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| This cycling journey took me to Gotemba and Nagoya. I camped at Lake Biwa (Japan's largest fresh water lake) and visited the historic city of Kyoto. I made my way to Osaka and visited its castle. In Kobe, I cycled by some remnants of the devastating earthquake which simply illustated the power of Mother Nature. After a quick lunch, I made my way along the coast until I arrived in Hiroshima Prefecture (please see the map). (Continued next page) |
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| Cycle-Touring Japan |
| In April 2002, I cycled across Japan from Tokyo to Kyushu with a goal to visit Hiroshima. In total, I cycled for 21 days and covered over 2000km through 19 prefectures.As crazy as it may sound, I did this all without a road map. All I had was a general tourist map indicating the cities and large towns and relied on my basic knowledge of Japanese to ask for directions. This was intentional. I wanted to force myself to interact with the locals. I not only improved my speaking ability in Japanese but also met many wonderful people. I was overwhelmed by their generosity. |
| Their acts of kindness included free drinks, food (one farmer gave me a dozen large grapefruit) and emotional support by shouting “ganbatte-kudasai!” as I passed. In a Kochi health clinic, I was even given free medication for a sore throat. Equally crazy was that I never slept in a hotel or campground. I free-camped in various places including on a beach, next to rivers, in large parks and highway rest areas. These places were safe, comfortable and very affordable (i.e. free!) I met many Japanese cyclists and motorbike tourists who did the same thing. |
| Osaka Castle |
| Kobe's Earthquake |
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| Lake Biwa |
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