Well i'm done with the cycling trip and back in Singapore. I should have updated earlier on the last part of the journey but due to a couple of reasons (mainly, personal disappointment at not reaching Wakkanai, among others), i wasn't in a right frame of mind or mood to write up. For the last time, my route map above is updated with my entire journey's route.
Farewell from Hokkaido (more pics here)
1 bicycle, 4 bicycles bags tied together and my 2 other carry-on bags.
People on the train do not seem to mind the amount of space my bicycle and luggage were taking up, but that was actually the least of my worries. In case you didn't notice, i'm packing ALOT of baggage and it was a big hassle getting on and off the trains and moving around the platforms to change trains. The worst bit was when i had 7 mins to cross platforms via an overhead bridge to change trains. I don't know how i did it, but like i have done all this way on this journey, i just somehow managed to clear this last hurdle.
The train arriving at Sapporo station.
I spent a night in Yokohama, including a great shabu-shabu dinner treat courtesy of the Queks and then the next morning it was another 1 1/2 hours train ride from Yokohama station to Narita Airport Terminal 1 for my flight. Thankfully, the Thai Airways check-in counter (like the one in Changi Airport) waived off the extra charges for my overweight luggage and bicycle.
It was an non-eventful plane trip back to Bangkok Airport for transit (and a boring 4 1/2 wait for my flight to Singapore) before finally arriving back in Singapore. That's it i guess. End of the road and suffice to say, this will be the final post on this blog and i wish to thanks everyone, friends, family, people i've been blessed to get to know through this blog for sharing this adventure with me. Thank you very much for reading.
On to my next big adventure! And by that i mean starting to work.
27 comments:
Welcome Home !!!
I am sure you will miss your room, your own bed, your friends after such a long trip.
Join us for bball next time :)
thanks man..its funny, in Japan i missed Singapore but now that i'm back i really miss Japan..haha
i guess its a case of 'the grass is always greener on the other side'
and i love to join for bball..as long as its not on sunday
you miss japan?? you have gh3 now loh
stupid activision refuses to ship ps3 version together grumble grumble time to find ways and ways to keep busy and stop grumbling
grumble grumble
Gabriel,
Your final entry on your blog seems to downplay your fantastic journey and efforts. What you have achieved is extremely commendable. The experience you have gained from making this trip in Japan will put you in good stead as you start work life. Congratulations and good luck.
Amazing man. I just stumbled upon your blog. Very inspiring. Thanks for sharing.
Excellent blog. Inspiring. How much cycling had you done before your trip?
As inspiring as your trip was, i'm very glad you came back to work :) hee
thanks for the comments every1!...working life is exactly what i expected (read: boooring!)
ganbatte anata! ^^
great job mate!I love cycling too. Wish I went with you on that trip.
Hey i'm thinking of doing a similar but north to south. Just wondering why you decided to go south to north?
congratulations
Hi SOONI, there was a straight flight from Singapore to Fukuoka but not to Sapporo (had to transfer from tokyo to Hokkaido) so thats the main reason.
Hi there,
I got directed to your blog about your amazing journey, and it is indeed amazing.
Though it is a bit late, but kudos to your effort, and it is no doubt an inspiring one.
Cheers!
I just found your blog and I'm looking forward to reading about the first 95% of the adventure.
I was in Japan at a hostel in Ise near Nagoya once when I met a Japanese guy touring west to Okinawa. In any case people like you inspire me!
Hi,
I recently found your blog and i'm planning to do something similar this summer but I was wondering how did you navigate yourself around Japan? Did you use GPS or paperback maps? and can you recommend any maps?
Also did you wash you clothes in basin or use a washing machine?
Thanks
I originally bought a paperback mapbook for kyushu island but it wasnt as helpful as i thought it would be. i went the rest of the trip without a mapbook. as long as you know where your next stop is i dont think there is a need for a map as the road signs are in english and pretty easy to follow. and if you are lost,the japanese are always willing to point you in the right direction again. recommend you learn some simple japanese phrases such as how to how to ask for directions.
for clothes,i used the coin operated washing machine every few days when i could find them.
Hi.. spare some advice for a fellow countryman? =) I'm planning a similar trip around June...
Do you know how much you spend in total there? Plus, is it suicide to not bring camping equipment?
Hi du5k, i spent about 6k SGD for the whole trip including airfares.
as for camping equipment, it really depends on your budget, if you have cash to spare, by all means leave the camping gear behind and check into hotels all the way. Do share your trip with me if you do decide to go ahead with it.
That`s crazy that this blog is still so active!
I will be doing just about the same thing as you starting this July/August...but I dont actually have a bike yet.
Did you buy most of your gear before hand? Above you said you had spent 6,000 SGD on the trip, does that include the price of gear?
Hi Dylan, the 6k did not include the price of the bike. I bought it for $800 a few months before the trip and rode it to camp frequently to get used to it.
Which part of Japan are you cycling through?
I will be cycling through all of it, actually (north to south, at least). I'm pinning down my southern point at the moment, but I'm thinking it will be Makurazaki.
I intend to end the trip in Wakkanai. I will by riding to raise money for the Japanese Red Cross.
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. Finding a bike right now is one of my top concerns, because I don't want (or need) anything that is top of the line, but I also don't want something that will fall apart halfway through. Recommendations?
Hi Dylan,
I've been out of touch with the cycling world for some time now so I won't be able to give a good recommendation.
I guess you could visit a few shops nearby (btw, where are you from?) and ask for a touring bike with racks. (Mine was a Giant Boulder DX iirc, came with front + rear racks + 4 bags)
Oh ya, for the 6k cost, my trip was half sightseeing/holiday as well, if you're riding for charity i'm pretty sure you will be able to spend less.
Well, I am originally from Denver, CO U.S.A. but I am actually in Fukuoka, Japan right now and will be planning the trip and buying gear from here.
That seems like a great deal, 800 for the bike and racks AND bags?
Thank you so much for the help and once I get my blog up and running, maybe you could check it out and make sure I'm doing things right over here ;)
Hi Gabriel,
Ken here from Singapore. I'm planning a trip to cycle around Japan to raise funds for charity and I saw your blog. I have some queries that I hope you could help, can I get in touch with you to ask some general questions ?
Hi Gabriel,
I'm planning to cycle across Japan this summer and I came across your blog. The dates seem quite old, hopefully I can still reach you by this? I want to ask for your help with the trip, so can you please leave me a contact method here? Thanks
Ken
Hi Gabriel,
Bump onto your blog while searching for info for similar trip I am planning.
Since you have done it (the entire length of Japan in fact), I certainly hope you can share some important advisory for my first cycling attempt, which will be on a small part of Hokkaido rather.
pre-plan: arrive Hakodate airport - Hakodate - Otaru - Sapporo - Chitose airport.
So hope you would be reading this comment and if is not too much of a trouble for a reply to my gmail : cimetaichi@gmail.com
Thanks.
/cp
/clementi west
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