DAY -419
Mar 10
2009

Our Journey (a little more detail, this time)
I was a little coy last time about what we’re planning for this trip. In case it wasn’t clear: our goal is to take a biking/camping trip through as much of Japan as we can, south to north. As of right now, we’re intending to start in Fukuoka and end up in Wakkanai.
So first, the obvious: it’s a really long distance, especially for a couple of people who have very little experience (read “none”) with bicycle touring. At the risk of sounding naive, that’s one of the things that we’re finding very motivating. Yes, it’s going to be difficult, and tiring, and stressful, and hot, and cold, and everything else that goes along with long trips and living on a budget. But we will also have a chance to experience the country in a way that very few people can. For me, there is something about riding on a bicycle that gives a wonderful feeling of intimacy with my surroundings. I have the freedom to stop at any time to take pictures, or to explore a roadside attraction, or to buy fruit from a local farmer. The last time I lived in Japan, I felt a little isolated and overwhelmed; this time, I’m looking forward to really exploring and learning about everything I missed before.
Google maps puts the entire trip at about 2,500 km (1,600 miles), but I suspect it will be quite a bit longer on the roads we’ll be taking. I’ve been working on a detailed route (which I will post here when available) that follows smaller–and more winding–prefectural roads instead of the major highways.
In any case, I have to admit that even the rough estimate of 1,600 miles is very intimidating. I think it’s time to actually figure out what this distance means in terms of miles per day and (more importantly) our travel budget.
Hi,
I am a 23 years old Chinese girl studing in Japan, 50km from Tokyo, i wanna take a bicyle touring from Tokyo to Fukuoka this summer, and finish the another part next summer holiday, your Jarnals help me a lot, now i am planning the route, so if possible could you please give me some advices, or could you please send me the detailed route you have made. My email adress is lvchunlu890304@gmail.com. I have some bicycle touring experiences in China, so if you have a plan to take a bicycle tour in China in the future, anything i can help, pls feel free to let me know. Looking forward to your reply.
Hi Stella,
I’m glad you’re enjoying our site! I’m sure you will have a great time traveling from Tokyo to Fukuoka. What time of year will you be going? If it is May / June, then you will probably have a lot of rain. Also, many high mountain roads will still have snow at that time of year.
You can follow our route on this page: http://www.journeyof1000li.com/route/ If you click on the links for Part 1 – Part 4, you will see the route we took from Fukuoka to Nagano. We did not go to Tokyo from Nagano, so you would need to come up with your own route for that section.
Please let us know if you have any other questions. We will look forward to hearing more about your trip!