Cycling Japan - The Worlds out there, Ride all over it!

A couple of weeks ago I went for a ride north along the coast using a forcasted 'big blow' as inspiration.... The first day was fine and clear with a light tailwind... I road to Mira Pininsular and caught a ferry across the mouth of Tokyo Bay.

Then it started …cold light rain and 40 knots plus! A real Blow !!

Just check the flag in the shot below...I was sitting on 40 kph with little effort.

These pics are from the coast known as the Flower Line and as you can see it is a rugged coast line with flower farm after flower farm.

I just kept going….The tail wind was just too good to stop, and I wasn’t about to turn around and punch back into it..!! Eventually I turned inland and climbed into the mountainous area in the centre of Chiba to an Onsen town. I ended up staying at a fishing lodge which had a nice hot little Onsen.

After two unbelievable days of hammering along coast line I turned back. Being in the mountains the wind wasn’t an issue and by that time it was easing. In the meantime the Ferries stopped running due to the seas. Even a local coastal train was stopped due to the rough seas…!

I must have been one of the few enjoying the conditions..!

With no ferries running across Tokyo Bay I had to ride to the start of the Aqua Line ... this is a motorway that strikes out across Tokyo Bay on a bridge some 5 kilometers to a large multi story building off shore and then plunges under water into a tunnel 10 kms long and then rises up to cross two massive suspention bridges joining the man made industrial islands off shore of Yokohama. http://web-japan.org/atlas/architecture/arc06.html

From there I was a simple 60 K run back to Odawara...

After this ride I did another ride around Izu Peninsular ...again... its the third. The west coast is so beautiful to ride... My camera died so I have no photos ... But I which I had because I saw two huge buldozers driving around under water in a river. I could see just the top of the machines and wondered how someone could drive under water. Then I saw two guys sitting on stools with radio controles in there hands... Only in Japan !!

These next photo are from a new camera... I went for a 5 hr walk in the hills near here and ended up at Tenzan Onsen below...

The rest are mainly Shed pics... I hope you understand...

The hills are covered by a network of stone lanes

Green Shed Parking...

Two young Japanese riders heading up to Hakone Lake 800 meters above in the snow.

They are trying to ride to Osaka....

This road is the hard way to get to Kakone Lake. I did it once and I wont be doing it again.

Its very steep and they dont have clip shoes so will end up walking most of it.

This guy is busy ... a shedism devotee no doubt!!

Silver Skylight ...

Izu coast south of Odawara

Mavic Headquarters...

Nice ladder

Nice bamboo broom

This shed is 1200 deep, has a nice over hang and moreish texture render .
It's obviously a bike shed ... a road tandem up high, two fixed wheels mid height,
a Commuter and a Shopping bike down low ... Rolladoor activated B&O lounge music ...

Natural timber prison bar sliding doors, kneeling balcony. highly worked foliage, barn like Onsen...

Multi layed roof, vine covered render, black cubism side spigot, roof vent, mandarin shielded shed

Shedism extrapolated ...!!

Vertical windows, tricky down pipes, two tone custom alloy cladding, skillion roofed urban fashion statement....

Green arrow, twin double over head pipes, window above remote operated barn door, inside .... mavic yellow 1000cc scooter and a quiver of saw dust covered fixed wheel bikes !