Cycling Japan: Northern Honshu and Hokkaido // World Bicycle Touring Episode 45

After leaving Matsumoto, we continued across the Japanese Alps and arrived on the west coast. We mostly followed the coastline of the Sea of Japan as we traveled north through Honshu before taking a ferry to Hokkaido. We took our time exploring some national parks in Hokkaido before ending our bike tour of Japan in Sapporo.

Apart from some intense traffic during Golden Week, this part of our route featured lots of idyllic riding and beautiful scenery. We spent a little over two months in Japan and had a fantastic time - there is so much to discover and we'd love to return for more bike touring someday!

Instagram:   / rollingexistence  

Bicycle gear list below. We're running a mix of traditional panniers and bikepacking bags.
- 2020 Surly Ogres
- 36h Rohloff Speedhubs
- 36h Son 28 Dynamo hubs
- Ryde Andra 40 rims
- Marathon GT365 29x2.0 tires
- Avid BB7 brakes, 200mm front, 160mm rear
- Sinewave Cycles Beacon headlight/USB charger
- Ergon SMC Core (Andrew) Terry Butterfly Century (Jenny) saddles
- Rogue Panda custom frame bags
- Ortlieb Back Rollers Plus rear panniers
- Bedrock Bags Hermosa front panniers
- Tubus Cargo rear rack (Andrew), Tubus Logo Classic (Jenny)
- Planet Bike AL fenders

Camera Gear:
- Fuji X-T4
- Fujinon 16-80 mm f/4- Fujinon 23 mm f/2 prime
- GoPro Hero 8 Black w/Media Mod + DIY windscreen
- Rode VideoMic Pro
- Mavic Mini 1 drone

Music Credits:
Elijah Lee - Our Hideaway
Provided by Lofi Records
Watch:    • Our Hideaway  

jhove - After Hours
Provided by Lofi Records
Watch:    • After Hours  

jhove - Far Away
Provided by Lofi Records
Watch:    • Far Away  

jhove - You
Provided by Lofi Records
Watch:    • You  

jhove - Above Clouds
Provided by Lofi Records
Watch:    • Above Clouds  

Laffey - Home
Provided by Lofi Records
Watch:    • Home  

Kanisan - Left Alone
Provided by Lofi Records
Watch:    • Left Alone  

Kanisan - Sorrow
Provided by Lofi Records
Watch:    • Sorrow