[Route Edition #3] Preparing for a restart of my round-Japan trip after 20 years: Deciding the route from Wakayama to Tokyo (Part 1)
Hello, this is Yazu.
I plan to continue my journey after 20 years, and I want to think about the route for my round-Japan trip little by little.
I considered the route last time and set "Tokyo as the minimum goal". It's not like many people are watching, but since I wrote it down, it's only sincere to see it through to that point.
Now, today I want to decide on a rough route to Tokyo.
That said, I have already decided on my travel policy. "Shortcuts allowed, prioritizing the completion of the round-Japan trip".
In my case, roughly speaking,
・Final: Ride from Wakayama (Gobo) along the Pacific side and aim for Cape Soya in Wakkanai
・This time: Ride from Wakayama (Gobo) along the Pacific side and aim for Tokyo
.
Unlike those who take a long time to travel while visiting various places, my route is simple.
Basically, I will ride along the main national highways or side roads.
Someone with this travel style has little to think about regarding the route.
I think it is more important to think about where to stop so that I don't get bored with the trip.
Among those, I see these three points as the ones I should think about roughly.
① The issue of whether to go to Nagoya
② The issue of whether to go around the peninsula
③ The issue of being afraid to ride in Tokyo
Today, I will settle
① the issue of whether to go to Nagoya
.
If you look at the map, you will notice. Mie and Aichi look like they are connected by land, but they are not. Therefore, if you go by land, you need to pass through Nagoya.
However, it is human nature to want to take a ferry by taking advantage of this terrain... I zoom in on Google Maps.
Sure enough, there it was.
Ise-wan Ferry Co., Ltd. operates a ferry between Toba and Irago!
I didn't know at all, but it seems it is read as Irago.
According to the website, it seems they started operations in 1964.
As of 2026, the fares are
Adult: 1,980 yen Bicycle: 1,400 yen
Now, should I ride to Nagoya, or take this ferry?
If I ride to Nagoya, it will add about 150km, so what should I do?
I'll take it without hesitation.
My policy is"Shortcuts are allowed; prioritizing the completion of the trip around Japan."
Because I defined my policy at the beginning, I can make decisions without any hesitation.
However, there is the question of whether you can really call it a trip around Japan if you easily use ferries. For example, it would be unavoidable between Hokkaido and Aomori.
There might be criticism that you can't call it a bicycle trip around Japan if you use a ferry for places you could have reached by bicycle.
In the first place, a trip around Japan is just self-satisfaction, so I should just decide for myself, but I want to be prepared so that I don't waver if someone asks me if it's a bit cheap. (No one will say it, but it's also for my own peace of mind.)
First of all, I want to say that taking the ferry actually keeps you on the outer edge of Japan.
The ferry wins when it comes to the feeling of going around.
But what about the doubt that you aren't actually riding your bike?
I thought about various things, like how my policy allows for shortcuts from the start, but I couldn't come up with a really cool and convincing explanation...
I'm sorry, to be honest,
it's just that riding a bike to Nagoya is far and there's a lot of traffic, so I don't want to....
If I had to say, I'd rather choose what I want to do and aim for the goal than choose something I don't enjoy and end up unable to continue. That's fine.