Food was actually quite good and substantial this time with Air China.
Usually in airplanes lunch is not really a lunch, more of a snack, but I remember this time I was quite full after this meal.
I ended up under the bridge relatively hidden from sight, on a spot which turned to be rather nice in the morning (aside from little pee smells here and there:)
This was my first time in Japan and I didnt know what to expect.
Osaka city was definitely beautiful in its own way, but my journey stating there didn’t go as planned.
I didn’t really want to stay in the city (since Japan is expensive but more on that later).
What I needed is buy a few necessary things before I head out of town.
As I havent managed to do everything before the day ended (I wad assembling my bike for 2 hours probably, and there was still an issue of disposing empty bike box, which is another topic on its own, “what to do with trash in Japan if you are a foreginer”) I had to aleep somewhere close, and wild camping is really hard in Japan cities.
I was lucky to find this spot relatively close to city center.
The next day I got back to the center for some shopping. I needed a gas canister (for cooking), and I wanted to buy a bear spray. I wasnt really sure would I need this, but somehow after all inqueries and “investigation” on this matter I still decided to buy it, counting on the fact I will sell it before I move out of Japan. Bear spray is very expensive here (at least 70$)
But I planned to do lot of hiking and wild camping in the mountains and elsewhere , and bear spray allowed me to have a piece of mind. I wouldnt really want to wake up in the morning with bear sniffing my tent.
Bears in Japan are another subject worth discussing on its own and more on that later.
Morning vibes in Japan
Japan all seems to be in constant motion. Everybody is moving somewhere and not a lot of people are resting during the day.
These kind of photos I was looking for when coming to Japan.
Japan was always in my mind as this cartoon style city all full of these anime type of stores and busy streets with people rushing around in the night.
I must say it didn’t disappoint and Japan provided all I ever imagined (and more).
Only “problem” was that before Japan I was in China (again for the first time) and Chine actually blew my mind, even more when I consider I didn’t investigate or knew anything about China before coming there.
China was similar in some ways but also very different that Japan (I am talking about its architecture).
If I have never been to China before visiting Japan I would probably been even more impressed with how Japan looks, but it China that I have fallen in love before I even came to Japan.
Montbell store, there are many through the country and offer relatively budget outdoor gear.
But as I discovered after some browsing, Montbell brand has bad cut clothing meaning, outdoor jackets for taller people are way too wide.
Also , the price arent that cheap in the end, ( but that can be said for the whole Japan.)
I did discover one one very interesting way to buy outdoor gear in Japan very cheaply (I will reveal later on) .
I was looking to buy new goretex jacket in Japan (unplanned) because my old one ended being too soacked in longer rain and I didn’t really liked the felling of wearing such jacket.
Although I have some other goretex jackets at home ,I still havent retired my current jacket (Mountain Equipment brand) becvause it was excellent fit for me, which being tall isnt easy.
Typical scene of people in Japan going somewhere minding their own business.
So I bought a bear spray in the end. This is the cheapest one (still costs about 70$). You can find it in Montbell stores.
Elsewhere prices get easily 100$!
Bear activity in Japan was at its peak previous year (2025) when 13 people dies of bear attacks.
And there were several hundreds attacks recorded.
Japan is a small country and when you take this into account, you might easily think you need bear spray.
But even having a bear spray doesnt garantuee you safety (as bear are incredibly fast).
Most bears will run away as soon as they see you (as it was the case with me), but if you are really unlucky to met an aggressive bear or a mother with cubs, then things could go bad.
Still, regardless if you decide to get a bear spray or not, you should definitely have a simple bell.
Everybody has this, (especially hikers) and its very effective at letting know your presence.
As I discovered, having a bell attached to a bicycle also makes sense in some scenarios, for example, when moving through small deserted mountain roads, where there are almost no cars.
My opinion in the end is most people don’t really need a bear spray, but in my case, I wanted to do lots of hiking (and all of this is unknown to me since I have never been to Japan) plus lots of wild camping simple made me feel safer.
Unfortunately I failed to sell my bear spray towards the end of my journey (maybe bad planning by my side) so I just left it in one hostel and it will hopefully serve some other traveler.
You don’t need to buy a bear spray, you can ask on some social network groups, since people often when leaving country simple give their bear spray for free (since they cant take it on an airplane).
I wasnt personally able to find such deal so I had to buy one.
Maybe Osaka isnt the best place to start journey in Japan. Tokyo for sure is more visited.
Scene from Starbucks (which is frequent in Japan).
I don’t drink coffee, but I ended up sitting in Starbucks some days when passing through buig cities because this was a rare opportunity to charge my devices (mobile phone, powerbank..) and working a it on my laptop for a few hours.
Mind you , even coffee (or similar drinks in Starbucks) werent cheap. Typical price was about 500-600 yen, which is 3-4 euros.
For my budget, this is not cheap at all, expecially considering I don t drink coffee :)
But finding electricity source wasnt easy in Japan so I had to find other methods.
Later I did discover where to charge my devices for free (more on that later :)
A rainy day in Japan ()just like in the movies:)
These transparent umbrellas are such a good idea! I don’t remember seeing this elsewhere.
I guess Europeans are to “menacing” to use such umbrellas (stupid Europe)
So after some initial shopping (and a bike fine) I left Osaka and pointed myself towards north-west.
My plans for Japan have changed more than I could even imagine.
Initially I was suppose to come from China directly, over South Korea (which is popular amongst travelers) but this was the firs thing that I changed.
Looking back now I could have done it (as well and visiting other parts of Japan) but it ended up the way it ended up:)
My first plan was cycle across South Korea to Fukuoka (using ferry), then cycle from Fukuoka (south of Japan) all the way north (island of Hokkaido) and back!
Technically possible and some travelers do this.
This would end up being about cycling 3000 km up and same mileage back down.
My plans changed while I was still in China.
I didn’t have time to cross China by cycling alone, so this would require using some trains (which are doable in china but still require some careful planning).
These trains plus ferries combines would cost almost the same as flying to Japan directly so I wanted to spare myself of using 2 ferries (from China to Korea and from Korea to Japan) and just bought a plane ticket (although flying with bicycle is cumbersome as well!).
So here I was, landed with a plane in Osaka. Why Osaka (well, plane ticket prices were cheaper for Osaka than Fukuoka and I simple shortened my initial plan this way, which suited me).
This was in Kyoto region.
As I was moving north, I started approaching areas where bears were active and I had to adjust my camping habits (of not eating and at least not storing food near the tent).
This wasnt easy I must say , because the best part of the day after all day cycling is resting in the evening somewhere and enjoying all the food in the world.
Camping on the picture above may not look glamorous (and not always is) but there was nothing wrong with this location (which I remember well because I kept looking at bear sightings map (publicly available at https://kumamap.net )
I had rain protection (and rain in Japan is another topic to discuss later on:) and especially in the beginning, it wasnt easy for my finding these wild camping spots, which looking to stay bear free at the same time :)
Prices of accommodation in Japan are very steep.
You must love these old phone booths left in Japan on the street.
If you wonder what is the purpose, I guess calling regular numbers may not work anymore (which realistically nobody needs in this mobile world) , but calling emergency services does work for sure.
Ahh, the temples in Japan..
I have seen many many beautiful temples in Thailand (my first country in this journey), then in Laos, Vietnam and somewhat little ,less in China (compared to previous countries).
For sure, I have got enough of them :)
This does not mean I have been avoiding them on purpose but once you see many , you don’t have a need for them so much of course.
Temples in Japan were slightly different but most similar to ones in Vietnam I would say.
Thailand had specific “flashy” styled temples (same as Laos) but then style drastically changed in Vietnam. They were much more luxurious there (and probably most luxurious I have seen so far).
Japan in somewhere in the middle. They are not as fancy as the ones in Vietnam, but still have their own tiny little elements and unique features which makes you want to glaze for long :)
Also, temples in Japan were sometimes placed in nature surrounded by huge trees (thick and very tall), which were magical on its own.
Food is a different topic in Japan.
Yes, it very expensive, but there ares till cheap things to buy.
Mind you , fruits and vegetables get very expensive.
While you can still but bread for example cheaply, or pasta or similar, almost all fruits and vegetables gets very expensive.
For example apples or tomatoes can easily be almost one apple = one eur!
Sometimes you can get cheaper offering (if you buy bigger pack) but still ends up being like two apples for one eur!
This was the most crazy pricing I have ever seen. Even Norway doesn’t come close.
Exceptions are what is seen in this picture, called “bean sprouts”, which is something I dont think I have eaten before, but got very accustomed once I tried and made it almost my regular meal (together with pasta or bread).
Working on my laptop in some public park, all dressed in Cherry blossoms ,which famous in Japan.
Cherry blossoms where at its peak somewhere just before I arrived in Japan (which was in April) but of course it depends on which part in Japan you are.
In north, on Hokkaido they stay the longest.
Japan houses, they were so lovely.
There were 2 distinct styles (classic Japan, temple looking ones) and these ones, which I called Norway style.
But in the beginning, I was only seeing classic ones. I guess it depends where you are in Japan.
Later as I moved north and close to the sea, I got more and more of “Scandinavia” looking small towns, which I really like.
I must say this style of houses ended up being my favorite in Japan.
Fallen flowers
An official free campsite (which Japan if full of) right next to the river on a quiet road.
This was my first campsite. We had a Google map of campsites in Japan, publicly available. Some campsites were free, some paid, and prices vary from cheap ones to very expensive.
I have never been to paid campsite in Japan, because I simply didn’t need. There were many of them spread through the country when I wanted to sleep in official campsite.
Cheap campsites usually had only a place to sleep, rarely drinkable water or electricity. But there were still some gems I stayed at.
Some of them were located on the end of the valleys somewhere close to the mountains, for those who maybe want to do some hiking of just being close the nature.
Being an official campsite doesn’t mean you are safe from bears.
In fact, bears were often attracted to these campsites because everybody would cook and eat (often barbeque) on this places.
Some campsite got closed if bears have been seem close by.
A classic house in Japan, temple looking style.
I don’t know how they are built inside, but they look beautiful (together with these lovely trees called niwaki, which translate to “garden tree” ), although they ended up not being my favorite style of house in Japan.
A graveyard in Japan.
Graveyards in Japan could be found on many random spots (similar to what I got used to seeing in Vietnam) although not that often. Most of the time they were “grouped together” but as can bee seen on the picture above, they are different that what you find in Europe no fence for example)
Went hiking on some small mountain (or a hill) in Kyoto region.
First I climbed the road through misteriously looking woods, then left my bike and hiked to top.
I made my own (diy) bear spray chest holster since I havent purchased a belt holster.
Nothing fancy at the top, but I missed any type of hiking from the beginning of my journey.
Nothing really worth mentioning happened in Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.
Only in China I was able to do one higher mountain, but that was pretty much it.
So I was looking forward to some serious hikes in Japan and Japanese alps.
Magical flowers on the streets of Japan on the streets and not a hint of trash anywhere :)
Wild camping next to river
Strange combination of normal trees and bamboo
Sesame paste (or Tahini). I found this is Gyomu Super supermarkets.
Finding good peanut butter in Japan was rare (at least in sizable quantities) but thus Tahini paste was a good substitute with an affordable price.
The way such gardens are being made is really breathtaking!
Japanese garden tress called “niwaki”
Went hiking to small mountain on the west coast called Mount Aoba (693m) located on the vborder of Tahakama, Fukui perfecture and Maizuru, Kyoto perfecture.
Its a small hill but being close to the coast gives an excellent views on the sea!
View inland from the top
Inside of the bivy.
There is a story here about heavy cruiser named Aoba in japanese Navy which went to a hard fought war in many major Pacific battles.
A small bivy hut on the top. It would be nice to spend the night here.
View towards the sea overlooking Wakasa Bay.
Another type of vegetable product I was eating a lot in Japan.
This was a pickle named daikon radish commonly known as “takuan”.
Yellow takuan gets its vivid coloring from turmeric.
There was also a natural white version made form rice-bran fermentation which was more expensive
This was most cheap in Gyomu Super supermarkets.
The coast of Japan. Being still a April it was cold and there was nobody on the beaches.
This was a common theme on Japan beaches.
The climate there makes a sea suitable for swimming only during July and August, while the rest of the year beaches are deserted.
This is of course for the main island (Honshu.
Things on the north island (Hokkaido) are even more harsher.
Sound of Japan may have some warmer climate, but I was not there myself.
What you see on the picture are wave breakers, a common site on Japan beaches. They look like toys , just enlarged to big size.
Temples were subtle and still very powerful looking.
I would often stop to look at details.
Most of the time there was nobody in the temples.
Some kind of “prayer board” where people leave their wishes.
In one small town I was resting near a bus station where I was approached by Japanese police.
This was my first experience with them in person.
They were polite (as most Japanese people) asking me where I was going, and since it was a rainy day they wished me luck on my way forwards.
I couldn’t get a better photo because police for obvious reasons does not want to be filmed.
A bean sprouts mixed with full wheat pasta and chicken liver.
This was my own cooked meal.
Chicken liver I include when possible (when I can find them in stores) because this is one of most healthiest meat, very rich in iron.
Sleeping in one of public parks hiding from the rain.
As time passed by, I got more and more accoustomed to finding good places for sleep.
Another big beach with nobody in sight.
Sea is simply too cold for swimming and even weather is not such that people would lay on the beaches.
On the west coast, there I stumbled on some small road through the mountains which lead through old railway tunnels.
Some of the country side reminded me of Vietnam ,where this was a very common site.
Ground were people grow plants would be under water.
A rare sight for me, buying a tomatoes in Japan :)
Normally I eat this everyday wherever I am but this was Japan :)
There were probably on discount, otherwise it was too expensive buying a tomatoes in Japan, at least on daily basis.
Visiting a Montbell store in the town of Ono in Fukui perfecture.
I lost my bear spray safety trigger mechanism (I am such an idiot, I didn’t tie it because I never though this would happen) so I was looking for a replacement.
Now you could trigger a bear spray by mistake. I had to make something fit in there to prevent bear spray triggering by accident.
Tunnels in Japan.
There are hundreds of them.
Most of the time close to the top of mountain passes, shortening the actual climbs over mountains, but over present even in small hills.
Drivers in Japan are of course very careful so riding on Japan roads and in tunnels in not a problem.
A cherry blossoms “site”
Colors in real life are even more spectacular, but my phone camera cannot capture that.
Japanese road sign can be a cartooned as well :)
This one I think is throwing snow balls at cars.
My first time seeing Japanese serow, locally called “Kamoshika” which is Japanese goat-antelope type animal, very similar to boar or a bear from a distance (especially if you have poor eyesight).
They are big animals and the only thing they are missing is a snout like a bear.
I probably saw 6-7 Kamoshika overall, all in different circumstances.
They are not shy of humans (unlike bears) and some will happily stand in front of you, looking at you next more.
Once I was standing on one side of the quiet road in complete silence looking at my phone, only to realize one Kamoshika is standing on the opposite side of the road, maybe 6-7 meters away from me, staring at me, without me even notice. Good thing it was not a bear :)
Some kind of historic house / shelter type located next to the road close to the temple.,
View inside , very basic only fire pit in sight.
More of classic Japanese styled houses.
A lot of snowy peaks in northern Japanese alps close to town of Matsumoto.
This is how you go to the toilet when wild camping in Japan :)
Wooden bear statue
Japan is full of bear warning signs
I discovered this store in Japan where you can buy very good quality clothing at very affordable prices.
They mostly sell summer stuff but you can find some warmer gear including rain gear which looks promising, especially for the money.
I bought my self some socks there and one short pants I liked.
I recommend visiting this store if you need some sport and casual clothing!
Another stores worth visiting in Japan if you need outdoor clothing and gear are Trefac sports.
Trefac sports (used gear / clothing stores) in Japan
I found this on Google, I though its going to be shit but it was blown away by offer they have!
If you need outdoor clothing and gear, you must visit these stores.
They offer used (but completely preserved) clothing and outdoor gear stuff (tents, chairs, backpacks, drybags, sleeping bags, cooking gear...) at amazing prices!
They also have some other sports, like cycling gear.
You can often find premium stuff (like expensive jackets, tents etc..) people buy then I guess when they find out they dont want to use it, they just pass it to the shop.
Many things look almost like new, you wouldn't even know if you buy this at a "real" store that its slightly used.
I bought myself a cycling jacket Peral Izumi (thermo, windproof) for nothing, some merino shirt, and one North Face goretex jacket that looks like new for half the price.
In one store they have a Sea to Summit Spark sp1 sleeping bag that looks like new for half the price on Amazon.
Climbing over some mountain pass
There was snow remains close to top.
It was weird for me seeing this snow as I came from complete summer in southeast Asia and havent seen winter for long time.
But the air was cold as you climbed higher.
There was a peak here I planned to hike called Mt Shirane (2578 m)
I was not aware of actual snow conditions but was determined to climb it because I was really missing rear hiking ever since I started this trip.
And I was carrying trial shoes in my panniers all the time so I had to make good use of it.
I was surprised seeking snow almost everywhere since the start of the hike so it was not looking good :)
Tut the snow was mostly hard summer remains so it was doable, despite my shoes, or the lack of proper mountain boots.
First part of the hike goes through north side of the mountain which is in forest so now wonder snow stays here long.
After some scrambling and classic falling through the show, I reached second part of the hike higher up.
Beautiful lake located below the actual peak.
Here the trail separates into multiple paths.
At first the peak looked unreachable because there was a lot of snow below it, and the people were going down from the top in full winter gear (mountain boots, crampons…)
I didn’t really know what to do here, but after some resting on this beautiful location, I decided to push for summit.
In the end it wasnt a big problem , crossing some deeper snow after the lake, and finally reaching the top. It would be more comfortable in proper mountain boots, but I dont carry this on long bike trip of course.
Views from the top were magnificent!
There were quite a few hikers this day (it was Sunday by accident), some from Japan but also few people from Taiwan and other countries.
A broken Shimano grx 400 front shifter lever unpleasantly surprised me one day, and this bike was less than a year old.
This is not something that it suppose to break at any point.
After a lot of web browsing and finding actual issue (thanks to some Reddit threads) I was really angry because I didn’t need any of this now.
In the end I managed to somehow patch this together (after few days of fiddling) so it works but the solution was not permanent , as I later discovered :(
A beautiful wooden cabin which was located in public campsite on the outskirt of town.
A rainy day was coming so I was looking for a place to hide.
It was Sunday and I was expecting many people to be here, but to my surprise there was nobody here.
I spend the night here, and only the next day I saw few hikers who went walking into the woods despite heavier ran that day.
As always, bear warning signs are present at such locations and some of these places literally “stink” of bears.
Of course its a campsite with fire pits where people grill food and everything has the smell of barbeque
Maybe it all in my head but at some locations like this I felt like bears are watching me :)
Resting on a rainy day in front of the cabin.
Another “Not the worst office in the world“ collection
Checking my form (how much weight I have lost)
A submerged forest Lake Shusen (Akita Prefecture)
It was an amazing place with tress growing out of the water.
It features a cobalt-blue artificial reservoir formed from a near by dam.
When snow melts (from April to June) it raiser water levelto artially flood shoreline trees.
Towada Hachimantai national park, a big lake over the small mountain pass on a very windy day.
Sunset in the evening
I couldnt decide that day on which side of the lake to cycle.
Its possible to go on both side and they all look attractive.
Spending the night next to the lake.
Despite being a tourist place it was very calm here and the lake was great place for a short swim before bed.
The next morning
Flowers in Japan right on the street
Its even more beautiful when you see it in person
Signs from public toilets (do not take away toilet paper :)
I arrived at the north part of main island in Japan.
From here I should have cross by ferry to northern island (Hokkaido) but after some strange thoughts in my head recently, I decided not to go.
It was a weird period for me in Japan, from when I landed in Osaka to get here It took me almost a month , which was way too long if I was going to cycle the whole length of Japan up and down (which was my original plan).
Hokkaido is very scenic and probably the most interesting island in Japan.
The decision not to go to Hokkaido and turn back literally came very morning for me as I calculated I do not have time (despite having 3 months visa free in japan.)
Later I would regret not visiting Hokkaido but it was my decision at the time.
The northeaster coast of Japan, a random beach I took a rest and then decided to try to swim.
Water is very cold but also very clear.
There is nobody on the beaches.
Gorgeous stones of all sizes
Some closeups
Here I started seeing this big tsunami protection walls for the first time.
They are huge, this was was 8 meters at least maybe more.
With metal automatic closing doors and stairs leading over the wall at several places.
It was a strange concept to see.
At one side, city is somehow protected from potential tsunami, but on the other hand, any views from m the city side are completely blocked, and it feels like they live in some kind of cage.
People living there don’t have any views towards the see.
The only way to get views is exit the house and go to the other side of the walls.
A random aquarium I visited on east coast of Japan.
I was a big collection of fishes, sea Urchin and Medusozoa
It was all in Japanese but it was well worth visiting.
You can find such museums all over the coast of Japan.
Some kind of rock where is possible to see sunset at specific time through the rock
An unexpected incident, where my seat has failed, specifically a bolt holding the seat has broken.
I had this seatpost for a long time so it was annoying incident even more because I had to cycle without a seatpost to next big town.
Not only cycling without a seaport is very cumbersome but find a replacement can be a challenge.
This reminded me of my trip to Norway 2022 (time flies) when I had similar incident when my seatpost has broken and I had to cycle 150 km to the next time to buy a new one.
I managed to tie it somehow through the bolt holes because I couldn’t ride without a seatpost because it simply too tiring.
However finding a replacement bolt turned out to be impossible.
I arrived at a big town of Morioka when I have visited big stores but nowhere I could find such bolt (because of proprietary bullshit bolt thread)
In the end I had to buy a new seatpost in some town, and even this proved to be a challenge (despite this being Japan) but luckily I some some small bike shop where the owner agreed to sell m ehis own seatpost at normal price after the only seatpost he had for sale costed almost 80$.
I dont need this shite.
A visit to Kitayamazaki national park
There are many national parks in Japan at the was one of them I stumbled by accident
A gorgeous place (10 out of 10!) with some hiking trail leading down to the coast to the very sea.
It all looked like a movie scene.
A big collection of mussels on the beach
Another annoying gear issue
My Schwalbe Marathon Mondail rear tire fail
A sidewall has ripped around 9000 km
Its a common issue with these tires, often happens when you have too low pressures in tires and sidewall get damaged in process.
I was well aware of such an issue and tried to keep high enough pressures but still seeing this made meany for such issues.
I had to get a new tire.
I used Amazon Japan which is popular online platform to order a new tire because even in Japan, its hard to find bike parts in actual stores.
After I have visited some store I couldnt find anything useful so I had to order online.
Encounters with random people we rare in Japan, must be said.
Especially coming from southeast Asia (Thailand, Laos and Vietnam) where people would approach you on daily basis , simply being interested meeting you and asking basic questions like where are you coming from and where are you going.
Also, not a lot of people speaks English in Japan, which was surprising to me, as I consider Japan to be very educational country.
A bike shop owned in small town who helped me and sold his seatpost because I could not find a seatpost for sale anythere.
A prices a apples in Japan (1 eur = 180 yen)
This is a price for the whole pack.
Songs located at specific points on the coast of Japan, indication where a safe distance is from when tsunami happens.
Its was crazy to me realizing how much attention was given for this subject in Japan.
East coast of Japan is full of monuments and memories of great Japan earthquaqe and tsunami that happened 2011 and killed over 20000 people.
Town of Okinawa which was destroyed by tsunami in 2011
A police building was let as memory and reminder to tragic incident that happened.
The strong force of tsunami has ripped out the building out of its foundation.
Lots of wild monkeys can be seen in Japan.
It was a common site in south east Asia but I was not expecting to see them in Japan.
There were not aggressive at any point.
Cycled one day over the mountain pass on the border of Yamagata and Miyagi prefectures is the Zaō Echo Line to visit Mount Zaō.
This was my first volcano I visited in Japan
From the very top of the pass its possible to do a short hike (less than half an hour) to the top of the mountain.
A breathtaking colors of soil and the volcanic lake at the top were mind blowingly beautiful!
A hike leading alongside the crater
A mountain bivouac at the top
Quite a few people at the top that day
A children going to school in Japan all dressing in common clothing
A common site , you have a town on one side of the wall.
And beach on the other side of the wall.
I would love to see how this looks in peak of the summer when the sea should be warm enough, and weather there do people spend time on the beaches.
A multistory car parking lots in Japan.
I havent seen them in action (how does it looks like when someone needs their car ) because obviously some kind of elevator type shuffling needs to happens fro this to work :)
I cant imagine this working in Europe (where people don’t have patience for this kind of stuff)
But space is very limited in Japan which becomes apparent after spending some time in Japan and visiting the cities because Japan in located on an island and towns are usually very populated.
A classic scene in town, small cars barely fit next to the houses in Japan.
Approaching Tokyo, the most modern city I have even been to.
I havent stayed in Tokyo, neither I have planned to.
In fact, I am not fan of big cities, and would rather avoid them.
But I ended up passing through Tokyo as I was coming back going south through main island.
And Tokyo is huge.
And if you really want to explore this city, you should leave your bike and luggage somewhere (which usually means paying for storage since space is very limited in Japan) and explore the city on foot and suing public transport because using bicycle to move through Tokyo is not a good way to do it, despite cycling infrastructure being very good in Japan.
Daily life in Tokyo.
People in suits moving across the streets.
Back on the countryside
After passing through Tokyo I was planning to visit Mt fuji
One day I met a traveler from Australia.
It was rare for me to see other bike travelers in Japan, which his weird because lots of bike packers visits Japan every year.
But me personally didn’t meet anybody for more than a month in Japan.
Cycling around Mt Fuji lovely
It was nice seeing this giant and the highest mountain in Japan.
Don’t know if climbing season has started when I was there but there was very little snow remains on very top.
These days the amount of people planning to climb Mt Fuji every year in huge and me personally don’t enjoy such mountains where you literally walk in queue with other people to reach the top.
In was not the mountain I was planning to visit in Japan (even if I had the neccessarry gear with me)
A mysterious box
I spent one whole rainy day and night in this shelter which was pretty cozy. Toilets, electricity, tables... And a view!
It was located a little bit above the Matsumoto valley in the Japanese alps so the views were spectacular , even some mountains were visible, shredded in rainy clouds.
In the evening, when I was in the toilet, someone left a box on the very table I was sitting on during the day.
My first thought was that these were some toiletries by the people who keep this place clean so I didn't even look further.
But my mind kept telling me something else, so I took a look at what's inside this box.
Quickly I realized this was some warm food, drink, blanket, tissues and other tiny bits.
There was even a message there :)
So my mind was right, this was left by someone who saw me sitting here all day long, probably thinking I am stuck here for whatever reason (maybe I lost my wallet).
An awkward thought I must say, but it does not devalue someone's helpful deed.
Which brings me back to someone saying Japanese are "cold" minded people. This proves there is still a big heart present in this community!
I left the following morning and the gift box was left untouched.
I didnt need anything ( had plenty of my food) and felt wrong to use it.
Thanks to whoever left this!
A Japanese pars are a work of art on its own
All clean and maintained by people on everyday basis
Furthermore people don’t really spend time there like they would be in Europe so its very clean of trash, no dog poo and the rest :)
Went hiking on day on Mount Ontake , another vulcano in Japan
It was one of the best hiking days I had in Japan.
Trail first leads through the mystery looking forest (Ontake Recreation Forest )
Someone lost their bear bell.
Since I never bought a bear bell, I mostly used music to announce my presence when hiking, I decided to keep this.
Towards the top the trail opens in bushy looking trail paths
Volcanic lakes at the top
Lots of Japanese people at the top that day.
Day started in nasty looking clouds (as I was approaching the mountain by bicycle).
Later when I started hiking there was still a ot of clouds and at one point even some thunderstorm and I was just about to turn around (as any sane person would) but as I was resting on forest trail, few people passed me and the weather quickly changed from cloudy to sunny.
I went from being very disappointed for having to come back from half way up the mountain to ly going to the top in gorgeous weather for the rest of the day.
Mountain hut at the top plus opportunity to take a sauna for small fee (I havent been experiencing that).
Volcanic rock
Many small temples on the top
Sleeping the same day in a shelter opposite to the mountain I just climbed.
This day I actually saw another medium size black bear, as I was descending small road away from the mountain.
It came around the corner on steep descent, appearing just for a brief seconds, before it escaped into the bush. I was just about to stop completely by squeezing my brakes but he was gone immediately after.
They are very shy, these bears, must be said :)
Of course this assumes not encountering an aggressive bear , which might act differently.
Meeting a random stranger one morning where I slept in Road side station.
Road side station were good opportunity sometimes to spend the night because they usually were closed and they was nobody there overnight. But the toilets were opened (and toilets in Japan are super clean plus the water is drinkable), and there often was wifi available.
This gentleman was a English teacher to Japanese people (he spoke excellent English) and he was telling me how he travels and spends lot of time on the road while doing his job.
Beautiful Japanese houses, this style is my favorite!
Cure small Japanese cars, streets are full of them
Its one of the things you fall in love quickly in Japan :)
A rock formation called Hashiguiiwa Rocks , a scenic spot in the Wakayama perfecture.
This mysterious collection of large and small unusually shaped rocks, magma that intruded upward into sedimentary rock.
Some of these rock were moved by powerful tsunami and they also call it “tsunami-ishi ”
In the heart of typhoon.
It was raining a lot for a few days.
What is Europe would be called a storm, in Japan is called typhoon.
The morning after the rains
A lovely gentleman who allowed me to stay in his beach bar until the weather gets better
Proof there are tall Japanese people :)
I met these young guys one day on the side of the road and they were very curious where I was coming form.
As you can see one guy in the picture is almost as tall as me :)
I have never seen such a tall Japanese person.
Random picturesque photos
The beauty of temples in Japan
My last days in Osaka I spend in one hostel waiting for my flight out of Japan back to China.
My plans towards the end of my time in Japan has changed once more.
From my original plan to cycle the length of Japan up and down! I havent even moved away from the main island of Japan (Honshu) and almost 3 months have passed.
I guess I was tired from traveling back then (needed a longer rest) and my wish to do a lot of hiking in Japan made me go slow with lot of resting along the way.
I would also say that Japan is such that is makes you move around slowly, because its all full of small interesting things wherever you go.
When you are on the coast there are beaches to enjoy, coastline feature, aquariums...
When you move inlands into the mountains there are mountain passes, endless beautiful green woods, different looking mountains and volcanoes (something I havent seen before).
Town are different story all together , from lovely architecture to modern design.
Japan was strange to me I must say.
And I gave up on idea that I need to cycle the whole length of Japan in the process.
If I stayed with this idea, I would probably do this, but I felt the need for rest, and somehow ending going around at snail pace.
Even my idea to hike big mountains in Japanese alps hasnt really come true. I realized that these 3000 m high mountains in Japan only get clear of most of the snow somewhere in July / August and I was in Japan from April to June.
Note to myself: if I ever come to Japan again I should do it in September so I can fully enjoy Japan highest and most attractive mountains.
Nightlife in Osaka
Random photos from Osaka
My very badly packed bike waiting for a flight back to China.
Kansai airport in Osaka
A look back
Japan, the land of first for me
Climbed my first volcano, saw a first bear ( in the wild), paid first bicycle fine ever...
Japan is full of small interesting things wherever you turn.
You go on the coast, you enjoy sea views, beaches, you see these tsunami defense walls, tsunami memorials, aquariums..
You go inland and cycle some mountain passes and quiet mountain roads, do some hiking (lots of mountains everywhere), even volcanoes, which are especially interesting for hiking
- you see some wild animals bears, Kamoshika, wild monkeys..
There are caves to explore
Then there is Japanese cities and all infrastructure, clean and amazing public parks
It's a narrow island, which makes you want to deviate from one side to the other, zig-zagging around
If you like all this, a 3 month visa is nothing for Japan. You could spend a year here easily.
Of course things are not cheap here, but you learn how to save overtime even if you are on a budget.
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