Kyushu-Bicycle-Ride
Fukuoka to Saiki and beyond.

Leaving the gear at the hotel we set off to organise a Japanese SIM card for the phone.  Having done this in every other country we have visited we didn't anticipate any problems but eventually gave up and decided to do without Google maps and the tracker for the next four weeks.

So we did a bit of sightseeing and fortified ourselves with some Nepalese ten bean curry in tiny little basement  restaurant where we were the only customers.

Our ride descriptions give an account of the ride that we completed. As part of the description we also provide links to Wikiloc or Google maps and elevation profiles based on mapping data available through the internet. The ride profiles are smoothed to give what in our opinion is a more beneficial view of the profile. We use paper maps, GPS and on line data to plan and conduct our rides. We are happy for you to use our descriptions, but be aware that we do not guarantee the accuracy of the information provided as situations surrounding any ride change over time.

• Distance           55km
  
• Max Elevation    32 m

Kyushu-Bicycle-Ride: Fukuoka to Karatsu Ride Profile

Steve had one last try to get a 'pay as you go' SIM on the way through Fukuoka but could only get a six month one which was too expensive. We rode down to the harbour and along a cycle route on the pavement, past the fish market and the Fukuoka tower.

Beyond the city there is a long section of elevated highway, with the old 202 road running below it. After a few kilometers the cycle path ends and the road splits into two with a carriageway on each side of the highway. The highway is level but the old road climbs up and down at the side of it and is narrow with no hard shoulder.

Beyond Itoshima the old road follows the coast along the low rocky cliffs. The bays had narrow yellow sand beaches and the sea was flat. We stopped for a picnic lunch near a rocky islet with a shrine accessed by a narrow concrete bridge.

• Distance           69km
  
• Max Elevation    200m

Kyushu-Bicycle-Ride: Karatsu to Imari Ride Profile

The rain had stopped so we decided to continue on the road round the peninsula to see Yobuko. There was a strong north easterly wind as we rode north past rocky cliffs and numerous small rocky islands.

Yubuko was a lovely little fishing village with just enough balance between being a tourist attraction and authenticity.

On this weekday morning there was only one coachload of elderly Japanese tourists. The street was lined with stalls, manned by even older residents...

...selling dried fish,  fresh shellfish and sea urchins. In comparison, we were youngsters. One shop owner let us leave the bikes in her garage while we wandered round and had coffee. 

Along the northern coast, the road climbed higher to traverse several high bridges over long sea inlets. The harbours here were full of expensive cruising boats, no scruffy, working fishing craft.

Above our heads were flocks of large raptors, black kites, which feed on the fish waste and also are fed with bread by the locals. Being such a windy area there are also many wind turbines.

It was quite a tiring ride with lots of ups and downs. After passing the Genkai  nuclear power plant the traffic increased, and the road climbed a longish hill with narrow lanes, no hard shoulder and lots of heavy lorries.

This section of road is being widened so should be better in future. A man backing his car onto the road  gave way for Steve to pass, but did not see Karen. He reversed into the back of her bike, hitting the panniers but causing no permanent damage except to her nerves.

Along the west coast there were lots of small villages and farms in the steep sided valleys and terraced fields stretching to the sea.

Imari, famous for its ceramics, is a smart little town with pavements surfaced in gravel and pottery fragments, which glisten in the sun, and bridges decorated with examples of its art. 

• Distance           65km
  
• Max Elevation    68m

Kyushu-Bicycle-Ride: Imari to Haika Ride Profile

Before leaving town we needed cash but struggled to find an international ATM and then it refused to give any cash. Having no SIM we wanted to ring our bank on SKYPE but there was nowhere with Internet open at 9am.

The next two hours was spent riding up  to the village of Okawachiyama where there were once many kilns producing pottery.There are lots of old  kilns here but few actually producing pottery now. We wandered around the steep, narrow pedestrian streets looking at expensive pottery in the shops and the old kilns. 

Once we had plenty of cash we set off south on the 202, following the river valley which is also shared by a small private railway line. We headed for the coast, hoping to find some accommodation there. We passed the Huis Ten Bosch hotel which is a huge European style building, dominating the skyline for miles.

• Distance            65km
  
• Max Elevation     78m

Kyushu-Bicycle-Ride: Haiki to Nagasaki Ride Profile

This morning Steve set off to go for breakfast with his t-shirt inside out, a sure sign of early dementia.

There was 15km of very familiar road to start with, retracing our route back to Huis Ten Bosch. The same loud Disney music was still playing on the loudspeakers.

Turning off we headed towards the Expressway, turning off just before the slip road onto a minor road which is signposted as a cycle route to Nagasaki. For the next three kilometers we could enjoy the sunny blue skies and lovely coast views in peace with no traffic.

At least there was one of the millions of drinks machines that line every road in Japan. Even on the most deserted highway, in the smallest village, at the top of a mountain, as long as there is an electricity supply there will be a machine dispensing hot or cold coffee, tea and soft drinks.

We continued south on the 202, following the coast, climbing over a couple of headlands. There was a separate cycle path but it kept changing from one side of the road to the other and varied in quality from rough and narrow to smooth tarmac. It was frustrating because it always seemed to come to an end at a blind bend, meaning a risky crossing of the road.

Most of the agriculture is rice, with small, terraced fields. With no access possible by machine the harvest is still done by hand, the cut rice suspended on racks to await threshing.

At lunchtime we sat on a little quay with views over the flat calm bay, watching the amazing jelly fish swimming in the shallows.

Our hotel was just across the road from Dejima, the old Dutch port that we had  read about in the book ' The Thousand Autumns of  Jacob de Zoet' . It is being slowly restored to how it looked in the 17th century and was a very interesting place.

No-one could come here without visiting the Atomic Bomb museum and the Ground Zero memorial park. It was a very emotional experience, especially reading some of the personal accounts of the bomb survivors.

One of the abiding memories of all the survivors is the lack of clean drinking water after the bombing and their unquenchable thirst. So the museum and park have many pools and fountains of clean, sparkling water. 

We enjoyed riding on the old trams and visiting some of the old temples on the hills above the city.

On the first night we set out to find a Chinese restaurant recommended in Lonely Planet. Not taking a map with us and trying to find it by memory, we walked into a little local eating place about two doors down from the one we were looking for. It was a lucky find, run by a friendly family, full of locals (it only needed 10 people to fill it) and with wonderful sea-food.

The second night we made it to China Town and had another fabulous meal.

• Distance             80km +ferry
  
• Max Elevation      138m

Kyushu-Bicycle-Ride: Nagasaki to Kumamoto Ride Profile

• Distance           40km
  
• Max Elevation   380m

Kyushu-Bicycle-Ride: Kumamoto to Choyo Ride Profile

After 25km the road starts to climb as it comes to the edge of the Aso caldera. There were 500 meters on highway 57 before turning off onto the old 174 which continued to follow the Shirakawa  river up a deep gorge. One of the bridges here was being repaired and east bound traffic was diverted onto the busy 57 but there was no-one working today so we rode over the bridge on the other side of the traffic cones.

At Choyo we turned off to the little railway station to get directions to our accommodation. The old station building has been converted into a cafe so we eventually got a cake and coffee and only another 2km to get to our bed and breakfast.

We contemplated riding up to the summit of the volcano but, having the World's biggest caldera, it would be a long ride. Instead we did the trip by public transport. The b and b owners gave us a lift to Tatano station as they were going shopping. From there we caught the train to Aso town. The huge flat caldera area has many towns and miles of rice growing in the fertile soils.

From Aso town there is a regular bus up to the volcano. The active crater, Nakadake, and the cable car to it, were closed because of dangerous gas levels.

Instead we climbed to the peak of Kijimadake, one of the neighbouring summits to get a view of the steaming crater.

The walk back down, around one of the inactive craters, through shoulder high grass on a very rough and loose path, was exhausting. The hillsides around the summit of the volcano are used for beef cattle grazing, their smooth grassy slopes contrasting with the forested lower slopes.

• Distance           55 km
  
• Max Elevation     880m

Kyushu-Bicycle-Ride: Choyo to Taketa Ride Profile

This morning we continued up the Shirakawa valley towards Takamori. On the outskirts of the town we stopped for coffee at a photographer's gallery. He had some amazing pictures of the locality. Close by was the Shirakawa Spring, with gallons of crystal clear spring water bubbling out of a sandy river bed. We drank the water to get energy for our climb back over the side of the caldera.

A gradual uphill followed, through conifer forests. The evidence of the damage caused by the 2012 floods was everywhere, with huge chunks of concrete torn from the road sides and crash barriers washed away. One of the bridges we had planned to cross had been completely destroyed and we had to make a detour back to a lower bridge. 

Having expected a difficult climb it was a shock to realise we were descending again and starting the long downhill to Taketa. We turned onto the 135, a narrow minor road with no traffic on it. Even this top section had not escaped damage and several sections of road edge were completely unsupported above the river valley. After only 5km the damage was more comprehensive and the road closed. We had to make another detour which meant more climbing across four more shallow valleys.

• Distance            70km
  
• Max Elevation     250m

Kyushu-Bicycle-Ride: Taketa to Saiki  Ride Profile

Before leaving we had a quick tour of the town including the castle and a pretty temple on a rocky hillside with some interesting stone carvings

Taketa Temple Statues

Taketa Temple Carvings

We took a detour to view the Harajiri falls and have a coffee break. There were four tunnels along the way. Only one of them had a separate cycle path. Hara