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Showing posts from June, 2025

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 私はりょこうとサイクリング・ツアが大好きです。ながいあいだ、じてんしゃで日本じゅうりょこうしたかったです。私は大学の先生です。なつやすみがあるけど、日本のなつのてんきはあつくて、むしあつくて、あめです。だから、みちじゅんをふたつにわけました。きょねんのなつとうきょうからきゅうしゅうのさたみさきまでのりました。りょこうのまえ、いちがっきかんにほんごをべんきょうしました。「なかせんどう」というふるいやまのみちじゅんをとうきょうからきょうとまでのりました。とちゅうで、いなかのせんとうにとまりました。きょうとでりょかんにとまりました。じてんしゃでたくさんのおてらとじんじゃをかんこうしました。とてもおいしいたべものをたべました。こうやさんできれいなおてらにとまりました。そうりょといっしょにメディテーションをしました。こうやさんにはおくのいんがあります。おくのいん日本のなかで一番大きいぼちです。あとで、しこくにいきたかったのでフェリーにのりました。しこくでは、すこしゆうめいなへんろをしました。たくさんのおてらをけんがくしました。まいあさにローソンでカフェボスをのみました。まいごごにファミリーマートででおにぎりを食べました。まいばんにセブン‐イレブンでサッポロビールをかいました。たくさんのえきのみちによったので、いなかのたべものを食べました。はまでねました。こうちではとてもおいしいさしみを食べました。いまばりでは、ともだちをたずねました。そのあと、「しまなみかいどう」という日本の一番ゆうめいなサイクリングみちをじてんしゃでのりました。まつやまでは、どうごおんせん にいきました。どうごおんせんは 日本の一番ふるいおんせんです。それから、きゅうしゅうにいきたかったので フェリーにのりました。きゅうしゅうでは、べっぷおんせん にいきました。あつくてくろいすなのうえにねて、すなをかぶせてもらいました。あそさんにのぼりました。くまもとでは、日本語のせんせいをたずねました。たくさんあめがふりました。ときどき、あめの中でワイルドキャンプをしました。あめでじこにあいました。ひざをけがして、めがねもこわれました。ねじめでは、おんせんにはいって、おいしい食べものを食べました。サイクリングツアーのあと、しんかんせんでおおさかにいきました。二、三日かんおおさかですごしてから、とうきょうにもどり...

Table of Contents

 • 前置 • Table of Contents   • Getting to Tokyo • Day 1 Tokyo to Kiryu • Day 2 Kiryu to Nikkō • Nikkō • Day 3 Nikkō to Aizuwakamatsu • Day 4 Aizuwakamatsu to Fukushima • Day 5 Fukushima to Sendai • Day 6 Sendai to Yanaizu (Tome, Miyagi) • Day 7 Yanaizu (Tome, Miyagi) to Ofunato • Day 8 Ofunato to Hanamaki • Day 9 Hanamachi to Sakuramatsu Park (Appikogen, Iwate) • Day 10 Sakuramatsu Park (Appikogen, Iwate) to Aomori • Day 11 Aomori to Yokohama (Aomori) • Day 12 Yokohama (Aomori) to Hakodate (Hokkaido) • Day 13 Hakodate to Otobe • Day 14 Otobe to Shimamaki • Day 15 Shimamaki to Lake Toya • Day 16 Lake Toya to Nishikioka • Day 17 Nishikioka to Sapporo   • Sapporo • Day 18 Sapporo to Furano • Day 19 Furano to Rumoi • Day 20 Rumoi to Enbetsu • Day 21 Enbetsu to Wakkanai • Day 22 Rishiri Island Loop • Back to Sapporo • Day 23 Sapporo to Otaru • Day 24 Niigata to Joetsu • Day 25 Joetsu to Sakaki • Day 26 Sakaki to Honjo • Day 27 Honjo to Tokyo • Epilogue • S...

Getting to Tokyo

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 Getting to Tokyo The week leading up to my departure from New York was a whirlwind. My semester had just ended, final grades needed to be calculated and submitted, and on top of that, I was hosting my friend Ayano—whom I know from my cycling group and once rode with through her hometown of Osaka. In the midst of it all, my birthday landed on Wednesday. My son Caleb organized a rainy cycling scavenger hunt to celebrate, adding both charm and a mud stripe to the day. I managed to pack just in time—though in my rush, I accidentally boxed up my lithium-ion batteries. I realized my mistake right before the Uber arrived. Check-in at JFK went smoothly, and though the flight was long, I managed to sleep a little. Upon arriving at Haneda, my bike and gear arrived without issue, and my car service was waiting. I reassembled my bike in the tight confines of my hotel room and got my eSIM up and running. Fueled by a quick Craft Boss latte from Lawson’s, I set out to explore Tokyo. The temperat...

日本夏2025年 - Day 1 • Tokyo to Kiryu

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日本夏2025年  - Day 1   May 26, 2025 Tokyo to Kiryu - 134 Km Start   9:02 AM Finish 5:42 PM Total Duration 8:40 Moving Time 6:21 Stopped Time 2:19 Ascent 480m Descent 380m Tour Total 134 Km Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/287577351   I slept well in Room 532 of the Mitsui Garden Hotel in Gotanda. Still on New York time, I woke in the middle of the night, took a melatonin, and drifted back to sleep. By 8:00 a.m., I was up and packing. After handing over my oversized bike box to a surprised reception clerk, I headed downstairs for a Craft Boss latte and a chocolate croissant. Before setting off, I sat beside the Meguro River to enjoy my breakfast. The sky was mostly overcast, the temperature hovering in the mid-60s, with a forecast high of 70°F. Describing Tokyo in a few words is nearly impossible. Like much of Japan, it’s a place of contrasts. At once drab and brutalist, it’s also immaculate, stimulating, and surprisingly quiet. Attention to detail is everywher...

日本夏2025年 - Day 2 • Kiryu to Nikkō

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日本夏2025年 - Day 2 May 27, 2025 Kiryu to Nikkō - 68 Km Start 8:23 AM Finish 1:44 PM Total Duration 5:21 Moving Time 3:55 Stopped Time 1:26 Ascent 1,180 m Descent 745 m Tour Total 202 Km Details at:   https://ridewithgps.com/trips/287909569   I slept well in container number 38 at HOTEL R9 The Yard in Kiryu. At 4:30 a.m., the first light of sunrise began to seep through the curtains. I lingered in bed until seven, easing into the day. With a 3:00 p.m. check-in booked in Nikko, there was no urgency to get an early start. Once I was packed and saddled up, I navigated through the quiet streets of Kiryu. The surrounding mountains loomed like a preview of the day’s climbing. I rejoined the Watarase River and made a quick stop at a 7-Eleven for breakfast: a Craft Boss latte and a bag of donut holes. The climbing began soon after. I was on National Route 122, also known as the Akagane Highway—narrow, winding, and full of short, punchy climbs and descents. Space was tight; the shoulder ...

Nikkō

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Wednesday I woke in my hotel room to perfect weather—sunlight streaming through the windows and casting a golden glow over the surrounding mountains. After breakfast, I hopped on my bike and pedaled out of town, passing the iconic red Shin-kyo Bridge arching gracefully over the Daiya River. My first stop was Taiyuin, the serene mausoleum of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third shogun and grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. I arrived right as it opened and had the entire site to myself. There was even a designated area for bike parking—a convenient touch. Next, I visited Futarasan Shrine, dedicated to the deities of Nikko's three sacred peaks: Mount Nantai, Mount Nyoho, and Mount Taro. I wandered the peaceful grounds and followed a quiet path beneath towering cedar trees. Once again, I found myself blissfully alone. Then I made my way to Toshogu Shrine, the grand and ornate memorial to Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, which governed Japan for over 250 years. By 10 a.m., the peace...