Agano – Sado Island 41 miles The skies were clear first thing and the day was already well on its way to becoming hot. Instead of heading directly to Niigata, I took a bit of a detour further into the depths of the prefecture’s lush agricultural heartland. For a prefecture that prides itself on having…
Rice is Nice
Yunohama – Agano 85 miles Entering Niigata Prefecture meant that I was officially leaving Tōhoku, the north of Honshū behind, and saying a hearty ‘Hello’ to the Chūbu Region, Central Honshū. Niigata is a prefecture that prides itself on producing some of the best grades of rice in all of Japan, its output of rice…
The Search for the Living Dead: Part 2
Sakata – Yunohama 70 miles ‘I saw the mummy when I was a boy,’ declared Akira. ‘What???’ I said, nearly spitting my marmalade toast into his face. ‘Doko?’ where? ‘It was a long time ago,’ he said standing up and collecting our plates. And that was it, I swear he could tell that I was…
The Search for the Living Dead: Part 1
Yurihonjo – Sakata 57 miles The hot spring waters had helped numb my aching limb, and the good night’s sleep aided my mind in preparation for another battle with Route 7. Today, as I progressed into Yamagata Prefecture, I would only have to join the Bastard Route in fits and spurts. For the most part, I’d…
Buying Rubbers in Japan: The Inside Scoop
Oga Peninsula – Yurihonjō 66 miles As expected, it wasn’t a tremendous night’s sleep, but not being violently stabbed to death in my tent by the deba blade of a Namahage was something to be grateful for, at least. The eaves of the outbuilding – still dripping from the night’s incessant downpour – made me…
The Land of the Namahage
Futatsui – Oga Peninsula 74 miles I awoke to heavy rain. Not having the patience to linger in my tent I packed up camp and headed to a nearby 7-Eleven for breakfast. With coffee and gyōza in hand I took a seat under the eaves of a nearby school gymnasium and waited for the rain…
Punctures, Pornhubs and Tentacles
Hirosaki – Futatsui 63 miles Along with boasting about having the most beautiful women in Japan, Akita also brags about consuming the highest quantity of sake in the country; I wondered if the two stats correlated? Unfortunately, as much as the sake fan that I am, I just didn’t quite have the time to carry…
The Nipples of Hirosaki
Aomori – Hirosaki 30 miles I’d riled up a nest of ants during the darkness of night, whilst slyly parking my tent in the grounds of the Aomori Prefecture Sports Park. Passing unnoticed through the compound’s gates, I’d found solace behind a small congregation of bushes in a blind spot from passing vehicles. Here I…
Tokyo to Tokyo: A Cycling Adventure Around Japan… OUT NOW!!!
Dear Reader, It’s been a bit of a slog over the past couple of years whereby it seemed that around every corner some sort of perverse trial or dicey tribulation lurked. Yet, being the kind of sick individual that I am of whom craves a challenge, with a mind slightly scuttled and a soul in…
Record Breaker
Mt. Osore – Aomori 78 miles I awoke early as usual, in sync with daybreak, slightly surprised to have fallen asleep to the sound of desperately hungry bugs. Yet, as I emerged from my tent, all was still; the heathen swarms having dissipated back into the depths from whence they had came. A thick…
Tokyo to Tokyo 