Inside/Outside Bikes; The yin and the yang of bicycle love in Japan.

1 May 2023 by cycling in a skirt 11 Comments

Japan is a definitely a country of extremes.

Precipitous mountains or pan-flat countryside; hole in the ground squat toilets or techno, heated-seat, music playing ones; or ancient, wooden temples nestled between towering glass skyscrapers. 

It’s truly a land of contrasts and nowhere is this more apparent than when travelling by bicycle where the Japanese attitude can generally be summed up as ‘outside good, inside bad’.

Huge swaths of the population here, young to ancient, travel by bike. Bicyles are literally everywhere as are bike lanes and dedicated, modern parking places. After a shaky start it’s also felt like one of the safest places to be a cyclist too, both on road and for being able to leave the bike unlocked/unattended without fear of theft. 

Try to take a bike inside a building however and it’s a whole other story.

In Japanese culture bikes are definitely considered unclean. It’s not surprising really given that wearing shoes inside is a big no-no over here. 

When staying in guesthouses it’s quite usual to have 2 or 3 shoe changes as you move around the building. In one place we stayed there were downstairs slippers, upstairs slippers and a separate pair of fetching pink flip flops for the bathroom. All too big or small of course so causing us to shuffle everywhere like bad cross country skiers.

The one inviolate rule however is that outdoor shoes remain at the front door. 

Whilst this is a good policy for smelly bike shoes (M’s reputation goes before him), it’s less convenient when trying to accommodate the bikes when we arrive at a hotel. Generally there is a look of horror when we turn up, us hopefully wanting to wheel the bikes inside, only to be pointed sternly to the back door/outside alleyway/bin area.

It’s not just hotels either. Public transport has been effectively off limits to us as bikes are only allowed if fully collapsed into a cloth bag or box. Not so easy to do with our beasts, especially with the 25kg of luggage as well. 

Whilst buses and trains may be beyond our reach the one mode of transport that has worked are ferries. There are many in Japan and they run with the expected frequency and efficiency of all public services. With a 5 minute journey costing as little as 70 pence, humans and bikes have been transported in style between the islands and main ports of Japan.

With a little under 5 weeks to cover the distance from Chiba to Fukuoka we very soon realised it wasn’t going to be feasible to pedal all the way so the ferries have been both an excellent way to gain ground, whilst also getting beautiful sea views and a comfy seat in some of the most stress-free public transport we’ve taken on this whole trip.

Our final and longest ferry crossing was the overnight service from Shikoku to Kitakyushu. Even with the cheapest tickets we got spaces in a very comfortable (and near empty) tatami matted communal room, with a futon, duvet and pillow, turning out to be one of the best overnight transport trips ever, even including the 4am wake up call. Even better, when we boarded, the bikes were taken from us, given their own special blanket and laid on their sides to sleep.

As camping has been fairly difficult (we’re still early in the season so lots of places are closed) we’ve recently being staying in ‘Rider houses’.

Designed for motorbike travellers but very accepting of bicycles, if we can find one we know that the metal steeds will likely have a good reception and somewhere safe and dry to put them. 

In the small town of Takehara (Hiroshima prefecture) we stumbled across our best rider house yet. Arriving hours too early for check-in ahead of an approaching storm, the lovely owner welcomed us inside instantly. ‘Did we need anything? Had we made plans for dinner?’

No? In which case he would take us to his local Okonomiyaki restaurant. Later that evening we are driven through the pouring rain to a cosy, bustling grill house. Here we sat at the counter with our host who explained the ins and outs of this hugely popular Hiroshima dish consisting of pancake, heated cabbage, noodles, egg and bacon all cooked on a hotplate in front of you and served as a large pancake sandwich, doused in a sweet-savoury. Delicious.

We couldn’t even pay the bill either, our host generously having taken care of that already. 

As the first international visitors to the Rider House we were very proud to have our photo taken the next day to join the 240+ others motor and pedal bikes adorning the walls. We rode off feeling so lucky (and undeserving) of such kindness.

Outside on the bikes, we’ve had some of our best days yet, one of the main highlights was riding the much anticipated Shimanami Kaido. 

The Shimanami route is a 70km long road very bike friendly road linking a chain of 6 islands in the Seto Inland Sea running between Shikoku and Onomichi on the mainland.

It’s extremely popular, partly due to the multiple bike hire stations along the whole route and thousands of people flock here to ride across the famous, uniquely built bridges and around the quiet, stunning islands, little pieces of paradise.

The route is so bike friendly that the whole way is marked by a solid blue line on the roads, diverging where possible from the vehicle traffic, you can linger and circumnavigate each individual island or take the fast route through.

Amazingly there was often a choice of bike lanes too, fully segregated with a barrier or on a wide shoulder on road. Dedicated bridge ramps give cyclists the kindest gradients, whilst small bike lanes and alleys give extra routing options on each island.

After managing to find a semi-open campground on one island (no hot water but electric toilet with heated seat) we spent a delightful couple of days on Omishima, exploring the near deserted streets and beaches, marvelling at turtles and the sight of vast orange and lemon groves (many Navel oranges are grown in the area).

We would have spent more time on the other islands too but, with the weather taking a turn for the worse and conscious of the remaining distance, we reluctantly marked it down as somewhere to revisit.

Since arriving in Japan 35 days ago we have spent all but 6 days on the bikes and on those days 6 days we’ve packed in an enormous amount of sightseeing, from the manic streets of Tokyo, the historical cities of Kyoto and Himeji and finally the heart of Hiroshima.

I last visited this unique and thought provoking place nearly 20 years ago and the impact was profound. The Atomic-bomb dome stands as a permanent reminder to the best and worst of times, alongside an excellent museum and children’s memorial.

Testament to a place that has experienced the worst of what humankind can do to each other, yet is also, now a thriving, modern city, soon to be centre stage playing host to the 49th G7 summit in May.

Hiroshima also marked our last outing before 2 ferries and 2 final days of riding brought us to the port town of Fukuoka and the international ferry to South Korea.

Japan has been one of the most fascinating countries I have ever ridden in. The beauty is often in the little details too, the tranquil, sculpted gardens, the tiny alleyways, the maze of roads through rice paddies, water reflecting views of mountains and an explosion of spring colour.

There is much much more to explore here but for now, 35 days, 660 mlies, 25,250 feet of elevation and 76+ hours of riding and 6 ferries have taken us all the way from Chiba (near Tokyo) to Fukuoka.

What I will miss about Japan are many small details which include:

• Plumbing and the abundance of baths, everywhere from public onsen and bath houses to tubs as standard even in the tiniest hotel rooms.
• Everything sold in small packages, butter, milk, wine, a cycle tourist’s dream!
• Toilets! Especially heated seats. 
• Drains covers, oh how I will miss my new obsession, 66 snapped to date, just 11,944 to go.

Our next stop, Busan, South Korea.

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It’s the story of a forty-something woman with no clue in life and no cycle touring experience. What she does have is a sense of adventure, a second hand bicycle and a skirt and the idea of riding across Canada….the wrong way.

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