Today I biked to and around Kyoto. It was fun and I got to see so many small temples and historical sites I cannot name them all, Kyoto is great, and unlike most cities in Japan, it has a grid pattern with street names, so its easy to navigate on a bike!
I came back late, so I couldnt meet up with Ari again, but its alright.
I'll be leaving for the Nagoya region tomorrow to meet with Matt and company. Would have liked to meet with Dave too, but hes in Australia :-(
Internet time is up, more later!
18.8.11
The begining of the end
Well, only a few days left.. I biked to Sendai yesterday, and looking at my options, it was either use alot of time and money to get to the Japan Sea coast to be able to bike a bit before using alot of time and money to make it back to Tokyo...
Bike through Fukushima and its radiation on which data is lacking (8 hours a day for like 2 days in the sun and all..)
..Or take the Shinkansen to the South and work my way back north to Tokyo.
After 2 hours of biking and it being bumpy and making my back hurt.. I decided to take the bullet Train to Osaka that afternoon, using the opportunity to visit Kyoto, Nara, and places near and aroubnd Osaka that Ive wanted to see, or re-visit in a while. Plus I get to nag Arijann(sp?) at her job.
So I arrived in Osaka, start putting up my bike outside, in a non-smoking area, and I swear.. in the 10m it took me to assemble it, I had to tell off 15 people who just came near me and started to smoke in my face, from a few meters away. And there were like 20 non-smoking signs.. People would sit AROUND a non-smoking sign and light-up.. I got annoyed, at one point a mother and her two little kids come and she lights up.. I do the polite thing and inform her that its a non smoking zone.
She looks at me and takes a puff.
Okay... I tell her that seh is bothering me..
Just the stare and abnother puff...
At that point, I wasnt gonna take no shit, so I just got up, took her cigarette, put it out on the ground and gave it back to her. All in the most gentlemanly fashion, being careful not to touch her in the process.
It fortunately ended at that. I just hate smokers here...
Anyhoo, I biked a bit around Osaka, Met Ari near a cafe where she works and we talked a while, then went to McDs because on top of being a poor student paying tuition, shes doing an un-paid internship in Japan...
And Japanese McDonalds have this wonderful thing called 100-yen menus. 1 burger 1 buck. Win.
The night ended late with debates about Game of Thrones and ethical problems in movies and how we should approach them. Been a while since I waqs in a debate, and I still suck inn organizing my thoughts in a matter that is not only coherent, but convincing. But Ari is a good conversationalist, and it was fun.
Looking for a place to stay that night, I got lost and ended up in the wrong part of town.. slumville.
A whole park with discarded appliances, tarps, umbrellas making crude houses, the smell of urine and excrement.. people sleeping on the sidewalk,m or just standing there in a daze.... Yeah. My hotel was near there.
My funds set aside for my Japan Trip are running low, so I need to cut somewhere :P
Anyhoo, the Hotel was old and cheap, but the sheets were clean.
I went to Mount Koya for the day today, and hiked a bit, and visited quite a few sites. its very pretty, up there in the mountains, I reccomend it to anyone in the Osaka/Nara region. They have these special dishes, that are basically traditionnal Japanese dishes, but vegetarian, since some of the monks couldnt eat animals. It was quite the experience for me.. I could eat a high-class Japanese set course without having to worry about having fish hiding somewhere inside! I could eat miso soup that was made with kinoko-dashi(mushroom stock) instead of the normal katsuo-dashi(fish based stock), eat boiled vegetables that were boiled in somethinng OTHER than fish-based broth(the popular o-den you can get anywhere has katsuo dashi).... It was a real eye-opener.. Without all that katsuo-dashi everywhere traditional japanese food is like.. 10x tastier! At least for me.
Im back at a slightly better hotel for tonight and tomorrow. Oh did i mention the crazy japanese guy who tried to kill me? That was two days ago, near Sendai.
CrazyFuck was trying to get out of a parking lot and on the road, but not doing anything for about a minute, so i got tired of waiting and tried to pass in front of him (in hindsight i should have tries back, but there were ditches and stuff), but i cant make it to the other side because the car was too close to the concrete blocks separating the road from sidewalk.
So I stop and ask him to back up a bit so I can pass.
He.. slowly pushes into me and stops..
Just enough so my pedal gets wedged in his bumber, pinning my left ankle between it and the car..
I frantically motion him to back off.
He pushes about another half a metre. luckily I have slick tires so my bike isnt completely beinng run down, but sorta skids on the road, stuck to the car. he stops and stares at me.
I motion for him to back off, pointing behing him and telling him in japanese to reverse.
At this point a Japanese mom in the parking notices and calls the police.
The guy advances another metre. By that time my bike it at a 45 degree angle and by foot still lodged between the peddle and bumper.
..I half half a nmind to try and lift the car or.. do SOMETHING, but with my busted back I knew I wouldnt be doing any feats of strength anytime soon, So I reach into my fanny pack and take a picture of him and his liscence plate and I tell myself if he advances one more time, I'm totally gonna start flailing at his hood.
Fortunately thats when the police came, and Lo and behold, when THEY tell him to back off, he shifts and backs up...
After 2 hours of waiting and stuff.. They tell me he is a bit senile and thought he was backing off. 4 times in a row. when he was going forward. And then backed off the second the police told him to.
Riiight.
Anyhoo, my bike was scratched, but nothing functionnal was broken, so they asked me If everything was ok... My ankle was a bit sore from being stuck between my bike and the bumper, but nothing broken.. However.. I dont know what that old man was thinking, but I dont buy that senility crap, and I told them i wanted to have my bike fixed. An hour later the insurance person came, we went to the bike shop and were told, you cant just repair scratches.. You would need to buy a new frame.. but the supplier website was down and stuff, so I got the insurance company's info and theyre gonna contact me later. Dont know about getteing a whole new frame, but I'm sure we can work somethinng out.
Anyhoo.. Tomorrow Ill go to Kyoto for the day, come back to osaka, meet Ari one last time, Then im on my way to the Nagoya region to meet with some old friends there, before going to Tokyo.
Bike through Fukushima and its radiation on which data is lacking (8 hours a day for like 2 days in the sun and all..)
..Or take the Shinkansen to the South and work my way back north to Tokyo.
After 2 hours of biking and it being bumpy and making my back hurt.. I decided to take the bullet Train to Osaka that afternoon, using the opportunity to visit Kyoto, Nara, and places near and aroubnd Osaka that Ive wanted to see, or re-visit in a while. Plus I get to nag Arijann(sp?) at her job.
So I arrived in Osaka, start putting up my bike outside, in a non-smoking area, and I swear.. in the 10m it took me to assemble it, I had to tell off 15 people who just came near me and started to smoke in my face, from a few meters away. And there were like 20 non-smoking signs.. People would sit AROUND a non-smoking sign and light-up.. I got annoyed, at one point a mother and her two little kids come and she lights up.. I do the polite thing and inform her that its a non smoking zone.
She looks at me and takes a puff.
Okay... I tell her that seh is bothering me..
Just the stare and abnother puff...
At that point, I wasnt gonna take no shit, so I just got up, took her cigarette, put it out on the ground and gave it back to her. All in the most gentlemanly fashion, being careful not to touch her in the process.
It fortunately ended at that. I just hate smokers here...
Anyhoo, I biked a bit around Osaka, Met Ari near a cafe where she works and we talked a while, then went to McDs because on top of being a poor student paying tuition, shes doing an un-paid internship in Japan...
And Japanese McDonalds have this wonderful thing called 100-yen menus. 1 burger 1 buck. Win.
The night ended late with debates about Game of Thrones and ethical problems in movies and how we should approach them. Been a while since I waqs in a debate, and I still suck inn organizing my thoughts in a matter that is not only coherent, but convincing. But Ari is a good conversationalist, and it was fun.
Looking for a place to stay that night, I got lost and ended up in the wrong part of town.. slumville.
A whole park with discarded appliances, tarps, umbrellas making crude houses, the smell of urine and excrement.. people sleeping on the sidewalk,m or just standing there in a daze.... Yeah. My hotel was near there.
My funds set aside for my Japan Trip are running low, so I need to cut somewhere :P
Anyhoo, the Hotel was old and cheap, but the sheets were clean.
I went to Mount Koya for the day today, and hiked a bit, and visited quite a few sites. its very pretty, up there in the mountains, I reccomend it to anyone in the Osaka/Nara region. They have these special dishes, that are basically traditionnal Japanese dishes, but vegetarian, since some of the monks couldnt eat animals. It was quite the experience for me.. I could eat a high-class Japanese set course without having to worry about having fish hiding somewhere inside! I could eat miso soup that was made with kinoko-dashi(mushroom stock) instead of the normal katsuo-dashi(fish based stock), eat boiled vegetables that were boiled in somethinng OTHER than fish-based broth(the popular o-den you can get anywhere has katsuo dashi).... It was a real eye-opener.. Without all that katsuo-dashi everywhere traditional japanese food is like.. 10x tastier! At least for me.
Im back at a slightly better hotel for tonight and tomorrow. Oh did i mention the crazy japanese guy who tried to kill me? That was two days ago, near Sendai.
CrazyFuck was trying to get out of a parking lot and on the road, but not doing anything for about a minute, so i got tired of waiting and tried to pass in front of him (in hindsight i should have tries back, but there were ditches and stuff), but i cant make it to the other side because the car was too close to the concrete blocks separating the road from sidewalk.
So I stop and ask him to back up a bit so I can pass.
He.. slowly pushes into me and stops..
Just enough so my pedal gets wedged in his bumber, pinning my left ankle between it and the car..
I frantically motion him to back off.
He pushes about another half a metre. luckily I have slick tires so my bike isnt completely beinng run down, but sorta skids on the road, stuck to the car. he stops and stares at me.
I motion for him to back off, pointing behing him and telling him in japanese to reverse.
At this point a Japanese mom in the parking notices and calls the police.
The guy advances another metre. By that time my bike it at a 45 degree angle and by foot still lodged between the peddle and bumper.
..I half half a nmind to try and lift the car or.. do SOMETHING, but with my busted back I knew I wouldnt be doing any feats of strength anytime soon, So I reach into my fanny pack and take a picture of him and his liscence plate and I tell myself if he advances one more time, I'm totally gonna start flailing at his hood.
Fortunately thats when the police came, and Lo and behold, when THEY tell him to back off, he shifts and backs up...
After 2 hours of waiting and stuff.. They tell me he is a bit senile and thought he was backing off. 4 times in a row. when he was going forward. And then backed off the second the police told him to.
Riiight.
Anyhoo, my bike was scratched, but nothing functionnal was broken, so they asked me If everything was ok... My ankle was a bit sore from being stuck between my bike and the bumper, but nothing broken.. However.. I dont know what that old man was thinking, but I dont buy that senility crap, and I told them i wanted to have my bike fixed. An hour later the insurance person came, we went to the bike shop and were told, you cant just repair scratches.. You would need to buy a new frame.. but the supplier website was down and stuff, so I got the insurance company's info and theyre gonna contact me later. Dont know about getteing a whole new frame, but I'm sure we can work somethinng out.
Anyhoo.. Tomorrow Ill go to Kyoto for the day, come back to osaka, meet Ari one last time, Then im on my way to the Nagoya region to meet with some old friends there, before going to Tokyo.
15.8.11
The show must go on... Sorta
So...
My bike being in maintainance, and me having a hard time bending down or leaning back or use my arms for anything (and gods forbid I try and lie down) I decided to take it easy and use the public transportations and go to Osore-zan, one of Japan's top 3 holy mountains, and the scariest one, since its the gateway to hell.
A train and buss.. And 3 hours later, I find myself at the mountain. I must admit it has a very creepy athmosphere. Theres the white rock and sand barren land with smoke comming through vents in the rock.. The white sand beach... The old temples... The cool, lonely wind blowing through the path weaving between cairns of rocks adorned with children's toys and pinwheels (built for children who have died before their parents)...
The river is the equivalent of Styx, and its very acid that only one type of fish live in it. Maybe because of the sulphur vapors or something else, but the very.. Active insect life that one can usually find in Japan is absent here, the only thing you can hear are crows. It was strange but somewhat calming and quiet, I walked about two hours, stopped by a small free onsen on the temple grounds.. I really chose the time of year to visit here, it seems.. The Obon festival, Japanese Halloween, in a way. I therefore had the chance to see Japanese Itako, mediums, who come during this time of year and use Kuchiyose to call on the spirits of the recently desceased to posses them that they may speak to their close ones. They are traditionally blind old women...
Anyways, it was very interesting. Waiting for the bus, an old man struck up a conversation with me and I told him about Mikasa, my trip and accident, etc. He kindly offered me a lift to town, as he was going there, and on the way I learned that he was visiting Mutsu for Obon because its his hometown, but he has been living in Nagoya for 50 years. I told him I had been on a student exchange in Nagoya, and we talked about miso-katsu and other Nagoya-ish things, it was fun. I was able to take a train back to aomori, and made it back in the late afternoon.
After one sleepless night in Hakodate because of back pains and douchebag mosquitoes, and one more or less sleepless night in an Aomori Internet cafe because of the hard (compared to a bed and mattress) sleeping area... I felt like a real bed. I checked at the tourist info area a chose the cheapest hotel i saw (still 45$), and fell asleep the secondI hit the sheets I stopped writhing in pain and found a position that didnt hurt.
Checking my e-mails the next day, I saw that my bike had been repaired, so I decided what I'd do next. I came up with a few guidelines..
1. No more non-mattress nights (hurting my back)
2. No more mountain roads (when going uphill, you need to pull with your arms and push with your feet... My legs are ok, but pulling or pushing with my arms causes pain)
3. I'm still gonna try biking around Japan for a bit more.
Therefore, I chose to send most of my stuff back to Canada, including my tent and ruck sacks. I will be travelling light and sleeping in hostels, hotels or guesthouses. I kept Spike, my ipad, toiletteries, important papers, bike multi- tool, bike bag, camera and some other small stuff. I just put it in a big bag, roll it up and secure it on my back carrier with my hooked elastic band. It makes a big difference in weight.
So after a quick stop at the post office, I put my bike in its bag, took the Shinkansen bullet train to Morioka, and started biking my way south. The way is flat, and my bike is much lighter, so it went well. In one afternoon I was able to bike 50km easily. I will continue to Osaki and figure out what I do then. If the road stays as flat as it was today, I should be able to reach the town tomorrow.
My bike being in maintainance, and me having a hard time bending down or leaning back or use my arms for anything (and gods forbid I try and lie down) I decided to take it easy and use the public transportations and go to Osore-zan, one of Japan's top 3 holy mountains, and the scariest one, since its the gateway to hell.
A train and buss.. And 3 hours later, I find myself at the mountain. I must admit it has a very creepy athmosphere. Theres the white rock and sand barren land with smoke comming through vents in the rock.. The white sand beach... The old temples... The cool, lonely wind blowing through the path weaving between cairns of rocks adorned with children's toys and pinwheels (built for children who have died before their parents)...
The river is the equivalent of Styx, and its very acid that only one type of fish live in it. Maybe because of the sulphur vapors or something else, but the very.. Active insect life that one can usually find in Japan is absent here, the only thing you can hear are crows. It was strange but somewhat calming and quiet, I walked about two hours, stopped by a small free onsen on the temple grounds.. I really chose the time of year to visit here, it seems.. The Obon festival, Japanese Halloween, in a way. I therefore had the chance to see Japanese Itako, mediums, who come during this time of year and use Kuchiyose to call on the spirits of the recently desceased to posses them that they may speak to their close ones. They are traditionally blind old women...
Anyways, it was very interesting. Waiting for the bus, an old man struck up a conversation with me and I told him about Mikasa, my trip and accident, etc. He kindly offered me a lift to town, as he was going there, and on the way I learned that he was visiting Mutsu for Obon because its his hometown, but he has been living in Nagoya for 50 years. I told him I had been on a student exchange in Nagoya, and we talked about miso-katsu and other Nagoya-ish things, it was fun. I was able to take a train back to aomori, and made it back in the late afternoon.
After one sleepless night in Hakodate because of back pains and douchebag mosquitoes, and one more or less sleepless night in an Aomori Internet cafe because of the hard (compared to a bed and mattress) sleeping area... I felt like a real bed. I checked at the tourist info area a chose the cheapest hotel i saw (still 45$), and fell asleep the second
Checking my e-mails the next day, I saw that my bike had been repaired, so I decided what I'd do next. I came up with a few guidelines..
1. No more non-mattress nights (hurting my back)
2. No more mountain roads (when going uphill, you need to pull with your arms and push with your feet... My legs are ok, but pulling or pushing with my arms causes pain)
3. I'm still gonna try biking around Japan for a bit more.
Therefore, I chose to send most of my stuff back to Canada, including my tent and ruck sacks. I will be travelling light and sleeping in hostels, hotels or guesthouses. I kept Spike, my ipad, toiletteries, important papers, bike multi- tool, bike bag, camera and some other small stuff. I just put it in a big bag, roll it up and secure it on my back carrier with my hooked elastic band. It makes a big difference in weight.
So after a quick stop at the post office, I put my bike in its bag, took the Shinkansen bullet train to Morioka, and started biking my way south. The way is flat, and my bike is much lighter, so it went well. In one afternoon I was able to bike 50km easily. I will continue to Osaki and figure out what I do then. If the road stays as flat as it was today, I should be able to reach the town tomorrow.
13.8.11
At that moment, the Chosen One learned a valuable lesson about iron claws... THEY HURT LIKE CRAP MAN!
And I remembered that back sprains hurt twice more when you lie down or try to turn. Combined with the fact that the room was swarmed with mosquitoes because of a hole in the bug screen.... And somehow instead of just quietly sucking me(!) and leaving me be, they insisted in always flying IN MY EARS, waking me up with a jolt and sending daggers of pain down my back... I must have slept like an hour, max, last night.
Anyways, I had already bought a ferry ticket, so I took it slow that morning, continued reading a book I had found at the hostel "The Last Templar", and took the ferry to Aomori.
Lets just say dragging a bike PLUS saddle bags around on a busted back isn't very pleasant.
Anyhoo, In Aomori, I got around to three bike places, but they were all closed because of O-Bon, the Japanese Halloween. The fourth place was opened, I told them to check my bike and take their time, as the doctor has said no riding for 2-3 days, and I also left him most of my packs, taking only bare essentials. After that, I went to, of course, an Onsen.
Well, I got a good wake up call, or rather "Welcome to Honshu" call, when I got asked to leave the onsen because of my tattoos. Four years in Hokkaido and that never happened. I Mind Tricked the staff member with my French, and he went away, but after that I didn't feel like staying anyways. Im in an Internet Cafe now, not the Tokyo-class, but good enough, with a padded cubicle for sleeping and drink bar. Smells like cigarette. Since there's only one floor, they cant ave smoking and non-smoking floors like those big places in Tokyo, but its cheap.
With a bit of luck, I'll be able to sleep well and tomorrow I'll take the train and bus to Osore-san, probably stay the night in Mutsu, and be back in Aomori the day after that, ready to pick up my bike and continue on my way. Thats the plan anyways, we will see what the force has in store for me....
Anyways, I had already bought a ferry ticket, so I took it slow that morning, continued reading a book I had found at the hostel "The Last Templar", and took the ferry to Aomori.
Lets just say dragging a bike PLUS saddle bags around on a busted back isn't very pleasant.
Anyhoo, In Aomori, I got around to three bike places, but they were all closed because of O-Bon, the Japanese Halloween. The fourth place was opened, I told them to check my bike and take their time, as the doctor has said no riding for 2-3 days, and I also left him most of my packs, taking only bare essentials. After that, I went to, of course, an Onsen.
Well, I got a good wake up call, or rather "Welcome to Honshu" call, when I got asked to leave the onsen because of my tattoos. Four years in Hokkaido and that never happened. I Mind Tricked the staff member with my French, and he went away, but after that I didn't feel like staying anyways. Im in an Internet Cafe now, not the Tokyo-class, but good enough, with a padded cubicle for sleeping and drink bar. Smells like cigarette. Since there's only one floor, they cant ave smoking and non-smoking floors like those big places in Tokyo, but its cheap.
With a bit of luck, I'll be able to sleep well and tomorrow I'll take the train and bus to Osore-san, probably stay the night in Mutsu, and be back in Aomori the day after that, ready to pick up my bike and continue on my way. Thats the plan anyways, we will see what the force has in store for me....
12.8.11
Adventure 2
Alright.
Since I'm sorta not insured right now... I decided that unless the doctor was really insistent, I wouldn't take any X-rays.
The doctor was cool, talked some English, and a bit of french and German and was very understanding of my situation and I got quite a deal for just above 40$. I'm sure that normally it would have cost me more like 120$.
Seems its a medium sprain/strain, so it hurts when I move, and he suggested i take a day or two off biking...
So basically, I need to go to a big town to get my bike fixed, and also need to take a break of sports. Its a shame since I wanted to do the whole trip on my bike, but I think it would be a bigger shame to miss out on stuff because I don't want to take a train, so I decided to head to Hakodate.
I could stay a day there, then take the ferry to Aomori the next day, have a place there take a look at my bike while I make a day trip to Osore-san, the mountain that is said to be the gateway to hell. There are trains and buses going there, and its pretty mountainous regions, so id probably save a day or two off my trip not doing it by bike.
Id spend the next day either in Mutsu or Aomori, then with a little luck, be back biking from Aomori to Tokyo!
Unexpected occurrences are part of the deal, and making do with them and adjusting the plans accordingly is part of the fun.
I'm just happy I just got a sprain and bruises.
To explain what happened in greater details.. The roads have no bike lanes and are often narrow. A bike must ride on the side of the road, so that 1 metre "lane" between the car lane side line and the railway/forest. The roads are in good condition, but the side lanes aren't always. I'm guessing that when they repair the roads, they sometimes only do it halfway through the side lane. meaning there's a bunch of asphalt ON TOP of the asphalt till halfway through the side lane, often with a good centimetre height difference between the two. That also means that 1 metre strip is often littered with holes, bumps. In this case, it was the former, two types of asphalt, with a 1 inch indent between them, going diagonally along the 1 metre side lane..
Going downhill at a reasonable pace, i noticed that there is a crack in the asphalt that's running along the side lane, growing narrower and narrower and eventually meeting with the side of the road a few metres downhill; I'll have to go over it eventually. I slow down a bit and go over it..
Humm, it was higher than I thought, but I'm ok..
Oh wait...
The fact that i had packs on my back wheel dawned on me a second too late; my back wheel couldn't get over the bump and instead slipped and followed the edge going sideways. To avoid following through and ending up in the traffic, I tried to adjust my heading, but it was too late, I did manage to fall along the side lane instead of the traffic, though.
After a less than graceful fall and roll, i pulled myself up, noticed I was bleeding from 3 places with chaffed skin, and my back hurt like hell. Also my bike handle was twisted and derailleur sounded funny.
I fixed the handle with my trusty multi-tool, but would have to have a pro look at my derailleur. My saddlebags were also a bit damaged.
That was my day :P
Could have been worst, eh?
Since I'm sorta not insured right now... I decided that unless the doctor was really insistent, I wouldn't take any X-rays.
The doctor was cool, talked some English, and a bit of french and German and was very understanding of my situation and I got quite a deal for just above 40$. I'm sure that normally it would have cost me more like 120$.
Seems its a medium sprain/strain, so it hurts when I move, and he suggested i take a day or two off biking...
So basically, I need to go to a big town to get my bike fixed, and also need to take a break of sports. Its a shame since I wanted to do the whole trip on my bike, but I think it would be a bigger shame to miss out on stuff because I don't want to take a train, so I decided to head to Hakodate.
I could stay a day there, then take the ferry to Aomori the next day, have a place there take a look at my bike while I make a day trip to Osore-san, the mountain that is said to be the gateway to hell. There are trains and buses going there, and its pretty mountainous regions, so id probably save a day or two off my trip not doing it by bike.
Id spend the next day either in Mutsu or Aomori, then with a little luck, be back biking from Aomori to Tokyo!
Unexpected occurrences are part of the deal, and making do with them and adjusting the plans accordingly is part of the fun.
I'm just happy I just got a sprain and bruises.
To explain what happened in greater details.. The roads have no bike lanes and are often narrow. A bike must ride on the side of the road, so that 1 metre "lane" between the car lane side line and the railway/forest. The roads are in good condition, but the side lanes aren't always. I'm guessing that when they repair the roads, they sometimes only do it halfway through the side lane. meaning there's a bunch of asphalt ON TOP of the asphalt till halfway through the side lane, often with a good centimetre height difference between the two. That also means that 1 metre strip is often littered with holes, bumps. In this case, it was the former, two types of asphalt, with a 1 inch indent between them, going diagonally along the 1 metre side lane..
Going downhill at a reasonable pace, i noticed that there is a crack in the asphalt that's running along the side lane, growing narrower and narrower and eventually meeting with the side of the road a few metres downhill; I'll have to go over it eventually. I slow down a bit and go over it..
Humm, it was higher than I thought, but I'm ok..
Oh wait...
The fact that i had packs on my back wheel dawned on me a second too late; my back wheel couldn't get over the bump and instead slipped and followed the edge going sideways. To avoid following through and ending up in the traffic, I tried to adjust my heading, but it was too late, I did manage to fall along the side lane instead of the traffic, though.
After a less than graceful fall and roll, i pulled myself up, noticed I was bleeding from 3 places with chaffed skin, and my back hurt like hell. Also my bike handle was twisted and derailleur sounded funny.
I fixed the handle with my trusty multi-tool, but would have to have a pro look at my derailleur. My saddlebags were also a bit damaged.
That was my day :P
Could have been worst, eh?
Adventure!
They say an adventure is going through tough spots, surviving, then telling everyone it was nothing.
Well, I've lost my cell phone, biked a day through the rain.. Etc.
But it was worth it. Being alone with just your bike, tent ..and GPS :)
Taking side streets to look around, pausing to take in the surrounding mountains, wind and smells..
Getting lost and finding your way back again, parking at a convenience store for snacks and a rest.. Stopping at a random small town and finding out if they have camp grounds or where the onsen is...
I wouldn't have it any other way.
Of course there are also accidents, and I had one earlier. I'm ok, just skinned my arms bit, bruised my back and hurt my back. Im at the hospital to confirm its just a sprain or strain and nothing major. I'll have to go to to Yakumoor Hakodate to getmy bike checked tho, cuz the old man at the bike shop here was stumpped by my bike's level of awesomeness.
More later. I am fine.
Well, I've lost my cell phone, biked a day through the rain.. Etc.
But it was worth it. Being alone with just your bike, tent ..and GPS :)
Taking side streets to look around, pausing to take in the surrounding mountains, wind and smells..
Getting lost and finding your way back again, parking at a convenience store for snacks and a rest.. Stopping at a random small town and finding out if they have camp grounds or where the onsen is...
I wouldn't have it any other way.
Of course there are also accidents, and I had one earlier. I'm ok, just skinned my arms bit, bruised my back and hurt my back. Im at the hospital to confirm its just a sprain or strain and nothing major. I'll have to go to to Yakumoor Hakodate to getmy bike checked tho, cuz the old man at the bike shop here was stumpped by my bike's level of awesomeness.
More later. I am fine.
10.8.11
Taking it easy
This place is nice, the onsen also has a restaurant and a rest room.
The toilets are clean and smell good, which is surprisingly rare in Japan, I found.
Im a bit tired and couldnt sleep well yesterday because itwas so hot, So I was thinking of staying here another night, or making a short hop to the next town...
Its 30 degrees outside, but with the humidity at 85%, it feels like 40. Plus is super sunny...
I'll see how I feel after a trip to the onsen.
The camp grounds are also nice and clean. Might also go for a swim in the sea...
The toilets are clean and smell good, which is surprisingly rare in Japan, I found.
Im a bit tired and couldnt sleep well yesterday because itwas so hot, So I was thinking of staying here another night, or making a short hop to the next town...
Its 30 degrees outside, but with the humidity at 85%, it feels like 40. Plus is super sunny...
I'll see how I feel after a trip to the onsen.
The camp grounds are also nice and clean. Might also go for a swim in the sea...
...Rain...
Leaving my cozy toiletside campsite, I headed south and then west on my journey to Hakodate.
It rained a bit on the way but it was just a drizzle. Once I got to Muroran ("Moron" to Melissa), I started following the signs towards Date, the next city on my itinerary...
I followed the said signs for 40 minutes to the foot of a great bridge... Which had big signs that made it very clear that no bikes, no mororcycles of less than 125cc, and no one on foot was allowed.. And that bridge was the only way to my destination.
I pondered Gaijin Smashing my way on the bridge, but I decided it wouldnt be conductive to my making it out of this safely, so, I started backtracking, then it started to rain hard.. After getting thouroughly soaked, i decided to stop for abit and noticed that my fanny pouch zipper was busted, then I noticed that my cell phone was missing... Oh well.
After a jungle of blocked roads due to construction to which the detours were blocked to my by dire old men because only motorized vehicles are allowed..I considered just taking the train...
But I kept at it, and eventually got through to Date and beyond. The region is very nice seaside cliffs. That also means lots of ups and downs. It also started raining, so i got drenched again.
It stopped when I was about around Toya, and I stopped at a cute small rest area with a drinking fountain at its centre. It was really charming, and I stayed there ponring whether to try and find a place there or to go to the next village over.
It was only 4, so I opted to try and make it to the next place. After 2 Death Traps called tunnels (theres no room for bycicles, so you have to just hug the wall and hope no one rams you from behind and there were only one lane each direction, so it gets precarious if cars a comming on both ways sothe one behind you cant just shave a bit off the opposite lane to pass you), I got to Toyoura, which is a small and cute place. Its too bad Japanese love to put Tetrapods on every beach, else the beach would have also been a sight!
Anyhoo, I unpacked, cleaned everything in a public sink, put up my tent and headed to the onsen, where I am writing this. Its a nice place, I think I will come back tomorrow and recharge my iPad and stuff here.. Its at 10%...
Looks like its more mountains in store for me tomorrow!
I also took my blood pressure...
107 max
57 min
87 beats
Is it just me or is that low? Anyways, I havent had any lightheaded spells lately so, I'll assume everything is peachy.
It rained a bit on the way but it was just a drizzle. Once I got to Muroran ("Moron" to Melissa), I started following the signs towards Date, the next city on my itinerary...
I followed the said signs for 40 minutes to the foot of a great bridge... Which had big signs that made it very clear that no bikes, no mororcycles of less than 125cc, and no one on foot was allowed.. And that bridge was the only way to my destination.
I pondered Gaijin Smashing my way on the bridge, but I decided it wouldnt be conductive to my making it out of this safely, so, I started backtracking, then it started to rain hard.. After getting thouroughly soaked, i decided to stop for abit and noticed that my fanny pouch zipper was busted, then I noticed that my cell phone was missing... Oh well.
After a jungle of blocked roads due to construction to which the detours were blocked to my by dire old men because only motorized vehicles are allowed..I considered just taking the train...
But I kept at it, and eventually got through to Date and beyond. The region is very nice seaside cliffs. That also means lots of ups and downs. It also started raining, so i got drenched again.
It stopped when I was about around Toya, and I stopped at a cute small rest area with a drinking fountain at its centre. It was really charming, and I stayed there ponring whether to try and find a place there or to go to the next village over.
It was only 4, so I opted to try and make it to the next place. After 2 Death Traps called tunnels (theres no room for bycicles, so you have to just hug the wall and hope no one rams you from behind and there were only one lane each direction, so it gets precarious if cars a comming on both ways sothe one behind you cant just shave a bit off the opposite lane to pass you), I got to Toyoura, which is a small and cute place. Its too bad Japanese love to put Tetrapods on every beach, else the beach would have also been a sight!
Anyhoo, I unpacked, cleaned everything in a public sink, put up my tent and headed to the onsen, where I am writing this. Its a nice place, I think I will come back tomorrow and recharge my iPad and stuff here.. Its at 10%...
Looks like its more mountains in store for me tomorrow!
I also took my blood pressure...
107 max
57 min
87 beats
Is it just me or is that low? Anyways, I havent had any lightheaded spells lately so, I'll assume everything is peachy.
9.8.11
Onsen resort & being cheap
So, yeah. I decided to keep moving and biked about 30km to Noboribetsu Hot Springs Resort.
The last 5 or so kilometres were very tough, going up pretty much all the way.
I arrived at the main part of town (5km from the hot springs part) around 1pm, so I had alot of time. I checked for cheap lodgings, but, as expected from a top resort spot, most hotels were 100+$ a night and nothing really under 40$.
I asked around and got a suggestion...
I decided to go and enjoy Noboribetsu hot springs and see what would happen...
As i was going around, I noticed the information centre and decided to take a look, the 3 nice girls there offered to look after my baggages for the day so I could move around more freely on my bike. I also taught them a bit about Quebec. I have a canadian flag sticked to one side of my bike ruck sack, and a quebec flag on the other side, and Spike, my travel companion cactuar, sticking out of the pocket with my quebec flag.
Anyways, i rode a bit, but left my bike to go through Hell's Valley (where the hot springs bubbles up), and walk through the nature reserve to see the sights. It was very hot, but cloudy and misty, with high humidity. It was a good 2-3 hour walk back and forth to see everything. When i got back, I went to a few restaurants which were closed (they close from 2 to 6, so if you wanna eat during the afternoon, you're screwed) before finding a small restaurant where it was just me and the old lady cook and we talked a bit, and she gave me a discount. I also got to see The clockwork statue of King Enma get angry.
After that, I took it easy at one of the many hot springs resorts, went to see the night illuminatio. At Hell's Valley and went back to get my packs. One of the ladies at the information centre subtly hinted at the same place as the person earlier today did...
So here I am, in my first para-legal stunt, having pitched my tent in the grass behind a toilet in a small resting area between the resort place and city proper. There are also 3 cars in the parking lot with people in them, stayin the night here too, I guess :)
Map
The last 5 or so kilometres were very tough, going up pretty much all the way.
I arrived at the main part of town (5km from the hot springs part) around 1pm, so I had alot of time. I checked for cheap lodgings, but, as expected from a top resort spot, most hotels were 100+$ a night and nothing really under 40$.
I asked around and got a suggestion...
I decided to go and enjoy Noboribetsu hot springs and see what would happen...
As i was going around, I noticed the information centre and decided to take a look, the 3 nice girls there offered to look after my baggages for the day so I could move around more freely on my bike. I also taught them a bit about Quebec. I have a canadian flag sticked to one side of my bike ruck sack, and a quebec flag on the other side, and Spike, my travel companion cactuar, sticking out of the pocket with my quebec flag.
Anyways, i rode a bit, but left my bike to go through Hell's Valley (where the hot springs bubbles up), and walk through the nature reserve to see the sights. It was very hot, but cloudy and misty, with high humidity. It was a good 2-3 hour walk back and forth to see everything. When i got back, I went to a few restaurants which were closed (they close from 2 to 6, so if you wanna eat during the afternoon, you're screwed) before finding a small restaurant where it was just me and the old lady cook and we talked a bit, and she gave me a discount. I also got to see The clockwork statue of King Enma get angry.
After that, I took it easy at one of the many hot springs resorts, went to see the night illuminatio. At Hell's Valley and went back to get my packs. One of the ladies at the information centre subtly hinted at the same place as the person earlier today did...
So here I am, in my first para-legal stunt, having pitched my tent in the grass behind a toilet in a small resting area between the resort place and city proper. There are also 3 cars in the parking lot with people in them, stayin the night here too, I guess :)
Map
8.8.11
Camping again!
I had planned a bit less, but i ended up doing 90km today.
By the way, youth hostels cost as much as cheap hotels in japan... But with someone else in the room.
I dont really understand the concept here.
Anyways... When I was passing Chitose Airport, I rememberred my friends talking about a fun new mall there but saw no signs or entrance. I asked a convinience store lady on the way if the mall was neat the airport, or inside it, but she had no idea what i was talking about. I tried doing a round of calls, but everyone must have been busy at work so I went arount, keepimg an eye out for some kind of entrance, but those roads were not built with bycicles in mind, so going south, I found no entrance or sign and to go to Chitose Airport itself would have required me to do more dubious road maneuvers I felt comfortable with considering the trafic.
Just before Tomakomai, I stopped at a road station to check surrounding camp sites, and met this cool japanese guy with great english that had lived in Toronto for 3 years. He had reckognised my Quebec flag and came talk to me. He told me the only camp place in the area was this 5-star place and cost from 40 to 70 dollars for a spot... And reccomended I go to Shiraoi to this place called Poroto, wheres theres an onsen, an Ainu museum, some nature trails and a camp ground (4$).
So I did my best and did the extra 40km. Its a nice place, the forest is cool, and the camp place is better, in my opinion, to the other place, which felt more like a golf course, with a bit more trees.
I'll look around tomorrow and if I feel like it I might take it easy, see the museum and walk along some forest trils... Or I might head south... Looking forward to the Noboribetsu springs.
I just wish the japanese family a few metres back wasnt listening to the radio, sorta breaks the ambiance...
By the way, youth hostels cost as much as cheap hotels in japan... But with someone else in the room.
I dont really understand the concept here.
Anyways... When I was passing Chitose Airport, I rememberred my friends talking about a fun new mall there but saw no signs or entrance. I asked a convinience store lady on the way if the mall was neat the airport, or inside it, but she had no idea what i was talking about. I tried doing a round of calls, but everyone must have been busy at work so I went arount, keepimg an eye out for some kind of entrance, but those roads were not built with bycicles in mind, so going south, I found no entrance or sign and to go to Chitose Airport itself would have required me to do more dubious road maneuvers I felt comfortable with considering the trafic.
Just before Tomakomai, I stopped at a road station to check surrounding camp sites, and met this cool japanese guy with great english that had lived in Toronto for 3 years. He had reckognised my Quebec flag and came talk to me. He told me the only camp place in the area was this 5-star place and cost from 40 to 70 dollars for a spot... And reccomended I go to Shiraoi to this place called Poroto, wheres theres an onsen, an Ainu museum, some nature trails and a camp ground (4$).
So I did my best and did the extra 40km. Its a nice place, the forest is cool, and the camp place is better, in my opinion, to the other place, which felt more like a golf course, with a bit more trees.
I'll look around tomorrow and if I feel like it I might take it easy, see the museum and walk along some forest trils... Or I might head south... Looking forward to the Noboribetsu springs.
I just wish the japanese family a few metres back wasnt listening to the radio, sorta breaks the ambiance...
7.8.11
Back in business!
After getting down with whatever i got, I decided to take it easy for a while.
I ended staying at Ros' place for 3 nights. I think i could have left after two nights, but it just happened to be the town's festival that night, so She generously let me squat one more night. 3 days with Alfador :D
The 6th, wanting to take it slow, I took it easy in the morning and went to Mikasa, the town where I just finished spending the last 4 years of my life...
On the way there, I met with yet another friend who lives in Bibai, where I was passing through (a school nurse at one of the schools i used to work in) and we had dinner at a restaurant.
From Sunagawa to Mikasa was about 35km and i didnt feel lightheaded.
When going around town, looking for a place to put up my tent I met this nice lady, mother of a kid I used to teach and she invited me to stAy the night at her place. It was cool, but we ended up talking till about 3am, so I only got about 2 hours of sleep that night.
The older brother, whom I didnt know because hes in high school, is very smart, but in a very broad and autodidactic kind of way. I was very happy to find a young, critical and inquisitive youth; my students usually dont question what they are told, and stuff... I guess it might also be the difference between middle school and high school?
Anyhoo. Today, even though i was lacking sleep, I went to sapporo (around 65km), got my money back for the busted derailer earlier, and booked a night at a Youth Hostel. By the time I made it at the Mexican restaurant, they were closing, so I thought I'd try an italian restaurant just north of the station.. I got in, sat down.. And the lady next to me starts to light a cigarette... I ask the waitress to be moved to the non-smoking section.. But it seems they have none..
I was too tired to even feel annoyed; I just excused myself, left, and got convenience sto food, I am eating in the room while typing this.
After the 65km and the night with pretty much no sleep i feel pretty tired, but none of that fogginess, so if everything goes well, i might be in Tomakomai by tomorrow!
I ended staying at Ros' place for 3 nights. I think i could have left after two nights, but it just happened to be the town's festival that night, so She generously let me squat one more night. 3 days with Alfador :D
The 6th, wanting to take it slow, I took it easy in the morning and went to Mikasa, the town where I just finished spending the last 4 years of my life...
On the way there, I met with yet another friend who lives in Bibai, where I was passing through (a school nurse at one of the schools i used to work in) and we had dinner at a restaurant.
From Sunagawa to Mikasa was about 35km and i didnt feel lightheaded.
When going around town, looking for a place to put up my tent I met this nice lady, mother of a kid I used to teach and she invited me to stAy the night at her place. It was cool, but we ended up talking till about 3am, so I only got about 2 hours of sleep that night.
The older brother, whom I didnt know because hes in high school, is very smart, but in a very broad and autodidactic kind of way. I was very happy to find a young, critical and inquisitive youth; my students usually dont question what they are told, and stuff... I guess it might also be the difference between middle school and high school?
Anyhoo. Today, even though i was lacking sleep, I went to sapporo (around 65km), got my money back for the busted derailer earlier, and booked a night at a Youth Hostel. By the time I made it at the Mexican restaurant, they were closing, so I thought I'd try an italian restaurant just north of the station.. I got in, sat down.. And the lady next to me starts to light a cigarette... I ask the waitress to be moved to the non-smoking section.. But it seems they have none..
I was too tired to even feel annoyed; I just excused myself, left, and got convenience sto food, I am eating in the room while typing this.
After the 65km and the night with pretty much no sleep i feel pretty tired, but none of that fogginess, so if everything goes well, i might be in Tomakomai by tomorrow!
4.8.11
Resting...
Been staying at a friend's place for the past 2 days resting.
What I thought was heatstroke might be different; After 2 days of eating alot sleeping alot and drinking alot I still have trouble concentrating and feel vaguely lightheaded...
Nothing major, but nothing reassuring either.. I wonder if I have low blood pressure or light anemia?
I have made a point to eat alot and get lots of sleep. I am constantly thirsty though.
Anyways, tomorrow, I will continue my trip and it easy for a while. I mean it's not a race or anything.
What I thought was heatstroke might be different; After 2 days of eating alot sleeping alot and drinking alot I still have trouble concentrating and feel vaguely lightheaded...
Nothing major, but nothing reassuring either.. I wonder if I have low blood pressure or light anemia?
I have made a point to eat alot and get lots of sleep. I am constantly thirsty though.
Anyways, tomorrow, I will continue my trip and it easy for a while. I mean it's not a race or anything.
2.8.11
Day 4
90 more kilometres...
But way harder.
The way from Enbetsu to the south is filled with hills for the first 25km.
So i killed myself on those and had to take a break at the onsen afterwards.
I eventually made the planned trip, but im really beat so will be staying at a hotel tonight.
Todays lesson is that the lay of the land is more important than pure mileage.
Tomorrow ill be aiming at Fukagawa, 50km, but i need to cross mountains..
Lets pray for the best!
But way harder.
The way from Enbetsu to the south is filled with hills for the first 25km.
So i killed myself on those and had to take a break at the onsen afterwards.
I eventually made the planned trip, but im really beat so will be staying at a hotel tonight.
Todays lesson is that the lay of the land is more important than pure mileage.
Tomorrow ill be aiming at Fukagawa, 50km, but i need to cross mountains..
Lets pray for the best!
1.8.11
Day 3
Updated map
So, ultimately the place where i got my bike in Sapporo sent the shop in Wakkanai a new derailer and set it so it arived the next day. If i understood correctly, once I'm in Sapporo, i'll be able to get me 10000yen for the part back.
Day 2 was basically going to Soya, then having my derailler break midway back, then using the old grandma bike they generously lent me to get around town, to the Wakkanai Onsen, and then back to the camp grounds.
Day 3 started with a nice conversation with an old Japanese chap, till I got the phone call from the bike shop around 10.
Then from 11 (after a nice talk with the bike shop owner) to about 6, I had the biggest bike ride of my life: arouns 90km of biking, with a few stops every few hours...
Now im in Enbetsu, if all goes well, Inwill be in Rumi by tomorrow, then arouns familiar territory in fukugawa by he next day. Met an intesting couple of marine biologists at camp. My butt hurts, I hope it dosent get worse tomorrow.
So, ultimately the place where i got my bike in Sapporo sent the shop in Wakkanai a new derailer and set it so it arived the next day. If i understood correctly, once I'm in Sapporo, i'll be able to get me 10000yen for the part back.
Day 2 was basically going to Soya, then having my derailler break midway back, then using the old grandma bike they generously lent me to get around town, to the Wakkanai Onsen, and then back to the camp grounds.
Day 3 started with a nice conversation with an old Japanese chap, till I got the phone call from the bike shop around 10.
Then from 11 (after a nice talk with the bike shop owner) to about 6, I had the biggest bike ride of my life: arouns 90km of biking, with a few stops every few hours...
Now im in Enbetsu, if all goes well, Inwill be in Rumi by tomorrow, then arouns familiar territory in fukugawa by he next day. Met an intesting couple of marine biologists at camp. My butt hurts, I hope it dosent get worse tomorrow.
31.7.11
WTF
So...
I got to Cape Soya, ate ramen, and on my way back to Wakkanai...
My derailer broke off..
I mean broke clean off. I had to take a 70$ taxi ride back to Wakkanai and the driver didnt close his trunk properly so it left a mark in my new bike's front!
After 2 bike shops that were closed, i finally found one, but the iwner is out, so I'm waiting..
Seriously, though.. First day of a planned 25 day trip and this happens.
I'm gonna check with the store in sapporo where i bought my bike to see if I can get some sort of warranty, but i doubt this small store has the parts needed, so they'll have to be sent over.
I might be here a few days.
When i went to the shrine to pray for a safe trip, i should have prayed for my bike also, hehe.
I got to Cape Soya, ate ramen, and on my way back to Wakkanai...
My derailer broke off..
I mean broke clean off. I had to take a 70$ taxi ride back to Wakkanai and the driver didnt close his trunk properly so it left a mark in my new bike's front!
After 2 bike shops that were closed, i finally found one, but the iwner is out, so I'm waiting..
Seriously, though.. First day of a planned 25 day trip and this happens.
I'm gonna check with the store in sapporo where i bought my bike to see if I can get some sort of warranty, but i doubt this small store has the parts needed, so they'll have to be sent over.
I might be here a few days.
When i went to the shrine to pray for a safe trip, i should have prayed for my bike also, hehe.
30.7.11
The journey begins
After a good 5 hour train ride, I am finally in Wakkanai!!
But it was already getting dark, so i wandered about a bit then decided to go to the camp ground.
After looking at the layout of the land a bit, I decided that I would go to Japans northernmost point, Cape Soya, tomorrow, then head back to Wakkanai city and go to the northernmost hot spring in Japan. That should be about a day, and it will mean camping 2 nights at the same place, but hey, whatever, ill still get to do a few hours of bike and enjoy some hot springs before i start heading south.
Heres is a map that should point to where i am
Map
More later!
But it was already getting dark, so i wandered about a bit then decided to go to the camp ground.
After looking at the layout of the land a bit, I decided that I would go to Japans northernmost point, Cape Soya, tomorrow, then head back to Wakkanai city and go to the northernmost hot spring in Japan. That should be about a day, and it will mean camping 2 nights at the same place, but hey, whatever, ill still get to do a few hours of bike and enjoy some hot springs before i start heading south.
Heres is a map that should point to where i am
Map
More later!
20.3.11
4 mois...
C'est étrange.
Avec tout ce qui se passe dans le coin avec les tremblements de terre, la centrale nucléaire, etc..
Ce qui me stresse le plus c'est quand même mon retour au Québec.
L'incertitude, j'imagine. 4 ans de travail stable, stressant, parfois, mais bien rémunéré et avec bons avantages.
Pour ce qui est du futur... Je sais que j'aimerais travailler dans un domaine interculturel; approfondir les liens internationaux; peut-être voyager dans d'autres pays; peut-être aider les immigrants au Canada, ou aider les Canadiens à l"étranger, etc...
Mais ça se traduit comme quoi en tant que emploi, spécifiquement? Je pensais peut-être fonctionnaire au gouvernement, affaires étrangères. Cependant, c'est pas le marché le plus ouvert, et il faut passer l'examen de la fonction publique, etc...
Je me rends aussi compte que mes connaissances du gouvernement Canadien ainsi qu'en politique sont limitées.
Mais, bon.. va falloir passer le test. Le test, par contre est genre aux alentours d'octobre.
Que faire en attendant/si je ne suis pas retenu?
Maîtrise en études internationales serait l'option la plus saillante. Me trouver une job pour payer les factures serait aussi bien (J'ai de l'argent mis de côté, mais il faudra éventuellement travailler). Je pourrais aussi chercher à entrer sur le marché du travail plus sérieusement, genre à un firme japonaise au Québec (Genre Canon ont des bureaux à Montréal), etc.
Pogner ma licence est aussi dans la liste de choses à faire...
Je me compte chanceux d'avoir de très bons amis. C'est chez des amis que j'ai pu entreposer mes effets personnels en partant au Japon, et c'est aussi des amis qui m'ont chaleureusement offert de rester chez eux à mon retour ainsi que de recevoir des colis de ma part du Japon. Ça va beaucoup faciliter la transition.
J'espère juste que le contre-choc culturel (reverse culture shock) ne sera pas trop fort.
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