Honshu Part 2 

From Tokyo to Yokosuka

From Tokyo, I drove along the coast to Yokosuka. One big city followed another, and Tokyo merged seamlessly into Yokohama, the second largest city in Japan. I noticed the difference: Yokohama was more modern and offered luxurious stores. Whether you want to buy a Porsche or a Cartier watch, you’ll find it here.

Only after about 50 kilometers did the houses get lower and I found myself in a region with small, charming fishing ports.

Yokosuka is a completely different Japan. Around 30,000 Americans are stationed here, which naturally has an influence on the atmosphere.

The people seem more open. I spent two relaxing days in Yokosuka and continued my journey refreshed.

Towards Mount Fuji in the rain

On the first day of my onward journey, I came across the second largest seated Buddha in Kamakura.

It’s unbelievable how much traffic chaos the many tourists cause! It was nice to see it, but I was very glad when I was able to drive on again.

I couldn’t find the campsite I had originally planned to stay at. It was already late and it kept raining. Eventually I found a small meadow between houses, roads and train tracks where I was able to pitch my tent unnoticed.

The next day (Saturday), after almost a week, I finally left the densely populated coastal region in the direction of Mount Fuji.

I could see the volcano early on, but unfortunately more and more clouds gathered, it started to rain and when I finally arrived at my campsite, there was no sign of the mountain.

Thanks to my tent neighbor, who hosted me in her tent, it was pleasant despite the rain. Of course, a visit to the onsen was also a must. I fell asleep immediately afterwards.

Rain, fog and changing plans

The next morning started with rain again. I waited with coffee and breakfast in the tent of my neighbor, Yoko. It was accordingly late before I set off again. I struggled on uphill, but when it was only 8 degrees at 990 meters above sea level, I was completely soaked and there was thick fog, so I decided to change my plans. I took the next turn-off and headed down to Fujinomiya.

I descended a few meters through tea plantations. It was much warmer, but I was still completely soaked. After an hour in a McDonald’s, my phone was recharged, I had a new route on my GPS, was halfway dry and the sun was breaking through – ready to ride on.

Off to Nagano

My next destination: Matsumoto, an old town in the mountains. Yes, into the mountains again. And so it was uphill again, on a narrow path through the forest.

When I heard the traffic noise from far away, I knew I wanted to escape the hustle and bustle. I camped in a spot with a beautiful view.

he next morning, I first descended a few hundred meters – only to ride back up the same route. Fuji remained in sight for a long time.

Matsumoto in the province of Nagano is said to be one of the most beautiful cities in Japan. The route was mountainous and there were fewer and fewer campsites. Fortunately, I was always able to camp in parks after asking for permission.

The next morning was simply beautiful: I pitched my tent and watched the sun rise behind Mount Fuji. 

The ride along the Kamanashi River was easy thanks to the tailwind.

It only became challenging after Lake Suwa – a steep climb.

The last section to Matsumoto was then nice and downhill again.

The castle of Matsumoto

The weather was better than expected. There was still a bit of drizzle in the morning, but later I was able to stroll through the town in the sunshine and visit the famous Matsumoto Castle. später konnte ich die Stadt im Sonnenschein durchstreifen und die berühmte Matsumoto-Burg besichtigen.

The castle has six floors, and the steep ladders between the floors made me realize how fit the samurai must have been in the past.

Today, hundreds of tourists were climbing the same steps.

And even more mountains up to Lake Biwa

As always, I don’t last long in such tourist hotspots. The next morning I started the day with a gentle climb that took me through apple orchards near Matsumoto and Shiojiri. They even grow wine in this region! Once again, I was very grateful for the tailwind.

Shortly before the pass, I reached the old post town of Narai-Juku, which is of historical importance to the Japanese.

One of the most famous hiking trails leads over the Torii Pass here. Unfortunately, I had to take the tunnel – 1.7 kilometers long. The cycle path in the tunnel was so narrow and the railing so low that I could do nothing but push. Very unpleasant. You can imagine how annoyed I was.

After the tunnel, I first needed a break at a rest area to cool down. However, there was nothing for me to eat, so I rode about five kilometers further and a hundred meters lower to the next mini supermarket. There I realized that I had forgotten my handlebar bag at the top. It contained all my valuables: wallet, passport, smartphone… I was probably so angry that I hadn’t even noticed.

First I tried to ask someone if they were going upstairs. That was difficult without a smartphone and Google Translate. So I tried hitchhiking, which is probably not common in Japan. In the end, I put my luggage in front of the konbini and cycled up the 5 kilometers and at least 100 meters in altitude. And there was the bag, just as I had left it. Whew! This is Japan, nobody takes anything away from you here.

I finally wanted to go to a campsite again, with a proper shower, so I still had a few kilometers to go. Luckily there were no more mountains. I arrived just before nightfall. Not a soul around. You have to reserve campsites here, which is hardly possible for someone who doesn’t speak Japanese. I usually never know exactly where I’ll end up in the evening anyway. As it was almost dark, I stayed. Of course, no one else came by.

After the experiences of the last few days, I decided to give up the campsites and instead look for onsen, the hot baths, along the way for physical hygiene.

The next stretch was mostly unspectacular and led mostly along the main road. Sometimes, however, it went through old streets with post offices, and of course I also saw temples and shrines. But at some point you have seen them all.

In the afternoon, something happened that I hadn’t expected: a woman picked me up off the road when I was looking for a place to camp. She invited me into her mother’s garden – a safe place to camp.

The best thing about it: I could even shower there! I was finally feeling really well again.

The last stretch to Lake Biwa was very beautiful and easy.

A large part of it led along the Kiso River on wonderful cycle paths. There was one more climb before I reached the cycle path at Lake Biwa.

It was Sunday and there were lots of cyclists out and about. In Otsu, I was invited to stay with Barbara, a German lady.

Short detour to Kyoto: temples and tourists

I was able to spend two wonderful, relaxing days there. That said, the first day was not so relaxing. I wanted to go to Kyoto by bike, but of course without luggage. The city is only about 20 kilometers from Otsu, again with a few meters of elevation gain, of course.

I must have gotten pretty fit. It’s fantastic how much I can climb without luggage.

I don’t know how many temples there are in Kyoto, but I’m sure there are even more tourists.

I thought the public holiday in Tokyo with its crowded sights was an exception. It didn’t look much better here.

At To-ji Temple, I didn’t even make it to the 5-storey pagoda.

It was much better at Ginkaku-ji. The park with the sand formations is well worth seeing. Especially at this time of year when the leaves on the trees are changing color.

It’s very relaxing on the bike again, especially on the small road through the forest.

The next day was really relaxing. It rained and I was allowed to stay with Barbara for another night.

The end (for now) on Honshu with Osaka

The last stretch on Honshu to the ferry to Wakayama was very short. There’s not much to say about that either. Of the 158 km, a good 100 kilometers were through urban areas around Osaka.

The Keinawa cycle path runs partly along the Kizu River all the way to Wakayama. However, I only cycled part of it because I wanted to go through Osaka. There is a free campsite in a park in the middle of the city, which is where I wanted to go. As you can imagine, it’s not exactly quiet in the middle of a city with over a million inhabitants. But the park was very nice and big.

I

t’s definitely good to know that there’s something like this if you’re in Osaka and can’t find anywhere else to stay.

However, I was glad when I felt like I was out of the city again after 50 kilometers the next day.

I camped again just before Wakayama. I got up before 5 a.m., had breakfast and hoped it would be light soon. I wanted to catch the ferry to Tokushima/Shikoku. I set off with the first light of day. That was great! Along Wakayama Bay in the early morning, everything was still so nice and quiet. I arrived at the ferry port shortly after 7 a.m. and was on the ferry an hour later without any problems.

Next time I’ll continue on the much smaller island of Shikoku.