Date

2022-11-13, Sunday

Distance

66.77 km (1921.5 km in total)

For our first cycling day in Honshu, we encounter a problem: unlike in Hokkaido, Google Map no longer provides cycling route; we have to set it to driving or walking. While in driving mode, options are given to avoid toll and express highway, in walking mode Google doesn’t allow customisation, so often than not, to avoid stairs or overpass we use the driving mode. Komoot which works wonderfully in Europe for bicycle touring has difficulty recognising Japanese street and location names. Using it requires an extra step of keying in the coordinates Google gives us, which is inconvenient. We use it mostly for consulting the elevation profile.

From Aomori there are several secondary roads to choose, but for convenience’s sake, we opted to cycle on the primary road, National Road 4, which is not the ideal cycle way but is the most straightforward and easiest to navigate. We were told that some stretches of this road was unsuitable for cycling, and indeed, it got as busy as it could be, but most of the time there was a wide paved sidewalk separated from the driveway, so we didn’t feel too stressful the whole time we stood on it.

For a number of short stretches that had no sidewalk nor shoulder, we were ‘lucky’ to ride through them under a virtually car-free circumstance. The reason is rather unfortunate: probably due to the heavy rain that started soon after noon, a pin tree fell, suspending half way in the air and entangling in a complex aggregation of power lines on the side of the road. The situation seemed to be so urgent that policemen, firefighters and ambulancemen were all presented. The road was closed to traffic on both ways for at least 2 hours. We were the only two individuals being given the permission to escape the gridlock slowly from the side; poor car drivers could only line up in a long line extending a few kilometres, waiting for the professionals to figure out a solution.

Thus, we were able to bike on this national road that connects the northern end of Honshu and the capital with very light traffic. There were only a few car drivers, impatient in waiting endlessly, who passed us at slow speed. I was nevertheless amazed at how civilised Japanese drivers are, as no one hones while waiting in line or driving behind us.

After the sunset, we arrived at the roadside station in Shichinohe and called it home for tonight.

This roadside station was surprisingly spacious. It had separate buildings for the rest station, plus a gas station, large supermarket, and even a convenience store nearby. The public space had tables, sinks, and a coffee vending machine that brewed fresh cups — what a great spot! We set up our tent under the semi-covered walkway, our favourite kind of place for shelter from the wind and rain.