Joe McClinton, a former Spoker who is fluent in Italian and who has led bike tours in Italy, told me before I went to Italy to cycle for the first time in 2000, “So-called Italian food here is very different from what you’ll be eating in Italy.” At the time I didn’t understand what he said but it turned out he was right—what we get here is really Italian-American food, i.e. something derived from southern Italy that has been modified because immigrants couldn’t get the same ingredients here then modified again in restaurants for the American palate. The same goes for Japanese food: what we get here is just a subset of what you’ll get there and it’s different anyway. The number of food items and dishes we’ve eaten there that I’ve never ever encountered in the Bay Area is very high. Yes, you can get sushi and sashimi here and nowadays you can even get fresh ramen, which has recently become popular. But the variety of fish from which they are derived is much more diverse. Speaking of which, if you don’t like seafood you may have a difficult time eating in Japan. Seafood whether it be the myriad types of fish, crustaceans, or mollusks is found everywhere and various kinds of seaweed are eaten all the time. In fact dashi, the broth used throughout Japanese cooking is made from bonito tuna and seaweed. Common kinds of seafood eaten regularly in Japan include sea snails, octopus, and eel, which we rarely see here even in Japanese restaurants.

This isn’t to say that meat is uncommon—it’s not. Wagyu and Kobe beef are famous and everybody loves fried chicken, karaage. KFC has had great success in Japan because fried chicken is so loved. At Christmas time—yes, the Japanese celebrate Christmas even though they’re not Christians—people line up to order their bucket of KFC and Christmas cake, which often runs out if you don’t reserve in advance. But the proportion of food that is ocean derived is very high compared to the US.

If you’re vegan or vegetarian, be prepared to have a more difficult time in Japan. Buddhist cuisine, which is vegan (mostly), can be found at the temples but there are very few restaurants in that niche and they’re usually in the big cities. Animal derived food products are ubiquitous from dashi, which is made from bonito tuna, to sauces made from fermented fish., and ramen soup broth made from pork bones. Although tofu is readily available, you may not find that in some restaurants. And much of the time it’s opaque exactly what ingredients were used in a dish. Another complication is that where Japanese Buddhists draw the line is different from vegans: many Buddhists consume dairy since they believe that no killing is involved in obtaining milk and animals produce milk to feed their young. If you strictly vegan, then you will need to look for places that serve shojin ryori, or Buddhist cuisine, which is mainly at temples.

If you’re avoiding gluten, Japan is a really tough place. Although the prevalent grain products are rice and buckwheat, there are many common foods that contain gluten such as soy sauce and miso. Food package information is in Japanese and deciphering it for gluten is sometimes completely opaque.

When it comes to eating out in restaurants, you’ll often find that restaurants offer just one ‘type’ of food—ramen restaurants serve just ramen (but sometimes soba or udon too); sushi restaurants serve just sushi. When you’re out in the countryside you may have no idea what a place is serving unless they have pictures or it’s obvious when you look at the kitchen or what other patrons are eating. If they have a menu, you can use Google Translate to decipher the text.

On Cycling Japan tours most of the dinners are included, usually at the hotel or ryokan. But sometimes we are taken out to a restaurant and even on free nights we would occasionally go with the guides to a recommended venue. Their choice in eating establishments is always excellent, places that we would never find by ourselves. In traditonal restaurants it’s not uncommon to be seated at a low table rather than a standard height table and the flooring is often tatami so you’ll have to remove your shoes when you enter the restaurant. You will need to be flexible too in order to sit seiza or crosslegged on a cushion. Sometimes you can get a low chair or stool to sit if you’re not flexible enough to sit on the floor but depending on the number of westerners—and it’s always westerners who request the chairs!—there may not be one available.

Some places you may be seated at a low table but there is a hollow space underneath for you to put your legs and sit in a normal position. Then you only need to be flexible enough to get your legs under the table and later out from under. At hotels this isn’t an issue because they always have standard height tables and chairs for everyone.

Traditional breakfasts in Japan are quite different than here. Expect to get fish of some kind, white rice, and miso soup. In many hotels you’ll see a mixture of traditional and western foods although they may not be exactly what you eat at home. For example there is a traditional egg omelot (tamagoyaki) but it’s made with sugar and dashi in a square pan and folded into a roll; there are no fillings. You may see what look to be hard boiled eggs in a bowl; they’re not—they’re uncooked. Breaking a raw egg and putting it on a bowl of rice is common. (Eggs in Japan undergo inspection and cleaning to reduce the chance of salmonella contamination.)

A traditional breakfast food is natto, fermented soy beans that have a very gooey texture served on rice; it’s definitely an acquired taste! Don’t expect toast, bacon or sausages, or pancakes. Cereal is rare except for cooked rice. Yogurt is sometimes available but don’t count on it. Hotels generally serve some western breakfast foods e.g. scrambled eggs and may have bread or rolls. A change we’ve noticed over the years is that coffee is more available; at ryokans it’s usually green tea for a hot drink. In hotels it’s not uncommon to have a green salad available at breakfast. It’s rare to have salad at dinner. For me that’s great because I love salad at any time of the day! I’ve been surprised at the paucity of vegetables served at any meal. Vegetables are served but they are in small quantities. One change in Japan is that coffee has become increasingly popular and available although this is rarer at ryokans than at hotels.

If you have difficulty stomaching a Japanese breakfast—fish or natto first thing in the morning can be a bit much—you can plan either to buy something ahead of time at a konbini or else pack something from home to eat instead. Of course you don’t do that at the table where you’re being served as that would be rude. Roger brings instant oatmeal that he makes in the room with the electric teapot or hot water.

There are always some vegetables but the quantity is quite small compared to what I’m used to eating. Like the American diet in Japan people prefer carbs (rice or noodles) and protein (seafood or meat) with vegetables mainly being window dressing. This can be quite different from a traditional rural meal, which is vegetable rich. But modern life has come to Japan too.

Whole grain products are rare, or at least I’ve never seen them. All rice except at perhaps some western oriented restaurants in Tokyo is white. Although bread was originally brought to Japan from the West, it’s found everywhere in Japan. But finding whole wheat bread is difficult.

Desserts and sweets are ubiquitous but apparently the Japanese palate is different as they are almost always less sweet than they are here. But I think that’s a good thing because the higher level of sweetness overwhelms the flavors of the dessert, which are often delicate. Although you may not be served ice cream at a restaurant or ryokan, it’s found everywhere in Japan especially soft-serve ice cream and a variety of Magnum-type ice cream bars at convenience stores and markets.

Speaking of convenience stores, called konbini in Japan, it’s on a completely different level. First, they’re everywhere and lots of them. If you’ve been to Hawaii you’ve noticed that there are ABC stores on practically every other block. That’s what it’s like in towns in Japan. There is fierce competition between stores. You’ll see 7-11, Family Mart, Lawson, Circle K, Yamazaki, and Ministop. Second, these small stores are stocked with items we could only dream of here; they have a little of everything from household cleaning products, clothing(!), toiletries, stationary as well as a huge variety of foods. They’re like mini-Targets. Konbini like convenience stores here stock a variety of beverages and snacks. But in Japan they always sell hot food—croquettes, fried chicken, skewered meat—as well as an enormous variety of packaged sandwiches, salads, pastries, onigiri(rice balls), sushi, and a shit ton of Japanese prepared foods you never see over here. They also have a variety of plates or bowls of food that just need to be warmed up for a meal such as noodles, rice bowls, soups, gyoza. You can put together a full meal there! If you’re wanting a quick meal and don’t want to go into a restaurant, these stores are the solution. Occasionally you’ll find fresh fruit but fruit is mostly precut in sealed plastic cups. At checkout you’ll always get asked (a) do you need a bag (10 Yen additional cost)? and/or (b) do you want that heated (if you’ve bought something microwavable)? They usually throw in hashi (chopsticks) or a spoon if they see you’re buying something that needs one or the other. Some konbini cashiers do not handle your cash and instead your total payment due is displayed on a screen and you feed your cash payment into the machine. Then it dispenses any difference you’re owed. You’re always given a paper receipt on checking out.

Until the ill-fated 2020 Olympics in Japan the only places you could get Japanese cash was either the post office or…7-11! Japan is still primarily a cash-based culture and credit card use is much lower than here. Consequently many businesses do not accept credit or debit cards and you must pay in cash. This is especially true outside of big cities. Since 7-11 like most konbini was open at most hours, it is the most convenient place to go to get money. With the Olympics Japan expected an influx of foreign visitors who would need cash and the government liberalized the use of ATMs allowing currency exchange. Now other konbini chains have ATM machines and you’ll be able to get cash more easily. In order to use your card you’ll need to have set up your debit card with a PIN if you haven’t already (and notified your bank that you’re going to Japan.) If you’re at a restaurant or konbini, be sure you have sufficient cash. By the way, there is no tipping in restaurants. If you leave change on your table, you’re likely to find the staff chasing after you to give it back.

Although public toilets in Japan are more common than here, konbini are also places that offer public toilets.

Foreign food. As you know Japan has an incredibly deep and sophisticated food culture and it has benefited from contact with other cultures. Noodles almost certainly came from China originally just as was the case in Europe. Some foods from elsewhere somehow strike a chord in Japan and they become adopted and often transformed. A oft-cited and to us strange example is spaghetti napolitano. This so-called Italian dish is actually from contact with the US post-WW2. This dish is noodles with a ‘tomato’ sauce made from ketchup. Like the British, Japanese seem to prefer their bread without any crust, so you’ll get sandwiches with the crust completely removed. Speaking of bread, the most common form is milk bread, which resembles Wonder Bread but is tastier. Another interesting transformation is Mont Blanc. Originally from Italy/France this is a delicious chestnut puree served with whipped cream, sometimes made into a meringue. But somehow in Japan this dish now called monburan has been transformed into a cake with chestnut puree or cream. (It’s also very delicious!) Another foreign food that has been completely absorbed into Japanese cuisine is curry. Kare Raisu–curry rice, i.e. white rice with beef, deep fried pork cutlet, chicken, or just vegetables and Japanese curry sauce is ubiquitous. Although the sauce is definitely curry derived, being similar to Madras curry, it’s not what you would get at any Indian/Pakistani restaurant here.

Times for breakfast, lunch, and dinner are similar to the US. On Cycling Japan tours lunches are not included in the tour package but we almost inevitably eat together at a specific spot that the guides have picked out. There are probably several reasons for this and I’ll go into detail in a subsequent post. Lunch usually runs between 500 to 2000 Yen.

Dinners at hotels and ryokans. These are almost always kaiseki dinners (at large hotel/resorts you may have a gigantic buffet). Kaiseki is the Japanese equivalent of formal dining and involves multiple courses anywhere from about 7 or 8 up to about15. Most of the dishes are small, usually a bite or two. Depending on the number most of them will be set at the table when you arrive. Larger kaiseki involves subsequent dishes being brought to the table. Often there is a Sterno cooker or two at your setting where you will heat or cook some of your food yourself. Typically there is sashimi, tempura, a savory egg custard with seafood, Japanese pickled vegetables, soup usually miso, various seafood dishes, various vegetable or seaweed dishes. Rice is often served last unless you ask for it during the meal. Kaiseki meals have amazing variety and no two seem to be the same. Since each dish is on the small side, if there is something you really like, well, that’s all you’re getting for the meal. (There aren’t any seconds except for rice.)

Presentation is paramount in kaiseki so be sure to look at your food before you gobble it down. Although much of the food you’ll be able to figure out, there may be dishes whose ingredient(s) is unfamiliar. The food is inevitably very fresh; seasonality is important in Japanese cuisine so don’t expect to get corn in December. These meals are not dash and dine affairs; expect to linger over dinner.

Alcohol is always available at dinner time usually beer or sake; in Kyushu you may have shochu as well. Shochu is a fortified sake. Sake is like wine in that it’s very local so the sake you may get in one region is completely different than what you’d get elsewhere. This doesn’t seem to be the case with beer, which is always one of the big brands e.g. Kirin, Asahi. Craft beers can be found in the big cities but seem to be absent in the countryside. By the way, drunk driving is taken seriously in Japan. If your BAC is 0.05% or higher, you’re impaired enough to be arrested. That applies to cycling too so alcohol at lunch time is forbidden on tours.

Wildcat Canyon has been left to languish after half the road collapsed during a storm in March 2023. The problem is that it’s a county road and there’s been insufficient money to do a repair. Federal money is supposed to be coming to Caltrans and the county had said that construction will begin this spring and maybe be completed by fall. Keep in mind that construction schedules are works of fiction.

But I’m not grumbling about Wildcat being closed for this long. Why? Because it’s been closed to cars, not bikes, and since closure it has been heaven to ride. I wish the county would never repair this road! Initially when it failed everybody diverted to alternate routes including cyclists. Well, one of those alternate routes is Lomas Cantadas/El Toyonal, which goes by our house. For about a week there were cyclists(and cars) thronging the road. This road, if you don’t know, is part of the Berkeley Hills Death Ride and for good reason: it’s 3.5 miles long and most of it is 10+% grade with significant chunks above 12% and a maximum of about 18% in at least two locations. So most cyclists don’t like to ride up the road. The only other nearby alternate route is to use Highway 24. (Yes, cyclists may ride on the shoulder of 24 from Orinda to Fish Ranch Road.) Then someone realized that the road failure on Wildcat left just enough roadway for bikes to get by and no one was doing any enforcement. All the bike traffic has since returned to Wildcat. A day or two after the collapse I rode out Old El Toyonal to take a look at the closure, went by the barriers (my bad), and saw that about half the road was still in place. The only hassle was having to lift your bike to go around the K barrier at the bottom. Sometime after the initial closure the K barriers and obstructive fencing were moved to make it easy for bikes (and motorcycles) to get by.

Since then Wildcat has become a sanctuary of peace and quiet. Prior to the closure Wildcat was a cut-through for cars wanting to avoid the Eastshore Highway (i.e. I-80 by Berkeley), the jam on I-580, and the back up on 24 up to the Caldecott Tunnel. If you made the mistake of cycling on Wildcat during a commute period, you were in for a series of close passes some on blind curves or the impatient driver sitting right on your ass telegraphing the message that if you didn’t get out of his way right now you were going to get fucked. Because it’s curvy just like Redwood Road, it’s also a casual speedway for sports cars and motos. For now it’s our private Idaho. Although not exactly: motos ignore the closure signs and routinely take Wildcat now that the K barriers have been moved and even some cars are still using the road from Inspiration point to Old El Toyonal. The latter are probably associated with the Orinda Horse Association, which has its stables right at the turnoff to Old El Toyonal. It’s unnerving to be blasting down Wildcat and suddenly come upon a car!

Despite being “abandoned” Wildcat is kept in shockingly good condition. Initially debris from the dense oak tree cover just rained down on the road willynilly with no car traffic to push it out of the way. Riding it was a bit of an obstacle course but nothing compared to Planet of the Apes or even Old Scenic Road to Martinez before it was reopened. Has a sweeper been run on Wildcat during the closure? I haven’t seen one but I have no other explanation for why it isn’t knee deep in debris. Some regular upkeep must be going on even if it’s a “closed” road. Recent storms knocked down some old oaks on the road and they’ve been quickly and mysteriously cut up and moved to the side. Nonetheless you still have to be attentive to random tree branches on the road as well as the copious piles of horse manure deposited by the OHA members, who no longer have to cling to the narrow dirt shoulder and can use the road full-on (until they encounter a moto or a car).

Riding Wildcat is almost like being on a BLM road except that it’s paved. Without the roar of cars it’s like being in a forest all by yourself except for the occasional fellow cyclist. The old oaks turn the road into a tunnel of sorts although you can look to the east and peek through the trees to catch a glimpse of Briones Reservoir and the hills surrounding all that EBMUD land, which since the December storms are now approaching peak green.

For bicyclists Wildcat is a significant paved road to get between Berkeley and Contra Costa. Those on the other side take Wildcat to do the Three Bears or head further afield east to Diablo or south to Pinehurst. It’s part of the Pinehurst Loop that goes up Pinehurst, Skyline, Grizzly Peak, and back to Orinda. If you’ve done the Fall Social ride, you’ve taken Wildcat from Phil’s up to Inspiration Point and dropped down to do the Three Bears and then returned the same way. It’s a nice, fast descent and the way back to Berkeley is a challenging climb sure to burn your legs and lungs but without the scary steep grades you’d find on 24 or El Toyonal.

These days I’ve been enjoying Wildcat a bit differently. I’ve been riding my mountain bike up El Toyonal and then dropping down Old El Toyonal to Wildcat and up to Inspiration Point. Then I head onto the Nimitz Trail in Tilden Park. It’s a short ride between eight and fifteen miles depending on how far I head out the Nimitz. It’s a good ride for clearing out my head since it’s peaceful and quiet and with essentially no traffic and it doesn’t take long to do the ride. If you don’t live near Wildcat, you obviously can’t avail yourself so easily of its tranquility. Of course having to travel to Wildcat from further away, e.g. San Francisco, would defeat the purpose in that you’re dealing with all the hassles of transiting to Wildcat and probably losing more repose than you’re gaining.

In the meantime Wildcat is still closed but perhaps not for very long. If we are lucky, it will still be shut for the Fall Social next October. But for now I’m taking advantage of this boon from nature.

Our tour was not self-supported by any means. (For more information about self-supported touring in Japan, speak to David Shiver or Phil Bokovoy.) There are several companies in Japan that provide supported cycling tours. These are usually van supported tour so one’s luggage is hauled from stop to stop and varying degrees of on-road support are offered. We’re lazy so we have opted for package tours that have specific itineraries, van support, and all hotel/inn bookings handled by the tour company. In addition the company we have used, Cycling Japan, which by the way is Japanese owned and run, can provide rental bikes both regular or e-bikes (along with spare batteries if you burn through one during the day). They provide road bikes, hybrids, or touring bikes depending on your preference and they set them up according to your measurements.

Whether to bring your own bike or rent one. Taking your personal bike overseas is an undertaking unto itself. If you take your own bike, you will have to haul it in addition to your other luggage. Airlines have gone back and forth on whether to charge for bikes as oversize luggage; check airlines for the latest policy. If you plan to do any additional traveling while you are overseas after your tour, you will either have to find a way to stash your bike such as left luggage or you’ll end up hauling it with you even though you don’t need it. Sometimes it is possible to ship your bike to your start destination. If so, you need assurance that it will not only arrive intact but on time. (The same goes for flying with your bike. Airlines lose bikes occasionally and yours may not arrive on time.) If you want to use your e-bike, you will not be allowed to pack the lithium battery packs in your stowed luggage—it’s illegal. You will then have to take it with you into the cabin and there are limitations on the battery size and the number of batteries that can be brought onboard.

Renting a bike means you’ll shed the burden of packing, hauling, and unpacking your bike. But you may get a rental bike that is not to your satisfaction. When you take your own bike, you have a bike you’re familiar with and set up just as you want. Since Roger uses e-bikes exclusively, he has to rent one. Before going to Japan I had never rented a bike and had always brought my own touring bike that is kitted out the way I prefer. The first time we went to Japan with Cycling Japan I decided to try a rental because it would make the travel logistics so much easier not to lug a bike around. I’ve been fairly satisfied with their bikes even if they are more modest—but not always!—than what I would ride at home. Cycling Japan does a good job of fitting the bikes after you arrive. The other major positive is that since we are renting the bikes from the tour company, they assume the responsibility for maintaining the bikes while on tour whether that be providing fully charged battery packs, repairing flats (!), or fixing something major. On our first tour in 2016 my rental bike bottom bracket failed just before lunch one day; Kenichi swapped it out for a new one during lunch. Yes, they carry spares of everything including a fully functional road bike just in case someone’s needs repair that can’t be done immediately! Another time my freehub died just as we arrived at a ferry port. While waiting, Dai tried to fix it but couldn’t. (The pawls turned out to be shot.) So he just swapped in a spare rear wheel. If these incidents had happened with my own touring bike, I would have had to hunt for a bike shop to do the repairs. (Do not delude yourself thinking that nothing wrong can happen with your own, carefully maintained bike. We’ve seen broken derailleurs, shot shifters, broken saddles, broken seatposts, you name it, on other people’s “carefully maintained” bicycles.) If you do bring your own bike, at least have it tuned up or checked over by a pro (= not you) before you pack it.

The fitting adjustments are done on the first day of the tour, which is a non-riding day. I’ve learned over subsequent trips exactly what else I need to bring to Japan to make my rental bike work better. You are encouraged to bring your own saddle and pedals since those are highly personal contact points on the bike. Cycling Japan’s bikes have front and rear lights. But I bring more powerful lights because of the tunnels as well as a bell to use when I’m dealing with traffic. Although they provide a large rear saddle bag, I also bring a handlebar bag to carry my camera, snack food, supplies, as well as an additional place to stow clothing. By the way, in Japan brakes are set up English style, i.e. the left hand brake lever controls the rear brake and the right hand lever controls the front brake. This is the reverse of what we’re used to.

An advantage of a package tour is you’re relieved of making a lot of decisions such as where to stay, where to eat, and how far to ride or which road to take and all the associated research involved in making those decisions. Although you may not know the nittygritty details in advance, you do know the general architecture of each day and have an idea of how easy or challenging the route will be as well as the sights you might see along the way. The disadvantage is that you’re also limited to a set route and spontaneity is severely reduced. If you want to go somewhere else on a day, you’d better be able to figure out a route to your hotel/ryokan for the night! On the other hand you’re availing yourself of the company’s expertise and experience in crafting a rewarding experience. Never underestimate the value of locals’ knowledge. Another disadvantage is that because we are traveling with predominantly English speakers, we tend to cluster together rather than being forced by circumstance to interact with Japanese people. The few opportunities we have been afforded to speak directly with locals have been because they spoke some English; those interactions we cherish. Of course if you speak and understand some Japanese you’ll be able to interact more freely and likely have a much more rewarding experience while on tour. Another disadvantage of a set tour is that you’re on a schedule so even if you’d like to linger longer at a particular town you can’t. Certainly for a first-time visit to an area of Japan a tour is a great introduction and you can in the future plan to go back to explore in more depth the areas that caught your fancy.

A package cycle tour is not like riding at home. At home you can take a day off when you like or skip a day because it’s raining or unpleasantly hot. On most package tours that are point-to-point the best you’re going to be able do is maybe ride in the van. But that may not always be possible. You wake up every morning knowing you’re going to be riding regardless of the weather or how tired you feel. Unlike Northern California most of Japan can be rainy at almost any time of the year. Every tour we’ve done there has had some rain, sometimes very light all the way to torrential, all-day maelstroms. So you’re likely to be riding in the rain at some point whether you like it or not. Regarding weather summer in all but Hokkaido can be insufferably hot and humid. But even Hokkaido is getting hotter in summer due to climate change. The best times to visit Japan to cycle are spring and autumn although winters from Kyushu south to Okinawa are milder than on the northerly islands of Honshu, Shikoku, and Hokkaido and comfortable for touring.

Roads. Roads in Japan are generally in better shape than in the Bay Area. Road maintenance is serious business in Japan. Earthquakes and monsoonal storms do tremendous damage to roads whether it be by landslides, collapses, or overflowing rivers wiping them out. So there always seems to be road maintenance going on. Even in the rural areas road failures seem to be addressed quickly. Whereas county road budgets here always seem to be impoverished, Japanese fund maintenance to the extent that even potholes are rare.

Vehicles use the left side of the roadway as they do in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand so you’ll be cycling on the left side as well, i.e. close to the left edge of the roadway. This can be initially disorienting for Americans and one can forget which lane to use when turning at intersections—turn left and stay to the left, turn right and also stay to the left! If you use a cycling mirror, you’ll need to switch it to the other side of your helmet/eyeglasses/handlebar in order to see the traffic behind you. Traffic laws as well as general expectations of cycling behavior are slightly different in Japan. For example there is no right/left turn on red: all vehicular traffic waits until there is a green light before turning. Cyclists turning right are expected to make ’square’ turns: wait for the green light, proceed through the intersection to the corner, then wait for the green light before going to the right.

No surprise: road signage is different in Japan. The main difference is the stop sign; in Japan it’s a red triangle rather than an octagon. But occasionally you’ll see “STOP” on the road surface. Informational signs are mainly in Japanese but city names are usually also in Roman characters. Most other signs are standard. You will also see a sign allowing bicycles to ride on sidewalks as well at not allowing bicycles. But the latter are often ignored as long as you’re respectful of pedestrians.

Because Japan has a very long history its roads are similar to what you’ll find in Europe: an extremely fine and dense network of tertiary roads. These roads are used mainly by locals and local delivery trucks and businesses; people traveling point to point and larger delivery trucks instead stick to the main roads. It is not uncommon to be on a road so isolated and narrow that two cars can barely pass each other—and these are small, narrow Japanese cars! It almost goes without saying that these roads are lovely to ride on. Of course to get to these tertiary roads you inevitably have to take the major roads and many coastline roads are pretty heavily trafficked especially near the bigger cities. Roads in Japan are often narrower than what our Highway Code would require. Lanes are usually narrower and the presence of a reasonable shoulder is hit-and-miss. Bikes are expected to ride on the left edge of the lane if there is no shoulder; the idea of “taking the lane” is indeed foreign in Japan—drivers do not expect you to be in the middle of the lane. That said we’ve had exactly one incident in the thousands of miles we’ve ridden there when a driver seemed so uptight about being behind a line of cyclists that he sped up furiously to pass us even when it was patently unsafe to do so; in other words he did what would be have been matter-of-fact here!

Tunnels. If you ride in Japan you’re going to be going through tunnels. Along the coast tunnels are cut through bluffs over which no road could be constructed. Given that we’ve cycled on 15%+ grades on coast roads—similar to the rolling hills on the San Mateo coast—that’s saying something. Their benchmark for when it’s too-steep-better-dig-a-tunnel seems a lot higher than here. Tunnels vary in Japan from short galleria like you’d find in the Alps to long and dark with dismal or no lighting. Tunnels are the “short cut” so expect to encounter trucks. No matter how much I tell myself that Japanese drivers are better and more considerate than US drivers I still am unnerved when I hear the roar of a diesel engine behind me in a tunnel. So I’ve made sure to use powerful lights to be seen as well as to see the pavement and warn oncoming traffic of my presence.

Driver behavior. Driving behavior in Japan is unlike anything we have encountered in Europe and certainly here at home: drivers actually observe the speed limit. And the speed limits in Japan are lower than they are here. Typically the speed limit is 60 KPH on arterials and 40 or 30 KPH on ‘residential’ roads. Drivers also are much more patient waiting behind cyclists before making a pass. Turning at red lights is illegal and cars observe this law making it much safer for pedestrians and cyclists. When passing automobile drivers seem to have a good sense of the ‘edges’ of their car and pass with a sufficient gap. Cars and trucks are overall smaller than in the US and even Europe and they’re going more slowly than we are used to.

How do locals cycle? Riding a bike on the sidewalk is very common in cities. That said those cyclists are usually running errands and going very slowly (less than 10 MPH). Cyclists occasionally do ‘salmon’ although to a lesser extent than here. We only occasionally have seen Japanese recreational cyclists and that’s usually on a Saturday or Sunday when they have time for a ride. Do Japanese cyclists obey the letter of the law? Nope. They’ll turn at a red light as long as it’s clear. They also cycle ‘salmon’ in cities. But in general they are respectful of car drivers and don’t engage in provocative behavior; in return drivers don’t mete out punishment passes and attempt to terrorize cyclists.

The years fly by and 2024, the club’s 42nd year of existence, is now one for the books. The club quietly does what recreational cycling clubs do: offer bicycle rides and club events for fellow LGBTQ cyclists, their family members, and allies to congregate and have fun. In the case of some challenging rides that might mean a bit of Type 2 fun though. Sometimes the club goes through periods of innovation that alter the direction of the club and sometimes those innovations become “traditions” until they become tired and dwindle away. Some of those innovations continue to today including the annual club picnic, which began shortly after the birth of the club. Mountain biking exploded and had a big club coterie in the late ‘80s and throughout the ‘90s but has since dwindled away with now just a meager presence on the ride calendar. What will 2025 bring? Surely it will be more of the same. Hopefully there will be some new events and rides that spark interest and can carry us into the future.

A “normal” winter. 2024 began with a “normal” winter after the deluge we got in 2023 when so many Bay Area roads were washed out and destroyed. Some of those roads weren’t repaired and reopened until 2024! We had the usual rain-outs of club rides but compared to 2023 it was nothing.

Will Bir. This is foremost on my mind thinking about the past year: Will Bir’s death from a heart attack while riding in the Presidio. Following David Sexton’s death in 2023, Will’s was another savage blow to the club. Will was a longtime club member whose involvement and dedication to the club was unquestioned. Will did it all and always with a smile on his face and usually while whistling. I’m going to miss him.

The return of the Ride Leader Appreciation Dinner. We hadn’t had a RLAD since January 2020. Then the Pandemic hit and we put it on hiatus for four years until this past spring at il Casaro on Church Street. It was great to gather with the club cyclorati and celebrate their club spirit. It’s the only goody the club offers to its members who volunteer to lead rides or host a club event at their house. Hopefully we’re back on our usual annual schedule and we’ll have one this spring for 2024 volunteers.

Tunnel Tops Park. The annual club picnic returned to San Francisco with some trepidation. A summer picnic is SF can either be a windblown fogfest or, if we’re lucky, a grand sunny day. We lucked out in 2024 and got the latter. Even better we held it at a new venue, Tunnel Tops picnic area in the Presidio, and it was a great choice with fantastic views, a cheery crowd, and a new, clean picnic area! A great turnout as well. It was also Will Bir’s last club event before his passing.

Pizza Night, the Marin Pizza Run. In our neverending quest to have more fun and food together we held two new events this past year. Pizza Night at Little Star Pizza on Valencia was going to be the first of several casual dinner gatherings but it turned out to be our only one last year. We had a great turnout, Little Star wasn’t crowded, and the pizza and conversation were fabulous. Hopefully we’ll have more of these in 2025! The other new event was the Marin Pizza Run held at Janet’s house in Marin. What better than a ride followed by even more tasty pizza! A fabulous jaunt out to China Camp and then camping in Janet’s beautiful backyard with slices from Cafe Verde Pizza on a gorgeous sunny day.

The Pride Ride. For many years the club was an annual presence at the SF Pride celebration with a parade contingent and a booth. But both vanished due to lack of enthusiasm—it’s a lot of work to put that together. Instead it was replaced by the Pride Ride, which has morphed into our biggest club event usually bringing out about 50-90 riders. This year was no exception with a big turnout, more donuts and coffee, and a beautiful sunny day.

Injuries. Being club president is an accursed position and maybe cursed, period! Both David Goldsmith, our past president, and current president Jeff Mishler ended up with chronic injuries in 2024—in David’s case yet again—that kept them off the bike most of the year. We hope to see them both on a ride after their eventual recoveries!

For me 2024 had three special club rides.

Old Haul Road. I finally got to ride Old Haul Road. I led it but no one other than Roger wanted to come along, which turned out to be fine. Old Haul has been on my list for a long time. I moved away from the Midpeninsula 40 years ago and it hasn’t been easy to get back to Coastside to do it. It was a complete delight: a broad, tree swaddled avenue into the redwoods on a beautiful dirt road. I’m definitely going back but next time it’ll be part of a long mixed terrain loop.

Pedaling Paths to Independence. This metric century in February has become one of my faves—it’s a small event, it’s relatively inexpensive, and it’s got beautiful terrain. But in 2024 I hadn’t been riding due to health issues and so I did this ride with almost zero miles and thus a great deal of trepidation. Fortunately David Goldsmith was also game and he hadn’t been riding much either and we sort of rode it together supporting each other. (Jeff Mishler was the other Spoker who did it. But he was killing it and we saw him only at the food stops.) Despite a slew of technological mishaps I went against my bullheaded nature and did the ride with restraint, which allowed me actually to complete the ride without dying or cramping. (I got the cramps in the car while driving home!) It was probably the slowest century I’ve ever done but it was no less enjoyable.

Pescadero loops. I did these loops three times last year. It’s another revelation thanks to David Goldsmith. Now I drive to Pescadero to skim the cream off the top instead of schlepping all the way from Palo Alto or San Francisco. It’s never not beautiful, always quiet, and I’m hooked on stopping at the Loma Mar Store for good grub! I especially like doing the loop up Haskins Hill rather than going down Highway One.

In early November Roger and I went to Japan for a cycling tour, our seventh there. After many years of making pilgrimages to the European continent for our cycling vacations, in 2016 we decided to head to Japan for a taste of something perhaps different. We’ve been hooked ever since.

Japan has a long history of cycling despite being off the radar as a cycling destination. Yet Japan has a huge cycling industry and cycling is a part of everyday life there even more than in the US. If you are old enough, you may remember when ten-speed bicycles began to gain traction in the US in the early 1970s. We were flooded by bicycle imports. Yes, we had Raleighs from England and Peugeots and Motobecanes from France. But they were quickly followed by Bridgestone, Miyata, Nishiki. Fuji, Panasonics, Sekai, and many others—all Japanese made. Plus component manufacturers Suntour and Shimano as well as a host of other producers such as Nitto, Tange tubing, MKS, and Araya started selling their wares to compete with Campagnolo, Huret, Universal, and all the other European brands.

In Japan everyday people cycle to work or to run errands as well as cycle for recreation. People of all ages ride bikes including the elderly. Bicycles are deeply integrated into everyday life in Japan. Inexpensive bikes for everyday life, “momochari” are everywhere. Cities have dedicated bike parking near train and transit stations. At the other extreme keirin racing is very popular and high-end bicycles are still made by Miyata, Bridgestone, Fuji, and several others although they tend to outsource the actual manufacturing these days to China or southeast Asia.

What is largely unknown outside of Japan is the incredible countryside full of back roads and narrow lanes that are wonderful for cycling and make Japan worth a visit. This isn’t to say that everything cycling is hunkydory in the land of the Rising Sun. Arterials near big cities can be congested hellholes for bicyclists and most roads have no shoulders. But the liberal use of multiuse paths and sidewalks by cyclists is mitigating. In most other respects road infrastructure is much friendlier to cyclists than even the Bay Area’s. Speed limits are low compared to the US often no higher than 40 KPH on main roads and 25 KPH on residential streets. In addition to being driven more slowly cars as well as trucks are smaller and narrower making the inevitable pass less anxiety producing and safer. More importantly driver attitude is much more tolerant of cyclists and sharing the road, and drivers are very familiar with how to handle encounters with cyclists. In general Japanese culture values patience and politeness and it shows on the road. Tolerance for drunk driving is very low; the blood alcohol level for getting jailed is only 0.05% compared to 0.08% here. And taxis are everywhere if you need a lift home after a night of carousing.

We cycled from Nagasaki to Hiroshima over eleven days. It’s the second time we’ve done this trip. Two years ago immediately after Japan reopened to foreign tourism we rode this route. We felt like we had Japan all to ourselves and the absence of foreigners was immediately apparent. It was uncrowded and quiet. Autumn is also a great time to cycle in Japan. The oppressive summer heat and humidity are gone and if you time it right, the fall colors are exploding. We decided to go back not only because we enjoyed this part of Japan so much but because Roger fell ill with the flu shortly after we arrived and missed about half the tour. Thanks to the fantastically capable Japanese medical staff, who diagnosed Roger’s ailment and gave him a startlingly effective antiviral, his symptoms resolved one day later (!) and after recovering his strength he was able to complete the second half. We went back so that Roger could properly enjoy the entire route.

Our trip was a supported tour by Cycling Japan whom we’ve used every time so far. Although cycling on one’s own is possible, having guides to help us navigate not just the roads but also the language and culture have been essential since neither of us speaks nor reads Japanese. That said using Google Translate on phones it’s possible to get a lot of basic communication done albeit awkwardly. Unlike in many European countries the use of English has not made significant inroads into Japanese tourism infrastructure except in the biggest cities such as Tokyo and Osaka and even there it can be sketchy. Much of Japan’s tourism especially out of the big cities is internal tourism so hotel and ryokan staff expect Japanese. At the more isolated country towns it’s solely Japanese.

The Japanese guides not only assist with interpreting and translating but also convey cultural information that we tend to overlook or are completely ignorant of. Here’s an example: traditional Japanese inns—ryokans—have Japanese rooms, i.e. futons not beds, low tables and no chairs, and tatami mats covering the floor. One should never wear shoes in the ryokan let alone the rooms and one shouldn’t roll one’s suitcases on tatami. Tatami mats are expensive despite appearing to be spartan to Westerners. Wearing shoes or otherwise abusing them makes them look ugly and harder to keep clean. Another example is proper behavior in the onsens. Onsens are hot spring baths that are commonly found throughout Japan. There is a specific protocol in using the onsen that all Japanese know but is opaque to foreigners.

Our trip was jokingly called the “atomic bomb tour”. For most Americans Nagasaki and Hiroshima are one of the familiar city names other than Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka due to the US atomic bombings of those two cities that directly ended the Second World War. Of course other than historical remnants that have been preserved there is no sign of the bombings almost 80 years ago. Nagasaki is set on a beautiful inlet surrounded by tall hills. Part of the city goes steeply up the hillside and provides scenic views of the bay. Does that sound familiar? The population is only 400,000; it’s a big city but it doesn’t feel like it. Hiroshima on the other hand is huge with about 1.2 million residents. It too is a port town but set on the Seto Inland Sea, which is replete with hundreds of small to medium sized islands. Hiroshima feels big, more like NYC than SF and has a distinctly fashionable and urban feel. Nagasaki is on the western side of Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands, and Hiroshima is on the western side of Honshu, the main island. To get from one to the other we rode 500 miles taking in a lot of rural areas and coastal roads, took a tiny ferry to get across a bay, and walked under the ocean to get from Kyushu to Honshu. Japan is not flat by any means; it’s mountainous and cutting across the center of its islands always involves going over passes. We did something like 45,000 feet of climbing on our tour with most of those climbs being reasonable, i.e. less than 8%. But there were quite a few spikey, short climbs especially on rolling coastal roads hitting 15% or more. Low gears are essential! The climbing would have been even more challenging except of Japan’s propensity to carve tunnels through mountains rather than turn ancient goat trails into ridiculously steep roads. Every day involved going through tunnels. That’s both a blessing and a bane—the tunnels make it easier to get over the mountain but some of them are long, dark and poorly illuminated. Oh yeah, and the trucks go through the tunnels too. In the US this would be a recipe for disaster and either bikes would be forbidden to ride in a tunnel or we’d have to use a separated walkway. But in Japan drivers are more patient and not speeding. So after having gone through many tunnels in our travels there we have more confidence that we’re going to make it out alive at the other end.

Our trip would take us through Nagasaki, Saga, and Fukuoka prefectures on Kyushu and then through Yamaguchi, Shimane, and Hiroshima prefectures on Honshu. But before I go into any trip details, there are some things about Japan that make it different from North America or Europe.

Next: What is it like on a cycling tour in Japan?