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Private Notes
Facing the Seto Inland Sea, sunny Kagawa Prefecture historically overcame a lack of natural resources and water through skill and hard work. Despite no local bamboo or paper, Kagawa artisans created paper fans famed for their quality. We get a look at how those fans are made. Then, after sampling Wasanbon sweets, prized for centuries for their delicate sweetness, we cross to a small island to sample soy sauce made the traditional way. A trip of tough but rewarding climbs, reflecting the spirit of Kagawa.
This time, we cycle through Toyama Prefecture, which has both a bountiful sea and 3,000-meter mountains that feed its fields with rich waters. First, we sample some rare seafood unique to the area. We then discover the culture and way of life created by the strong winds that blow here all year. That includes a traditional festival meant to calm disasters caused by the winds, plus a beautiful style of wood carving. Join us on a 250-kilometer cycling trip through the winds of Toyama.
This time we ride through the colorful autumn scenery of Hokkaido Prefecture. Our journey begins in Asahikawa and takes us through the Tokachi Plain, before we arrive at the Shiretoko Peninsula on the eastern coast. Along the way, we harvest soybeans, and meet the indigenous Ainu, who have long lived in harmony with nature. We encounter deer and bears, and an endangered species of owl. The trip showcases a way of life that coexists with the natural world.
This 400km winter cycle trip takes us through Ibaraki Prefecture. At Lake Kasumigaura, our cyclist plunges into freezing water to help a husband and wife harvest lotus roots. After hill climbing on Mt. Tsukuba, he visits a historic kendo hall, and a workshop where 2 brothers make fine armor the traditional way. Then he meets hotel brothers experimenting with fishermen's cuisine. Ibaraki families know the value of working together.
From Shibuya's newest skyscraper to nearby Shinjuku, where a man in a tiger mask cycles the city streets. Why did he choose such a life? After he introduces us to Shinjuku's lively back alleys, we ride west into a surprisingly natural landscape. By a tranquil river, we meet an artisan reviving a 200-year-old dyeing craft, and in a mountain forest a far-sighted woodsman explains his ecological approach. City and society change with the times, but these are people holding fast to their chosen paths in life.
This 300-km ride begins from the lakes surrounding Mount Fuji, the reflections of its snow-covered peak in the water at their most spectacular in winter, and ends with another reflected view of Japan's most famous mountain, at a lake in the highlands of central Japan where we'll try fishing from a unique local design boat. Along the way, we'll sample traditional country ways of life and cooking in an old-style farmhouse and make an adventurous side trip by fat bike through deep mountain snow.
The mountain ranges known as the Japanese Alps are a spectacular backdrop to our ride across Nagano Prefecture, its forests glowing with the late autumn colors. With many 3,000m peaks, Nagano is popular with climbers and we're given a brief taste by a world-class mountain guide. We'll meet people drawn to live here by the forests, including a man who left a top cabinet making career in Tokyo to craft uniquely distinctive furniture from these wild trees, and a group of friends who devote their spare time to caring for the woods.
In the city of Hiroshima we visit a community where the families who survived the devastation of the atomic bomb in the Second World War managed to revive their traditional farming specialty. In the islands to the south, we meet a potter uniquely making glazes from cast-off oyster shells, and in the mountains, a farmer tells of his passion for making animals happy. The last individual we encounter who has stuck to his own path in life is a carver of traditional instruments seeking the perfect sound.
In a 150km summer cycle ride, Michael Rice explores the remote Oki Islands, deeply forested and surrounded by the crystal clear waters of the Sea of Japan. Riding in his triathlon gear, he's ready for a dip whenever Nishinoshima's beaches offer the chance. On Nakanoshima, he meets the 48th descendant of a proud family that looked after an exiled former emperor 8 centuries ago, and still cares for his tomb. And on Dogo, the largest island, he tries his hand at traditional Oki sumo wrestling.
Hokkaido Prefecturer's vast open spaces have always been a cyclist's dream. Our journey takes us across the wide Tokachi Plain to the wilderness of the Kushiro wetlands. We meet the next generation of farmers, keen to make the most of this fertile land. Nothing beats a good soak after a long ride, and we enjoy an open-air hot spring by Lake Kussharo before visiting an Ainu artist to learn about the traditional culture of Hokkaido's indigenous people. A 470km ride through the land of opportunity!
A 250-km ride through Niigata Prefecture, its green rice fields shimmering under the summer sun. From an artisan in hammered copper we learn about the long road to mastery, while in the paddy fields we see the hottest, hardest part of the rice growing season. Climbing up into the mountains, we'll experience a traditional style of river fishing and visit a breeder whose Nishikigoi carp are now world famous, 2 stories of hard work and cooperation rebuilding lives and businesses destroyed by natural disasters.
