It’s Sunday 1st September 2024. The start of autumn (by one definition). The French make a very big thing of the whole “going back to work / school” thing and if you happen to be in the country today, high streets will be strewn with signs in shops inviting you to spend money preparing for ‘la rentrée”, the “re-entering”, to your workplace, school, university and the like. It’s a time of renewal, a time to start again, a time to wipe the slate clean, second only to New Year, and it’s not a concept specific to France of course. As a teacher I return to both work and school tomorrow morning. The children will arrive a day later…
So as I reflect upon new classes and new challenges at work (somewhat increased this coming academic year as I will be working at a neighbouring secondary school for three days a week – welcome to the wonderful world of the multi-academy trust…), my mind also turns to future cycling plans.
I have a long-held plan to cycle the length of the Japanese archipelago. Perhaps my desire in recent years to travel to the British island chains of the Outer Hebrides, Shetland and Orkney reflects my inner desire to head east to the land of the rising sun. After the COVID-induced cancellation of my 2020 plans to travel the length of Japan, will 2025 be the year that I actually manage to complete the cycle? Perhaps. Certain conditions would have to be met; financial, time, fitness…
But are there alternatives nearer to home? Yesterday, in preparation for returning to work, I made a poster for my two new classrooms – one in each of my schools. For several years, I have been required to teach my lessons across multiple classrooms. (Believe it or not, this time last year, I was ‘looking forward’ to teaching my timetable in 11 (yes, eleven) different classrooms.) So it will be a wonderful novelty to be able, once again, to have a base in each school – my own classroom. Aside from the logistical benefits of not having to move to a different place every 60 minutes, it also means that I can ‘customise’ the classrooms to my own requirements.
Many children that I teach know about my cycling exploits and the books that I have written. Most see these as a positive thing and it is a joy to engage with them about my experiences but some see me as plain weird. That’s teenagers for you. It will always be the case. But in recent years I’ve missed a visual explanation of what I have achieved on two wheels since 2010. Something I can stick on the wall of my classroom and point at when the students ask questions. So I made one and here it is:
I was looking at the map carefully this morning. You’ll note that Japan gets its own box – “2025?”. Note the question mark. It may or may not happen.
What if it didn’t? Are there any routes that I could aim to follow in Europe that would see me not simply revisit previous long-distance routes that I have followed? Here’s the EuroVelo overview map:
How about theEuroVelo 7?
Long-term followers of my cycling will know full well that I like to tweak my EuroVelos, mix and match them even. Visiting Nordkapp in 2015 was a wonderful end to the ‘Spain to Norway’ trip, but it’s a remote location and, given limited time, would probably have to be set aside as a start point. But how about Stockholm on the EuroVelo 10, Baltic Sea Cycle Route? It’s a city I have long wanted to visit. Stockholm to Malta along the EuroVelo 10 then the EuroVelo 7? Very little of the route retraces previous cycles and crucially, it allows me to make a foray into the eastern side of the continent. It seems that Japan may have a rival…
Any thoughts?
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Categories: Adventure, Cycling, Japan 2025, Travel
I love Japan. I’ve been twice and spent around 7 weeks in total. I’ve driven 1,700 kms; From the top of Honshu to Tokyo and spent time around Kyoto and on the island of Shikoku. It’s fantastic—the food, polite people, unbelievable customer service, trains that run perfectly, etc. The speed limit is low and they are good drivers.
There are some downsides…
1. The summer is hot and humid and the winters are frigid – some of the deepest snowfall in the world.
2. It’s not cheap. It’s not Switzerland, but the prices are about the same as here if a little more for some things.
3. The cycle infrastructure is a mixed bag; There are some dedicated areas such as in Tokyo, but otherwise, you will be cycling on the road.
4. It’s mostly hilly, but you can probably mitigate mountainous routes.
5. Flights are probably more expensive than purchasing a train ticket to a European country.
6. English isn’t widely spoken outside of the big cities.
Having said all that, it will be an experience like no other and something different from Europe.
Thanks Simon. Your insights are much appreciated. Thanks for posting them. The points you make worth noting. As far as the expense goes… it’s a bit like Norway or Switzerland. Yes, it can be very expensive but, if travelling by bike, camoing and cooking for yourself at least some of the time combined with things you pick up in convenience stores / markets etc… it can be a lots less expensive than for many other travellers.
Japan. It will be a very different experience.
If you can possibly manage it, go to Japan. Do it while you can because everything can change in an instant.
Yes, you might have a point there… 🙂
The reason is that a friend of mine got unsteady on his feet 6 weeks ago. Turns out he has a benign tumour on his spine and it’s been growing there for about 20 years!!! He’s been operated on but they couldn’t remove it all and he’s now using a wheelchair while he recovers in the spinal trauma unit. He’s a regular cyclist too
I would plan to go to Japan !