Kyushu Bikepacking Journal

The weather hit us hard the second we got to Beppu and we docked there in a hostel for a day or two. The good thing about hostels, guesthouses and cheap stays in general was that we got a chance to meet some other travelers, and most of the times there was even a bikepacker too! We would catch any tips and tricks we could over a cup of coffee and it was always helpful and inspiring. The rest of the time, when we were camping and cycling, we would mainly meet locals and spend time just the two of us (trust me, we weren't complaining).

Beppu is an onsen city drawing people in especially for the natural springs and sand baths, but honestly and embarrassingly we were sunburnt and didn't want to place our burnt skin in burning water. We were also staying in a less tourist-y neighborhood and the onsens frequented by locals were HOT. I grabbed a guitar in the hostel lobby and got a chance to play around, and also pet the hostel owner’s dog, which is always a treat.

Mount Aso and Bike Repairs in Miyazaki

When the rain cleared out just enough, we headed out from Beppu through Oita and in the direction of Mount Aso. We stopped for the night at Taketa which was actually really cool. The good thing about never planning anything was that we never researched anything and were almost always pleasantly surprised. The more non-existent the expectations, the more yes-existent the fun?

The climb to Mount Aso was the one and only time in the entire Asia bikepacking trip that I cried. 98% humidity, bugs and an 18% incline got the best of me. A couple "I love you"s from Y and a few loud inhales later, we were up the mountain and in the city. The city was alright, but at this point we realized Japanese cities didn't really excite us as much as the small towns and nature. That thought proved itself again the moment we cycled out of the city and around the mountain in the direction of Takachiho. I think this is what Borat meant when he said WA WA WEE WA.

The plan was to cycle down to Nobeoka and then down the coast to Miyazaki. We could fit in more kms in a day by then, but about 10kms from Nobeoka the spoke on my back wheel (remember? The one the rear rack bent?) broke and we had to find a way to fix that before continuing our ride with the weight of two bike bags and one lady on the bike. This was also the point we found out my wheelset, that came with the bike but is an upgrade, was unique and required special treatment. We debated whether to toss it out and get a simpler new one, but found a road bike specialist in Miyazaki that said he thinks he can hand cut a new spoke especially for us. Into the rinko bag the bikes went and onto the train we hopped, the day after we were in Miyazaki and just in time to get a couple of days shelter from a typhoon.

More about how to take a train with your bike is detailed here.

Island Hopping to Nagasaki

The weather would only be clear for about four days, and we knew that wouldn't be enough time to get to Fukuoka with our planned stop at another volcano, so we hopped on a train to Kumamoto and from there we rolled southwest through the islands. The route was sweet as, a few bridge crossings and island views all day made our legs stronger and our smiles wider. We got to Oniike port where we rolled on a short ferry at 8am, and headed towards Nagasaki.

Nagasaki was important for us to get to for historical reasons. We spent two days in the city, most of our days were inside museums but we were surprised at just how well the city is rebuilt, the food and nightlife were really cool and the small cafe-vintage shop-cocktail bar scene was cute. We left Nagasaki towards Fukuoka and stopped just outside the city to avoid the metropolis mess. We got on a city train line and to a hotel where we prepared to pack our bikes for the first time before heading to Hokkaido.