November 2010 - Shimanami Express Way

Leaving Imabari; the first bridge on the Shimanami Express way

This year I decided to ride from Onomichi to Matsuyama via the Shimanami Express way. I have ridden the main 80km portion of this ride, Onomichi to Imabari on another occasion but this year I brought my Road Bike all the way from Canada and I wanted to push it a bit more.

The what Express way? -

The Shimanami Express way in Japan links Kyushu with Shikoku by connecting 6 different islands with 8 amazing bridges. It has paved and physically divided bike lanes the entire way. 

It's 80km of fantastic ocean side riding, and you can really let loose. If you go on a weekday, or even your average weekend you won't see many other riders or pedestrians. 

It's just you, your bike, and seagulls. 

Onomichi - Matsuyama -

My ride took me from Onomichi to Matsuyama, I think this is somewhere around the 130km range. The reason I chose this route was due to the fact the Matsuyama is a super cool place with some great hot springs. The idea of riding 130km and then resting in Dogo Onsen, a very famous hot spring with several hundred years of history really appealed to me. It's also a place mentioned in one of my favourite books, Botchan.

The bridges on this route require that you pay a small toll, usually 50 Yen with the exception of the Tatara bridge (100 Yen) and the Kurushima Bridge (200 Yen). I also took one ferry ride at the beginning of the journey which cost 130 Yen. In Canadian Dollars this totals about $7 CDN.

Dogo Onsen

I'll start out with a little information on Onomichi. It's a castle city with a population of about 100,000 people. It's a very foreigner friendly, in fact the local government is trying very hard and unsuccessfully to promote itself as an international cycling destination. There is even a great little high end bike shop (A rare thing in Japan) very close to the downtown core and Train Station. This place saved me on my trip. The owner Takahashi is a bike guy, he used to race and he'll take care of you for a reasonable price. If you find yourself in need of his services do the right thing and run up to the 7-11 and get the man a brew for his work. Most Japanese wont take a tip, but cyclists won't refuse beer.

Takahashi cycle shop
722-0046 Kou Takeshi 2-15-31
TEL: 0848-37-7949

Setting off from Onomichi you must first grab a ferry to Mukaishima. There is a bridge but it's easier to just take a ferry. Once on the island there will be signs posted advertising the route, and honestly these Islands are so small it's hard to get lost for long.

After Mukaishima you cross a bridge to Innoshima. This ride will take you right down by the water, just follow the bike route and you'll have no problems. Just past Innoshima are Setoda and Omishima, both are beautiful places and if the weather is good you will not be disappointed.

One of the many bridges on the route.

The next two Islands Hakatajima and Oshima, it's hard to say more of the same and not make it sound like a bad thing, but the truth is these islands are beautiful & the riding is great. I've done this ride twice. One time I took my time and the second I went all out and I wasn't disappointed either time.

The final city on the expressway is Imabari. To get there you have to cross the largest of the bridges. This is really fun to ride, it's like riding on the golden gate with a lane all to yourself. In Canada we don't have many suspension bridges of this size. I never realized how loud they can be when you get up there. So be prepared, if there is any wind this bridge can resonate like a Harmonica.

Imabari itself is a very small city. It is a good place to spend the night if you are tired from the ride. Most of the Hotels understand the needs of cyclists and will let you bring your bike into the room with you. This is a very uncommon thing in Japan where the notion of expensive bikes is still catching on.

 Instead of staying the night in Imabari however we decided to push on to Matsuyama (Here's the map). This was my favorite part of the ride this year. Just follow Highway #196, it will lead you right to Matsuyama.  It's a very cool little town, a great place to drink. Hotels in Matsuyama are not cheap, it's a touristy place, but it's worth it. Make sure when you are booking that you inform them that you are bringing a Bike so they can make allowances. Most hotspring hotels have rooms with Tatami mat floors, they don't want your bike in the room. Giving them advanced notice will allow them to make arrangements.

Once I arrived and locked my Bike in the Hotel room, I went down to Dogo onsen, paid my respects to Natsume Soseki and soaked in the hot spring.

Finally, there is the matter of Beer. No ride is complete until beer is consumed. Outside of Dogo Onsen there is a Pub that has it's own Botchan microbrew. Its great beer, and a great pub. I ended up meeting a few people who wanted to practice their English over a few pints and we drank for a few hours.

Finally,

I was pretty tired by the time I got into Matsuyama, and I unintentionally cut a guy off. He was driving the big black Minivan with the single digit license plate. I know I apologized for cutting you off at the scene, but due to fatigue my apology may have seemed half assed.

"Thanks for not running into me, I'd have been pissed too. It was entirely my fault. ごめんなさい"

This guy way obviously one of the local toughs, but I have to say ... he handled being cut off better than a lot of North Americans.

If you get the chance please try this route out and provide the City with your feedback.

If you like to read I highly recommend Botchan by Natsume Soseki.


Additional Information -

Here are some links to information about the places visited on this ride.

• Here is the route ... It's mostly correct, well as close as I could get with google maps.
  
• Onomichi City - The website for the Onimichi city government.
  
• My Fickr page - All my photos for those who are interested.

Some people fishing about 20m from the bike path.

Cycling in Japan 2010 - Introduction

As both people who have read my blog know, I am an avid cyclist. Most recently I decided to go to Japan with my Road Bike and do some riding.

Getting your Bike to Japan

Choose your method wisely -

There are a few things you have to consider when you are taking your Bike to another Country. First of all you need to check the Bike policy of the airline you are taking. Some like Air Canada will charge you $50 per bike and that is all. Others like Japan Airlines haven't really gotten on the biking bandwagon and will charge you an arm and a leg for your bike. Air Canada, ANA(All Nippon Airlines) and United Airlines all have reasonable Bike policies. I have heard some bad things about United's baggage people though, so you might want to stay away.

Here is a list of links to Airline Bike policy pages.

Air Canada

ANA

United

Delta(Northwest) - They have a policy for Antlers!

Korean Airlines

It is important to know that shipping to and from Japan is ridiculously expensive, so make sure you've picked the right airline as shipping isn't a good option. The average cost to ship a Bike from Japan to North America is $1500. Japanese companies are extremely inflexible, so don't expect this to change on your behalf.

Bike Luggage -

We've all heard stories of baggage handlers mangling someones luggage to the point of destruction. Thats why it's important to choose your case wisely.

Bigger hard cases will protect your bike but they annoy baggage handlers, they're heavy, hard to handle, and on international flights where space is at a premium, frequently lost or left behind. On some airlines big cases can also lead to substantial additional freight costs. Most soft cases do not give enough protection to get your expensive Bike through the trip undamaged.

I ended up choosing the BIKND Helium (http://www.biknd.com), it provides pretty good protection, doesn't weigh too much. I can usually get my bike and accessories in the case and weigh under 23kg. The case actually looks smaller than it is, I've had it on 3 different airlines and no one gives me any hassles and the bike makes it though each time without a scratch.

Transporting/Maintaining bikes in Japan

Transport -

When transporting a bike on the train in Japan it has to be in a bag. You can pick up a cheap bike bag at any sports store. They are intended to hold those beastly huge granny bikes everyone rides, so your road bike should fit. Depending on the bag you may have to take a tire off.

I actually use the BIKND case for anything more than a day trip. It protects the bike better, and has wheels. However, due to the amount of assembly involved, I'll opt for the simple bag when I just want to go.

The majority of Japanese people don't associate any real value to bikes. They're transportation and they cost a few hundred bucks. So don't expect any mercy from the locals while lugging around your big awkward bike.

That being said, Japanese people are among the nicest I've ever met, so it's really not too bad.

Maintaining -

Bring a valve adapter if you have presta valves. The Japanese call them French valves and no one has a pump. I actually bought a CO2 pump when I got there ( You can't take cartridges on a plane) for road repair.

Decent parts can also be hard to find. Even though Shimano is a Japanese company, it's obvious Japan is not a big market for their high end parts. I broke a shifter on my frist ride and it was like pulling expensive teeth finding an Ultegra shifter.

Riding in Japan

Coming from North America I never expected to be able to ride my Bike in the city like I did in Japan (Without Fear of Raging SUV drivers). It was a bit scary at first, they drive on the left in Japan, and there are a lot of cars. The drivers are super nice, the Japanese style of driving is not that agressive, they are used to bikes and a decent rider on a decent bike will have no problem keeping up with traffic in the slow lane.

It was really nice, I went there to do several planned rides but I found myself riding everywhere. It was comfortable, safe and the other cyclists (Road Cycling is starting to catch on in Japan) were so friendly and enthusiastic about cycling.

In my next post I will be writing about bike shops in Osaka and Cycling the Shiminami Express Way between Onomichi and Shikoku. Check back soon!

Reviews

Ruth's Chris Steak House - Calgary Alberta

First off let me tell you that I am not a Meat eater. I eat very small quantities of Meat and when it comes down to it I am extremely picky. That being said, I do realize Meat can be delicious. In fact the reason I do eat so little has to do with the fact that something died for my meal, I find it disrespectful to think of a cow dying to become a McDondalds Hamburger.

Ruth's Chris steakhouse is good, probably the best I have had in Calgary. When it comes time for me to eat my anual Steak, I will go to Ruth's.

Now let me elaborate on this for you. First of all the Steak at Ruth's is great, it's at least as good as what a seasoned griller could produce with a very good cut of Meat and some skill. However when it comes to something like Steak you aren't just there for the Meat. The service and the sides at Ruth's are also Top Notch. Our waiter was outstanding, he knew the menu inside and out and provided me with some Fantastic suggestions.

It should be noted that Ruth's is no a place for Calorie counters. Everything, and I mean everything is covered in Butter. Why? Because it tastes good .... Oh and the meat is nicely marbled ... This means fat. Why? Because it tastes better. Sure they might have things on the menu catering to other tastes, but come on, if you are in a Steak restaurant get the Steak! Take my word for it, you will not be disappointed.

Ruth's Chris steak house: Food 8/10, Service 10/10, Atmosphere 8/10

What do you do for a living?

I am curious about what people do for a living?

If there is anyone reading this blog out there please tell me what you do? Do you identify with your job? Is it something you are happy doing? I want to know these things.

On another note ... I am working with the Calgary Underground film Festival this year. I highly recommend that you get out and see at least one film.

Here is the site: http://calgaryundergroundfilm.org/

From my office window

From my office window, originally uploaded by mburchil.

This is the view from my window ... Well not exactly, the view from my windows has colour. This is a stylized vision of what I see every morning at work.

This winter is my 9th in Alberta and it's very similar to the fist one I spent here. This is a beautiful place full of opportunity and natural beauty, I just hope that I can continue to make the most of my life here.