{"id":3488,"date":"2012-04-24T04:17:55","date_gmt":"2012-04-24T08:17:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/?p=3488"},"modified":"2017-02-06T15:13:17","modified_gmt":"2017-02-06T20:13:17","slug":"top-5-reasons-to-go-bicycle-touring-in-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2012\/04\/top-5-reasons-to-go-bicycle-touring-in-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 Reasons to Go Bicycle Touring in Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fellow round the world cyclists Sonja and Ali of Tour.tk share their love of bicycle touring in the Land of the Rising Sun.<\/h3>\n

What? Only five reasons to go cycling in Japan? We could give you at least 50, so we might have to cheat a bit here…<\/span><\/h3>\n

Reason #01: wild camping with no rules<\/strong><\/p>\n

Japan offers some of the most challenging and enjoyable cycle touring our world has on offer. But the best thing about it is, you can pedal around knowing that at the end of the day, you can literally camp anywhere: by the rivers, in parks, near temples, along canals in city centres. And we did just that. Staying 6 nights with friends in Tokyo, the remainder 32 days were spent camping. For only 7 of these days did we pitch the tent in an official area.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Wild camping from left to right: taijimi; koka; kawatanaonsen; a few kilomtres from tokyo Narita airport; koyadaira; ogori<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reason #02: glorious shopping for food, glorious food
\n<\/strong>The supermarkets in Japan are something else. Firstly, they are usually massive and without a doubt, you’ll get lost trying to find what you want.\u00a0 And that’s not hard, when they dedicate whole aisles just to seaweed and miso-soup pastes.<\/p>\n

Secondly, the food produce is very good, very fresh and most things are reasonably cheap. Mushrooms that you would have to earn a full day’s wages for in Europe, cost absolutely nothing, as does the tofu of every delicious description and variety. Bean sprouts and green leafy products are in abundance. And if you don’t fall in love with the fresh udon noodle, then there is another noodle variety to tempt you for every day of the month.<\/p>\n

For those on a budget: you just have to go into the store in the late afternoon and pick up all the cut-price specials. The Japanese are fastidious about a products shelf life. So anything even in a whiff of its use-by date is discounted heavily, making creative self catering in Japan amazingly inexpensive.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Japan has mushrooms for a price and like you have never dreamed of<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Reason #03 rural quietness and never ending rice fields<\/strong><\/p>\n

As soon as you have pedalled well away from the concrete jungles, the scenery is transformed Think of the ambience in France with its vineyards and lavender replaced by rice paddies and azaleas. Blankets of green cover volcanic mountains, manicured curves of the tea plantations sculpt perfect waves in the landscape, rivers surge, farmers plant rice by hand, birds warble in orchestrated tones and butterflies stun you with their colour and size. Magnificently intense.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Farmers still use traditional methods to grow rice in Japan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
A blanket of green cover over volcanic mountains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Reason #04: Hotaru<\/strong><\/p>\n

Japan has many sights of interest; just pick up any guide book and it will tell you so. However, what most of them fail to mention is the hotaru: the firefly. About 50 of the worlds known 2000 species live in Japan and they are commonly referenced in poetry, children\u2019s ditties and Japanese proverbs. They even have a festival dedicated especially to them<\/p>\n

But the part we loved the most was the way they would dart in and around our tent. They only live by clean streams and since we did most of our wild camping near rivers we were entertained every evening by these attractive little creatures.\u00a0 On one occasion, we had a\u00a0 fairy-light performance for as far as we can see. So spellbinding in fact, that after we had finished with our initial oohing and aahing, Ali began to sing Jingle Bells. It was bigger and better than any Christmas tree we had ever seen.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Fireflies decorating the lid of a manhole cover<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reason #05: Japan is just special<\/strong><\/p>\n

Besides experiencing the traditional tea ceremony, sento bath, love motel, bonzai garden, Buddhist temple, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, a climb up mount Fuji or just eating sushi, the Japanese culture is one of the most special we have ever experienced.<\/p>\n

Some unique things you might also find yourself doing during a cycling vacation are:<\/p>\n