Nasu to Aixawakamatsu

June 5, 2023

The folks who organize this tour call this segment, “Wild Japan.” We were told that we might now see monkeys, bears and other wildlife including the Japanese raccoon-dog. Having already seen monkeys in some other less populated parts of Japan, I was not sure what made this segment different and I still don’t. I did not see any monkeys but someone did see a mother bear and her cubs; however, I did see Japan’s raccoon-dog also known as the tanuki. This strange beast is what its name implies a creature that looks as though a raccoon and a dog got together in conjugal bliss and produced offspring. According to Japanese folklore, the tanuki have had a significant role since ancient times. The legendary tanuki are reputed to be mischievous and jolly, masters of disguise and shape shifting but somewhat gullible and absentminded. The animals have also been common in Japanese art, particularly as subjects for statues.

As for bears, Japan has two species, the Asian brown bear and the moon bear which is basically a black bear with a white crest on its breast. I did not see either one but one of our riders did see a mother and her cubs.

Our lunch was on the shore of Lake Inawashirowith a view of two active volcanoes. Across the lake is Mount Bandai, an active volcano that in 1888 killed over 5,000 people. Much like the Mount St. Helens incident in the United States, an exploding water vapor event blew out the side of the caldera creating a landslide wiping out everything in its path. If you look at the photo, I have indicated the area that blew out. If you look closely you can still see some signs of current activity.

Once out of the hills I was back into rice farming country where I was able to get a picture of a woman using a specialized tractor to plant rice sprouts. I also stopped into yet another shrine where I snapped a picture of a statue of a man speaking with a bird discussing the speed of the bird and the need of the man to move along a path that was pestered by snakes.

Even though we had a 100 kilometer ride with around 1,500 meters of climbing I arrived at our hotel an hour before our rooms were ready. It was a perfect moment to visit a nearby sake distiller. After two sake samplers we took a tour of the distillery and sampled their various products afterwards. In Ian Flemmings, You Only Live Twice, Tiger Tanaka tells James Bond, “First you drink the sake, then the sake drinks you.” I now understand that quote.

Aizuwakamatsu to Fukushima

June 6, 2023

Leaving Aizuwakamatsu was not a picnic. We started right into our first climb of the day but with early morning commuter traffic added to the mix. None of us were sorry to see the route finally veer off the well traveled path and into more rural surroundings. It was another day of climbs this time up into the hills formed by the volcano that we could see from our lunch stop the day before. Mount Bandai, while not as big a Mount Aso encountered earlier in the trip, was still a formidable taskmaster. However, once we made it to the top of the climb we were treated to some outstanding views including a look back to where we we ate lunch yesterday. As we climbed and circumnavigated our way around the numerous volcanoes in this area we could see where the caldera blowout of 1888 still scars the land.

Further on we could see steam rising from Mount Azuma-kofuji, another active volcano from this land of earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis. We could also see signs of how Covid wrecked parts of the Japanese economy and how some enterprising businesses are trying to bring it back.

However, the story of the day is our journey down from volcano-land to the city of Fukushima. You may wonder why that name sounds familiar as did I. On 11 March 2011, at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC), a 9.0–9.1 undersea earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, 72 km (45 mi) east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region. It was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan and the fourth largest on record in the world. It created tsunami waves that may have reached heights of up to 40.5 meters (133 ft) and which traveled 10 kilometers inland. The residents of Sendai had only ten minutes of warning before waves traveling at nearly 700 kilometers per hour struck their city. The official figures released in 2021 reported 19,759 deaths, 6,242 injured, and 2,553 people missing. However, the story that captured the world’s attention was what happened at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.

When the earthquake struck, automated systems automatically shut down the reactors and a series of safety protocols were enacted. The reactor shutdown interrupted the electrical supply triggering the backup generators to supply power to the critical cooling systems in the reactor itself. However, the tsunami that followed the earthquake washed over the reactor walls and flooded the backup generators causing the cooling system to fail and the reactor to overheat to the point of meltdown. This resulted in three hydrogen gas explosions that breached reactor containment and released radioactive contamination into the air for the next four days. All told, some 110,000 residents were evacuated from the communities surrounding the plant due to the rising off-site levels of ambient ionizing radiation caused by airborne radioactive contamination from the damaged reactors. Even larger amounts of radioactive materials were released into the ocean.

Since 2011 the Japanese government has instituted a massive clean up campaign and local radiation levels in this area are now back to pre 2011 levels. There have also been changes in operational protocols and backup generator locations and redundancy instituted here and at many other nuclear power generation facilities around the world. It was a difficult and expensive lesson to be learned especially in the cost of human lives. Before those reading this put this experience among their reasons why nuclear power is bad, I should point out that all forms of energy production have a cost in both environmental and human terms. Coal production costs lives and destroys large swatches of land. Natural gas and the fracking and water injection used to produce it contaminate ground water. Solar and wind are not free rides either. Every form of energy has its price and when you total the cost nuclear is no worse than most and generally better environmentally even with Fukushima and other accidents that we hopefully learn something from. In any event, I sleep tonight in Fukushima and I shall sleep soundly and without worries.

Fukushima to Tendo

June 7, 2023

There are climbs and there are climbs or to put it another way, all climbs are not created equal. Back at home the climbs tend to be steep but short. Some, like the Foymount climb are so steep that many cyclists avoid it but just as many seek it out for the challenge. Japan is something completely different. To begin with, Japan’s geography is hilly to the point of being mountainous. Don’t go looking for the wide open Oklahoma plains here. Sure, Japan does have some flat rides but if you are going any significant distance, you are going to need your granny gears. This brings me to my point, some climbs are long and fairly steep grinds where you may have ten to fifteen kilometers to rise up over a thousand meters of elevation. On those climbs I just tuck in and keep cranking until I get to the top and try my best to ignore the various complaints coming from various body parts.

However, other climbs can be leisurely with the grade ranging from one to three percent with a small four or five percent every so often. Anyone who has done a lot of climbing on two wheels would find such a climb a bit taxing but enjoyable with plenty of time to soak in the scenery and with the knowledge that there may be a nice gentle downhill to follow.

Traffic can also make a difference as can road conditions. Worst case scenario for me is a steep climb on a road with no shoulders, a deep ditch and heavy traffic. I hit one like this and Korea and it caused me to walk my bike for most of a kilometer, something I have never had to do on any other long trip. Today we had a long climb using a road along a man made lake above a dam. It was generally uphill and while the total climb was around 500 meters, it was so gradual that it conserved plenty of energy for gawking at the surroundings. This held true until our directions told us to turn right and the only thing to our right was a very steep hill that seemed to go on forever. The turn took us up at a much greater rate but we rode past some major engineering where Japanese engineers have designed massive reinforced cement structures that are drilled and tied into the rock surface to control landslides. Impressive!

We also rode rode through a logging area where Japanese loggers seem to harvest trees from some of the steepest hillsides. They do this in Canada and other parts of the world as well but it is still impressive to see it. Of course, in a land where earthquakes and flash floods are common you can also see the scars where improper logging has altered the landscape.

Our destination today is the city of Tendo. From what I have seen of it, it appears to be a working class community that is also home to a famous temple. This temple is reached through a climb of a thousand steps. For me, it was one climb too many. However, I do have a lovely, traditional Japanese room to relax in.

Tendo to Hiraizumi

June 8, 2009

A ride on a bus took us to our starting point today and once on our bikes we began the longest climb of a day that featured nine climbs worthy of note by our navigation software. Nothing like getting the biggest and baddest out of the way first. As climbs go, it was scenic, taking a less traveled and as a result, steeper route. After zig-zagging through numerous switchbacks and densely treed forest, we came out into an alpine meadow that covered the apex of our climb. This meadow was home to a small farm and cattle ranching homestead and offered some outstanding vistas to go along with its outstandingly unending switchbacks. It offered plenty of excuses for stopping to just take it all in.

While this was the big climb of the day the remaining eight climbs made up for their shortness by often being fairly steep. It is good that we now all have strong climbing legs that get us up the hills even if that journey is a slow one. I just try to do my own ride and not worry about who passes me. I know that it is inevitable that some will. However, we all get to the same place and even the slowest of us is doing something that 99% of the world’s population will never try.

Along today’s route I was able to see more of Japan’s charmingly different way at looking at road and other signage. Cute cartoon characters seem to be mandated for nearly every cautionary sign, advertisement or possibly because someone just feels like adding a personal touch to the landscape. I have some examples below that represent only a few of the multitude that I have see and taken time to photograph.

Tomorrow, June 9th is a rest day at a resort spa some distance from the nearby small village. It will be pouring rain and the resort has all that I need to spend a comfortable day relaxing. I may not post anything about it and instead get caught up with my email and maybe write these words.

Hiraizumi to Kakunodate

June 10, 2023

Today was our longest ride of the tour at 138 kilometers or about 86 miles. It was not a flat route with Ride With GPS (RWGPS) showing about 1650 meters of climb in the route compared with over 2000 meters actual. The reason for the difference could be tunnels. There were four tunnels on then route where GPS was cut off and maybe RWGPS just filled in the missing elevations from the map rather than the actual climb registered. In any event, 138 kilometers with even 1650 meters of climb was enough to satisfy me.

Our route took us above a large dam that creates a massive reservoir to supply drinking a irrigation water as well as hydro electric generation. The route around was a bit of modern engineering so the 420 meters of climbing was spread out over a fairly gentle route. It still took a good and constant effort but was easier than many of the climbs we have had previously.

Along the way were numerous waterfalls that created deep chasms that were spanned by quite a few bridges as we snaked our way around and gradually up and over the surrounding mountain. Tunnels also helped to limit the amount of actual climbing required.

Once out of the mountains we moved into an area of somewhat industrial scale rice plantations fed by a intricate irrigation aqueduct network. One curious addition to this landscape were the billboards and bridge art that were apparently erected by the various local communities. I am not sure what the dogs on the billboard were eating but the ones on the left seem to have ingested hallucinogenics, while the ones on the right appear to be auditioning to become sled dogs. It might also be because they are the Akita breed which originated in this area. As for the narley guy with the beard, your guess is as good as mine.

Our evening town is also home to another group of cyclists doing a tour of Japan. By chance, one of those cyclist is Wallace, a man that two of us know from doing the Trans Europa tour in 2021. As I have said, the long distance cycling community is a small but tightly knit group and you almost always meet someone you know when you venture forth boldly and broadly.

Our town tonight is also know as Samurai City, having once been home to a legion of samurai warriors. Today many of the homes here war still owned by the proud descendants of these skilled and lethal warriors. Some even are maintained in the traditional style and open to the public for a small fee. Unfortunately, I arrived too late and left too early to visit one.

My high point occurred right at the end of the ride when I pulled into the hotel and one of the TDA staff, Chris, handed me a cold beer. Happy endings!

Kakunodate to Kazuno

June 11, 2023

If there is something less apostatizing for breakfast then a platter of cold, bony fiI was determined to experience foods outside of my comfort zone on this trip and I think I have done a pretty good job of eating most things that were placed in front of me. Having eaten nearly this same meal, only warmer, for dinner the night before, I was reluctant to just dive right back in for breakfast. This was even more true when I saw what the vegetarian breakfast offered. They received a hard boiled egg, a fresh banana and a nice looking salad. Unfortunately, I did not sign up for the vegetarian fare and there were only enough made to feed those who had requested them in advance. If I only had the foresight to see this meal, I might have jumped ship and become a non-meat person. Instead I said, “Domo arigato,” (thank you very much) and walked next store to a Lawson’s convenience store for an egg salad sandwich, bown of fruit and a pastry.

The result was an early start for me and a brief period as the lead rider of the pack. This was a lead that vanished at around kilometer twenty when speedy Glen zipped by me with a whoosh, a hello and a see you later. Others were not far behind him as I took my lazy time riding around Lake Tazawa where I missed finding the statue of the Golden Lady in the Lake but found something more interesting than some flashy, watery tart soaking her feet. Under a Sister City program the people of Lake Tazawa are paired with the folks at Lake Chungqing in Tiawan (Republic of China) They donated the statue shown here to commemorate the preservation of safe drinking water, something important to all of us who love our lakes.

We also followed a series of rivers into the mountains and into a series of dams that have been built to supply Japan’s need for rice irrigation, hydro electricity and drinking water. One was a recently completed project that was still filling with water. It’s waters were sky blue and we could see submerged trees, still in leaf as the rising waters slowly changed their environment to one in which they will not survive. There was a strange beauty to this none the less.

After lunch came the big climb of the day and we slugged our way through bear country with little chance of actually seeing a bear. It was a Sunday and traffic on this parkland road was heavy enough to discourage even the boldest of bears. Warning signs and closed off parking spots prevented people from enticing them with food that could easily make them as the main course. The climb was scenic with numerous tunnels and landslide shelters that snaked their way up the mountainside. I was glad to see the summit.

Kazuno to Aomori

June 12, 2023

It looked to be a ride like all the other rides at first. I was wrong. While it started in an ordinary way with a ride on a somewhat busy road out of town and through the inevitable rice plantations, thing began to change after the first climb. On the down side we began to encounter tour busses that seemed to stop at exactly the spot that we planned to, However, at the bottom of the mountain at Lake Towada we came upon a coffee shop known for their apple pie. If there ever were something that could stop a cyclist on a downhill glide it is fresh apple pie. We stopped, we ate and it was delicious!

We turned from Lake Towada to follow the Oriase River Gorge downhill for about ten kilometers. The gorge is fantastically beautiful with dozens of fairy like waterfalls feeding the clear mountain stream that flows from the lake. It is a popular tourism destination and appears to be on the ‘must stop and see’ list of every tour bus in Japan. During my passage through the gorge I counted 16 parked busses and another eight busses coming into the gorge from the direction ahead of me. While there were people everywhere, hiking, taking pictures and at least one plein-air artist capturing a scene, I was able to take my time, stop where I wanted and enjoy what natural Japan had to show me.

With the waterfalls and rapids behind me, I turned and began a trek uphill for over 700 meters into the mountains. It was a long climb and I rose quickly into the low clouds, heavy with moisture. Surrounded by white mist I pushed my way upwards feeling the pressure in my ears build and pop from time to time. The fog that surrounded me gave everything a surreal, Twilight Zone quality that was both mysterious and beautiful. Eventually, the pedaling became easier and I could see I was headed downhill for a long and fast glide through switchbacks and hairpins that were both fun and more exciting than the best roller coaster. As the grade lessened and my speed slowed, I found myself in an open valley with low vegetation and a surprising display of wild flowers. The mist was slowly lifting and my downhill speed increased until I was once again flying at highway traffic speed the remaining downhill grade with the wind whipping at my face and a smile on my lip as well as a shouted, “Ya-Hoo!” as I hit sixty kilometers per hour.

Amori to Hakodate

June 13 – 14, 2023

Our final travel / rest days started with a four hour ferry ride across the Tsugaru Strait between the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. We had a short bike ride as a group on both ends and our TDA para-medic, Chris had the chore of herding us cats from hotel to ferry and then ferry to hotel. The ferry ride was typical of our experience so far of being directed to a room without any place to sit and then being chased out of the comfy, premium seats that we all tried to migrate to. We settled for some less comfy chairs that the ferry crew seemed to not care about so long as we did not spread out too much, which we eventually did anyway. The ferry was not crowded and no other passengers were denied their choice of seating, so I guess the crew decided to just ignore us for the rest of the trip.

Hakodate is a southern city on the island of Hokkaido. It lies north of the Blakiston Line, a faunal boundary line that marks the division of Japan’s animal species between northern and southern Asian species. For example, no monkeys, Asian black bears or Japanese giant flying squirrels north of the line and no Ussuri brown bears or red squirrels south of it. No wolves on either side as both distinctive species that once existed are not extinct.

My “rest day” began with a trek up the 334 meter height of Mount Hakodate. Mt. Hakodate is the remains of an long extinct volcanic eruption from the seabed that began 25 million years ago. Over time the volcano stop pushing its way out of the sea and sand filled in the space between it and the main island to from today’s mountain. The hike was a shady climb through cedar and deciduous forest to the observation station and antenna farm at the summit. The forest that I walked through is a recent creation the island having been denuded of its trees in the past for lumber and smoking herring. In 1899 Fort Hakodate was completed here to protect the harbor and city. During World War Two it continued this function by housing well protected shore batteries. Until 1946 it was illegal for citizens to visit the mountain, take pictures of it or even sketch it. Today it is a botanical garden containing over 600 species of plants as well as being a sanctuary for many animal and bird species.

There is a cable car that will take you to the top of Mt. Hakodate and back for a fee but I, like the many Japanese that I encountered on my morning hike preferred the beauty and solitude of an early morning walk to the summit. It also avoided the crowds that form at the observation deck once the cable car starts to run. I took the longer and less traveled rugged route back down to the city with the reward of a delicious banana and ice cream crepe for my efforts. Now to finish my day of rest and then five more rides to the finish line in Sapporo.

Hakodate to Otobe

June 15, 2023

Religion is a slippery thing in Japan. While all of the world’s major religions have a presence here and many faithful followers, the average Japanese tends to view religion as a buffet where you can pick and choose aspects that fit their cultural view of the world. Shintoism and Buddhism are so closely intertwined here that it is often hard to tell them apart. Both have many elements that overlap such as a respect for nature and the idea that God or gods are present and can be called upon for help. Prayers can be offered and special favors can be asked for in the proper way. Not so different from Christians praying to Jesus, God, the Virgin Mary or any of the heavenly host of saints.

It is difficult to go very far in any direction without finding a temple or shrine of some type. So what is the difference? Simply put, temples are Buddhist and shrines are Shinto. Temples will usually have an incense burner and a statue of The Buddha in one of his many forms. Shrines will be marked by a usually bright red or orange torii at the entrance and contain an idol that is believed to contain the spirit of a god that can be summoned by two claps of one’s hands. Shintoism is a native religion of Japan while Buddhism is an import from China. Shinto shrines are usually closely related to some natural feature such as a waterfall or a mountain. Temples sometimes contain a burial site or a place for cremains.

During my travels I have encountered shrines in some unusual places such as along a hiking path near a mountain top, or along a steep hillside behind a hotel. I even found one tucked into a nook along the side a busy highway. Sometimes a remarkable person is believed to have become a godlike spirit and shrine is created to envoke the power of his or her spirit. One such shrine was that of Emperor Meiji and his consort, Empress Shoken. Emperor Meiji was responsible for the end of Japan’s last Shogunate and the restoration of civilian government.

Another interesting addition to this religious mix are totem poles. I have always considered them to be exclusively a North American artifact associated with the Haida, Tlingit and Athabaskan indigenous peoples but they are far more global in nature. In Japan the indigenous Ainu people carved such poles in areass around the Pacific Rim. While the poles themselves have different religious meaning to the various people who have them within their culture they are far more widespread in cultures throughout the world. Still, to see one in Japan certainly raised a number of questions that led me to a greater understanding of the richness of their culture.

Otobe to Pirika

June 16, 2023

For the past day and a half we have been riding along the east and west coast of Hokkaido. Our route began yesterday with a dark and misty ride along the island’s Pacific coast and through a few easy hills and tunnels over to the west coast on the Sea of Japan. Almost as soon as we emerged from the long tunnel that cut through the range separating the two sides of the island the mists lifted and the sky brightened into an almost sunny and definitely warmer day. From there it was downhill all the way to the western coast and some of the flattest riding of the trip. We rode through fishing villages dotted with small marinas and smelling the salted seaweed scented air that seems to be nearly the same in coastal communities around the world. I paused at one marina to take some pictures of a tall ship that seems to be from that transition era when both steam and sails worked side by side on metal hauled craft.

This morning we continued our coasting with a climb to bypass a tunnel that was closed for repairs before we returned to the mostly flat coastal road that only had a few gentle hills to stretch our leg mussels. The shoreline is composed of rugged volcanic rock that centuries of weather and waves have formed into mysterious shapes.

One is known locally as Unseki or the Cloud Shaped Rock in English. There is a shrine at the rock and the local story tells the tale of a battle fought between the indigenous Ainu people who controlled the island of Hokkaido and a Japanese army under the leader Sokechi. The Japanese forces were losing and they had been forced to retreat to the coast in the area of this rock. Suddenly the sky grew dark turning the area as black as night with flashes of lightning and claps of thunder coming from the direction of the cloud shaped rock. The Ainu forces withdrew giving the Japanese time to escape and reform their routed army. Later and under a new leader that army defeated the Ainu. The shrine commemorates this event.

However the story of the Ainu people is not a very happy one. These people are indigenous to the island of Hokkaido and other islands northward all the way to the Kamchatka Peninsula of Alaska. They are closely related to the Aleuts of the Aleutian Islands, as seen in the carving of totem poles by both cultures. After a series of military defeats during the 1600s, they lost territory and influence to the expanding Japanese culture. In 1799 events took a more destructive turn when the shogunate took total control over their homeland. From 1799 to 1806 the shogunate separated Ainu women from their men and husbands, forcing them to marry Japanese men or allowing them to be raped if they refused. The men were moved out of their communities and made to work as slave labor for periods of five to ten years. The result was the decimation of the Ainu population of Hokkaido and the near total assimilation of their people. Today, official estimates of their numbers are put at around 25,000 but could be as high as 200,000. No one knows for sure and most Japanese are unaware of what Ainu ancestry they might have. There is a movement to address this, much as there are movements to address the wrongs done to indigenous people in my home country of Canada as well as in many other countries around the world. It is a dark part of our past that can not be undone but that should be remembered and healed.