Golden Week Cycling Trip

This past week was Golden week holiday in Japan, which meant no classes. With seven days of vacation time and the urge to get out and enjoy the spring weather, I decided that I needed to dust off my cycling bike and put it to use. My original plan was to bike from Monzen to Hiroshima, 750 kilometers in 7 days. Such an itinerary would allow me to get back into descent cycling shape and at the same time enable me to witness some of the best scenery that Japan would have to offer. Being that my longest ride prior to date had only been 80km, I was banking on fresh legs and grit to carry me through the excursion.

[b]Day 1: Saturday, April 28th (97K)[/b]: I woke up early and cycled from Monzen to Kanzawa. The first day of my trip was a bit of a let down to say the least. The majority of the ride consisted of busy roads and a bombardment of thunderstorms. Soaking wet and my legs feeling like jello, I arrived at my friend Chris' apartment. None the less, I had proved to myself that I was capable of riding 100k in a single session. Feeling a bit of satisfaction, I then proceeded to celebrate my minor victory by barbequing with my friends and getting absolutley smashed at a nomihodai (all you can drink) bar, while watching Manchester United roll over Everton in an English premiership futbol match.

[b]Day 2: Sunday, April 29th (Hungover)[/b]: I'm guessing that the last mosow mule put me over the edge last night! Awakening to a pounding headache and ringing in my ears I decided that I was in no hurry to hit the roads. (Afterall, if I'm going to make it 700K I need my R&R...right)? Spending the day lounging on the beach proved to be exactly what I needed. More importantly the day off allowed me to reevaluate my itinerary and decide that Hiroshima was not my optimal destination. Reflecting on my first day of cycling I decided that busy highway roads, littered with cars full of gauking Japanese school-children is not my ideal adventure. After consulting the "Lonely Planet Travel Guide," I quickly changed my plans and determined that [url=http://en.wikipedia .org/wiki/Shikoku]Shikoku [/url] was the place to go.

[b]Day 3: Monday, April 30th (59K) [/b]: Eager to make up for my day off, I caught the 6:15 train from Kanazawa to Wakayama. Getting my bike on the train was a lot easier than I had expected. Being that the Japanese are uncompromising when it comes to rules and procedures, I had anticipated that the process would require a stack of paperwork, fingerprints, and a mugshot. As it turned out, all that was needed was my bike bag and a 280 yen ($2.50) bike ticket. Following an autograph and a photo session with a Chinese tourist, I arrived in Wakayama. I enjoyed the two hour ferry ride to Shikoku sitting outside, enjoying the sunny weather with a cold Kirin beer in my hand...satisfied to say the least. During the tail end of the boat ride I ended up making "banter" with some British "bloke." At that time he convinced me that I needed to start my own blog (thanks for the advice John) and informed me of the various Japanese travelers who were currently making pilgrimages around Shikoku. Apparently, every spring, Japanese from all over the country come to Shikoku to endour an 88 temple trek that leads them around the 1,400 kilometer circumference of the island. The purpose of their journey is to follow in the footsteps of a famous Budddhist monk who had gained enlightenment, on the same route, over 1,000 years ago. Many of the "Ohenro-San" drive or take tour buses. However, a vast majority of the pilgrims actually walk the entire 1,400 kilometers; a journey that usually takes at least 50 days.

Shortly after porting in Tokushima, I purchased a one-man tent, and quickly headed South down the coastline on Route 55. As daylight turned to dusk, I found a forested area off the side of the road and set up camp. Exhausted, I was out by eight o'clock.

[b]Day 4: Tuesday, May 1st (101K) [/b]: My mood was instantly dampened as I awoke to the sound of rain beating down on my tent. Although I was in no mood to to pack up and get on my bike, I knew that I could not hide in the tent all day. Within minutes of cycling I was drenched, from head to toe.