Hokkaido/Eastern Hokkaido: Stories of me, my bicycle, and life. That road still continues today.

I love bicycles.

Here, based on records of my travels on a road bike, I write about bicycles, life, and my relationships with the people who matter most to me.

By layering my past travels over my present self, I trace the scenery and feelings that have remained somewhere in my heart.

I hope that by looking back on past journeys, this will be a time that helps you recall the desire to live in the present with care, or feelings you had begun to forget.

The bicycle. This simple vehicle that can only move forward has taught me many things over the years.

I used to hop on my road bike every chance I had to see distant scenery.
Even when the hills were steep or the wind was strong, I just enjoyed the ride.

But now, my days are filled with raising children and work.
Before I knew it, I feel like the time I have to ride my bike, and the peace of mind to do so, have gradually decreased.

I want to go on a trip like that again. Even as I think that, it's hard to find the time.

I'm sure I'm not the only one; I imagine there are others who feel the same way after getting married and having children.

Then, one day.

Triggered by a casual conversation I had with my wife about where to store my road bike, my memories drifted back to that trip 10 years ago.

※This is a slightly long piece (about 5 minutes). I hope you will read it at your leisure when you have a free moment.☕

■Introduction

While seriously discussing with my wife where to store my road bike to make room for a child's room, I suddenly remembered a trip.
More than 10 years ago, when I was still single, I traveled alone through Hokkaido in October on my road bike. It remains a memory that enriches my life even now.

At the time, I was writing a diary from the road on mixi. My memory is fuzzy on whether I had a smartphone or a feature phone back then, but since the communication environment wasn't as good as it is now, I remember writing my diary from a shared PC at a youth hostel.

Today, I think I'll try writing while recalling one of those memories.

■Main Story

・Day 1: Kansai Airport to Memanbetsu, and then to Abashiri

Taking advantage of a long vacation, I headed to Hokkaido. My first time traveling with a bike on a plane. I headed to the airport with a huge backpack and a bike transport box.

The moment I stepped off the plane at Memanbetsu Airport, I thought, 'It's cold...' No, it was freezing. I had heard about it, but I didn't realize October could be this chilly... I immediately put on the thin down jacket I had prepared. I had underestimated Hokkaido in October... The news reported that day that it was the first snowfall of the season in Hokkaido.

I headed to a business hotel in Abashiri for the night. I tried riding around a little in the evening, but the wind was so cold it broke my spirit. The real challenge starts tomorrow. I'll bundle up and get to sleep early tonight.

・Day 2: Aiming for Shiretoko Pass

When I woke up, the air was even colder.
Today, I plan to climb Shiretoko Pass.

However... the electronic sign read, 'Shiretoko Pass: Closed due to frozen road surface.' Oh man, the main event of the day... But I'll head that way, believing the closure might be lifted while I'm on my way.

On the way, I rode along the Sea of Okhotsk. The scenery was so incredible that I kept stopping over and over.

The 'Oshinkoshin Falls' along the way. This is... a bit underwhelming (lol).

I was getting tired, so I decided to stop at a convenience store to refuel. A sign saying '7-Eleven meters to 7-Eleven.' I guess silly puns are a spice of travel too.

This is a 'Brown Bear Habitat' sign. It says feeding is strictly prohibited, but there's no way I'd do that. I headed toward Shiretoko Pass feeling nervous.

But what I encountered wasn't a bear, it was a deer...!! And the deer in Hokkaido are definitely 'Hokkaido-sized'... They're huge, and they stare at you intensely. It's scary.

I pulled myself together and kept riding.

I arrived at the gate where the road was closed. It hadn't been reopened. Feeling disappointed, I stopped by the Shiretoko Five Lakes. As I bought a venison burger there and sat idly on a bench...

The guy on the bench over there kept glancing at me. |ω･`)

Munching on the venison burger, guy glancing... munching on venison, guy glancing... venison munch, guy glance... deer glance...! Finally, our eyes met.

The person who spoke to me was a cyclist. Apparently, he also does duathlons.

'Since you've come all this way, let's go to a hidden hot spring! I'll guide you by car! 😬'

A strange land, a strange guy who kept glancing at me, but I decided based on my own bias that there are probably no bad people among cyclists (lol), so I left my road bike behind and headed to the hidden hot spring, 'Kamuiwakka Hot Falls'.

I took a commemorative photo with the 'Glancing Guy,' shook hands, and parted ways. By this time, I was already affectionately calling him 'Glance-bro.' This is what a once-in-a-lifetime encounter on a trip is all about.

On the way back, I ate a seafood bowl (topped with crab, salmon, and salmon roe) and headed to Kaiyodai, where you can see the horizon.

On the way to Kaiyodai. A straight road that continues forever. I could see the horizon. I was speechless.

I had a feeling that the boundary between myself and nature was blurring. I loved that feeling so much that I stopped my bike again and again to enjoy it. After that, I arrived at Kaiyodai.

At night, I went to the Lake Mashu Youth Hostel. The ramen shop the guy at the hostel told me about was also excellent.

・Day 3: The Torture Route, Wild Animals, and the Splendor of Civilization

The next morning. I adopted the course recommended by the guy at the hostel and set off. There were two mountain passes. The route included Lake Mashu (690m) and Bihoro Pass (490m). The distance was about 100km. It was tough, but I thought I could manage it.

Or so I thought...

Along the way, there was a dull, never-ending 20km stretch of ups and downs that the guy hadn't told me about... Climbing, descending, and climbing again. If you're going to make me descend, don't make me climb. Plus, I just kept riding through a torture zone where the scenery never changed.

And just when I thought it was finally over, there was the Koshimizu Pass (about 600m) that the guy hadn't told me about... What is Koshimizu Pass... What are you doing to me, man?

Even so, I managed to overcome it with sheer willpower, and the descent began. Here, I kept moving forward, watched over by squirrels, foxes, cows, and deer. Nature is so intense.
Still, there were no convenience stores, let alone vending machines. My throat was parched. I found a campsite and turned the faucet, but nothing came out. Are campsites closed for the season in October?

With a bone-dry throat, I finally descended into town and found a vending machine. And I was moved by civilization.
Everyone, vending machines are amazing. You put money in, and a drink comes out. Did you know that? Civilization is the best. 🙇

When I returned to the inn, the guy at the youth hostel greeted me with a smirk.
“Man, that was tough, wasn't it? (laughs)”
“Well, it was good training! I'll leave it at that for today!”
In the end, I rode 139km that day.
For the first time in my life, I crossed three mountain passes in a single day.

■ The Journey Home

Soon after returning from Hokkaido, I went to see the girlfriend I was dating at the time and talked enthusiastically about everything that happened on my trip.
“You've lost so much weight! You look haggard,”
she said, worried, and I remember acting tough and saying,
“It was good training!”

■ And Now

More than 10 years have passed since that trip. That girlfriend is right in front of me now, seriously worrying about where to put our road bikes.

Now, let's go back to the problem at the beginning.

The road bike storage problem. After tracing the memories of that trip, I finally found the answer. My road bike can somehow be stored indoors. My wife's road bike will be put in a bike bag and take a break in the closet for a while.

Perhaps my face looked lonely as I stared at the bike bag, but my wife said, "Well, let's ride together again sometime," and her words brought me a little relief.

■ Conclusion

This trip has become a staple of the stories my wife and I laugh about even now.

I think everyone has memories with "someone special." But in the busyness of every day, it's hard to find the time to look back on those memories.
However, I think that stopping every once in a while to look back is incredibly important for moving forward.

Sparkling, perfect days don't last forever.
Social media is full of glamorous lives, but our actual days are just cooking, doing the dishes, folding laundry, getting frustrated because the kids won't sleep... it's just a cycle of "we made it through another day."
Maybe that's why the past we remember in quiet moments seems a little idealized.

But precisely because of that, I want to live the present as carefully as I can, so that when I look back, I can think, "Ah, that was a good time."

I would be happy if this story serves as a trigger to help you recall memories with your own "special someone."

■ About the future

A road bike is a vehicle that moves forward, but it teaches us things like this.

That it is important to stop and look back sometimes.

That when the headwind is strong, when the mountain pass is tough, or when the road is a never-ending series of ups and downs... even if you think "I can't take it anymore," it won't last forever.

That as long as you keep moving forward, even slowly, the scenery will definitely change.

You don't notice it when you're working hard, but there are moments when you stop and look back and feel, "I've come so far..." That is one of the most precious times for me.

I hope to gradually share the appeal of road bikes with our two children and go for a ride together.
Though, for now, they don't seem all that interested. It's never that simple (laughs).

The older one is working hard practicing dance in the living room, and the younger one is laughing while watching YouTube. My wife is already busy moving around, and as for me, I'm currently being asked by my wife to put the winter bedding into compression bags.

Maybe I'll tell them about this trip when they're a little older.

If we can all ride together, I'd like to write the next chapter of this story.

Just as I was thinking that...

"Are you done with the compression bags!?"
"I'm doing them now!"

🚲️　　　🚲️　　　🚲️　　　🚲️

Thank you for reading this far. If you enjoyed this article even a little, I would be encouraged to write more if you could leave a 'like,' follow me, or leave a comment!
Also, if you resonated with it, I would be happy if you shared it with your family and friends.

▼ Sequel

I have also written a Northern Hokkaido edition. Please check out the article below if you'd like 📘