日本夏2026年

May 31, 2026 Day 2 Hakone to Fuji Base - 47Km Start 2:09 Finish 6:54 Total Duration 4:45 Moving Time 4:04 Stopped Time :41 Ascent 1546m Descent 665m Tour Total 297Km Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/387154497 I slept great at Diego’s place in Hakone. After dinner—and more than a few beers—I turned in early while Diego and Akiko headed out to a firefly festival. In the morning, they treated me to an incredible breakfast: eggs, salmon, and sausage. Afterward, they showed me around their property. A massive concrete retaining wall held back the steep hillside behind the house—an aging structure that, surprisingly, incorporated old WWII-era bomb shelters. We drove to Saijo-ji Temple, and I won’t lie—it felt good to climb steep Japanese hills from the comfort of a car for once. The temple complex was sprawling, and a festival was underway. One of the more unexpected highlights was an enormous, almost obsessive collection of geta—traditional wooden sandals—lined up in neat rows. Fro...

May 30, 2026 Day 1 Tokyo to Hakone - 108 Km Start  7:12 AM Finish 5:18 PM Total Duration 10:06 Moving Time 5:54 Stopped Time 4:12 Ascent 630m Descent 576m Tour Total 250 Km Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/386866859 Saison didn’t open until seven, so I got a slightly later start than planned. The sun was already intense, and I pulled on arm sleeves for protection. I’d woken in the middle of the night, still not fully adjusted to the time change. Heading west out of Tokyo, I crossed a broad bridge over the Tama River under a cloudless sky. In the distance, Mount Fuji hovered faint but unmistakable on the horizon. The route zigzagged through a mix of wide boulevards and narrow neighborhood streets before bringing me across the Tsurumi River, where I picked up a levee path and rode south. I passed through Yokohama and detoured to visit my Brooklyn neighbors, Naomi and Masahiko, who were staying at their home just east of the city center. Naomi prepared a wonderful meal and me...

May 29, 2026 Tokyo Bigger Loop - 88 Km Start 7:24 AM Finish 2:31 PM Total Duration 7:09 Moving Time 5:21 Stopped Time 1:48 Ascent 560m Descent 573m Tour Total  142 Km Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/386637790 I slept well in my hotel room in Tokyo and woke early, the city already humming. My first stop was Saison—cappuccino and a pan au chocolat—before rolling out into the heat. The night before, I’d mapped a wide loop to conserve phone battery and push into neighborhoods I hadn’t yet seen. Heading toward the harbor, I passed through Shinagawa and the shrine where I’d welcomed the New Year back in January. From there, the route slipped into a cluster of sleek, sterile office towers before opening onto the waterfront, where artificial islands stitched together by elevated expressways form a kind of concrete archipelago. I traced the shoreline as best I could. In Ginza, I rode past the Kabukiza Theatre and Tsukiji Hongwan-ji Temple, then crossed the sweeping Tatsumisakura B...

日本夏2026年 - Tokyo Loop May 28, 2026 Tokyo Loop-  53.8 Km Start 8:40 AM Finish 3:13 PM Total Duration 6:32 Moving Time 3:35 Stopped Time 2:57 Ascent 285m Descent 290m Tour Total  54 Km Details at:  https://ridewithgps.com/trips/386412914 The long overnight flight to Tokyo was uneventful—always a small victory. I landed at 5 a.m., bleary but energized, and took a taxi to the hotel where I reassembled my bike, piece by piece, easing back into the rhythm of the road. My first stop was my favorite café called Saison, where I ordered a cappuccino and a flaky pain au chocolat. The morning had already turned hot and bright. I was in shorts and a short-sleeve jersey, quickly realizing that Tokyo’s summer doesn’t wait for you to catch up. Sunscreen became essential armor. From there, I rode to the Arimasuton—better known as the “Zombie Fish Building”—a surreal, hand-built concrete structure created over two decades by architect Keisuke Oka. It feels less like architecture and more l...

Greetings, friends! Summer is here—which means it’s time for another bike tour… back to Japan. I actually rode around Okinawa and Amami this past January—904 km over 10 days—but the effort didn't seem blog worthy. This tour will focus on parts of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu that I haven’t yet explored. Along the way, I’ll meet up with friends and even team up with a cycling partner for a stretch across Shikoku. The journey begins with an ambitious goal: attempting to ride up Mount Fuji via the Fujinomiya Line, the most difficult road bike climb in Japan. From there, I’ll follow the Pacific Coast route all the way to Wakayama. In Shikoku, I’m trading coastlines for climbs, focusing on the rugged mountainous interior. Then it’s back to Honshu, heading west to Hiroshima and Yamaguchi Prefecture, before crossing over to Kyushu and making my way to Fukuoka. From there, I plan to loop around Kyushu’s western coast. The bike is tuned, the bags are (almost) packed—and I’m ready to roll. Th...

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