I always knew that the vast majority of the trip would be spent on the central island Honshu, there is so much to see and do here from the mountains to the cities, coast and villages.

I have finished cycling the northern section of the island (the Tohoku region) after having arrived in Niigata. Most of my time here was spent mending some of my gear that had been broken, catching up back home and planning the next leg. From here I will continue along the Japan Sea coast, up the Noto peninsula as far as Noto Island then back down into Kanazawa for two nights and then on into Kyoto and Osaka. The whole section takes me up to the start of September.

There isn’t much to do or see in Niigata, although I did have a run in with the police while searching for a bike store. I was asking one if them where I could find such a store and they pulled out their smartphones, punched the address into the gps and gave me a lift there and back in their car. The hospitality of the Japanese people never ceases to amaze me.