Smart Toilets and Vending Machines
Cycling the Japanese Archipelago
Island-Hopping in Japan
From camping near Mount Fuji to navigating Osaka’s red-light district, we marvel at smart toilets and vending machines while cycling from Fukuoka to Tokyo. Japan is truly unique and we fall in love with its culture, eat a lot of sushi and get competitive in a games arcade.
Enjoy reading!
Table of Contents
- Morning Aerobics
- The Noodle Eating Continues
- Japanese Cars
- Crossing the Sea
- There is a Bear in the Woods
- Sobering Hiroshima
- Vending Machines
- The Cheapest Hotel in Osaka
- Tourists in Osaka and Kyoto
- A Day Trip Around Mount Fuji
- Camping with a Difference
- Tokyo is Massive
- Jana’s Heaven
- A Few Extra Impressions of Japan
Morning Aerobics
The lights in our cabin come on at 5:30 am. As I look out of the window I realise we have already arrived in Fukuoka. I get up and go on the hunt for coffee. The waitress in the cafe informs me that we have to wait two hours until the crew at the harbour start work and let us off the boat.
I go back to the cabin and collect Jana. Taking our coffees out onto the deck of the ferry we spot the port crew getting ready for their day. Quite literally getting ready. They’re standing in lines inside a warehouse doing aerobics. It must be a standard routine as everyone seems to know what they are doing. I’ve heard about this morning ritual in Japan, but didn’t expect to see it before even setting foot on land. It’s some great entertainment for our morning coffee and a brilliant introduction to the culture.
The Noodle Eating Continues
Passport control and customs is a piece of cake. It appears as though the modern and efficient systems that we are now accustomed to from Korea will continue here in Japan.
We need a few essentials for the next few days as we haven’t brought any food over with us. The prices and variety of produce in the supermarket are a great relief. Yes ok, so there are a lot of “weird” things on sale. But simple things, like the uncountable number of different sauces (soy sauce, peanut sauce, sesame…) and types of mushrooms, make for a pleasant and interesting experience. We are looking forward to trying a lot of them over the coming weeks.
For lunch we are relatively conservative. We continue our tradition from Korea and eat noodles and sushi from a convenience store. It’s so cool that these stores double up as cafes.
In the afternoon we notice that we aren’t going to make it to our planned camp location. Wild camping isn’t technically forbidden, but it’s also not encouraged. Cycling the coastal road however, we spot some benches and tables with views over the sea and nearby islands. Jana loves beaches, so this is perfect for our first night in Japan. We just have to wait till dark before setting up as we don’t want to get into trouble.
Japanese Cars
One of the first things that strikes me in Japan is how different their cars look. I know the brands, but I have never seen any of the models (Kei Cars). We are constantly being overtaken by what look like popemobiles or toy cars. Surprisingly we see young people driving them. In Europe they wouldn’t be seen dead in these boxes! Maybe there just isn’t as much prestige with regards to cars as in Europe (and especially Germany)? Read more about Kei cars here.
It’s not just the box shape of the vehicles that I find interesting, but also the hilarious model names considering their size. There is the Toyota Tank, Daihatsu Thor, Mazda Scrum and Suzuki Hustler. They sound strong or a bit edgy, but in reality they’re tiny with 1 liter petrol engines. Then there are the cars with just weird names; Daihatsu Naked, Mitsubishi Dingo and the Mitsubishi Minica Lettuce.
Crossing the Sea
Japan is an archipelago made up of 14,000 islands, of which 430 are inhabited. It’s also a lot bigger than we were expecting. The landmass of Japan is bigger than Germany!
We don’t have to cycle far before it’s time for us to cross water. There is no bridge for bikes over the inlet of the sea in Kitakyūshūso. The Wakato ferry is only small but takes us and 8 others on the 3 minute crossing to the other side. It’s a welcome few minutes break from the blazing headwind we have had since arriving in Japan. The fact that it only cost us a euro each is a plus as well.
20 km further north at the tip of Kyūshū island we need to cross the sea again. This time, a tunnel leads to one of Japan’s main islands, Honshū. The Kanmon pedestrian tunnel is a unique experience for us. Running under the sea at a depth of 58 m we push the bikes along for 780 m.
Almost at the end of the tunnel a lady coming in the opposite direction starts speaking to me in Japanese. I reply with the only two words I know, “konnichiwa” and “arigatou” (hello and thank you). I stop, slightly bewildered as to why she wants to speak to me so badly. She stands directly in front of me and reaches into her pocket. Pulling out a bank note that she pushes in my direction, I am a bit perplexed. My initial thought is: It’s a dollar note. She must think I am American and wants to give me something useful. To be honest I am in total shock and really don’t know what to think or do. I have never been handed money from a complete stranger before without understanding anything they are saying.
As it turns out, it isn’t a dollar, it’s 1000 yen (approx. 6.40€). Jana scolds me for taking money from strangers, but to be honest I am still a bit perplexed.We thank the lady profusely in English and try to make our “arigatou” understood. She seems to be doing a fitness walk though and quickly scampers off down the tunnel. We will definitely have an ice cream or two with that and think about her random act of kindness. Thank you!
There is a Bear in the Woods
We are struggling to meet our daily kilometer goals. The bento boxes, sushi rolls and noodles for lunch, followed by coffee, mean we spend more time in convenience stores than on the bikes. Our route for today ends at the next beach in 30 km. We have a slight issue though, it’s already 5pm and the sun is setting. We try to avoid riding in the dark. Firstly, we don’t find it as enjoyable, as we miss out on potential views or sights, and secondly, I don’t have a light on my bicycle.
Apart from the twilight, another circumstance reminds us that it is 5 pm. Everyday at this time, especially in rural areas, there is a chime played through large tannoy systems. Apparently it tests the Municipal Disaster Management Radio Communication Network. Informally they are also known as the “5pm chimes”. They are used to tell children to go home or remind people to stop working. Well on this occasion for us, the chime is telling us to get a move on.
We are riding along a narrow road between paddy fields in the countryside, not far from Hiroshima. The road starts to go uphill through a bamboo forest. As soon as we enter the forest, the temperature drops a couple of degrees and visibility is reduced. Loose branches and vines dangle from the trees at head height. To me, they look a lot like snakes! I have never known us pedal up a hill so fast, eager to be out the other side of the woods before its pitch black.
Jana has her light on now and I ride slightly behind her, following her shadow as we get to the crest of the hill. The light isn’t exactly bright, but it allows Jana to see the road a couple of meters ahead of her. It gets easier to pedal and we are now faced with a long wind down multiple serpentines. In about 20 minutes, we will hopefully be out of the forest. There is a rustle in the bushes next to the road on our right. It sounds big. Maybe a bear, I worry. Pedalling even faster now, we hear whatever it is dash away through the forest. We are both noticeably shocked and don’t say a word.
Jana is riding too fast around the hairpins considering how little of the road ahead she can see. I don’t want us to slow down though. Then again, a few corners later, the leaves and bushes rustle and we hear footsteps as whatever it is moves alongside us. It’s fast. Maybe a wolf? This time we have the feeling it is even closer. We hear thuds as the animals feet hit the ground. It seems to be following us.
Jana slows down. “KEEP GOING”, I yell, “FASTER”. I can barely see the ground in front of me as Jana speeds up. This is dangerous. As I am struggling to keep up with Jana, luckily the rustling noises slowly move away. Finally we can slow down and are now faced with an eerie silence. “Don’t worry”, we say to each other. A change of tactic means that we now find ourselves talking constantly, so as to calm ourselves down and scare any animals aware.
Slowly, through gaps in the trees, we begin to see street lamps below. As we come out of the forest and into a neighbourhood, we stop to hug each other. Even though it was more than likely just a deer rather than a bear or wolf running through the forest, I am not sure we will ride in the dark again for a while.
Sobering Hiroshima
The wardens at the free campsite in Hiroshima hand us the list of rules for our stay. We sign the forms, promising to adhere to the rules. Cars and open fires not allowed is written in bold red letters. Despite us virtually pleading on our knees to the wardens, unfortunately, bicycles are not allowed either. We have to leave them at the entrance and then walk the last 1.5 km with our bags.
We pitch the tent and take a seat on one of the many benches looking out over the lights of the city below. Everyone on site has a firepit in front of their tents with flames glowing in the darkness. So much for the strict rules. I guess we don’t have to worry about using our cooker after all.
Two men approach us carrying a large pot. We don’t understand what they are saying, but they scoop some wiener and lentil soup into our bowls and leave smiling. Thank you! So much for needing our cooker!
We take the bikes with us on our sightseeing day in Hiroshima. It is a modern, green, vibrant city. The atmosphere is difficult to describe. To locals, it is just their home and a nice city to live in, but to tourists, it’s a place to show respect. The world changed on August 5th 1945 when a US Airplane dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, resulting in an estimated 140,000 deaths.
Walking through Peace Park, past the A-Bomb Dome building, we become a tourist attraction as well. People approach us to ask what we are doing. I guess two bikepackers from Europe are a bit of a rare sight here as well.
Vending Machines
Vending machines can be found all over the world, but I have never been to a country with such a variety as in Japan. Upon researching it we find out there are over 5 million vending machines in Japan. That’s 1 for every 23 people of the population!
Spotting vending machines and discussing what they’re selling becomes a secondary pastime while cycling through Japan. There are standard machines, selling hot and cold drinks or snacks, but it is the more ‘random’ ones that interest us. Umbrellas and surgical masks might not be classic vending machine items, but definitely appeal in a practical sense.
Although the ones selling Sushi or Ice Cream may be high on Janas list, our favourite has to be the oven cooked pizza vending machine in Yakeyamachuo! There are of course a lot of food related vending machines at train stations and city centers, but this pizza machine is located at the edge of a village in the countryside! The same village also has a fresh fruit and veg and fresh milk vending machine! In Europe we often say that a bakery is essential in a village. I wonder if a vending machine is the equivalent in Japan?!
The Cheapest Hotel in Osaka
From Ehime on the north side of Shikoku Island we take the Orange Ferry overnight to Osaka. The ferry itself is great. There are the expected facilities such as a restaurant and arcade but unexpectedly, there is also an Onsen onboard. The Japanese spa is free for all to use and adds a bit of class to the trip. After wallowing in the hot water and pampering ourselves we sleep through until we arrive in Osaka the next morning.
We have booked the cheapest hotel in the city, just south of the city center. As we pedal into the suburb of our hotel, the density of bars and nightclubs increases. We go through what looks like a market hall, but instead of seeing stalls selling fruit and veg, the area is lined with karaoke bars.
The hotel itself isn’t actually that bad. We have a clean double room and breakfast for 36€ a night. Despite being labeled as the red light district of Osaka we feel perfectly safe. The crime rates in Japan are so low that we leave our bikes with all the bags outside shops etc. without locking them. I wouldn’t even do that in the richest of areas, like Chelsea of Kensington in London!
The area around our hotel turns out to be quite entertaining. One weekday morning I head out to the supermarket at 11am. On the way, I pass several Karaoke bars. They have their doors open so as to encourage people to go in. It also means that you can hear everything going on inside from about 100 meters away down the street. Each of the bars has just a single man in it slumped at the bar, singing loudly into a microphone. Karaoke might mean ‘empty orchestra’ in Japanese, but these blokes are doing their best to make sure they are sat alone in an empty bar!
Tourists in Osaka and Kyoto
We stay off our bikes for a couple of days and try out other modes of transport. Some are quicker and others slower. The bullet train takes 15 minutes to travel the 56.4 km from Osaka to Kyoto. After the amazing but unnervingly fast Shinkansen train ride, we take 8 hours to meander 15 km through multiple temples and parks in Kyoto.
Staying on our feet the next day we spend an entertaining afternoon at Round1. The amusement park is spread over 11 floors and allows us to get competitive with each other! We go bowling, play golf, ride a bull, play zorb football, go in a baseball batting cage and dance on various arcade machines, amongst other things. After 3 hours we leave feeling pretty exhausted and in need of some dinner.
Luckily the area surrounding the arcade is dotted with streetfood vendors. Jana tries the famous squid balls and I have Baozi from 551 Horai, recommended to us from our friend Shiomi, who grew up here. We look forward to every mealtime in Japan. Everything we eat is amazing and there are so many new flavours and textures.
A Day Trip Around Mount Fuji
It’s 7:30 am. We are on the bikes, having already had our morning coffee at a convenience store. Today’s route takes us the whole way around Mount Fuji. The roads are as good as empty and there isn’t a cloud in the sky. As we leave the town of Fujinomiya to the north, we can see Mount Fuji to our right.
On this day of incredible nature, we first stop at the Shiraito and Otodome waterfalls. Next up are Lake Motosuko, Shojiko, Saiko and Kawaguchiko, 4 of Mount Fuji’s famous 5 lakes. Each lake is beautiful on its own. They are then made even more special with the reflection of Mount Fuji in their crystal clear water. It is no wonder that the 1000 Yen banknote has the image of Mount Fuji from the shores of lake Motosuko imprinted on it. The views are truly postcard perfect.
The locals seem to agree as well. On our lunch break we sit down on the beach at Lake Shojiko looking out at Mount Fuji over the water. Men arrive in their sports cars and park on the beach next to us. They get out and take photos of their cars from different angles before getting back in and driving off. Even more entertaining however is watching the wives, girlfriends and mums standing around in boredom while their men take photos of their cars. One might be led to believe the men care more for their cars than the women in their lives.
Camping with a Difference
After several days in Fujiyoshida we continue east on the bikes towards Yokohama. Jana has booked us a log cabin for a couple of nights in the forest.
We chill in the winter sun during the day then have a couple of beers around a campfire at night. The cabin is great as we get to be outdoors but have a lot more space than in the tent. We even manage to find time before we leave to visit the local onsen. Wow, we love Japanese culture!
Another amazing thing in Japan and a noticeable difference compared to back home are the toilets. Smart toilets! What an invention! Ok, so we have no idea what button to press and often end up getting a watery surprise, but they’re generally brilliant. The toilet block next to our cabin has one! Yes, a smart toilet on a campsite! Imagine that in Europe. The campsites back home sometimes don’t even have a toilet seat, let alone a smart one. The best bit about this toilet is the heated seat. It’s November, so it’s getting cold at night now. When we go to the bathroom, the room, heated by the toilet seat, is warmer than the log cabin!
Let’s Go to a Museum
Our final destination in Japan is Tokyo. This 37 million population metropolis takes us a whole day to cycle though. As we pass residential areas during the day we notice how quiet it is. In fact, this is something that can be said for all neighbourhoods of Japan. In the early evening as we get close to our apartment in the north of Tokyo, we expect to hear children playing in the parks, or families having a BBQ in their gardens. Instead, the only noise we hear is the train passing by every 10 to 15 minutes. Even the cars don’t make a sound, as they are all electric!
We are staying in a shared flat with roughly 10 bedrooms, two bathrooms and a kitchen. Space is tight in Tokyo, and you pay for the luxury of it. Our 7m2 room costs 31€ a night.
After a couple of beers in a local restaurant we spontaneously decide to get on the tube and make the one hour journey to the TeamLabs Museum. Recommended to us by several other cyclists, the gallery comprises a collection of modern art that combines digital technology and the beauty of nature.
We join the long queue at the back and engage in conversation with the other westerners around us to pass the time. 20 minutes later, at the front of the queue we see an issue. Everyone is scanning QR codes from their phones into the turnstiles to get in. Damn it. They all already have tickets. I ask one of the security guards at the front where we can buy them. “They are sold out” he says. “They have been for a while and are for the next week as well”. Still slightly tipsy, we can’t help but laugh.
To sober up a little and at least make the most of the journey, we decide to walk home. We walk for around an hour then look at Google Maps. Compared to how far we have to go, we have barely covered any distance. We take a few photos on various bridges as we head for the nearest tube station. After cleaning our teeth we collapse onto the bed and are out for the count till morning. Maybe spontaneity just isn’t our thing.
Jana’s Heaven
This section could be about many things. But on this occasion I am referring to Sushiro, a novel sushi restaurant where food is delivered to the table on a conveyor belt. The concept is rare in Europe but there are quite a few in Japan.
We browse the menu on the tablet device provided. We travel on a budget, but I already know that it will be blown today. Oh well you only live once. A notification pops up on the tablet a moment before a plate arrives. Bling…., bling…., bling bling bling…., bbbbbliinnnngggg. I didn’t know it was possible to eat so much sushi. Jana is quite literally in heaven and she deserves it!
Our cycling for 2023 finishes here in Tokyo, having crossed Asia from West to East. We started in Marmaris, Turkey at the beach with a population density of 100/km2 and finished in Tokyo with a density of 6000/km2. We are off to Vietnam now and look forward to starting back on the bikes in January 2024!
A Few Extra Impressions of Japan
Brilliant read Joel and once again many memorable occasions and pics to go with it. I’m glad you enjoyed Japan just as I did, the culture, people and food are amazing.