Whilst we knew we were running out of time in Japan when we departed Kusatsu (where we left the last post), we were still excited to squeeze just a last few juicy drops out of this wonderful country before departing for the ‘land down under’.
Love
One thing on the bucket list which we hadn’t yet ticked off was a Japanese love hotel. Avid readers of the blog will know that we stayed in a few Korean love motels (mainly to avoid torrential rain and hot/humid nights in the tent). How would the Japanese version compare?
Well reader, I can confirm that the Japanese version is level up in every way. I’m too much of a prude to share all of the detail on the ‘features’ of the room but we thoroughly enjoyed our stay including: an in-room massage chair, all you can eat ice cream and most excitingly all you can drink beer (other beverages also available).
Other highlights of our last couple of weeks cycling in Japan, before our arrival into Tokyo included:
Autumn
It had well and truly arrived, particularly given we were still in the mountains. Of course in Japan this means ‘Momiji’ galore which we really enjoyed at every turn.
It also meant that we continued to feel the cold, particularly at night with the dark setting in really early. One night in particular was a bit of a struggle – no hot showers, no onsen nearby and the now obsolete sleeping mats providing no insulation meant that we shivered through the night whilst dreaming of Australia!
Our favourite campsite in Japan
The flip side to the above was that we finally found a Japanese campsite which met our European expectations. Near Nikkō (so not quite so high up as we had been), and run by the municipality – the site was beautifully laid out in amongst the trees, had fantastic washing up facilities, laundry and most important of all – hot showers. We loved it so much that we spent four nights there giving us the opportunity to enjoy Nikkō (and get lots of washing done!)
The final climbs
Despite closing in on the edge of the mega-polis of Tokyo we still managed to fit in some final climbs – most notably the Konsei pass, the day we rode into Nikkō. We were joined by a lot of Japanese tourists driving the route, particularly noticeable when descending via a lot of hairpin bends. All of us enjoyed the views…
Nikkō
Nikkō itself is one of Japan’s most famous historic and cultural sites and didn’t disappoint. The Toshogu shrine was stuffed full of beautiful architecture and incredible carvings/detail. We were joined here by big groups of Japanese school kids, and the inspiration for the ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’ saying – the three monkeys.
Sushi
Japanese food has consistently been utterly delicious. We have over-indulged on numerous occasions and at this point in the trip were still not bored given the variety and quality of the food.
We hit our peak on a visit to a conveyor belt sushi place near Nikko which involved the ordering-on-a-tablet-system (dangerous when we’re in charge of said tablet). This meant plentiful supplies of delicious sushi whizzing up to our table as we ordered (several times). So yum we went twice on consecutive days – don’t judge us.
Long days
The final run into Tokyo from Nikkō meant some flatter riding finally. So slightly inexplicably we decided to take the opportunity to do back to back very long days (or at least very long for this trip). 137km followed by 141km (the latter day involving an epic lakeside detour directly into a big thunderstorm) – I think (maybe) enough to sate Matt’s appetite for cycling (somehow a challenge, even on this trip!) We were fortunate to be able to pick a route which involved lots of off-road bike path and plenty of konbinis – a winning combination.
Our first sighting of Tokyo
Surprisingly it wasn’t until our last day of riding that we finally spotted Tokyo. For the biggest city on the planet it had somehow remained elusive. How did we feel when we saw it? Nothing like the sense of monumental achievement on arrival into Istanbul (despite a long way – up and along!) – more a sense of sadness knowing that we would soon be leaving this place which felt like home again somehow…
P.S. More food
For those who really enjoy the food pics, here’s an example of a Japanese hotel breakfast (Matt style).
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