Day 5 Wed 16th June 2010

A very quiet, peaceful night's sleep. Awake 5am glorious lade view out my tent door. As I rode off into the morning in search of a Larson for breakfast the rain started. Route 37, hills rain, tunnels, scary fast truck, more rain, very narrow shoulder gushing with water from the heavy rain. Decided this is not what I want to do - cycle route 37.
Took the next turn to the right and headed for the hills. Route 266. Zoomed along the valley still raining but no trucks. Beech forests. Thinking I was some distance from any town I pitched my tent in a roadside shelter, wet and tired.

Day 4 Tues 15th June 2010

Awake and up at 4am to check out the view - awesome - all the mist had cleared, the lighthouse is on and it is stunning.
Back to bed, up again at 7.30am and it's all shrouded in mist again.
Bus loads of tourists arriving so I move on, cycle past a smoking volcano Mt showa Shinzan and on route 453 to Shikotsu- Toya National Park. A large beautiful lake, the volcanoes last active March 2000. Camped at Naka-toya Camping Ground.
A fantastic onsen. Soaked and scrubbed and soaked more in the hot tub and relaxed in the tatami room for hours before eating yummy ramen noodles. Fireworks across the lake.

Day 3 Mon 14th June 2010

A beautiful misty morning, with views of snow on the mountains across the lake.
An interesting restaurant or two.
Along route 36, with the misty sea or fog!!! Discovering the joy of convenience stores - they really have great food. Yummy hot rice balls, fishy stuff and seaweed, tuna sandwiches, egg sandwiches, pancakes with honey.....yum.

Stop at Cape Chikyu (one of the top 10 scenic places in Japan). It's around 3pm and it's so misty I can't see the cape, in fact it is so misty I decide to camp here and no one can even see me. Very peaceful with the beautiful mist.

Day 2 Sunday 13th June 2010

Sleeping on the ferry. My bed was no. 22, in with the older couples, my first 'Grand bath' in public. Met good people on the ferry.
Arriving in Hokkaido.
Loaded up the panniers and off I went in search of a camping spot. It's acceptable to free camp on Hokkaido.
My plan is to keep the sea on my left and go where I will.
Cycled along road 141 into beautiful forested areas, up hill and up hill and rewarded by reaching Lake Shikotsu, a caldera lake surrounded by picturesque volcanoes.

Hokkaido Adventure Day 1 Sat 12th June 2010

Off to Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan to cycle, camp and holiday for 5 weeks.
When I started this journey the Bike Odometer was already on 473km.

Left Yokohama on Sat 12th July 2010 at 1.30pm.
4 hours on the trains with the bike, the panniers and a tent. Thanks to the kindness of some wonderful Japanese people for helping me on the trains.

View court (my apartment) to Oarai.
Motomachi - Chukagi to Naka Meguro to Ueno to Mito to Oarai where the train guards gave me a map with directions to the ferry terminal. Hooray I made it in 4 hours!!!
Purchased my Ferry Ticket 10,400 yen = AUD $76
MOL Ferry Co - SUNFLOWER
Two burly men strapped in my bike beside the motorbikes in readiness for the 19 hour sea journey ahead.
A great start to a brilliant adventure.

Pics on the way!!!

I survived cycling northern Japan and will post pics soon.

Kamakura

Rode to Kamakura, 50 km loop this morning to test the new touring tyres. All good.
Latest pic of me.