＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
I previously wrote an article about “Biwaichi,” a cycling tour around Lake Biwa, and now there is a nationwide movement to attract visitors to Japan through “cycle tourism.”
In September 2019, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism selected three representative bicycle routes in Japan – “Biwaichi” (Shiga Prefecture), “Shimanami Kaido Cycling Road” (Hiroshima and Ehime Prefectures), and “Tsukuba Kasumigaura Ring Ring Road” (Ibaraki Prefecture) – as the first wave of “National Cycle Routes,” and decided to promote these routes overseas in an effort to attract more inbound tourists.
1. What is cycle tourism?
In recent years, bicycle tourism has become popular, and there are signs that cycle tourism will lead to regional revitalization.
If you’re going to cycle, it’s best to go to the countryside, where you can ride comfortably, rather than the congested roads of a city.
In that sense, cycle tourism has attracted particular attention in Setouchi, Shinshu, Hokkaido and other rural areas, where business opportunities are more likely.
There is a program currently being broadcast on NHK General TV called “Nippon Judan Kokoro Tabi” (A Heartwarming Journey Across Japan). Hino Shohei, who was born in 1949 and is 70 years old (a member of the baby boomer generation), travels by bicycle to places that are memorable to viewers, boasting that “the downhill stretches of life are the best.” The popularity of this program may also be playing a part in the boom in cycle tourism and cycling among middle-aged and elderly people.
2. Major cycling roads
Other than the previously introduced “Lake Biwa Cycling Road (Biwaichi),” the main cycling roads are as follows:
(1) Setouchi Shimanami Kaido Cycling Road
Symbolized by “blue skies, sparkling seas, green trees and yellow lemons,” the Setouchi Shimanami Kaido has become an essential spot for tourism in the Setouchi region.
This is a 70km-long cycling road that connects Onomichi City in Hiroshima Prefecture and Imabari City in Ehime Prefecture.
The number of rental bicycles increased from 30,000 in 2005, when the boom in bicycle rentals subsided, to 150,000 in 2017.
Japanese people often rediscover the great things about their home country when foreigners praise them. The Shimanami Kaido has also seen a surge in popularity after CNN chose it as one of the “world’s most beautiful cycling routes.”
The International Cycling Championships held in the fall of 2018 attracted over 50,000 participants and visitors, generating an economic impact of 900 million yen.
Onomichi City is particularly popular with visitors from abroad, and the number of foreign tourists has soared from 25,000 in 2008 to 286,000 in 2017.
(2) Tsukuba Kasumigaura Ring Ring Road
Lake Kasumigaura, the second largest lake in Japan, and Mount Tsukuba, one of Japan’s 100 most famous mountains. The Tsukuba Kasumigaura Ring Ring Road is a cycling road that directly connects these two scenic spots in Ibaraki, and runs through flat plains across 14 cities and towns.
Its total length is an astounding 180km. That’s comparable to the distance traveled in a day in bicycle races such as the Tour de France, but this is the Kanto Plain! It’s mostly gentle, flat land.
Therefore, even beginners can enjoy long rides with peace of mind. Of course, climbers can also enjoy first-class mountains such as Mount Tsukuba and Mount Kaba from the “Tsukuba Kasumigaura Ring Ring Road,” which also goes directly to the Tsukuba Expressway.
As you can see, the Tsukuba Kasumigaura Ring Ring Road can be enjoyed by all local cyclists, but the existing Tsukuba Rin Ring Road and Kasumigaura Bicycle Path are currently being redeveloped with the aim of further improving the riding environment by 2020.
(3) Japan Alps Cycling Road
In an effort to make cycling around the Northern Alps and Lake Suwa a pillar of tourism in Shinshu, Nagano prefecture and businesses launched a council called the Japan Alps Cycling Project in June 2019.
The Northern Alps Cycling Tour, organized by the Japan Alps Tourism Federation, is held twice a year, in the spring and autumn.
(4) Hokkaido Cycling Road
Hokkaido enacted the Hokkaido Bicycle Ordinance in April 2018 with the aim of promoting safe bicycle use and encouraging widespread use of bicycles.
Hokkaido’s cycling roads include the following:
① Lake Shikotsu Park Bicycle Path
② Takinokami Nopporo Bicycle Path
③ Asahikawa Sounkyo Bicycle Path
④ Okhotsk Bicycle Path
⑤ Kushiro Akan Bicycle Path
⑥ Rishiri Island Bicycle Path
⑦ Sapporo Eniwa Bicycle Path
⑧ Tokachi Daiheigen Bicycle Path
⑨ Fukagawa Sunagawa Bicycle Path
⑩ Makomanai Barato Higashi Kariki Bicycle Path
