I hadn’t done any planning for my route from Kyoto to the next city of Nara. It was only 50km, I could get it done in half a day easily. A quick search of “Kyoto to Nara by bicycle” revealed the existence of a bike path that ran out of the west end of Kyoto almost all the way to Nara. I thought I would have to ride on busy intercity roads so this was a nice surprise.

The path followed the course of a river, the elevation was flat the whole way. It probably would have been a really quick and easy cycle, if not for the huge thunderstorm that hit around 11. I took shelter from the worst of it under a bridge (along with two locals). After half an hour it had turned from torrential downpour to steady but heavy rain. I didn’t really want to wait any longer so just out on my rainwear and left.

The bike path continued along the river through surprisingly rural areas, given the proximity to Kyoto and Nara. The rain cleared up around 1:30.

Arriving in Nara the hostel owner Kosuke suggested I visit the festival down at the old palace grounds. I’m not sure what the festival was celebrating (if anything, Kosuke told me it only began three years ago to draw tourists) but it certainly made for some nice photos.

I had covered about three quarters of Noto island in a circuit the day before. The last part of the ride was a real pleasure, the road gently changed elevation as it followed the uneven coast. This was enhanced by the gentle morning climate, before it had gotten too hot or too windy. Overall a great morning on Notojima. Over the second, more northerly bridge that connected to the island to the mainland and then following the more secluded coast road to the path that would take me across to the western side of the island and down to Kanazawa.

fishing skiffs off the coast of Notojima

first glimpse of and then crossing the north bridge

the mainland coast road and fishing villages it passed through

Or so I hoped. So blissfully lost I was in the serenity of the morning I became annoyingly lost in the tangle of roads that would traverse the peninsula.

There was one specific route I wanted to take that avoided most of the mountains, but I was unable to find it. After 30 minutes of map consultation and back tracking I found the turn I had missed, on the right track again.

Kanazawa was closer than I thought, I had imagined I wouldn’t arrive until the day after. I had made my booking for then, so crouched by the side of the road next to a mobile phone retailer I found a wifi connection and the number of a hostel that should have space at such short notice. Booking made, I sped on to Kanazawa.

The road to Kanazawa was flat and somewhat uninteresting. Historically, this region produced the most rice in all Japan so it was natural that it was rice I saw for miles and miles.

the road to Kanazawa. You can just about make the city out on the horizon, look for the thin,tall skyscraper

Like all cities, getting into Kanazawa by bike was difficult. Following signs would bring be tantalisingly close only to merge to the motorway where bikes are forbidden. After much muddling, however, I made it.

The time between city stops seems to be shorter, only natural as I approach the dense centre of Honshu where the majority of cities(worth stopping at) are located.

The ride this morning was not so pleasant. I had to pass through the urban conglomeration of three cities around the bay before the Noto peninsula. The less busy road was very indirect through the sprawl and I could, even by looking at the map, that I would get lost easily.

Staying with the busier road made the ride more straightforward but it was not enjoyable. Dusty, hot and noisy I was glad when I could leave it after about 60km and join the road that would lead to the Noto peninsula.

Ate lunch in a ramen place by the side of the road. The chef liked the sound of my journey and gave me a nice present of an energy drink before leaving.

The peninsula was worth the rough ride in the morning though. Quiet roads lined with fishing villages. I even passed a temple that had been built into a cave.

Just before arriving at my campground for the night I passed a harbour with some nice winnings on the wall that I assume the fisherman had painted.

The campsite I set my tent up

The beach/park I moved my tent to after the campsite owner wanted me to pay 2000yen

Feeling good after the big feed and good company the night before, I set off from Kashiwazaki in high spirits. The weather was set to be a bit cooler than the sweltering heat the day before (although only by a few degrees) and my route promised to be both scenic and smooth.

I remained by the coast. I like cycling by the coast, the view is almost always good, the road flat enough and it’s harder to get lost!

I cycled through Joestsu, one of the bigger cities after Niigata, getting through it quickly by sticking to the main road. Not as pleasant as riding the smaller roads for sure, but in the midday heat I wanted to avoid getting lost as much as possible and the route would be scenic once again when I left the urban sprawl.

From Joestsu to Itoigawa, the next city along the coast, the entire route was a great bicycle path that had been made out of an old railway. It even reused the tunnels, which gave me some respite from the blistering sun.

The home stretch from Itiogawa left the flat shoreline behind in favour of rocky cliff face. The path rose and fell, but none of the rises were extended climbs. The drop onto the ocean was so sheer that the road itself was pretty much s tunnel attached to the rock face. The main motorway was built right out over the sea,the concrete struts holding it up plunging into the ocean. Being a bicycle though, it was forbidden to ride on this road.

It was a descent from the cliffs into Asahi where the sandy shores returned again. The campsite was free for cyclists so I treated myself to an onsen after a day of riding.