Hokkaido, Japan one of the best!

[Trevtassie]

If you are looking for a new destination to go touring OS, it's well worth giving Hokkaido a look. Brilliant scenery. Great roads. Absolutely brilliant drivers who treat cyclists with respect, so much so that I've had a truck slow to my speed up a hill because it couldn't pass me with 2m clearance. Free camp grounds everywhere. Great cheap food. Really friendly people who go out of their way to help. And Onsen baths at the end of each day to soothe those aching muscles. So great terrain too, varies from flat coastal to 1000m mountain passes. Bears, foxes, deer, squirrels, and some jaw dropping scenery that leaves you just going WOW. And every 30km or less there is a convenience store with beer and $4 bento lunch boxes. When I get home I'll post some pictures. I used to think Tassie had some of the most majestic scenery in the world, but Hokkaido gives it a run for its money and at least I know the drivers aren't trying to kill me!

[Espresso_]

Sounds great - can't wait to see the photos.

E

[dalai47]

Sounds great - can't wait to see the photos.

E

+1000

[Bjbiker]

Have to agree with Trevtassie ,have done two tours there and am planning another for next year to Hokkaido ,the Alaska of Japan .Japan would have to be one of the most well mannered countrys in the world ,and also the most tioleted most being in pristine condition ,their maximum speed limit is 80 kph ,great roads ,many with a cycle ,foot path on one side, all the road signs are also in English letters ,the many tunnels can be a bit scary though.For those that are interested on our last trip go to http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/15440" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Summernight]

Shhhh, stop telling everyone about how amazing Hokkaido is as then everyone will want to go there!!!

Been there a few times on ski/road trips. Loved it and the people.

[onrbikes]

What a great place.
Where did you get the list of campsites?

[Trevtassie]

Still not quite home yet. you could increase cyclist numbers by 10 and the place still wouldn't be crowded. We stayed in a campground that once had 4.8km of sealed roads. Most of it had gone back to nature. Weird seeing a toilet block in the middle of a forest. Of the bit that was open there were 130 sites. 3 were occupied. $5 a night... Couple of days we saw no other cyclists. Maybe 3 per day tops, even in the touristy bits. But they could really do with the money from tourists. So many shops and businesses shut down. Photos soon.

[Granga]

Only recently toured one of the southern islands, Shikoku. It was a more structured ride in that I followed the 88 temple walk. Approximately 1400km of rural and urban riding. It was my first big ride and found it to be a little addictive. It has been very difficult to settle back into everyday life. I was keen to return when my son is a little older due to the safe riding conditions but your thread on Hokkaido has opened another possibility for us.sounds like another option. When is the best time of year?

[Trevtassie]

Only recently toured one of the southern islands, Shikoku. It was a more structured ride in that I followed the 88 temple walk. Approximately 1400km of rural and urban riding. It was my first big ride and found it to be a little addictive. It has been very difficult to settle back into everyday life. I was keen to return when my son is a little older due to the safe riding conditions but your thread on Hokkaido has opened another possibility for us.sounds like another option. When is the best time of year?

I'd say when we went: July. Earlier on the weather is still a bit cold and some of the tourist attractions aren't open. August gets really hot and it's the Japanese holiday season so the place starts to get busier. September/ October is the rainy season, they get the tail ends of typhoons.
We had very little rain, when it did rain mostly it was so light and the weather so warm we didn't really need raincoats. It wasn't that windy either. It really only started to get really hot towards the end of July. You might need to drag a sheet across you early in the morning. By then we were down near Lake Toya and there were heaps of rivers and lakes to swim in. Had a fun time nuding up and jumping into the lake from the side of the road! The water is volcanic heated and really warm, it doesn't freeze during the winter.
There are a couple of must takes. Ear Plugs and an airline sleeping mask. Hokkaido is fairly east compared to most of Japan but is still in the same time zone. It starts getting light between 3 and 4 in the morning, by 5am it's full daylight, by 6am it's getting hot. We would pick our campsites to get morning shade for the tent.
I'd start in the north and work my way south, it's flatter up there and pretty isolated so it's a nice contrast to head south into the mountains. We caught a train from New Chitose Airport up to Wakkannai and rode from there. You could equally ride up the west coast and down the east coast then through the middle. You could easily spend 3 months there. We spent a month and that probably wasn't long enough.