Date

2022-12-02, Friday

Distance

65.22 km biked (2924.53 km in total)

While my companion was still sound asleep, I rose at dawn and biked to the beach overlooking Enoshima Island to catch the first ray of the sunrise on camera. Dozens of surfers were already in the water or unloading their boards from motorcycles and bicycles parked neatly along the roadside — many equipped with custom racks to support their gear. It's too bad that clouds glung low on the horizon, obscuring the distant silhouette of Mount Fuji. After capturing a few shots, I crossed the bridge onto the island and pedalled through its sleepy lanes — past shuttered storefronts, the shrine, and a few early visitors waiting for the whole area to wake up — before returning to the hotel just as the day was beginning to stir.

It's funny how different our sleeping rhythms are — my friend is the type of sleeper who needs a solid 8-hour of sleep, whereas I am of the type who needs little sleep and would wake up every 4 hours or so. I am doomed to wake up at midnight and / or before sunrise, not knowing what else I can do with these quiet hours besides capturing them on photos. I am sure once I show her my photos of Enoshima bathed in the golden amber of the early hour, my night owl friend will once again marvel at the beautiful scenery she had missed and wonder when I took those photos.

After leaving Fujisawa, we followed the coastal route across the scenic Torasuko Shonan Ohashi Bridge (National Route 134), then picked up speed on the levee’s smooth cycling path. A curious detail we noticed: in rural Tohoku, Google Maps often doesn’t allow us to set an itinerary using the cycling mode. But as we rode further south toward livelier cities, the cycling mode that we had been relying on in Hokkaido miraculously returned. Come on, Google — maybe it’s time to give Tohoku some love too?

By late afternoon, when our climb started getting serious, it became clear just how devoted the Japanese people take their onsen getaways. All kinds of motorised vehicles zoomed up the mountain like it was nothing. In contrast, we climbed this famous route like lumbering oxen, slowly hauling our bikes uphill.

This was no ordinary road either — it's the same mountainous course that participants in the Hakone Ekiden (箱根駅伝) must tackle each New Year. One of Japan’s most celebrated long-distance university relay races, the event spans over 200 kilometres between Tokyo and Hakone, with young runners battling steep elevation changes and bitter winter winds. I first learned about this tradition through the animated series Run with the Wind (2018 – 2019), which, though idealised, brought to life the spirit of determination and camaraderie behind this gruelling event. As we creaked our way uphill, it was humbling to imagine those collegiate runners sprinting past us in icy January air.

On some of the hairpin turns with 10–15% inclines, even the lowest gear made us feel like we were pedalling through molasses. Cars queued behind us waiting for their chance to pass, while we paused often to catch our breath. The deeper we got into the hills, the fewer lights there were — by nightfall, only the switchbacks were lit. However, when we were about to lose heart due to the seemingly endless steep hills to climb, we came upon some decorations for Hakone Eikan, standing silently beside us like unseen supporters cheering us up.

Our hotel was located beyond Gora Station tucked even further up the hillside. Originally, we hadn’t planned on spending the night in Hakone. The problem? Ryokan stays in Hakone are infamously expensive — typically starting from ¥10,000 and soaring well into the six figures. After much scrolling and comparing, we lucked out and found a place for our budget. A deal like that? Booked instantly.

And then we learned why. Just when we thought we had survived the day's worst climbs, we faced one final obstacle: a killer +20-degree slope leading to the hotel. Pushing the bikes up was well nigh impossible. In the end, it took both of us to drag one bike up at a time, then returning downhill for the second. That 500 metres felt harder than the entire day’s ride.

But all was forgiven the moment we stepped inside at close to 10pm, after being received by staff who came down from a facility that's located further uphill. The hotel had its own private onsen, and though we had booked a double room, what we got was basically a full 2LDK unit — living room, dining area, kitchen, and a whole suite of home appliances: fridge, microwave, electric kettle, coffee machine, cookware, and tableware. Honestly, it was a fully furnished apartment. We could have moved in with nothing but a toothbrush.

As we sank into the hot onsen water that night, our muscles still aching, it was hard not to feel a quiet sense of triumph. The day had been long, the climbs steep — but there, in that steamy silence, it all melted away. The roads we had taken were not easy, but perhaps that made the journey all the more memorable.