Landscapes, Gardens, Mandarin Oranges …. and Rules

On October 29, 2025 By Jay and Deb's Joy RideIn New Zealand 20222 Comments

Day 7 Shimanto City to Cape Ashizuri 53 km 991m
Day 8 Cape Ashizuri to Sukumo 72km 1228 m
Day 9 Sukumo to Uwajima 94km 1713 m
Day 10 Uwajima to Uchico 78km 1622 m
Day 11 Uchico to Matsuyama 67km 1576m
Day 12 Matsuyama – Imabari 50km 1017 m
Day 13 Imabari – Onomichi 91km 1003 m
TOTAL TODAY. 1012 kms 20,711m

The Island of Shikoku will be hard to beat. Endless winding single lane roads through dense forest with scattered valley openings of carpeted agricultural plots as we came down to a beautiful coastal route. Quaint fishing towns in various states of activity were located all along the spectacular coast. Picture perfect.

The fields we cycled through are filled with orchards – figs, kiwi, pomagranets and carpets of rice fields. And Mandarins. Remember those large, seedless, juicy Japanese Mandarins that we all used to get in a box at Christmas time? They’re here. In hoards. It was impossible to ride by them without plucking one or two at a time. Talk about low lying fruit. Ever wonder why those sumptuous Japanese Mandarins somehow got replaced by seedy, small, chewy Chinese mandarins? So do we. There’s got to be a trade deal here somewhere – LNG for Japanese Mandarins. Done.

In Uwajima we saw farmers harvesting Akoya pearls from oysters – we think. The conversation was somewhat lost in translation. But this area is well known for its pearl production and it didn’t look like the fisherman we “talked” to was fixing on getting em ready for shucking and eating.

Temples, shrines and castles continue to dot our path and we enjoyed an annual fall celebration with some locals.

The Shimanami Kaidō is a world famous cycling route, and it provided our gateway off this wonderful island. The pathway connects Japan’s main island of Honshu with Shikoku, crossing the Seto Inland Sea via a chain of islands linked by spectacular suspension bridges. We were not the rare cyclists here. Hundreds of locals and visitors on rental bikes flock here to ride this bridge circuit. No wonder, the infrastructure to create this dedicated cycle path is impressive, with on and off ramps dedicated to cyclists. A classic example of “if you build it, they will come” with over 300,000 cyclists riding the route annually. Check it out on Relive below:

Shimanami Kaidō

Wildlife has not been a highlight of the trip so far, except for Jay’s night at a Japanese whiskey bar followed by karaoke antics, but we have had a few brief sightings of Macaques, deer and a few live snakes. We saw the 6 foot black Rat Snake below (not venomous) and another person saw the Viper (super venomous). The Macaques have been very shy and take off quickly.

**Japanese Viper – the most venomous snake in the country**

The art of Japanese gardening and Niwaki Pruning

We cycle by manicured trees and shrubs in spectacular home gardens. Japanese gardening and tree trimming (niwaki pruning) is an art that is deeply rooted in aesthetics, philosophy, and cultural tradition. It’s not just about creating beautiful landscapes but also about shaping nature in a way that reflects harmony, balance, and simplicity. There are several types of gardens, such as Zen gardens with only raked gravel and rocks meant for meditation. Tea gardens surround tea houses and use stepping stones, lanterns and water basins to create artful appeal. Hill and Pond Gardens use water, rocks and trees to appeal to each sense of the strolling person. These gardens are totally captivating. We stop often just to capture another one.

Niwaki refers to the art of pruning trees to enhance their natural form while fitting them harmoniously into the garden. They are like living paintings. Shapes are inspired by natural tree growth, often mimicking how trees weather over time in the wild. Japanese garden design and tree pruning follow core principles of wabi-sabi (beauty in imperfection). Balance is achieved not by symmetry but by dynamic, irregular forms. See Jess? There is balance in asymmetry.

Rules

A word about rules. In Japan, rules aren’t just followed — they’re practically worshiped. People wait for the crosswalk light even when there is not a single car in sight. At events or even getting into a restaurant, people stand obediently in perfectly straight lines, as if auditioning for a synchronized waiting competition. Even cats use a crosswalk.

The Japanese philosophy on order, rules and social harmony is deeply rooted in centuries of cultural, philosophical, and religious influences — particularly from Confucianism, Buddhism, and Shintoism. It emphasizes not just obedience to rules, but the cultivation of a harmonious society where order arises naturally from mutual respect and shared values.

In our experience, this love of rules means that most questions are answered with “no”. If you need reservations for a restaurant (or gym!) then even if it is empty you can’t go in until they put your name on the reservation list, give you a reservation time in 3 minutes, then call your name, Seinfeld style. All with no lineup. And if you want a cold beer at the end of a long biking day, don’t ever go to a bar your bike shorts and carry a helmet. You won’t get a beer. It’s a rule. No drinking if you are dressed like you might be biking or driving. Never mind that you can buy a beer from a vending machine, like, anywhere. If you “dress like a bike” you ain’t getting a beer from a bar. It’s a rule.

And then there are the slipper rules. Slippers are everywhere in a Japanese hotel. You walk into the entrance way of your hotel room and there are slippers. It is a rule to take off your outside shoes and don slippers to step inside the room. And if you go into the bathroom (with the attention seeking toilet), there is a pair of slippers for you to don so that you do not bring particulate into the bathroom or, heaven forbid, from the bathroom to the rest of the hotel room. So it is a rule to take your previously donned slippers off and put on “toilet slippers” to use the toilet. And then change back into your “room” slippers to go back into the hotel room. If you happen to inadvertently wear the bathroom slippers out of the room – well, a diplomatic incident.

The Japanese are also HUGE baseball fans. We visited a small sake shop and when the owner found out we are from Canada, we had a very animated discussion about baseball – by the time we left we had converted him to a Jays fan (but he was clearly an Ohtani follower).

GO JAYS GO!!!

TDA Apprenticeship on the The Island of Shikoku

On October 15, 2025 By Jay and Deb's Joy RideIn Japan8 Comments

Osaka city tour 17 km 119m
Day 1 Naruto – Kamiyama 63km 855m
Day 2 Kamiyama – Iya Valley 88km 2387m
Day 3 Iya Valley – Lake Sameura 74km 1835m
Day 4 Lake Sameura – Mt Ishizuchi 68 km 2139 m
Day 5 Mt Ishizuchi – Tengu – 93 km 2522 m
Day 6 Tengu – Shimanto City 104 km 1704 m
TOTAL TO DATE: 507 kms 11,561 m (Average of 1927 meters of elevation per cycling day – according to Ride with GPS, notorious for being high, but that’s what we’re going with)

And we’re off – traversing 7 islands in 44 days with TDA Global Cycling – the creation of Henry Gold from Toronto (Initially named Tour d’Afrique after their first and namesake trip). As our Japan trip is a new addition to their unique list of tours, Henry has joined us on this trip. He is an encyclopedia of bike packing on a global scale. He is happy to hear riders’ comments and suggestions for improvement, but usually replies with “Well after 23 years, we think we are ok doing it this way.” We are only beginning on this ride and we are still processing but the model does indeed seem to be working. You see, Founders sometimes lie, but the numbers never do. Over 60% of TDA clients return. In fact, several people have signed up for additional trips during this first 10 days! And trips of 30+ riders for long haul cycling are booked well in advance, often over a year in advance. We were lucky to get the call up as “Newbies”.

The Cyclists

30 cyclists – only 8 first timers to TDA. 1/3 Canadians. 1/2 couples. Age range from 55 – 82. Inspiring life stories, fitness and personalities. In 10 days we have biked, eaten in our yukatas (dressing gown), played games, sang at karaoke bars, shared stories and showered together in onsens (girls and guys separately) and eaten unknown items at our dinner table. The universal love of long haul bike touring is our common ground. Kindred spirits you might say.

The riders are strong and eager. A bit intimidating as such. Not a group to try and beat at anything. Even after rising to our daily 5:30 am alarm a group of riders will often hit the road before we’ve finished breakfast. One Rider is a retired Drill Sargent for the Danish Army. He leads a team we affectionately named the “Dane Train”. After a 100 km ride and 2,500 Meters of vertical he’ll gladly go for a 3 km swim in the ocean. Know what we’re saying?

The Route

As we had investigated doing this trip on our own, we have discussed what it would have taken to find these TDA routes we’ve have been on so far. “Impossible”, says Nav Guy. Katsu is our local guide. A gentle ole soul. He speaks in a tone that almost makes you sedate into a hypnotic state. Katsu spent weeks in cars, trains, ferries and bikes finding this route. He knows the areas, the town folk, the language and the local customs and folklore like the palm of his weathered hand.

The result? Seemingly endless, winding, narrow, forested, moss covered routes with breathtaking views. All seemingly custom made for cycling. No people. No vehicles. Occasional long climbs but rewarding – mesmerizing downhills. Admittedly, the Island of Shikoku is not a typical tourist destination; but really – where is everyone?

Km 25 – 45 was a blissful, twisting, quiet single lane road.

We have been shocked at the lack of population in this mountainous area. It’s a bit eerie. Many homes are deserted and even the few cities we have been in, homes and shops are boarded up. Apparently one explanation was during the boom years of the 80’s the government was building infrastructure outside the major cities to encourage the younger population to stay or move there. With oil price and interest rates increases, the economy stagnated and people actually moved to the cities on mass. Some stats show the population of the country is now 91% in urban areas. Sad to see the empty homes but it certainly has left a cycling Mecca for us bike folk.

The population of Japan was as high as 128 million in 2010 and it has dropped to 122 million currently. With the current birth rate of 1.3 children per woman, locals say that drop is destined to continue for some time.

Accommodation

TDA builds routes around biking, not accommodation. That fits our style, so we were prepared for small and VERY simple. So far only 1 room would not pass the “Tent” test; that is, we’d rather be in a tent. It was bit damp. And cold. And there were shared bathrooms and showers. Okay, it was a bit more than damp. Gear Guy opened an umbrella in the middle of the night, “Is it raining?” Sleeping on the floor in a traditional ryokan is fine, as long as there are 12 inch cushions.

The Food

The food continues to amaze. Our dinners are a formal Japanese style – with many, many, many small dishes of interesting, often unknown items. The raw eggs and whole fried fish for breakfast are awesome for only one member of our team. But the presentation and the flavours are incredible. Even our roadside lunches are delicious, but they are usually at the top of a hill after 70 kms so they could serve just about anything.

Cultural Tidbit

Japanese forest bathing, known as Shinrin-yoku is a practice that involves immersing oneself in a forest environment to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being. It’s not about hiking, exercising, or accomplishing anything—it’s about being present in nature and engaging your senses. So, “forest bathing” means bathing in the forest atmosphere, not with water, but with your senses. It was developed in the 1980’s as a response to growing urban stress and tech overload and is now part of Japan’s national public health program. Maybe they are onto something?

Art

We are not experts when it comes to art, but the Japanese can turn anything into an art form: Sumo wrestling, gardening, architecture, food, roads, bridges, manhole covers and yes, even attention seeking toilets (thanks Gord)…

Land of the Rising Sun

On October 3, 2025October 3, 2025 By Jay and Deb's Joy RideIn Japan15 Comments

Also The Land of:

123 million people. That’s 3 times the number of people in Canada. Moreover, Japan has a land area of 377,975 sq kms compared to Canada’s 9,984,670 sq kms. That means that Japan is about 80 times more populated per sq km than Canada.
the most populous urban area in the world with Tokyo metropolitan area home to over 37 million people.
many, many islands – there are 4 main islands and 6800 smaller ones. No wonder there were reports of Japanese soldiers being stranded on a small island many years after the war ended without knowing that the war had ended.
80,000 Buddhist Temples nationwide. And if you get bored of Buddhist Temples, there are another 100,000 Shinto Shrines! Gear Guy loves Temples and Shrines!
the Shinkansen bullet trains run at almost 300kmph and are famously on time. A delay of even 1 minute comes with a certificate of apology
toilets with a heated seat, bidet, dryers, music…. Jay takes a pillow to the can.
politeness is a way of life – bowing is a traditional gesture used to greet, apologize and show respect
more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other country
slurping noodles is good manners
one of the highest life expectancies in the world – women 87 years men 81 years. May be directly correlated to politeness, eating good food and slurping?
4 million vending machines – selling everything from drinks, umbrellas, eggs and hot meals. We ordered two warm beer from one. Yum.
about 1,500 earthquakes a year, most minor. Buildings and trains are engineered with advanced quake-resistant technology.

We’re stoked to start a bike packing trip we’ve craved for some time now…… Japan. We arrived in Osaka on September 23 and we’ll be in Japan for 2 months. Our planned bicycle route will take us around 2500 km and over 46,000 m of elevation in 44 riding days. Apparently it’s hilly in Japan. There is more vertical per km than there was in Tasmania; which was slightly more per km than New Zealand and SE Asia; which was slightly more than Canada. The upward hockey stick vertical per km trend is making me wonder if our unanimous route voting system actually works. But here we are.

We approached this trip a little differently than in the past. Our travel plan for long haul rides pretty much consisted of 1. Buy a one-way ticket; 2. Get off plane; and 3. Start riding.…. No reservations, no distinct route, just a general direction. But there are three things that made us switch it up for Japan. First, though we tried for months, we couldn’t find anyone to assist us with routing a long haul bike trip in Japan. Long haul bike touring is still in its infancy in Japan it appears. There are certainly you-tubes of biking dudes riding Japan’s four main islands tip to tip, but invariably they end up at one time or another in a paralyzingly frightening Japan tunnel with no shoulders, no lights and massive trucks. There would have been some serious team discourse if we got trapped on a tunnel like that. Nough said. The language barrier is another thing. Google translate is an amazing game changer, but there is still a lag when it comes to bike touring routes when trying to convey what we are looking for. And the last thing is that we find the population density rather daunting to construct safe bike routing. All that to say that we joined a Canadian bike tour company – TDA Global Cycling. We have been following TDA for awhile now. They make no bones about it. It’s a bike trip, not a hotel trip. Accommodations are decent for the most part they say. Seems to suit our style. But it’s new for us. Call it an experiment. We’ll let you know how it works out.

We had a week prior to getting in the saddle, so we were sightseeing in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Japan is astonishingly clean and unexpectedly quiet. Even the garbage trucks are new and clean, looking more like RVs than garbage trucks. It seems there are no horns in vehicles because you just don’t hear them. Loud noises are considered impolite. One other observation about Japan – it’s also unnervingly friendly.

Busy, crowded, yet calm and organized – Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo

We saw a lot of temples, shrines, palaces, shogun homes, gardens and forts. Not Gear Guy’s favourite list of activities. The tour of the National Museum on the other hand was outstanding. Ancient displays of artwork, tools, weapons and naturally, Samurai swords. Fascinating that ancient Japanese paper, called washi, is known for its durability, resulting in preserved scrolls dated from the 1300’s. There were also displays of pottery from 300 BC. All wonderfully choreographed. It was perhaps fortunate there were no Samurai swords on display in any of the Temples or Shrines or “I’m done with Temples” Guy would have surely opted for an honourable self-dispatch by Seppucu (or Hará Kari). That, or perhaps I would have just handed him a sword.

The Samarai dynasty which ended “only” 150 years ago after ruling Japan for over 700 years, feels like yesterday – its influence everywhere. We inquired if we can still train to be a ninja. Apparently, we both (even Gear Guy) have a better chance of getting in as a Geiko (geisha) as none of the young Japanese girls want to do the training any more. Which gives you some idea of how hard up they are at attracting Geisha apprentices.

Thank you Andrea for the ubiquitous custom Fernie hat that Jay won’t remove!

The only place on our planet where sumo wrestling is “officially” practised is in Japan, a cultural phenomenon that has been going on for thousands of years. There are about 600 wrestlers in Japan, mostly Japanese but some from Mongolia and elsewhere. There are about 45 “stables” in Tokyo where typically 14 wrestlers live, eat train and compete together. We attended an up close and personal Sumo wrestling practice. Maybe too up close and personal? To say that Sumo Wrestlers are big, strong and powerful is like saying MacDavid can score. It’s not saying enough. Sumo Wrestlers are also startlingly fast, flexible and agile. I mean, they can move like a drone. As they accelerated their massive bulk forward and laterally they would kick up sand and dust on us spectators sitting around the Sumo Ring (the dohyo). Sumo wrestlers also sweat. They pour sweat. Like a race horse. Sweat travels. By the end of the session, it was us that needed a bath!

The wrestlers are big. Did I mention that? It made Gear Guy conjecture about the size of the Mothers that gave life to these monstrous lads. Like, congratulations, you have a bouncing baby boy weighing in at 25 lbs, 3 ounces.

Kyoto was enchantingly Zen like – more traditional – no buildings over 10 stories so one can see the mountains surrounding the area. Enjoyed a Geisha dance, amazing strength and poise – but we were glad it didn’t last all day. Some more than others. Went to a tea ceremony which was filled with rules which we found entertaining even though they were not meant to be. Jay balanced this off with a double Sake tasting afterward.

The food – oh my – the food. Already declared “The Best Sushi in the World” we have eaten sashimi, sushi, tempuraed unknown items, yakisoba, takoyaki, okonomiyaki, kushikatsu…

Some of us ate more questionable items:

We signed up for a cooking class – how hard can it be given the food is mostly raw? This is my kind of cooking specialty! We loved the experience, but it is very clear to us now why the Japanese population are very trim in apperance. The cooking process for Japanese food is painstakingly, well, painful.

Osaka has a very different feel – young, vibrant with lots of nightlife we happily avoided. World Expo here we had planned to see is decidedly overcrowded, which is intimidating given the crowds we have already run into. Apparently people with reservations were not getting in for 3 hours and then it was a 7 hour wait to get into a pavilion. We spoke to a couple that confirmed the reviews I had read and not shared with Jay – including: “I even had to queue to write this review”. So we wandered around Osaka, marvelling at the sights.

Next update – from the saddle.