Inveterate dabbler in business, travel, gadgets & life

Cycling Fukuoka to near Kitakyushu on lifeday 25,455

Thursday 6th April

Roadside gas!

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.

Cakes galore – a cyclists paradise

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 🙂

Cheery picture

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.

First day in Japan – Fukuoka

The bike squeeze

The crossing from Busan was very smooth and I slept all the way. The immigration officer looked askance at me and wanted to see my flight home details and how was I going to get to Tokyo? Good question I thought!

I tried to get some Yen in the terminal with my plastic but no go 🙁 The bank teller said I had to use the cashpoint a mile down the road in a 7/11 which thank goodness worked. For me, the amazing thing about their notes is that they are big and all totally pristine, like the rest of the country I guess.

Art the linguist from Colorado

I dithered about what to do so ended up parking my bike in the cavernous space under the square outside the main station (take note Cambridge this is a real pedestrian square)  the bike racks are awesome they are on sliding rails so the bikes crunch up against each other so compacting them, when you want to get it out you just push the others down the track 🙂 It’s free for 2 hours afterwards a modest charge, Since it takes scooters etc there is a moving belt to assist going up the steps.

The shopping is amazing, the electronics place, Yodobashi behind the main station, where I got my SIM (5GB for £39) makes a Currys look like a village shop! Coffee shops and bakeries galore I easily packed in the missing calories from yesterday. Everyone I’ve met speaks some English or at least willing to try.

My kind of shops

An American from Colorado, Art, offered his language skills. btw Art if you read this I returned to Yodobashi and found shelves of MiFi type devices – but only obtainable with a 2-year contract) So the FreeTel SIM I purchased with you is still the best value.

I also found a bike shop to salivate over, Uemura Cycle Parts, I’ve never seen such a well stocked,  comprehensive bike shop. It will be interesting to see what riders use when I start riding, which brings me to the sad part. Rain forecast for the next 6 days. It’s Morocco all over again 🙁

Currently, I’m staying at the Daiwa Roynet Hotel an aircrew favorite by the number staying here

All the pictures so far are here