Geoff Jones

Three days biking from Hof to Higashihiroshima upto lifeday 25,460

Posted on April 11, 2017April 11, 2017

Tuesday 11th April

I apologise to my regular readers for the brief hiatus due mainly to me feeling distinctly unwell sneezing, producing voluminous mucus & feeling tired, I was going to have a rest day in Hiroshima today but I fell out with the hotel I booked (they wouldn’t store the bike) and the hotel I did stay in, The Dormy Inn, could only accommodate me for one night 🙁 so despite the rain I biked the 24 miles to the brand new Hotel Route Inn in Higashi

The ride from Hof to Miyajima was a long 64 miles and the most climbing yet of this trip 3,054 feet it was a day without rain but equally, no sun could be seen. Been Sunday everywhere was very quiet with only the major stores open later. The worst part of the day was having to ride through two long tunnels (well over 1km each). The traffic noise is deafening and with nowhere to escape constant stress with cars behind you trying to overtake. Thank goodness it wasn’t a weekday with all the huge trucks.

I started to get worried about the lack of hotel sightings 🙁 This is the problem going on minor roads – you miss the cafes & hotels. However, maps.me came to the rescue and found me the Guesthouse in Miyajima run by a totally OCD couple, the room was typically Japanese (rather than Western like the main hotels) all was OK until I turned the AC on to dry my clothes when suddenly the room filled up with stale cigarette smoke 🙁 🙁 It’s surprising that countries still allow smoking in bedrooms. Miyajima is the ferry gateway to one of the islands so it was full of fellow westerners.

Monday was a short ride into Hiroshima itself. Not a lot to say for such a grotesque event, The memorial gardens are well maintained as is the dome that survived almost under the bomb. No mention of any residual radiation from the U235 used in the bomb even though it has a half-life of 700 million years. I would love to have a Geiger counter for my iPhone 🙂 The central town itself has been converted for the use of cars! the main street has 8 lanes plus the tram so not particularly good for shopping or looking around. The Dormy Inn was OK but it’s a bit claustrophobic sleeping in a room with no window. The weirdest thing about the city is that the pavements bounce up and down because it’s all built on a marsh (the river delta).

Waking up today feeling awful I just wanted to stay in bed 🙁 However, the hotel only had a super expensive room available and not ready to 3pm so I decided to face the rain and move on to pastures new away from Hiroshima and its motorway mania.

One of the biggest problems with riding in Japan are the crossroads (intersections) all controlled by old-fashioned timed traffic lights. so everything just stops and waits an indeterminable time and of course, no one but no one moves, frustrating in the extreme and makes for slow progress. The other factor is having to ride on pavements bumping up and down all the time and trying to avoid kids etc. So slow progress in built up areas, of which there are a lot! Today I managed to get a section on a path in the flood zone of the river – just like Korea for 5 miles 🙂 The rain kept on although surprisingly it no longer affect me as much getting wet, it’s just it upsets the navigation on the poor iPhone7, the app really needs a way of turning the touch screen off when riding in water.

I couldn’t resist the stunning new Hotel Route Inn super friendly staff and very reasonable rates for a really comfortable place. I had my first sushi and tempura on this trip, It brought back so many memories of eating out with the Olympus Japanese guys in NYC and Long Island 🙂 except this time I had to pay 🙁

Now it’s time for the public baths downstairs 🙂

Sunday Strava’s here & here and pics

Hiroshima Monday Strava and pics

Today’s Strava & Pics

Cycling Chofu to Hofu on lifeday 25,457

Saturday 8th April 2017

Yet another miserable weather day with dense mist and very frequent showers. I’m beginning to think that this is typical Japan weather with it sandwiched between warm seas and high mountains, it’s easy to see why the Japanese love Scotland & golf so much with the mist and rain.

After my Japanese breakfast, virtually identical to dinner last night I left but after a few miles, I stopped for another more conventional western egg and toast affair (the kids would love it, they remove the crusts). The route itself was excellent only using Highway 2 for very brief periods, just as well as it’s extremely busy with trucks etc.

I love all the topiary in people’s gardens plus the many folks growing vegetables etc all very industrious. Also the different styles of building although most are in the typically old Japanese style. The graveyards are a lot more densely packed, maybe the folks were much shorter in the past 🙂

The Suoohashi Bridge was magnificent even with the dense mist obstructing the views although it wouldn’t be so good on a windy day.

It was a good job I stopped where I did last night as the next hotel was 25km away!
So after travelling 44 miles I called it a day by stopping at the Route Inn in Hof.

Tonight I went out and bought an Android phone for £10 so I can get my two-factor authorisations by text on my UK SIM card, unfortunately, I can’t find anyone selling a SIM adapter so a visit to Edion is called for.

Hoping that the bug I seem to have will disappear in the night 🙂

The Strava is here and photos here and I’ve now found out why 3 of my family don’t read the blog – they can only hack one pic at a time on Instagram bit sad really 🙁

Cycling Kitakyushu to Chofu on lifeday 25,456

Posted on April 8, 2017April 8, 2017

Friday 7th April 2017

First, today’s weather report: after yesterday’s atrocious rain 🙁 today started threatening rain with low cloud on the hills and drizzly but this soon cleared up to just overcast and humid through the day, the sun failed to make an appearance although I see Tim & Viv finished the 4 Rivers in glorious heat & sunshine, maybe it’s Japan’s turn soon 🙂

After a lovely breakfast at the hotel, I started out to reach the preplanned route this involved a 200-foot climb and carrying the bike over a motorway footbridge. Once on the route, I decided to religiously follow it today 🙂

The route ride was very pleasant zig-zagging to avoid the main roads and taking me through some very pleasant backstreets. I even managed to buy just one orange 🙂 from a shop. The huge San Marco Cathedral is fascinating in that it looks as if it is built just for weddings!

I saw a huge red brick building with a 40-foot container alongside that is converted into a cafe cum gift shop called Hi-Hope. I coveted the delicate wooden cups on display, but alas cycling with so little means I can’t carry anything more 🙁 The two ladies were incredibly friendly telling e the history of the building, apparently it was built ~300 years ago as a brewery. and showing me the T-shirt which commemorates Route 199 the Industrial Road that I’m riding. They are off to Tanzania, but not on bikes, in August. I left with my goodie bag of banana and waffles, such lovely people. I could have stayed all day chatting to them!

The ride continued across many level crossings eventually reaching the pleasant town of Port Moji dominated by the huge suspension connecting the two islands Kyushu & Chugoku.

I kept going to the Kanmon tunnel entrance, an amazing pedestrian tunnel that lies underneath the road tunnel. The tunnel is nearly a mile long to walk and 190 feet below sea level! So it’s a good job there are lifts down & up.

Once out of the tunnel there is a narrow pavement between the busy road and the sea which is just about ridable, certainly better than riding in the traffic. After a while, you cross do a bit of climbing and then onto a beautiful quiet road through pretty villages. In Chofu I stumbled upon the jaw-dropping Chofu Mori House a mansion completed in 1903 by Meiji Moto Moshihiko, the 14th of the Chofu Mouri family. The gorgeous Mizuba azaleas were in full bloom, just so Japanese in their profuse delicate blooms. The house itself just creaks with history the sort of place you just want to silently meditate in.

The quiet road continued past many beautiful houses but alas no hotels so I continued on eventually reaching the Hotel AZ wedged between the old quiet road and the busy Highway 2 with all its stores. It felt like rain so I called it a day after only 24 miles and 692 feet of climbing. There are two Stravas, before and after the tunnel. My Photolinker software can’t hack a gpx trail that’s been underground for too long 🙁 The photos are here

A very pleasant day easily making up for yesterday’s trials and tribulations 🙂

Cycling Fukuoka to near Kitakyushu on lifeday 25,455

Thursday 6th April

Blimey, what a day to start biking to Tokyo! Next 5 days has rain forecast every day!

I started under overcast skies along the sea front squashed between huge warehousing operations and an elevated motorway! It soon opened out to retail parks. I’m following the so-called coastal route I downloaded of the internet. This soon had me zig-zagging through housing communities. Then the rain started 🙁 so I abandoned the scenic route and ploughed down the path alongside the main road eventually sheltering in the vast IKEA (totally identical to the one in Milton Keynes, even down to the veggie food balls!) The rain cleared so I set off again!

I noticed on my Pocket Earth app, which I use to follow the downloaded Tokyo route an interesting blue line that headed to the coast and seemed likely to eventually meet up with the route again in Kitakyushu.

So the weather looked grey but not raining so off I went! passing through the ancient Munakata Shrine complex and then on a custom bike path alongside the river eventually hitting the sea near a fantastic Michi-no-Eki rest area with a pastry shop like no other! although they insist on wrapping everything, even though you are going to eat the stuff in the upstairs restaurant! The Japanese seem very rule bound: -(

Coastal cycleway – Shortly afterwards she would be soaked!

The cyclepath continued up the coast through woods and then alongside the coast, with the strong wind behind I was sailing along 🙂 After Ashiya the rain started in earnest 🙁 as I continued along the 495 coast road – a big mistake.

If you are reading this because you want to cycle this route then just before Ashiya return inland along the river to just before Nakama then follow the cycle route into Kitakyushu. You won’t then be subject to the rest of my misery

The rain and traffic worsened I misjudged one of the many bumps up and down to the path and SPLAT over I went 🙁 bashing my shoulder, scraping my knee and tearing skin from a finger 🙁 🙁 I righted my aching body and fortunately the bike and my belongings were intact 🙂

I eventually reached the river and to my dismay, the tunnel is closed for cyclists 🙁 I then rode to the bridge, the same story. The next crossing is 6 miles upstream along the busy road, in the rain with an aching body nightmare.

I eventually, in the dusk and still raining navigated around underneath the elevated roadway, rail tracks and industrial areas. Because of the wet I couldn’t use booking.com, the iPhone7 may be waterproof but the screen doesn’t work well under water 🙁

I eventually stumbled upon the Hotel Santoku, run by a very pleasant lady who was most concerned about my bloody right hand. I quickly switched the AC to heat mode and started to dry out 🙂

Later I had a run in with the assistant in the bakery store when I was trying to use the camera to Google Translate the various loaves of bread! Lawd, she went bonkers with I imagine the no camera rule that supermarkets, even in the UK, love to enforce, a real downside to the Google app. Needless to say, they lost the sale.

The 63 mile Strava is here and the photos here.