This blog is about travelling through Japan on a bicycle. Initially on a foldable bicycle (Brompton) and more recently mostly by road bike (Spezialized)... but also by train, ferry, plane, bus or any other transport, if sea, weather, mountains or the like come between me and my desire to ride.
I have tried to summarise information that could be potentially helpful also for other bicycle travellers through Japan, such as list of bicycle roads, helpful web pages etc.

Tuesday 17 October 2017

Day 26 - Naoetsu through Omi to Kurobe 直江津から大海経由で黒部へ

Bicycle touring Japan - Day 26

Back on Honshu, I used a day of perfect weather to ride down the coast between Naoetsu and Omi and was lucky to find a bicycle road on an old train track, along the busy road. 

Bicycle: 58  km
Train: 40 km
Riding time: 3:50 min h
Total ascent: 212 m
Route: Naoetsu to Omi by bicycle, then on to Kurobe by train
Weather: Perfectly sunny, 21 C


Today was an ideal day:
  • Weather: Sunny, not too hot, not to cold, no wind...
  • Sightseeing: Nothing special sightseeingwise was planned for today, but I found along the way some nice temples and shrines plus the view over the ocean
  • Ride: A bicycle road appeared miraculously right there where I needed it
Today was actually a day like I had imagined this trip to go. And yes, there were already similar days, but with the last 2 days being cold, and worse, the outlook still for the next 10 days being pretty bad, today was a specially enjoyable day, as it had the feeling of a "last chance" to it.

So I set out after a meager breakfast from my onsen-hotel in an ugly outskirt area of Naoetsu towards the coast. As I hadn't transferred (apparently) correctly the updated course to Garmin, my first few kilometres were "free-hand" and as luck wanted, brought me to an area of Naoetsu full of temples and shrines. Probably around 5 - 7 different ones. I only visited the Kokubunji temple and a shrine close-by. 


The temple even had a 3-story pagoda:


While at the shrine some parents had brought their small son for the Shichi-Go-San festival:


It was a nice surprise to see such a wonderful relaxing place so close to the rather ugly shopping mall-gasoline station-McDonalds... area where I had stayed for the night. 

Then I continued down towards the coast.


The first few kilometers were on a very quiet road, but not for a long time, as that road joined national road nr. 8. Which was surprisingly busy, specially with trucks. I say surprisingly, because I had somehow assumed that road nr. 8 at this part would not be very busy, as there is an expressway just parallel. 

However, that's where my luck of the day set in again, miraculously a cycle path appeared:


At first it was just a bike path on the pedestrian walk way, but as it was so well indicated, and as there were no pedestrians to be seen, while a lot of trucks were, I opted for it. 

Later on I saw more information. This is a bicycle path leading for over 30 km along the coast on toward Itoigawa:


There are parts that just run on the sidewalk, but in a big part it has been traced on an out-of-service train line, which includes also a number of small tunnels:


Apparently it has already been constructed (at least) 40 years ago:


And well, at some parts not a lot of cleaning has happened in those last 40 years...


But overall this path was heaven-sent and quite often it offered spectacular views of the ocean.



I don't know if because of the good weather or because this is an officially recognized bicycle lane, but today I did meet a number of cyclists. None of them seemed to be out on a trip, but at least out for a ride during the day.

Today I also got a sunburn. And the strange thing is, I was aware all day long, while riding, that I would get one, as I had put sun protector only on my lips, but was riding in my tank top and shorts... But still, I kind of wanted to get this sunburn, as a last recollection of the sun, before 10 days of rain. (Well, let's hope that the prediction is wrong)

The bicycle road ended shortly before Itoigawa, so I needed to search for a path through the city, which however was doable. I was aiming for the station of Omi as my target for today, both because at the time I would get there it was going to be 15:30, but also afterwards some up-and-down was projected and no more cycle lane and still a lot of traffic on that national road nr. 8.

Bicycle touring Japan - Ride maps


For details on the bicycle tour today in Niigata, checkout the below maps:

From the train I had hoped for some more nice views, but actually a lot is blocked by highways and other constructions just above the sea or by protections against sea water or wind.


With the train I came until Ikuji where it was a short ride to my actually quite nice (and big room!) hotel for the night.



And tomorrow off into these mountains... by train:


Bicycle touring Japan - Ride maps


And for completness here the ride from Ikuji station to my hotel at Kurobe:



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