
15
80
78
30
20
73
63
80
82
65
75
64
42
222
5:08
7:05
0:56
4:13
4:00
2:20
1:10
3:41
3:29
4:07
4:33
4:49
4:18
3:08
2:19
10:11
21.4
19.03
16
19
19.62
15.5
17.8
19.9
18.2
19
18.1
13.5
17.5
20.3
18
21.7
to Fujinomi, Shizuoka
to Matsumoto, Nagoya
to Itoigawa, Niigata
to Kashiwazaki, Niigata
to Niigata, Niigata
to Tsuruoka, Yamagata
to Akita, Akita
to Tomaridai, Akita
to Hakodate, Hokkaido
to Shizukari, Hokkaido
to Tomakomai, Hokkaido
to Takikawa, Hokkaido
to Shosanbetsu, Hokkaido
to Soya
Cape Soya
28.6
152.5
126
85
87.5
150
142.5
86
144
97.8
152.8
135
128.3
135.9
1:35
8:01
5:39
4:31
3:59
6:44
5:52
3:35
6:26
4:43
7:09
5:34
5:44
6:22
18
19
22.24
18.9
22
22
24.26
24
22.3
20.7
21.3
24.3
22.4
21.35
to Wakkanai
28.2
1:20
21.15
4/14/2011
4/15/2011
4/16/2011
4/17/2011
4/18/2011
4/19/2011
4/20/2011
4/21/2011
4/22/2011
4/23/2011
4/24/2011
4/25/2011
4/26/2011
4/27/2011
4/28/2011
4/29/2011
4/30/2011
5/1/2011
5/2/2011
5/3/2011
5/4/2011
5/5/2011
5/6/2011
5/7/2011
5/8/2011
5/9/2011
5/10/2011
5/11/2011
5/12/2011
5/13/2011
5/14/2011
5/15/2011
5/16/2011
5/17/2011
5/18/2011
5/19/2011
5/20/2011
5/21/2011
5/22/2011
5/23/2011
5/24/2011
5/25/2011
5/26/2011
5/26/2011
Distance to the start line on Day 1 is part of the Pre-trip phase

Distance from the finish line to hosts house
Ave KM/H
293
Fun Facts
Final Crash Count
Most Comfortable Campsite
Andrew: 4
Scott: 3
Dylan: Zero!
The Watanabes front lawn on Day 33 Everything Happens

for a Reason
Total Damage to Cycles

Andrew: 9 broken spokes, rear wheel completely replaced
on Day 19 Deep Night Towa Tei Show, front fork bent in
Hokkaido car accident on Day 40 Desire Vs. The Police,
frequent break and gear tuning
Scott: Minor tune-ups and wheel truing
Dylan: tacoed front wheel on Day 19 Deep Night Towa Tei
Show, 6 flat tires, tune-ups
Number of Bikes Shops Visited for Repairs

Five (Nagasaki, Hiroshima, Fukuyama, Cycle Shop Tomato
in Himeiji, and Attack Niigata Cycle Shop in Niigata)
Top 3 Best Views

Nagasaki Omura Bay coastline on Day 6 Nagasaki: Memorials and Mikans
Mt. Fuji from the Kasais house after the typhoon passed
on Day 30 Home is Where You Lean Your Bike
Northern Alps from Hakuba, Nagano on Day 32 Two Days
Through the Alps
Total Nights Camping

25. Dylan had 26 since he camped every night on his solo
trek of Shikoku.
Standout Meals
Treated to dinner at the Hiwatashis restaurant on Day 3
Famed Japanese Hospitality
Okonomiyaki in Nara by Ohashi Jun-san on Day 23 The
308 Blues
Pizza buffet in Nagoya on Day 25 Dangerously Cheesy
Takaaki Yatsunagi-sans traditional Japanese feast on Day
36 Know Your Role
Eating shio ramen in Hokkaido and then being invited to
sleep in the ramen shop on Day 42 The End is Nigh
Too many to list...
Longest Distance Covered in One Day

222 km from Nagoya to Fuji in about 10 hours of pedal time
on Day 27 Typhoon of the Century
Most Difficult Sections to Cycle

The 20 km of hills leading up to the start line at Cape Sata
on Day 1 Hard Fought Start At Cape Sata. Not only did
we have to bike this section twice to get to and from the
Cape, we were also still out of shape.
Mt. Ikoma between Osaka and Nara on Day 23 The 308
Blues. We spent three exhausting hours pushing our cycles up 5km of the steepest grade road on the whole trip.
Most Nights Camped In-A-Row
The last 20 km to Fuji in the torrential rain of a typhoon

after midnight on Day 27 (technically Day 28) Typhoon of
the Century
Five. From the first night on Yakushima through the second

night after the start line. Dylan also camped five nights in-a-
Prefectures Visited
row because of his Shikoku detour.
22 (24 for Dylan because of his Shikoku)
Top 3 Coolest Campsites

On a beach on Day 2 Soggy Ride to Topher
Under a bridge near Okayama on Day 16 In Spokes We
Trust
In a real-deal bamboo forest on Day 24 Dylan Takes the
Plunge
Worst Night Camping

All three of us in Scotts tent in a parking spot in Nagasaki
Public Park on Day 5 (photo in Day 6 Nagasaki: Memorials
and Mikans)
294
What worked & what didnt
Heres some practical things that might help those of you looking at cycling and/or adventuring in Japan. If you
have any specific questions, dont hesitate to contact me via the contact form on unframedworld.com, I love
talking about Japan and helping others experience it to the fullest.
Before the trip
Route Planning
Learn as much as possible about your bike. Practice

taking off both wheels, replacing spokes, patching
tires, tightening breaks, tweaking derailers, etc...
Plan for at least one rest day a week and have a

few days extra on top of that so you have time to
explore, lounge around, and hang out with people
you meet along the way. We took 43 days, but if we
had made it 50 or even 55, I think those extra days
would have been worth the time and expense.
Train. I failed to do this and I paid for it dearly. If I

take a similar trip in the future my plan is to start
2 months ahead of time doing cardio 4 days a
week, building leg strength, and also stretching
twice a day to prevent tweaking muscles.
Check your airlines policy on taking bicycles on
the plane. Many airlines have unique rules specific to bikes regardless of how many pieces you
have them in.
Take at least one full day for Kyoto and one for
Nara.
Stay off the expressways, especially during a
typhoon at midnight -_-.
We were nervous for the Alps for the whole trip
until we arrived. Our plan to traverse them in one
intense burst over two days worked well and also
got us in gear to cover a prefecture a day (almost)
for the Northern half of Honshu.
295
Pay attention to topography on maps... we

learned this lesson trying to go from Osaka to
Nara in The 308 Blues
Dont forget that after you make it to Cape Soya,
youre about 25 km from the nearest town, Wakkanai. We cycled back, but I heard from Craig
Stanton that theres a bus.
Food
Eat every chance you get. We had a hard time
staying energized sometimes because we were
burning calories non-stop.
Bring camp cooking gear like a stove, pots,
and pans.
We bought most of our food at grocery stores
since eating out adds up quickly.
Every grocery store has a pre-made food section
(usually near the deli) with reasonably priced
meals. If you arrive just after lunch or dinner, usually these pre-made meals are put on discount.
At restaurants in Japan, dont tip. If you do, most
likely the waiter will chase after you trying to return the money you forgot on the table.
Gear
In the Our Gear section Ive listed the specific
items from our trip that we would recommend.
Buy a spoke wrench and extra spokes that fit your
specific wheels.
Bring extra plastic bags, trash bags and tarps,
they come in handy more than you might expect.
Have two panniers on the front wheel and two on
the back to spread out the weight and keep the
bike as stable as possible. This is what Dylan did
and Scott and I were jealous the whole trip.
To keep all your technology charged, keep in
mind that almost every convenience store in Japan has an outdoor outlet on its front wall under
the windows. And while you charge your iPhone...
might as well have an ice cream :-).
If you bring an Internet device (tablet, laptop,
smart phone, etc...) McDonalds in Japan usually
have WIFI and outlets at every seat.
Stop by a major cell phone carrier and pick-up a
pre-paid phone.
Invite Dylan on your next bike trip in Japan. Not
only is he a master bike mechanic, but he also
enjoys the challenge of cooking on a camp stove,
he speaks Japanese quite well, and his sense of

direction is supernatural.
Camping
The key to camping is to be polite and make sure
youre not in anyones way, leave no trace you
were there, and be gone early in the morning.
There were only two times the police spoke to us
while we were camping. The first time was on Day
2 Soggy Ride to Topher when they were offering
us liquor. The second time was on the grounds
of Hiroshima castle on Day 14 That Familiar
Sinking Feeling when a policeman politely asked
us to pack up more quickly because tours were
starting soon.
Small local shrines in rural towns almost always
have some nice places to pitch a tent. Same goes
for public athletic fields and neighborhood parks.
Ive tried to include as many photos of our campsites in this book as possible to give you an idea
of what sort of sites worked for us.
Lodging
Our most consistent form of lodging was finding
a host on couchsurfing.com. 2-4 days before we
thought we would arrive in an area, we sent requests to everyone listing a couch in that region.
If youre on a budget like we were, almost every
city south of Tokyo has capsule hostels and Internet cafes.
If your Japanese is good enough and you pick
your target well, its not unlikely you could procure
an invite to stay with a local. Dont bank on it, but
this did happen to us several times.
Teamwork
Ride together and have an agreed upon rotation
for rider order. It can be a drain to stay stuck in
front, middle, or back for too long.
Cut each other slack. Riding all day is tiring. Personalities are bound to clash. Be quick to forgive
and forget.
Make sure to build in some time when everyone
can relax together. Between cooking, doing dishes,
setting up tents, and updating the trip journal, we
often found ourselves busy until heading to bed.
Remember to enjoy the trip together.
Thats just the tip of the iceberg, but the other stuff
will be more fun to learn as you go.
296
297
The following bonus chapters provide a deeper look into the preparation for Japan by Bicycle. I hope you
enjoy reading about the adventurer who inspired me to take this trip, Dylans daring method of raising funds
through drug testing, and the humorous journeys of Dylan and Scott to Japan from North America.
- Andrew
298
Walking North America:

Profile of a Thru-Hiker
Written by Craig Stanton on April 6, 2011
From Andrew
Craig Stanton and his walks of the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) and Japan are what inspired my idea for Japan by Bicycle.
Hes become an invaluable adviser for our trip, a good friend, and may be the most self-motivated person I know. I
highly suggest you pay attention to how this guy goes about getting things done. Enter Craig...
How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time.
How do you walk across a country?
One step at a time.
Thats true, but I know a lot of people that like to
walk, and very few of them would consider taking
the 6 million steps needed to through-hike the
Pacific Crest Trail.
At over 2600 miles it is longer than the Appalachian

Trail and shorter than the Continental Divide Trail,
which together make the Triple Crown of American
hiking. Of these three the PCT is the one that
caught my attention and where I spent the summer
of 2007. Apparently there were more than 300
other thru-hiker hopefuls that year but I met only a
fraction of them. The attrition rate on the PCT is less
than the Appalachian Trail largely because the AT
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attracts so many people that are simply not willing

or able to walk for 5 months and be uncomfortable
for most of that time. On that trail a hiker could
expect to see at least two huts/shelters a day, on
the Pacific Crest there are 5 huts on the entire hike
(one is a historic monument, no camping). Things
like that scare a lot of people away but it drew me
in. As did the prospect of hiking from the Mojave
Desert floor to the top of Mount Whitney. Yup, the
PCT certainly has some variety to it and a thru-hiker
must be prepared to handle everything that comes
their way.
As I stood at the Mexican border in mid April I
looked north with what must have been a somewhat
disturbing grin. Id only heard of the trail a year earlier
but in that time it had become an all-consuming siren.
Id trained hard, Id read books, bought gear, bought
better gear, talked with everyone I could and told
so many people that I was walking to Canada that
backing out would be harder than completing it. And
here I was, stepping in to this amazing adventure,
so insanely sure of my success despite having no
rational reason for that confidence.
hikers. You have to take the rough with the smooth.

Some days it rains, some months it doesnt. I got
snow on my second night out. Shivering like crazy as
I put up my tent just 40 miles from the border. It was
the closest I ever came to quitting. But by morning
the air had settled, by afternoon the ground was dry
again and I was still there, walking north. For the
next 3 months it stayed so dry I didnt put up my tent
at night. I just spread out my sleeping bag on the
ground and fell asleep watching the stars turn above
me. Ive heard it said that the trail is 80% pain and
20% pleasure, but Im sure its the other way around.
You just have to get yourself through the hard times
and appreciate the good.
About Craig
Not only has Craig Stanton walked the entire PCT
in North America, but also the length of Japan
in record time. For more about Craig and his
insane adventures visit his PCT blog here or his
Walking Japan blog here. Currently he works as a
computer programmer in New Zealand where he
lives with his wife.
I was not lacking in will power but I was a green-horn

on the trail. Id never hiked form campsite to campsite
before and Id never set up a tent in the rain, the
major advantage I had though was being OK with it.
And that is the only common thread among all thru-
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Traveling on Drugs
Traveling on Drugs:
Funding My Addiction
The Low Down
This is Part 1 of how Dylan funded his trip to Japan testing drugs

I had a problem. No matter how I looked at it,

no matter how I crunched the numbers, I didnt
have the money. I was going to need at least an
extra thousand bucks or touring Japan by bicycle
wasnt going to happen. Second job? With only
four months to go before departure, that wasnt
going to work. Credit cards? Id rather not add
a big chunk to what Id been working to pay off.
Lottery? Yeah, right.
Then it came to me. Those ads Id seen on the
subway, when I was unemployed and desperate.
Why Not Volunteer? Receive up to $4000! Clinical
Trials! 18+. At the time, they had been both
tempting and ominous what do they do to you for
four thousand bucks? But now, given my present
situation, I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt,
and get some more information. And that is how I
ended up doing drugs to feed my travel addiction.
The clinical trial I did was with a company called

Algorithme Pharma, or Algopharm, here in
Montreal. Their studies generally pay between
$700-$4000, dependent on the length, # of blood
draws, restrictions, etc. The average compensation
is about $1400. Algopharm specializes in phase
I and bio-equivalence trials. Phase I trials are
first-in-human trials on healthy subjects (i.e. not
the final users of the drug) designed to verify
the drugs safety and identify side-effects. Bioequivalence trials (the kind I did) compare a drug
on the market with a drug in development that is
believed to act the same. Usually, the first drug is
an established brand name formulation, and the
second is a generic, up-coming formulation.
For me, from pre-screening to the final follow up
visit the process took 2 months, and involved two
48-hours stays at the clinic 28 days apart. It also
involved me getting a whole lot more comfortable
with needles, because while the drug itself was
just a pill, there was a total of around 30 blood
draws, which is how they monitor the drug in your
body.
Final payout: $1200
Thats it about clinical trials for now. I made it out
unscathed or did I? In Part 2 I discuss the pros
and cons of making travelling money through drug
testing, describe my stay from start to finish, give
a couple tips to prospective volunteers, and talk
about how convenient my new third arm is!
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Traveling on Drugs:
The fix
This is Part 2 of how Dylan funded his trip to Japan testing drugs
At Anapharm, the food is better, but

here at Algo, they pay more. This is a
veteran clinical trial participant named Martin
breaking down the differences between the citys
two major drug trial companies over our lackluster
dinner. As a freelance translator, he supplements
his income by doing about 5-6 clinical trials a year.
But, he goes on, I cant do any trials at Ana for
the next 6 months, they blocked me. I perk up
at this. I wonder what caused that? A dangerous
drug interaction, an altercation, what happened to
earn this experienced participant a 6-month block?
Turns out, he was too eager. He signed up to start
his next trial 29 days after his last one ended,
which is long enough for the standard 28-day
between-trials waiting period, but this particular
trial had requested a 30-day window. I guess they
thought I was trying to be sneaky. At least I can still

do trials here in the meantime. Too bad about the
food though.
Martin is one of the 20-odd people that I spent
two 48-hour stretches locked up in a cozy clinical
facility with. Most of the people are a good deal
older, thirties, forties. Food is a popular topic,
probably because we have no control over it.
Meals are doled out at scheduled times, and no
intervening snacks are allowed. Not that wed
have anything to eat, since our belongings were
searched upon arrival to make sure we didnt
have anything that could affect the validity of
the trial. For instance, I had to leave my lip balm
behind (medicated, of course), and my toothpaste
ingredients were checked. So smuggling in a
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sandwich would be difficult. Our meals are tied to

our hospital-style bracelet numbers, and checked
afterward to make sure weve eaten it all. Eating
it all is pretty easy though, since three small-ish
scheduled meals a day and nothing else but water
can make you plenty hungry when its food time.
As for the actual trial, in my group the drug was to
be administered after a 12-hour fast, so we were
all admitted in the evening before. We got settled
in our bunk beds, slept, got up, and lined up to
take the drug. Id say actually swallowing the pill
is the most lab rat-feeling part of the experience,
since you walk into a room with about 6 people
in lab coats, and most of them just seem to be
taking notes on what youre doing. You walk up
to the tech with the pills, show your bracelet, and
receive your pill, with swallowing instructions
(no chewing). After taking the pill and drinking
all of the mandatory water, you step over to the
verification station, where your mouth, tongue, and
hands are checked with a flashlight to insure that
you are properly dosed and that you have nothing
up your sleeves.
to the number of green beans in our dinner, with

the other drug.
Was it worth it? Id say yes. In terms of discomfort,
the blood draws werent too hard to get used to, and
I certainly brought enough amusements to keep
myself entertained, even without watching the offered
TVs or using the ragtag boardgames. My advice to
anyone interested is, bring enough to keep yourself
busy, dont rely on having reliable internet access
(worked one day, didnt the next), and dont try to do
anything too mentally involved during the frequent
blood draw period. I found myself putting aside
more difficult things, like writing important emails or
studying, and just sitting around listening to music or
reading instead. The worst part, for me, was probably
not being allowed to go outside for 48 hours, but
even that wasnt too bad. However, the process
definitely requires a decent helping of patience,
good-humour, and a healthy attitude toward needles.
And then they pay you!
After that, the blood draws start. For my trial, it

was a draw every 20-30 minutes for about 4 hours,
then a gradual tapering to one draw every couple
hours. The needle part concerned me a bit, and
the first couple were a bit rough, but after a little
while you get used to it, even get into the groove.
I learned which lab techs knew their way around a
needle, and those draws I barely felt. On the other
hand, there were a couple new techs training,
and those draws could be a bit sketchy. All in all
though, Id say I worried more than I suffered.
Finally, two books, 20-odd albums, and 36 hours
after drug administration, we were set free with
$60 in cash, a granola bar and juice box, and a
reminder that we were due back bright and early
the next two mornings for a follow-up visit and
quick one-off blood draws. Some of the balance
of the payout we get after the second morning
follow-up visit, but most of it is held onto until we
finish the all-important second phase 28 days later,
where we have the exact same experience, down
303
Procrastination and Travel:

A Cautionary Tale
This is the story of how Dylan traveled to Canada to Japan to

start Japan by Bicycle
As I walked up to the ticket counter, I

tried to decide how to start my story. Maybe I am
a massive idiot? No, I dont need to spell that out
for them, theyll figure it out soon enough. You
might think that being here 20 minutes after my
flight left would be my biggest problem, but
is, although true, probably too offhand. What I
needed was something honest but serious, calm
but compelling. I took a deep breath, smiled what I
hoped was a timid, self-effacing smile, and said I
really need your help.
Rewind 12 hours
Its 11:20pm Sunday, Im staring down midnight,
I havent really started packing, and my bike is in
at least 10 pieces, not counting the couple dozen
bolts and screws. Normally, the bike being in
pieces would not be too big a problem, but since

it is going to be a checked bag on my imminent
trans-Pacific flight, it needs to be cleaned, lubed,
and in one piece ASAP. So, if I am going to
make this flight, I need to buckle down and get
stuff done. Long story short, I dont. So I end
up leaving an hour late for the airport, with an
essential en route stop at the hardware store
for plastic sheeting, which will replace the bike
bag that didnt come together in time. And thats
how I end up furiously wrapping my bike with the
same uncooperative sheeting and liberal use of
duct tape, at the airport, as my 11:00am plane is
taking off. But this is just the first flight of three,
and for a little bit, while hurriedly removing pedals
and turning handlebars, I still hold out hope that
Ill catch another flight, make the connection,
and everything will be fine. Then I realize I have
forgotten something. In the haze of deadlines
and lack of sleep, I have left at home the single
most important thing an international traveller can
possibly forget. My passport. I am, I decide, quite
possibly the biggest idiot ever.
11:30am Monday
Flight time +30min. The ticket agents supervisors
supervisor is kindly and gently explaining that,
although she could escort me to the gate, skipping
the lineups for security, unless my passport gets
there in the next 10 minutes, there is no way I can
fly today. The passport, which is being sped down
the highway to me, will not make it. So I am sent
to a different counter to book a ticket for tomorrow,
304
only to find out one of my flights isnt offered

tomorrow, and would I like to pay $200 to upgrade
on top of the $100 change fee and the $50 bike
fee? Um, no thank you, what about Wednesday?
In the end, I am booked to fly out two days later than
originally planned, which gives me a chance to go
back home and remember the things I missed in
my mad airport rush. And from this whole debacle,
I learned three valuable lessons about me and

international travel: dont focus too narrowly on the
small things or youll lose sight of the big ones, try
to leave time for both the expected and unexpected
delays, and, most importantly, breathe. Deeply.
Maybe it helped, maybe it didnt, but I know when
I showed up late on Wednesday for my re-booked
flight, at least I fully understood what had gotten me
into this mess.
305
Alone in Hiroshima
This is the story of how Dylan traveled to Canada to Japan to start Japan by Bicycle
About 38 hours after leaving my apartment in Cambridge, MA, I will be united with the cycling
team that is, if Im on the right train.
As one would imagine, the Japanese rail system is quite impressive and complex, especially for a nonJapanese speaking New England boy used to riding the dreary MBTA (Bostons T system subway). Limited
to some guidance from Andrew, basic miming, and Origato, I somehow managed to find the train from
Narita to Tokyo Station, get a ticket on the Shinkasen (bullet train) in the direction of Fukuoka, and get as
far as Hiroshima. Finding a way to contact Andrew and find a hotel in Hiroshima proved to be a bit more
challenging than the first steps.
Andrew and Lori were sitting in Kokura station with a dead cell phone expecting that I had made the 6:50
Shinkasen and would arrive around 11pm. Meanwhile, I was trying in vain to access the Shinkasens
wireless network so I could Skype Andy to tell him I wouldnt be making it. After finding out how to exit the
Hiroshima train station, it took me another hour to find a way to email Andrew just before midnight. The
hotel by the train station was full but they let me use their all-Japanese character computer in the lobby to
email. This was the best I could manage:
306
This is part of my love for traveling.

Communication hurdles and the threat of spending
a night on the curb only make the trip more fun
and memorable. While its a bit stressful to wheel
a 45 pound bike bag and carry a huge dufflebag
through a foreign city blindly looking for a place
to stay, I secretly love it that I didnt make it all
the way to Fukuoka last night. The bed I found
at 12:30am and the story I can tell made it
worthwhile. In fact, Id say my favorite traveling
adventure was two years ago when it took my
family 5 days to get to Korea. Who can complain
about a 12 hour layover in Amsterdam?
But Ill be honest; if I ever end up actually having
to spend a night on the curb Im sure it would be
memorable, but I probably wouldnt consider it a
joy. Im sure there will be plenty more chances for
that to happen on this trip.
Eventually, the next morning, I was able to meet up

with Andrew and Dylan in northern Kyushu where I
am now.
Other notes
The flight over was actually quite smooth. Our
landing was delayed for about 45 minutes but
there was no mention of why. (The 7.4 aftershock
earthquake apparently didnt have anything
to do with this as it happened when I was
wandering around Hiroshima.) While deplaning
I met three gentlemen who came for a couple
weeks to help coordinate aid supply delivery to
the Sendai region. They are part of the Convoy
of Hope mission and said they had worked with
Samaritans Purse in the past. Please pray for their
efforts and protection as it sounds like they will be
somewhat close to the action.
Andrew joined Scott for the last leg of his trip to Loris apartment in Kitakyushu
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japan by Bicycle Documentary

Dont miss the Japan by Bicycle documentary!
Watch for free now at JapanByBicycle.com (English and Japanese subtitles available)
308
because you need more info on japan

How to Get Yourself to Japan eBook
Download at JapanByBicycle.com and save 20% now with the discount code: Ramen9000
As youll see in the Japan by Bicycle adventure, Japan

is close to my heart. After talking with others who share
my interest in this fascinating country, I realized that
many of you have questions about exactly how to get
to Japan. How do I get a job? What visa do I need?
How much money should I bring? Do I need to know

Japanese? I answer all these questions and reveal
everything you need to know to successfully get yourself to Japan for either a short or long term stay in this
eBook How to Get Yourself to Japan.
Topics covered:
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Visa options, which visa you need, and
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Save 20% now
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Day 21 - The Kansai Crawl

Bonus Chapters Intro

Get More Japan by Bicycle!

by Andrew Marston, Scott Keenan, & Dylan Gunning

Dedicated to the victims of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

The meat of this book is the Trip Journal

About this book

Purpose of the Japan by Bicycle book

before the trip began, an earthquake and tsunami

Why cycle all of Japan?

traveled all over the country, and learned to read

they both said yes, we settled on the start date,

After the Trip

Scott: Grad student getting his MBA at Dartmouth

The following profiles were written before the trip began.

ne day, little scrawny seventh

In 3 Words: Creative Friendly Focused

Name: Andrew Delbert Marston

Marital Status: Engaged

Riding Name: Crash

Irrational Fears: Leeches freak me out

Country Trained In: Japan

Secret Abilities: Accordion, juggling, sleeping with eyes open

Favorite Color: Green (used to be blue)

Japanese Language Proficiency: Intermediate listening

University Degree: Photography and Graphic Design at

Greatest Athletic Achievement Thus Far: 4x400m and

y reasons for joining Andrew

In 3 Words: Obsessive Scatterbrained Hungry

Name: Scott Russell Keenan

Secret Passion: Alison Krauss (I know shes way too old,

Riding Name: Calves

Marital Status: Single

Country Trained In: U.S.A.

Irrational Fears: Going deaf

Favorite Color: Green (never was blue)

University Degree: Chemistry with Economics minor at

Japanese Language Proficiency: Negative

apan and I have had a relationship

Name: Dylan Charles Wilson Gunning (yeah, its a mouthful)

In 3 Words: Inquisitive Passionate Unfocused

Occupation: English Teacher

Scotts Bike, the Dahon Tornado - Not only was it

Scott and Andrews Clip-less pedals - Scott was

Dylans blue tarp - This was excellent in multiple

Scotts Marmot Limelight Tent - This Marmot tent

Andrews Gerber Compact Sport Multi-function

Andrews Henry Shires Rainbow Tarp Tent - I

Scotts sleep mask - A great way to check-out

Andrews Otterbox Drybox 2000 - This is the

Wicking T-shirts - Dont bring cotton t-shirts,

Written by Scott on April 7, 2011

First, although the trip was never

Help Us Raise $10,000 for Japan Relief Efforts!

Leslie, John, Bridget, Davey & Jenna, Scott, Maria,

Assembly Week in Review