Japan by bike . 1.200 km from Fukuoka to Osaka

After completing an initial route in Korea along the route of the ” four rivers path “, and taking a ferry in Busan to Japan, our journey continued following a road that from FUKUOKA took us to Osaka via Nagasaki , Kumamoto, Matsuyama , Kobe . A bike trip of 1,200-kilometer through a country of unquestionable charm

[Applause] after traveling more than 600 km in South Korea and after boarding a ferry we resume our journey in Japan another 1,200 km to reach the city of Osaka some observations Japan is rich in bicycle paths but beware that here you travel on the left as in England all the

Signs are strictly the Japanese so even choosing a drink requires a lot of imagination finally the people speak exclusively Japanese and when you find no way to communicate even by resorting to drawings you understand that this will not be an easy Trip We Begin by following the west coast of kushu Island the easternmost in the Japanese archipelago we need to get acquainted with a country that is so different from our Own the first wayp point is the ancient town of imari known for centuries for its Majolica tiles here we find typical Japanese Hospitality in an old house with a very traditional flavor but with small details of the ultramodern evolution of the Country Splendid dinner with our hosts followed by the inevitable souvenir photo and then shortly after Sunrise we resume cycling always following the coast that offers an Infinity of small Gulfs and islands that make our travel very enjoyable the next city on our trip is The Tragically known city of

Nagasaki on the morning of August 9th 1945 the crew of the Boeing b29 called bokar carrying the atomic bomb nicknamed Fatman took to the city’s vertical the bomb was intended for the city of kokura one of Japan’s main arsenals but poor weather conditions caused the target to be changed at the last

Minute at 11:02 a.m. Fatman which contained 62 kg of plutonium 239 was dropped on Nagasaki the bomb exploded at a height of about 600 m within moments Nagasaki ceased to exist and with it disappeared 70,000 of its inhabitants Nagasaki is alive again today in the Parks the elderly play polo

In the arcade young people enjoy video games everything seems forgotten but if you stroll through the nearby park called the peace Park in a surreal silence interrupted only by the pattering of visitors footsteps you come to a granite Steely that like a finger pointing into the sky points to the

Exact spot where 600 m above was triggered the bomb the Staley is located a few meters from what remains of the ancient walls of urakami church once among the largest church in the country in the adjacent wish Zone next to colorful prayer sheets is the famous peace prayer statue of the kitamura

Sculpture and a little further the Fountain of Peace in memory of those burned by the explosion who died searching for water some data however lead to reflection that tiny Circle in the center is the graphic representation of the area of destruction of the 18 kiloton Fatman bomb the outer one is

That of one of the current atomic bombs about 3,000 times more powerful but viewed from the side the graphic representation is even more striking that small Mushroom on the lower left is the image of the Nagasaki bomb the one on the right 64 km high is that of the

Most powerful atomic bomb ever tested I mean Nagasaki by comparison looks like it was a firecracker and there are an estimated 14,000 of these modern bombs scattered all over the world and I’m reminded of Albert Einstein’s words and of course Primo Levis as well with images of what we saw in

Hoshima we resume the road which Glides fast under our wheels and takes us to the first of a long series of faeries that will have us hopping from one Island to another during the 1,200 km Journey from on the coast a detour takes us up a series of climbs to reach a

Plateau from the top of which we catch a glimpse below of the town of ASO set right in the face of a still active volcano we got all the way to the top because we have news of a very beautiful and little traveled road which descends down the mountain slopes and accompanies

Us to the town unfortunately the information was unreliable because it dated from long before one of the frequent Japanese earthquakes occurred and indeed the road has some problems first some rather important cracks then signs of landslides followed by a decidedly abandoned appearance then some totally destroyed sections of the road advised to move

With great caution then the snakes also turn up and finally the road disappears altogether okay the message is clear we turn back in a second and long detour takes us to the town for the night in the Morning Light breakfast and finally departure we extended our journey precisely to enjoy the colors of

The Japanese Autumn famously one of Nature’s spectacles typical of this area and the road did not betray our expectations as if it had decided to surprise us by showing an almost uninterrupted succession of explosions of autumn Colors N We pedal for hours amidst the spectacle of nature allowing ourselves only a few brief stops to arrive in the evening at the town of Matsuyama and here we arrive in the midst of a contest between dancers and musical groups from all districts of the City performing traditional Dances [Applause] [Applause] the show is fun and curious but after a full day of biking we are more attracted to finding a place for the Night for we take advantage of the sunrise with its soft and reddish colors to visit the Matsuyama Castle from the 16th century and miraculously escaped World War II Bombing and while we’re at it let’s also pay a visit to the town’s ancient baths where some girls in traditional dress gracefully and elegantly seem to be in charge of directing traffic small local fishing villages line the Inland sea it is an area that is apparently little traveled by tourism

But local traffic is also scarce let alone then if in roadside restaurants it is possible to understand anything about the menu so you go haphazardly but whoever runs the place seems to have taken a liking to us and won’t let us leave before showing us his Mansion I’ll say this right away has

Nothing to do with the trip but why do the Japanese when they play golf instead of shooting on the green throw the balls into the water to reach the island of Ono the largest in Japan we have to cross narrow passage Over the Sea literally invaded by a myriad of small

Islands of volcanic origin and varying sizes but mostly small sometimes little more than a rock fairies can be used to reach some of them but for the most part they are connected by a series of marvelous Bridges also beautiful for cyclists since they have access roads and long paths exclusively for

Cyclists the town of kajii gives us a corner of ancient Japan and where we lose a few hours wandering around among the constraints and waterways that takes the imagination back to the Centuries we are almost at the end we only have 2 days more of cycling to cover the 200 km that separate us from Osaka The great Akashi Bridge connecting the island of Hawaii with the island of Ono is like a milestone for us by now the destination is really close a little effort to pass the last Road route to enter the big city that like all the others we have seen here in

Japan is very bike friendly as can be seen from the endless parking lots located everywhere and the intense use not at all intimidated by the rain indeed here they even have for sale a practical bike umbrella holder Osaka however is not a beautiful city it offers little to the tourist

Unlike Kyoto from which it is only a few kilometers away what there is of Interest must be sought among the crowded city Streets a visit to Kyoto which is only a few stops away by train conducted admirably by an elegant train conductor with curious gestures is therefore inevitable Koto on the surface looks like an ultramodern city with a series of endless tunnels dedicated mostly to shopping and endless orderly cues of

People waiting to be able to enjoy a hot dog stuffed with Italian Mozzarella which judging by the look on this girl’s face must be a delicacy but Kyoto retains an extraordinary taste for tradition where its highest expression is found in the Parks and temples located in all parts of the city

And to whose images we defer our farewell we meanwhile have a beer before returning to Osaka the tedious work of packing the bikes awaits us before we Embark for Home [Applause]