You’ll cycle through the center of Chitose, which is the busiest section of the southern half of the route. Directly north of Chitose JR Station, I recommend getting yourself onto the eastern side of the train tracks – as noted on the route map above. This side is much less busy and the traffic does not move as fast.
Once out of Chitose City, the idea is to zig-zag towards Kita-Hiroshima City, utilizing the grid of farming roads across the Kita-Hiroshima/Chitose plains. So long as you’ve downloaded a map of this area in advance (Chitose Airport has WIFI), you should be able to navigate nicely using your smartphone. Locals will also be willing to help point you in the right direction if you tell them you want to go to Kita-Hiroshima eki (station is eki in Japanese – 北広島駅).
Just outside Chitose City center is a gelato icecream shop that is worth a stop. Location here: https://goo.gl/maps/puWA8pKCi8Q2
If you want to split the ride up or camp along the way, there are a few spots that will do the job. The official campground in Chitose City’s Aoba Park is beautiful (here), but there are some other spots along the way that are not official campgrounds but parks where wild-camping is possible. One standout place would be the Michi-no-eki in Eniwa (here).
If you’re here in the right season, then you can expect some well stocked vegetable stalls along the way too. The photo below is from a local vege shop a little further out (here), but along the way you could try the vege shop in Chitose (here) or the one on the way to Kita-Hiroshima (here).
Just as you’re entering Sapporo on the cycleway, there are two natural onsen near Kaminopporo JR Station, just east of the cycleway. One of them is another Honoka-brand onsen here, but we prefer the Mori-no-yu onsen just up the road here, which has a gorgeous view from the open air baths over some woods. Both have restaurants with very reasonable meals, and both cost around 600yen per person to enter.
Once you’re on the Eniwa-Sapporo Cycling road, then you’re set. This cycling road actually starts at the southern end in Kita-Hiroshima. although there are plans to extend it all the way to Eniwa. The start of the cycling road is on the eastern side of the station, right about here: https://goo.gl/maps/EiG9n5EcXHH2
Just in case you’ve decided to embark on a deep-winter Hokkaido cycle tour, you’ll be happy to know that the Shiroishi Cycling road is also open in winter – but only on the Sapporo City side. At the Kita-Hiroshima City border it is impassable on a bike.
Once you’re in Sapporo City proper, it is a matter of just ‘following your nose’ into the city center. Unlike many ‘mainland’ Japanese cities, Sapporo City’s roads are fairly wide. Traffic moves faster here though, so take your time and enjoy the ride.
If you’re approaching the city in winter, studded tires are not essential, but they give me much more confidence on the rutted, often icy roads.
