I know there are a number of threads up about touring in the north, so maybe it would be better to jump on those rather than starting another... but I'm feeling greedy and since everyone is doing something a little different, figured it would be ok to start my own
First of all, for anyone who wants to see pictures of the first Tohoku tour. I blogged. Started in Sendai, up the coast, around the eastern ShimoKita peninsula, back to Hachinohe, train to Tokyo home.
I would highly recommend that coast route, though staying on the smaller detours as much as possible was a little slower (and much hillier) also so beautiful. Generally speaking, it kicked my ass but that's why you tour in Japan, right? climb climb climb.
The plan this time: lighter, faster, stronger, start where I left off.
I'm riding my beautiful Six and will have a small backpack (I think it's 10L, made for trail runners) and will carry a tiny light weight hammock and plan to go cheap and "rough it" in camp grounds as much as possible. Yes, I'm traveling through Obon with no reservations. I realize I may end up sleeping in strange, not so comfortable places. But I'm cool with that. I'm in a the-universe-will-provide-spiritual-journey sorta groove... There may be some couchsurfing mixed in. I accept there will be many mosquito bites in my future.
However, if I give up on that after a few days, I will be doing the 'credit card touring' version of the trip.
I'll navigate by Mapple (the original plan was to get myself a shiny iPhone4 to help with maps, but I'm tripping all over the logistics of making that happen in a timely manner)
To begin with, Fri Aug 6th Hachinohe, 7th up on Towada, 8th Aomori-shi, 9th somewhere on the western peninsula... head south for basically two weeks.
:bike::bike::bike:
Questions:
I'll be starting off at Hachinohe and heading up to Towada. What is the best approach from the east? Are the tour buses so bad on Oshirase that the road should be avoided? I mean, are they worse than going up to Hakone?
Also, for those who have done multiple day/week trips, how much maintainable do you give your bike? How often do you clean the chain, for instance? My experience before was that after about 1000km, I needed a break and my bike needed some love. But then again, it was kind of a beater bike from the start. (The bottom bracket was totally shot by the end of the trip. So gritty...)
Anyway, good luck to you other tourers and thanks for any tips to pass around. (and Kiwisimon, I'll pm you soon).
And yes, speaking Japanese is helpful but not so necessary, especially if you are one of those people who have a plan or set destination each day (unlike me who usually used the highly effective planning strategy of going into convenience stores and asking where the minshukus with the best food are).
First of all, for anyone who wants to see pictures of the first Tohoku tour. I blogged. Started in Sendai, up the coast, around the eastern ShimoKita peninsula, back to Hachinohe, train to Tokyo home.
I would highly recommend that coast route, though staying on the smaller detours as much as possible was a little slower (and much hillier) also so beautiful. Generally speaking, it kicked my ass but that's why you tour in Japan, right?
climb climb climb.The plan this time: lighter, faster, stronger, start where I left off.
I'm riding my beautiful Six and will have a small backpack (I think it's 10L, made for trail runners) and will carry a tiny light weight hammock and plan to go cheap and "rough it" in camp grounds as much as possible. Yes, I'm traveling through Obon with no reservations. I realize I may end up sleeping in strange, not so comfortable places. But I'm cool with that. I'm in a the-universe-will-provide-spiritual-journey sorta groove... There may be some couchsurfing mixed in. I accept there will be many mosquito bites in my future.
However, if I give up on that after a few days, I will be doing the 'credit card touring' version of the trip.
I'll navigate by Mapple (the original plan was to get myself a shiny iPhone4 to help with maps, but I'm tripping all over the logistics of making that happen in a timely manner)
To begin with, Fri Aug 6th Hachinohe, 7th up on Towada, 8th Aomori-shi, 9th somewhere on the western peninsula... head south for basically two weeks.
:bike::bike::bike:
Questions:
I'll be starting off at Hachinohe and heading up to Towada. What is the best approach from the east? Are the tour buses so bad on Oshirase that the road should be avoided? I mean, are they worse than going up to Hakone?
Also, for those who have done multiple day/week trips, how much maintainable do you give your bike? How often do you clean the chain, for instance? My experience before was that after about 1000km, I needed a break and my bike needed some love. But then again, it was kind of a beater bike from the start. (The bottom bracket was totally shot by the end of the trip. So gritty...)
Anyway, good luck to you other tourers and thanks for any tips to pass around. (and Kiwisimon, I'll pm you soon).
And yes, speaking Japanese is helpful but not so necessary, especially if you are one of those people who have a plan or set destination each day (unlike me who usually used the highly effective planning strategy of going into convenience stores and asking where the minshukus with the best food are).
