I wondered before whether cycling in Japan in early January was foolish and whether I’d be all day shivering on the bike. My brother, a Japan cycling veteran having cycled across the whole island during his time living there, assured me it would be fine. We had two weeks and a circumnavigation of Kyushu seemed to be the perfect distance to fit in that time.
We had a few days in Osaka before we had arranged to meet my brother on New Year’s Eve in Fukuoka, so we spent a few days exploring the back streets of Osaka and going for easy runs around the city. Japan never disappoints me and the cities are my favorites in the world. We ate probably the best soba I have eaten and drank lots of filter coffee. A Shinkansen to Fukouka was navigated with bikes onboard. I’m not sure if this was allowed within JR’s regulations but we were on, bento in hand, for the three hour ride south to Kyushu.
There had been a fairly serious earthquake north of Fukuoka, but when were saw the news it seemed as though we were still in an evacuation zone. The receptionists at the hotel didn’t seemed perturbed.I feel as though we didn’t see the best of Fukuoka. We couldn’t find anywhere that would let us in at for New Year and ended up drinking cans of Sapporo lager in the hostel. The day afterwards we had a quick wonder and some coffee and after finding some small pieces for the bike we were ready to leave.
I’m writing this too long after having cycled it to recount each day-by-day, so I’ll leave the photos to give an idea of the trip. My general reflections of the trip are as follows. Being in Japan at this time of year in a place where few foreigners go and using a mode of transport as tactile as a bike is my definition of heaven. I felt cocooned and removed from the world back home. I felt safe and peaceful, in a way I have never felt in any other place. This is probably due to the Japanese culture and people, but also maybe due to the sense of calm you get when out in the countryside. Small temples everywhere, rice paddies perched on hills, mandarin trees being manually tended to and water everywhere. The Cyprus wood used in buildings and the slippers you are given upon entering a building makes you feel at ease. The jingle upon walking into a Family Mart becomes anthemic and the little bench table at the window is the perfect spot to watch life go by.
I don’t need to say that the food is on another level compared to the sorry offerings in Europe, but the way it’s served- no pretense and functional- means that I never tire. Finding a little soba or udon place at lunch was as much a highlight as passing over the top of the last col and descending down.
Even the accommodation hit the perfect spot. A combination of cheap and dated businessmen hotels, which were immaculately clean and functional, little guest houses or hostels where I really felt like I was in someone’s house and a fancy Ryokan in Kurokawa Onsen (genuinely the best hotel I have ever stayed in) was the perfect compliment to cycling all day.
We were three on this trip and it was good to spend so much time with my brother. Whatever differences we had as children have now been replaced by a real mutual respect. He is, and will always be, still my younger brother but this trip really highlighted our similarities. His time living in Asia along with his investment in reading and his peer group has shaped him into an extremely interesting person to be around. Three weeks flew by without any disagreement and a mutual understanding of what we were all trying to get from the trip. Having his splutterings of Japanese language skill helped proceedings along with his understanding of the country after three years living there.
Stats:
1,066km, 24,082m+ and 15 days
Lawsons kombinis visited: at least 50
