25/10/2014 - Cycle Touring Japan - Day 32 - A day and a volcano to remember.

 

Distance cycled: 97.4km from near Kumamoto to Aso and around the area, Kyushu, Japan.
Average speed: 17.3Km/h
Moving Time: 5h36m
Elevation Ascended: 2173m
Total Distance on Current trip: 2,750km
Distance until I have cycled the circumference of Earth: 9,540km
Money spent: $40

What an amazing day, it started off a little bit iffy as I was woken by locals peering into the small bushy area beside the road where I camped, but that was my fault for not making much of an effort to hide myself when ip itched my tent last night.
So, it was an early morning start and it was gorgeous, there was a layer of mist fighting to dissipate under the morning sun and everything around me seemed dreamlike.
It wasn't all that far to get to Aso where I would be spending a night or two at a hostel, it's suppose to be a beautiful area with the added bonus of knowing that it has the largest caldera in the world and is active.
To my surprise, when cycling the highway to Aso town I realized that I was cycling in the caldera not knowing I was in it; that is how big it is, it was only when the morning fog evaporated I saw the cliff faces that is the caldera wall.
Now, just to explain, this caldera is the result of a huge explosion creating this hole in the earth. There are now volcanoes growing out of the center which is Mount Aso. I expected the villages and towns to be on the outside of the large caldera but most of the townships in the area are inside - fertile volcanic soil is very good for crop.
Arriving at the hostel I wasn't able to check in till 4pm for I dropped off my stuff and went for a ride around the region cycling up to as high as I was allowed to go up mount Aso - reaching the summit of the volcano was prohibited at this time due to noxious gases pluming from the volcano.
Whilst up there I found a hiking path up a nearby mountain to take in the stunning scenery and all that surrounded me.
It was a 30km round trip back to the hostel and on the way down I had an extremely close call. At the ONLY junction of the 15 downhill stretch a vehicle pulled out in front of me, I was unable to stop in time so i frantically cut across to the wrong side of the road narrowly passing by his bonnet and the edge of the road. It was so incredibly close the stupid fuck! I'm lucky to be alive as I was gunning it down the mountain (within the speed limits).
Arriving at the hostel once again, still shaking from the incident only minutes before hand I ate some food and climbed up the other side of the town of Aso. This was to get to Dai**** an incredible viewpoint to see the sheer scale of the caldera, it definitely was worth the efforts to cycle up there especially for the photos I took and the uninterrupted descent (at night) all the way back to the town of Aso.
It was fan-bloody-tastic!!!
What a day, ideal if it wasn't for the near death experience.

 

Enter the town of Aso

The beauty that is Mount Aso

24/10/2014 - Cycle Touring Japan - Day 31 - Mount Unzen was a wise choice.

 

Distance cycled: 85.6km from Obama to Kikuyo, Kyushu, Japan. 
Average speed: 15.6Km/h
Moving Time: 5h29m
Elevation Ascended: 2486m
Total Distance on Current trip: 2,653km
Distance until I have cycled the circumference of Earth: 9,637km
Money spent: $27

Where I camped on the beach was awfully close to the tide when it rolled in. A foot closer to the water and I would have woken up in it.
I woke up on the wrong side of bed today as my sleep was interrupted by another large animal rustling around in the bushes very close to where I was camping. I was able to eventually gather myself and my belongings to set off cycling to the top of Mount Unzen passing through the town of Obama -  a tourist town/ fishing village with many onsens and a hell of a lot of steam bellowing from the gutters, chimneys, doors, windows.. Everywhere really. Apparently at one point this town sold President Obama merchandise. I didn't stick around town for any longer than it took to drink a cup of coffee because I had to ascend almost a kilometer in altitude to reach Unzen national park.
The road was quite and wasn't all that difficult to climb; stopping only once to take a photo I didn't overly exert myself. I've mentioned before I like to climb mountains because it gives more of a sense of accomplishment with the added bonus of a long downhill run.
The national park of Unzen was neat with lots of steaming hot springs with of course the odor of rotten eggs (sulfur).
I hiked to the peak of Mt. Yadake that stands at 940m knowing that taking my bicycle to Nita pass was prohibited. I would have liked to look into the caldera of this volcano but soon I'll be arriving at Mt. Aso which has the largest caldera in the world so it's not a big loss not seeing this one.
This downhill road back to the sea was epic, a huge smile on my face with perhaps many dead insects splattered over my teeth.. of course that was an exaggeration but gives you an idea of how much I enjoyed it.
I had to get a ferry to Kumamoto from Shimabara which worked out nicely as it departed just as I arrived so I got my ticket and hopped on, I tried talking to two cyclists on what seemed to be a day trip and I gestured my way through the conversation also offering come cookies I bought, they didn't talk back to me or to themselves for that matter but upon arrival they cycled away without so much as a "thanks" or "goodbye".. Assholes. Even though they were in their spandex outfits I was able to catch them up and tell them that they need to say "thank you" for giving them food and a simple "goodbye" wouldn't go a miss. I know at least one guy comprehended what I was getting across.
Anyways, Kumomoto is a BIG city and I was trying my best efforts to get out of it before things got too dark as I desperately looked for a place to camp. Cycling just as the dark of night came I found an old farming road which led to an overgrown land mass to which to set up for the night, it's certainly not ideal but it will do.

 

The town of Obama

Cycling up the mountain.

Playing in the smelly steam

 

Climbing by foot to a view point

Sun setting over the plains where I camped

23/10/2014 - Cycle Touring Japan - Day 30 - A very late start to the day.

 

Distance cycled: 38km from Nagasaki to a small fishing village beach at the base of mount Unzen, Kyushu, Japan.
Average speed: 16.8km/h
Moving Time: 2h17m
Elevation Ascended: 874m
Total Distance on Current trip: 2,567km
Distance until I have cycled the circumference of Earth: 9,723km
Money spent: $25

Yesterday I met this stuntman, martial arts instructor, blackbelt, archer, cameraman, photographer, British and truly just an awesome dude. He has met many famous directors and actors and shared many awesome and intriguing stories with me and a few others, he has put himself out there and succeeded in more ways than one. Andrew L Phillips is one of those people you can chat for hours and that's what happened this morning where really I should have left the hostel earlier to continue my bike trip, it was worth the extra time spent chatting with him.
As you can see with the terrain profile above, today.. well, this afternoon presented itself with many ups and downs. The scenery in these parts are gorgeous with mountainous bubbles of almost perfectly rounded out green hills that protrude out of the earth. It was lovely and also sweaty.
As the sun was setting I found a small fishing village with a beach and pitched my tent for the night, tomorrow I'll definitely need to get a full day of cycling in as I'll be cycling to the top of mount Unzen and descending to a port to get me over to another part of the island.

22/10/2014 - Nagasaki, a big thumbs up for this Japanese city.

 

Gunkanjima, AKA Battleship Island

Many people visiting Nagasaki come here to see the atomic bomb museum and memorials around the city dedicated to peace. I had more than my fix of that when  visiting Hiroshima so I went to a bunch of other places instead. 

One being Gunkanjima, literal meaning "Battleship Island" it is a small island completely covered in the ruins of a mining city (coal) that was abruptly abandoned in 1974. Once the most densely populated place on earth, it's now a ghost town, showing the decay of what society leaves behind.

Roughly 15 kilometers from Nagasaki it is a popular tourist destination and also a set from the Bond film 'Skyfall'.

Despite most of the island being inaccessible with only a short walking path  on the southwest of the island this place is a great place to photograph - for an eerily abandoned creepy feel. 

The tour boat that I had organized to get to the island had only Japanese tourists and school children outnumbering me 1 to 60, and with no information provided in English I wanted to leave the group, I tried but they insisted I needed a guide. I suppose they didn't trust me. And yes I would have definitely jumped the fence.

There are rumors of a mass grave in the center of the island, hence why the government evacuated the island on a single day back in 1974.

Quickly getting back to the hostel to change I cycled up to Inasayama at dusk. 

This mountaintop offers a full 360 degree view of Nagasaki City and harbor, and is a must-see site. The nighttime view of the city is called the "10 Million Dollar View" and ranked as one of the best 3 city night views in Japan. Using my GPS it navigated me up some extremely steep narrow paths through residential areas including multiple staircases until I eventually hit the main road to the summit. It was hilarious to cycle past (almost effortlessly) a pair of cyclists with head to toe spandex and $5k bikes struggling up the hill. I know this makes me sound cocky but cycling in casual clothes on an old touring bike that has been half way around the world past these guys with completely unnecessary gear makes me (and perhaps you) wonder, why?

Anyway, the view from the summit was pretty spectacular although the wind was a little too relentless whist trying to set my my photo equipment, it also tried to kill me on the descent too as it blew me into the other lane into oncoming traffic. 

Next up, food!

During my time in Japan I find it difficult to eat out because one thing it is generally expensive and secondly because of my lack of understanding of the language I really don't know what I was going to get. 

Today was an example of the latter but in no way was it a bad thing. Myself and a bunch of others from the hostel set off initially to go for all-you-can-eat sushi only to be disappointed that it was closed. 

We ended up finding another place almost hidden from public eyes and offered sashimi. It was a little on the pricey side but well worth it, not only was the company great the locals we met gave me and the others free rounds of Saki and sushi. Also as a gift I received some (apparently) expensive tea from a man who  was enthralled by my bicycle trip. 

All in all a great afternoon and certainly a highlight of Japan for me. 

One thing I forgot to mention was one of the sashimi dishes made from sea urchin; mentioning it now is making my mouth water, the texture and taste is out of this world and I highly recommend anyone to try it, it was served on rice and wrapped in seaweed.   

Gunkanjima island

 

View of Nagasaki from Inasayama

Best thing I have ever eaten, Uni (Sea-Urchin) Raw and Sashimi style.

Leaving me with the Chef to thank.