The weather wasn't looking great in the morning, lots of grey clouds and a fair amount of humidity, like it wanted to rain at any moment. My weather forecast said that the rain wouldn't start until the afternoon, so there was enough time to make it to Takayama without getting soaked. After getting up a … Continue reading Japan Day 36-37: Riding Shirakawa to Takayama and Rest Day
Today's ride was surprisingly easy, it was mostly downhill with a few tunnels along the way and hardly any traffic. I just rode along Route 156, which took my along Miboro Dam, part of a hydroelectric plant, however after it was built it flooded some villages and shrines. Two giant cherry trees were taken from … Continue reading Japan Day 34-35: Riding Hirugano to Shirakawa and Rest Day
Before my actual ride out of the city, I went for a morning guided tour of Nagara River with cycle-cruise and had fun riding downstream, seeing cedar forests and rafts on the river, eating icecream, skipping stones and trainspotting. It was nice to ride without all my gear on the back and to have my guide, … Continue reading Japan Day 33: Riding Gujo Hachiman to Hirugano
I reluctantly left my lovely airbnb place and headed north towards the mountains. My host already had some eggs ready for breakfast and I bid them farewell and signed their guestbook before getting on my bike. The first 10km were very flat and afterwards the incline was fairly gentle, aside from a steep part with … Continue reading Japan Day 32: Riding Gifu to Gujo Hachiman
Today was my last long ride before I headed to the alps and I took my time along the scenic route of Lake Biwa, the largest freshwater lake in Japan. There were lots of people fishing along the water and boats cruising around, so it felt like I was going through a coastal town. The … Continue reading Japan Day 30-31: Riding Kyoto to Gifu and Rest Day
Today's ride was much easier, the first half was along a low speed road with minimal traffic and the second half had a riverside pathway and some designated cycle lanes leading into the city. I left around midday and it was a tad warm, but I arrived around 3.30pm and made a new friend at … Continue reading Japan Day 26-29: Riding Nara to Kyoto and Exploring
The ride to Nara was short but absurdly steep, that super peak was 400m of elevation across a 2km stretch, consequently it took me an hour to push my bike up that section. The downhill section was pretty terrible because the road had these circular indents in the ground, I'm guessing it was to increase … Continue reading Japan Day 24-25: Riding Osaka to Nara and Rest Day
Before I rode out to Osaka, my cousin took me to Himeji Castle, 20km west of Kakogawa. Given that it was the Monday after Golden Week, it was really quiet and we didn't have to wait in any lines or have any random people walking through our photos. The castle itself is huge, you can … Continue reading Japan Day 20-23: Riding Kakogawa to Osaka and Exploring
I have a cousin who lives in Kakogawa, 40km west of Kobe, and I stayed with her family over the weekend. I last saw her in Vietnam, about 15 years ago and since then she got married, moved to Japan and is currently raising three daughters, with a baby on the way. My aunty and … Continue reading Japan Day 17-19: Visiting Kakogawa with Family
This is probably the last long ride for Japan and it was more mentally tiring than anything. I stocked up on some onigiri (seaweed wrapped rice triangles) and gave myself some breaks along the way to keep my brain focused. Originally I intended to see Himeji first and visit the giant castle, but all the hostels … Continue reading Japan Day 15-16: Riding Okayama to Kobe and Rest Day
Jenny on Wheels 