Cycling in Japan – 6 weeks of cycling under the rising sun from Fukuoka to Tokyo
Our first trip outside Europe was way back in 1985 and brought us into a very different culture: Japan. We have always hesitated to put our information on our site as it might be outdated.
Why this information is still useful: But then in 2001, we read Josie Dew’s “A Ride into the Neon Sun: A Gaijin in Japan” and nothing seemed to have changed. So here it is: our travelogue about our Japantrip. All information on these pages is based on our personal experiences cycling in Japan during August and September 1985.
Maps; getting around
Many road signs are in Japanese characters only. A map with names written in Japanese is therefore necessary. To find your way around your map should at least show road numbers. For your own convenience it helps if it also shows names in Roman script.
A roadmap in Japanese is helpful
We used a road atlas of more than 250 pages, including city maps (sorry, no name in English). It showed both road numbers and names in Roman script. To make it more handy we cut loose all the pages and only took the pages we were going to need.
Signposting along all the roads is good, but most of the time in Japanese only; all distances are measured in kilometres.
Books
We used the well-known Lonely Planet travel guide as guidebook. Nowadays is also specific cycling information available, e.g. cycling Japan by Brian Harrell.
A dictionary and phrase book is essential. It is a good idea to find typical bicycle terms you may need in advance on the Internet, as you won’t find them in any of the travelers phrase books. And of course Josie Dew’s “A Ride into the Neon Sun: A Gaijin in Japan”. (more about Josie )
Links on the WWW
Roads and Traffic
All the roads we traveled were in good condition. However, as Japan is extremely densely populated, traffic is very heavy. Generally the speed limit is 50 km/h. Often we passed traffic jams, moving faster on bicycle than in a car. Traffic is relaxed though. The only speeding we remember as uncomfortable was on toll roads.
Roads are often very busy
It’s often not possible to avoid the main busy roads as there are often no alternatives. Traffic is on the left hand side of the road. It not easy to ask directions to the locals as little English is spoken.
Often when we needed information we ended up communicating in sign- and body language or someone decided to ride ahead of us slowly until we were on the right road. People are very helpful indeed.
Your bicycle – preparation – spare parts
You’d better prepare your bike well to avoid having to look for bicycle repair shops and the inevitable communication problems once you have found one. Our 12 languages bicycle dictionary in including Japanese might help you
Food and drinks
As life is expensive in Japan it is a good idea to be as self-catering as possible. Prices are two to three times as high as what we are used to at home. We did not carry a stove on this trip but we would advise you to take one as you can prepare your own meals.
Drinks
It’s safe to drink water from the tap. There is always a tap at a temple. Because of this, and because it is often the only quiet place around town, temples became our favourite lunch places. Whenever you are in for a cold drink you’ll find one along the road as there are vending machines everywhere.
Breakfast
Breakfast was almost always included in the room rate. It consists of rice with various side dishes like dried or raw fish, miso soup and dried seaweed. One morning I was happy to find an egg at breakfast. That it is Japanese custom to eat eggs raw I only found out when I was knocking the tip off the egg…..
Plastic versions of all dishes on the menu make it easy to choose for foreigners..
Lunch
We always bought our lunch stuff in supermarkets. Every town and village has at least one supermarket.
Dinner
For dinner we were always looking for places with plastic displays of the available dishes outside. It makes ordering easy as you can just point out your favourite. One night we ordered our dinner in a small restaurant where no on spoke English. The waiter ended up bringing in deep frozen fish and meat until we made up our mind. Being vegetarian and eating no fish as well, it took quite some time!
Dinner for two ryokan-style
In minshukus and ryokans dinner may be included in the room rate.
Climate
We visited Japan from August 12 to September 20. The weather was very variable: we had sunny and cloudy days and some rain as well. Temperatures varied from 16 to 30 degrees (°C during daytime). It was often very humid.
Sweeping vistas along Japans east coast…
Where to stay
We used three different types of accommodation: ryokans (hotels), minshuku (pensions) and youth hostels. Visit Randy Johnson’s “Favorite Getaways in Rural Japan” for the Japanese characters for these types of lodging.
Etiquette
It is a good idea to know something about etiquette in Japanese accommodation. Ideas about hygiene also differ at several points from western standards. Here are some basic rules. Whenever you see a lot of shoes at the entrance leave your own there as well and use the indoor slippers provided (as they are Japanese size they may be uncomfortably small). When you enter the toilet facilities it is time to change slippers again: at the door you’ll find a special pair of toilet slippers. The sheets on your futon may be used by previous visitors. We noticed it, it was quite visible, at different ryokans and minshukus, so it seems to be normal. Most rooms in minshukus end ryokans don’t have a lock. It doesn’t seem to be a problem.
Bathing is different
There is a bath tub available, but you only use it after your bath.
First you clean yourself thoroughly at one of the, mostly low to the floor placed taps. Only after that you may enter the tub. Feel carefully for the water temperature before you plunge in, as it is more often than not burning hot!
In fact, several times we were unable to use the bath tub as it was far too hot for us. At other times we could only enter slowly, while the skin beneath the water surface coloured as red as a lobster!
In your room at a ryokan or minshuku you will find a yukata, a kind of house dress. You are supposed to wear it indoor, e.g. having dinner at the dinner room or going to the bathroom.
It is even custom to wear it during an evening stroll through the village (don’t forget to change the indoor slippers for a another pair!)
Ryokan
Ryokans can be both western style, which means with a bed, or Japanese style, when you’ll find a futon on the floor. Both types generally only have a sign in Japanese. When we did not recognize the characters yet we looked around for a building with a lot of slippers in the hall. Some owners assume western visitors can’t sleep on futons, so they welcomed us with “no bettu”. When we managed to make clear that we can sleep anywhere we were very welcome, except in some cases of xenophobia. The price of a room may or may not include breakfast and diner. Be sure to ask before you accept the room as we paid the same amount for rooms with and without meals.
Minshuku
A minshuku is a privately run accommodation, more or less like a bed & breakfast. Meals are generally included. Sometimes the atmosphere is commercial and at other times you may feel part of the family, being invited to use the private washing machine.
Minshuku along our route
Youth hostels
We carried the Japanese youth hostel guide on this trip. The maps showing the location of the hostels sometimes helped us to locate them. Not always, as the directions are in Japanese characters only. During our trip it was low season in the hostels as the new school year had started. There were often just a few visitors around.
Camping
We did not bring a tent on this trip, as there were not a lot of camping facilities in Japan. We heard of people who put their tent in city parks.
Update 2003: Camping has become increasingly popular in Japan. At this moment there are approx. 3000 campsites. There even are KOA campsites over there.
Other ways of getting around
Ferry
We used several ferries to travel from one island to another. Ferries travel frequently and reservations do not seem to be necessary.
Domestic flights
We started our trip with a domestic flight from Tokyo to Fukuoka. It was no problem to take our bicycle. It’s a good idea to check in advance with your airline of there are any restrictions nor regulations on bicycle transport.
Any questions left?
If you still have some questions left do not hesitate to send us an e-mail. Frequently Asked Questions and answers about cycling in general can be found at the FAQ pages.