Bicycles, bears and bad knees

Touring Hokkaido by bicycle

Hokkaido has long been a favourite destination among motorcyclists. Its open roads, magnificent scenery, cheap lodgings and delicious seafood attracting thousands of leather-clad bikers every summer. Looking to get out of the stifling Osaka summer heat and breathe some mountain air, two UK designers decided to see for themselves what all the fuss was about - on bicycles. Armed with ¥100 store Hokkaido maps we plotted a tentative circular route across the island based on guesstimated distances and Youth Hostel locations. We booked rooms, confirmed a return flight home and set off for the ferry port at Maizuru with adventure in our hearts, as much luggage as we could squeeze into our bike panniers and a bike in a bag. What follows is a blog of our adventure, written on the road.

Day1 SAPPORO

Both a little weary after a short sleep and not having had a holiday in a while but hoping that arrival in Hokkaido will re-energize us. Last nights stressful - getting the bikes to the ferry - bit is over and we're happy to relax on deck, sipping on One Cups and watching the wake fade into the distance. Osaka is slowly being washed out of our systems and we turn our thoughts to big skies and cute furry animals skipping happily beneath rainbows.

Day2 SAPPORO

Dan's mate and her man, picked us up from the ferry terminal in Otaru and we headed back to their flat in south Sapporo. We savoured a few local beers and spread out our map before our hosts. They glared, open-eyed and took short, sharp intakes of breath upon seeing our route. Their reaction forced us to alter our course slightly, choosing a nice campsite for our final night. Tomorrow the touring starts.

Day3 FURANO: 120km

Today we put our bikes together, took the obligatory photo under a 20ft tanuki statue and headed off around 10am. The road out was pretty busy and unexpectedly hilly (looked flat on our maps) but we had a tail wind and made the foot of the mountains at a leisurely pace, taking in all the peculiar sights (local retro graphics, cows, chimneys, elevated fuel tanks in gardens) and stopping for some wonderful fresh melon and corn on the cob. Dan is obviously suffering from a right knee not so keen on cycling for eight hours a day up and down mountains.

Day 4-5 SOUNKYOU: 112km

Yesterday was another long one but we managed it up to our hostel in the mountains by 6.30, just as the sun was going down. The scenery was fantastic - changing from rolling hills in the morning to the dramatic rocky gorge of our destination. We stopped in between outside Asahikawa for some scalding ramen carbs. Thankfully, the climb wasn't too steep either as Dan's knee was causing him a fair amount of pain. The mist sitting on the river helped to take the edge off the final few kilometres and Sonkyo ended up being a lot nicer than the guidebooks make out. But then again, your perspective is always different when you've had a long day in the saddle. Our simple bath and dinner last night was all we yearned for in the world and the woman who showed us to our family sized tatami room, an angel. We decided to rest up today and give Dan's knee a chance to recover.

Day 6 MASSHUKO: 200km

The next leg of our journey was not feasible in one day, so we broke it up with a 50km train ride. We descended down from the Daisetsuzan national park passing tat and ice cream shops with stuffed bears outside. We reached the train station just in time for the 1.10 to Masshu and managed to avoid putting our bikes in their bags by playing the innocent gaijin card. After just 50km however Dan reckoned the knee could withstand the gentle climb up from Bihiro so we saddled up and made our way out of town. Unfortunately we took the wrong road (the sign posting was awful - and I'm good with directions) and added more kilometers to the journey but it ended up being a beautiful road. We soon came to the inevitable hard climb however. 7km of uphill hell. The sun was setting by now and we knew we still had a good 20 clicks on the other side. As with every other day, we made it through the long stretches by testing each other' s memory of childhood tv programs and quiz shows. We stopped dead in our tracks at the sound of a whelp. A very loud animal noise to our left. Whatever it was it was close. The sun was down now and the few cars we saw had long gone. The opportunity to finally meet up with the local wildlife suddenly lost its appeal. In truth it was probably just a stag but without a library of wild animal recordings at hand, we sprinted up to the top of the mountain and threw ourselves down the other side under a vale of thick, wet fog. We finally reached the YH after 9 hours in the saddle, exhausted. We watched Superman on tv and slept like babies.

Day 8 IKEDA: 120km

Leaving Kushiro was a relief. Relief we were only passing through. Our daily wrong turning didn't help spirits and with a lack of landscape, quiet roads and sun for 40kms we decided to jump on the train. There was a lull in the traffic as we drew up to the side of the road to study the map and as we turned to look up the valley, a pair of Tsuru, long and elegant, flew past. A truly awe-inspiring sight. Ikeda couldn't come quickly enough and soon we were in a totally different landscape of long flat fields and villages where people cared for their gardens and houses. The hostel was great - clean and comfy - essentially a big family house. Our host was a jolly, well-travelled guy with a beard who seemed to crave talking to his guests at every opportunity.

Day 9-10 YACHIYO: 50km

With Dan's knee finally spent, we change our plans once again and decide to spend our last two days relaxing in the country and book some last minute accommodation. A relative hop and skip away from Ikeda-cho, our last YH is run by genki Osakans that have escaped the rat race for the slow life. We spend our rest day exploring the local area, visiting a stained glass artist and enjoying a few rounds of park golf - essentially golf for grannies, played with oversized balls and plastic clubs. Great fun.

Day 11 MEMURO / CHITOSE AIRPORT

We cycle to the nearest train station and break down our bikes for the last time, arranging the wheels and rear carrier together with the frame in a big nylon bag – the only way to (officially) take your bike on a train or plane in Japan. We take the express to the airport, stock up on Royce chocolate souvenirs and wave goodbye to Hokkaido as the sun sets over the mountains below us.

Text & photos: Daniel Lee & Stuart Kerr