Tsugarukaikyo Ferry Review (Hakodate 函館市 to Oma 大間町) Plus… What’s it like to go cycling in Aomori?
Last time we were riding in Hokkaido in Japan and now it’s time for the ferry and more adventures. Okay, we’re just leaving the hotel and uh it was a good hotel and we’re off our way to the ferry. It’s about 7 km away and we got plenty of time, but I’m sure we’ll ride very quickly there. [Music] There’s a canteen here and a little shop. It’s only quart 7. There is free Wi-Fi here. Okay, there’s two of us plus two bikes. And these are all the printouts you get at the selfch checkckin at the front gate. There’s our ferry pulling up. They laid the bikes down uh so they wouldn’t fall over when you’re on the on the thing because it was quite rough just coming across that little straight. [Music] It took about 1 hour 30 and they it was really lovely. When we got there, there was five bike riders uh on board, including us. We talked to one on the way over there the whole way, and then he disappeared. And then we met up the two New Zealanders, and we went up to here, which is the very northern point of the um the main island of Japan. Of course, the Kraken was being a bit silly. [Music] The reason we’re on the ferry is because, you know, the Kraken was too scared of grizzly bears in Hikado. You know, riding along the coast was really lovely. You could see a lot of the defenses and we were riding with the New Zealanders for quite a long way as well. So, there’s a bit of up and down, but mainly flat. Today we had a plan of riding up a quiet road into the mountains with about 6 500 to 600 m of climbing. When we got off the ferry, there was a very strong wind coming from the direction of travel. So there was another option where we ride along the coast and only go up like 200 m of climbing. I left it up to the Kraken to make her decision and she chose the 200 m not into the teeth of the wind, which could be classified a very smart decision if uh of dubious quality, but um that’s what we’ve done. It’s been a really nice ride so far. It’s hugged the coastline and now we’re turning off to ride into the mountain. So, we got the 200 m of climbing ahead of us and then we’re going to be at the campground and the ocean. You know, this part of Japan is kind of empty. There’s just not very many people that live up here. The rain had really set in by this time as we’re approaching the campsite. When we got to the campsite, you know, we’re checking in. We had to pay some minimal amount of money, less than $10 Australian. And then they tried to set us up on in shelter, but it was next to these uh Japanese men that were having a very good time. So, we ended up sleeping underneath a tree. And then we went over and made our own dinner on our gas stove, but we took the opportunity to have a wood fire cuz it’s just so, you know, rare nowadays that you get to do that. There are toilets here, but no showers. And everybody was really lovely. Like people came over, tried to help me light the fire, but I already got it going. Then they brought us over mosquito coils because there’s lots of mosquitoes. Some of the guys at the campground gave us these little snacks. So, we’re about to leave the campground day in last night, which was ideal. It It’s It’s clustered or situated right in the middle of the forest and it’s very quiet. And there’s free um wood for fires and there’s free bathrooms. quite a lot of bathrooms actually and um there’s no showers but there’s it’s because there’s an onen next door which I think you’re expected to go and spend time in the onen which we may do and um you know there’s a covered place there’s a kitchen so it’s really nice and this morning just when PJ was off doing her morning routine a whole tribe of monkeys wandered across the campground so it was kind of really they were like the snow monkeys they’re quite large But they had some little ones with them and you know it’s all good. And today we’re going to go over the mountain. So to give the Kraken her Jew, she avoids hills like poisonously. But today’s a very short day. It’s only regardless of which way you go, it’s around 27 km. So if you go the low way, it’s 27 km. You go the highway, it’s 27 km. So, the Kraken was going to go to the lowway and I was going to go to the highway and go up to the top of the volcano and have a look in the cauldron, but now she’s decided to come with me just to share the experience. So, this is a massive thing for her to climb 600 meters that she doesn’t have to. So, anyway, we’ll see how it goes. I feel there may be a breakdown at some point. Just goes to show love knows no bounds. closer. This was quite steep. [Music] So PJ and I just rode up a fairly steep hill and uh I just got to see PJ’s face when I told her that was the first of two hills. I thought it was all downhill from here, but it’s all downhill to our attraction, which is is a Buddhist monastery in a volcano. You could really see the Kraken soul leave her body when she realized there was a second hill. And she doesn’t know it yet, but the second hill was actually steeper than the first. This was all downhill. It was fantastic. When you go into the Buddhist temple, you know, you pay $5, I think, to get in. There’s a restaurant outside, so you can go to the restaurant where I had the weirdest meal ever. It was like jelly that they gave me for lunch. And then when you go in, it’s all very sacred. There’s like 108 hot springs and, you know, there’s eight, you know, mountains that surround you. And then there’s the then there’s the actual um what do you call it lake as well. So in Buddhism this is all very you know sacred like eight’s the sacred number but also in the middle of the foyer there’s these these onens which I went into and so you know like a tour group would come you strip off all your clothes and you go into the onsen which was kind of really interesting very basic onsense you know. Yeah but it was really good. I’m glad we stopped there. We also ran into another of the bike riders that stayed there. So, you could stay there and you get dinner and breakfast for $120 a night. But even he said that they didn’t seem to be that keen on having people stay there. You know, it was difficult to get to them. You had to write a week before you got arrived. So, now we’re going downhill. Is really fast downhill. Lots of switchbacks and everything like that. It was really cool. It was like uh like 8 kilometers. You never had to touch the pedal. All right, there’s the bathroom. And coming in, you see like there’s the cutest little kettle. Oh, it’s adorable. Speaking of little, the bed. Here’s the double bed. It’s kind of tiny, but there’s a seat and a table and a view. We have a little view. Good morning, Japan. So, today we’re going from here, Musta, to here. And we’re basically on a peninsula now. And there’s like three ways to get off the peninsula. Two routes. One’s a coastal route, which was the one that we’re going along. And uh the other one is a ferry. So you ride the other way and you catch a ferry over to the other part of the mainland. And the other one’s another coastal route, but it’s on the other side. So we got about 50 km to ride today. It should be pretty flat. Should be pretty easy. We’re having a late start, but you know, it’s lovely. It’s not raining, so everything’s going well in the world. And it’s not sunny either. So it’s almost a perfect day. I think there’s going to be quite a bit of traffic today, but come along and discover for yourself. Um, this is a new addition to my bike. What I find is when it’s humid and it’s really hot, I get so much sweat in my eyes, can’t see. So, I bought this little rag so I can uh wipe my face as I’m going along cuz I literally get to the position where I can’t see cuz I got so much sweat in my eyes. But it’s adorable cuz it’s an Aikita doggy. And here’s my bike ready to go. I don’t have anything cool on it. Now, this is just a cheap business hotel. So, you’ll see that we spend half our time in cheap business hotels and half in like traditional guest houses. They cost about the same. But booking accommodation in Japan, especially in this area, is um is a challenge. Let’s just leave it at that. We just stopped at the Lawson’s near the Niwa Zawa fishing port and they’ve got toilets here. There’s a fantastic little spot to sit up on the point and you can look out over the water and it’s a good place to stop if you’re planning this route. Can you see the big barrier on the right? It’s quite imposing. You didn’t get to see the the bay very much. You know, it was kind of not gray, let’s put it that way. A lot of riding on the foot path cuz there’s no um no space. [Music] As we were approaching the the port where we were staying, you know, you could see a whole lot of, you know, look look like rubbish on the side of the road, but actually it was fishing nets and fishing paraphernalia and things like that. So, there’s a lot of fishing boats that are pulled up on the shore of the lake, not in the water. I don’t really know why, but you know, um, and there was quite a few co-ops and stuff like that where they sell the fish. There was also a big wooden boat that was obviously some sort of museum ship and the spars were still there. It’ll never see the water ever again, but um, it was interesting to look at. This is There was also the first lighthouse as well, which was really tiny. We stopped off and got some food from the supermarket before we ended up with our hotel. Now, one of the things we’ve noticed in some of the traditional places is the outside of the hotels look kind of not great, but inside they’re perfectly clean, perfectly lovely, and I think it’s cuz of the harsh winters. They really take a toll on the outside. So, we’ve started today and uh we left the accommodation, which was beautiful. The people were really lovely. you know, the the staff who turned up when we were leaving are just adorable. And the very first thing we did after about 500 meters of riding is stop at Lawson’s. So, the convenience stores in um Japan, Lawson’s, Family Mart, Secart, and you know, several others are just out of this world great stops for all life’s little necessities. You know, it’s obviously better to go to big shopping center. They’re slightly cheaper and there’s more selection, but definitely the convenience stores. Everybody’s going to be stopping there. Everybody’s going to be going there. It’s the only place to get rid of your rubbish. And also, they have toilets, so they’re such a godsend along the way. And there’s lots of them. So, today we’ve got like climbing all day. We were told to avoid route number four. We’re on route number four. So, but we’ve got lunch to look forward to in the the only big town that we go through, which we’re going to have Indian for lunch. So, I’m looking forward to that. And we’re tonight we’re staying at a traditional onsand with an outside bath. So, I’m really looking forward to that as well. It’s right on the river and I might go swimming in the river as well. So, I’m I think it’s going to be excellent day. The weather’s a bit gray, but it’s supposed to fine up in the afternoon and we’re going to have sun for that swim in the river. [Music] Route 4 is a route that you should avoid, but there was a quieter road that ran part of the way along it, so it wasn’t so bad. It wasn’t quite as bad as everybody told us it was going to be. When you turn off Route 4, you head up this river valley which is really lovely and the traffic drops off remarkably and there’s bike paths and there’s rice patties everywhere and the river is damned constantly but no power generation and um you know it’s very nice. [Music] So, we run into this town really just to go to lunch and we don’t know what to expect. And it’s really weird because, and you see this quite a bit, there’s a lot of really decrepit old buildings in the town. And then you have these like stark brand new state-of-the-art installation buildings. And you know, right across the road there’s a it’s like the place has fallen down. And then you have this behind you. And across the road, same thing. And you know, I’ve been walking around waiting for the Kraken. And there was the temple. There was beautiful temple. There’s a train, an old steam train. And then there’s a street with like 450 different perennial flowers on it. And you know, there’s a sign asking people to get involved. Yeah. So, it’s really kind of weird and nice, you know. Anyway, off to Indian for lunch. The Indian food, the Kraken always wants the food too hot and everybody tries to talk her out of it, but she always wants to cry when she eats curry. [Music] As you can see, the roads are very empty. This is the river valley, but the the sides are very green. Everything’s really lovely. I stopped off along the way here cuz there’s always uh uh vending machines everywhere and got some Cokes. And here is our room. It’s very nice. And you shower in the onen. So, it’s another morning, another adventure. Last night, we stayed in a little hotel. I think we were one of very few guests. It had a beautiful onsen with outside baths that you looked up against the treed hills. So, we’re in a valley here and this is a ski uh town. Inside the town, there’s a ski field and a chairlift and everything like that, but that means in summer or autumn as it is now, it’s kind of quiet like it’s, you know, waiting to wake up for the winter. So, there’s there’s hotels that are shuttered, but you you can see that they’re not, you know, falling into disrepair. They’re just waiting for the winter for the busy season. So, it’s kind of very quiet and it’s a mixture of like rundown and quite beautiful buildings. Like we just went to a artist and residence building. So, it’s really nice. But, it’s a tiny town. I reckon there’d be 200 people living here maybe. So, we’re running further up the valley now to go to a museum. And there’s my bike today. And there is the fat man’s bike today. Unfortunately, he’s busted his zipper. This museum is for Japanese. Nothing is in English. So, you know, expect to use Google Translate quite a bit. And also the signs on the way up there have these big digital signs saying there was bears sighted in the area and all that. It’s autumn now so they’re collecting food so the bear attacks go up in autumn. [Music] There’s a swarm of dragonflies outside. I don’t know how well you can see them, but as the little bugs rise up from the bushes, they get nabbed by these ferocious beasts. This museum is pretty good for a short stop. Uh they have lots of cool trinkets. There’s lots of educational stuff and and the apple pie is really nice. Yeah, the famous apple pies, the fat man partok in one. And yeah, it’s h worth a short stop. Probably only about 15 minutes to half an hour, but uh the scenery coming up here is beautiful. Now we’re riding back down the valley because our plans changed. So, we were going to go up to the lake and continue over to the other side of Japan, but then we found this walk in a very isolated part of Japan that looked very interesting. So, we decided to change our plans and head to the east coast. That may or may not have been a good decision. [Music] [Music] There’s my bike parked out the back. Charlie’s on his way. It’s always a good idea to park your bikes next to the staff bikes. They’re less likely to be nicked. And here is the little room. Not too bad. There’s a little fridge. There’s a microwave. That’s handy. And in here, simple bathroom. Next time we’re on the trail. And uh it was interesting. [Music]
Hi friends! Do you like Japan, Ferries, and bicycles? Wow. So do we!
Come with us as we leave Hokkaido by taking the Tsugarukaikyo Ferry from Hakodate (函館市) to Oma (大間町). We’ll then explore northern Aomori, showing you what we see including:
– The nice little Hakodate Ferry Terminal (函館ターミナル)
– The Omazaki Monument at the northern most end of the largest island of Japan (大間崎)
– The beautiful and quirky Yagen Campground (薬研野営場)
– Osorezan Bodaiji Temple (恐山菩提寺) on the Volcano, looking out over Lake Usori (宇曽利山湖)
– We ride from Mutsu (むつ市) to the Noheji (野辺地町) fishing village and Restored Kitamaebune Benzaisen (Domestic Shipping Vessel) “Michinokumaru” (復元北前型弁才船「みちのく丸」)
– We stop for lunch in Towada (十和田市) on our way to the Oirase Field Museum (奥入瀬渓流館) and little ski village closeby.
– Hachinohe (八戸市) is our final destination of this adventure.
Plus, we’ll show you the budget accommodation we found during our travels.
This trip is our first experience cycling in Japan, so we’re keen for any advice you could share in the comments please folks! 🙏
What do you think of the ferry and area? How are you doing? What has been the best part of your week or month? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Oh, and you’re welcome to connect with us on Strava to stay in touch and for a preview of what’s coming to YouTube next: 🚲 https://www.strava.com/athletes/thekraken
xox
Charles “The Fat Man” and PJ “The Kraken”
Want to meet up one day? We love meeting and chatting with people! Connect with us!
😎 Couchsurfing: https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/penelope-and-charlie
🚲 Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/thekraken
Yeah, yeah, Penelope does all the social media because Charles is too lazy.😉 But, Charles checks for comments and responds on our YouTube videos so please say hi because it’ll make his day!
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Music:
Filmed at the start of September