Cycling in Japan: Best of Fukuoka on a Bicycle (Sakurai Futamigaura, Totoro Forest, Itoshima Shrine)

Cycling in Japan: Best of Fukuoka on a Bicycle (Sakurai Futamigaura, Totoro Forest, Itoshima Shrine)

[Music] We are about to start cycling around Itoshima. We are here at Chikuzen-Maebaru, and it’s so easy to get here because 
there’s a direct train from Fukuoka City. We have just rented our bikes, and as 
you can see, they are electric bikes. We are renting these from the 
Itoshima City Tourism Association, and each bike costs 2,000 
Japanese Yen for an 8-hour rental. We’ll be cycling clockwise around Itoshima, and this place is going to be really 
beautiful with a lot of sights and scenery. Let’s get going right now. [Music] It’s really quite impressive 
how crazy the views are. [Music] In just 20 minutes, we have 
arrived at Hakoshima Shrine. This shrine is on an islet, and we can only access 
it during low tide, which is right about now. Let’s go and explore inside. [Music] Hakoshima Shrine is dedicated to the god of love. This shrine is not that large—it’s a few steps to come up to this little islet, and you get 
to see crystal-clear waters on a good day. This is perfect. I wish I could take a plunge right now. That was such a good way to start 
our cycling around Itoshima. Now let’s move on to our next destination. [Music] We are on to the second leg of our 
cycling trip, heading to Keya Beach. The route is amazing, not just for the 
dedicated cycling paths and smooth pavements but also for the constantly shifting views—from 
quaint neighborhoods to expansive sea views. I love it here. The sun is shining at us, and 
the wind is really breezy. Love the weather today. [Music] So, we just arrived at Keya Beach. There is no one else here except the 
both of us and a fisherman over there. I love the sound of the waves, so therapeutic. I really love the ocean a lot. I wish I could live by the beach if I could, and 
get to swim in the ocean every day if I want. This place is really, really tempting. What’s preventing me from actually wanting to go into the beach is that I didn’t 
bring my towel or swimwear. [music] After soaking in the views 
and the salty sea breeze, we took a quick cycle to our next stop 
just a stone’s throw away from Keya Beach. [Music] The locals call this forest the Totoro Forest, referencing Studio Ghibli’s 
film ‘My Neighbor Totoro’. And the reason for that is because of this path — 
this path looks like a scene in the animated movie because all the trees are leaning towards 
one another, creating a tunnel-light effect. The reason why the trees are forming 
like a tunnel is because this part of the island is an outcrop and there’s 
wind blowing on all three sides. It’s really interesting. This is such an incredible view to 
be seeing from this platform up here. This is the Sea of Japan. You can see the water on both sides. [Music] We are now on the fourth leg of our journey, 
and this is the longest segment so far. And now, after about an hour of non-stop cycling, we’re about to arrive at this 
beautiful, beautiful icon of Itoshima. [music] This is probably the most famous icon in Itoshima. Beyond the white Torii gate is an islet 
with two peaks known as the Couple’s Rocks. The two are bounded together by a Shinto straw 
rope, also called ‘shimenawa’ in Japanese. I love how we got here on high tide, and it’s really beautiful to see 
the waves crashing onto the rocks. It’s really incredible. Cycling on the road as well, leading to 
this landmark, is also really beautiful too. We are just soaking in all the good 
vibes of this beautiful landmark. [Music] So now’s the final stretch. We’re heading back to the Tourist Information Center and trying to return the 
bike before the cut-off time. Today the entire day has been really amazing. We’re travelling between the coastal 
area of Itoshima, and then now like, to return the bike, we have 
to go by this rice fields. This place is just full of contrasts. [music] What a day. We just returned our bikes and after 45km and about 7 hours of cycling, 
my butt really hurts and so is Char’s too. I’m so glad that we were able to cycle 
together along one of Fukuoka’s and Kyushu’s top rated cycling routes 
and the views have been incredible. If you haven’t checked out 
our previous Japan videos, we travelled 30 days around Japan, and it 
has been an incredible journey travelling from Tokyo all the way down to Fukuoka. If not, I’ll see you in our next video. Subscribe and follow us!

Cycling around Itoshima was such a unique way to experience the sights and views of Kyushu. This route offers stunning views of the coast, and is easily accessible from Fukuoka. Remember to bring sun protection and water!

We took inspiration from this page (https://www.crossroadfukuoka.jp/feature/cycle/root1) and modified to suit us.

Follow us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaronandchar/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aaronandchar
Support us: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/aaronandchar

About us:
This is Aaron and Char! We have embarked on our journey to backpack the world for one year. We will be sharing our travel adventures along the way. Subscribe and join us on our travels 🙂

0:00 Intro
0:30 Our cycling adventure begins
1:00 Leg 1
1:18 Hakoshima Shrine
1:55 Leg 2
2:45 Keya Beach
3:22 Leg 3
3:36 Totoro Forest
4:37 Leg 4
5:28 Sakurai Futamigaura and Couple Stones
6:11 Leg 5
6:52 Conclusion

Subscribe and follow our journey!

Check out our other vids:

#japan #cycling #fukuoka #kyushu #itoshima #japantravel #japanvlog #traveltojapan #travelvlog #electricbike #SakuraiFutamigaura #aroundtheworld #travel