Trip Report

Cycling Across Hokkaido, Japan (Day 9): From Akan to Honbetsu

Posted on Aug 23, 2014
36 5

Posted on Aug 23, 2014

We had two route options today in order to get to Honbetsu Town.

Last updated Oct 14, 2018

  1. A 110km down-to-the-coast-then-up-again route that would take us into the bustling city of Kushiro (https://goo.gl/maps/ejZrm).
  2. A more direct 80km route that would take us across two low ridges via forestry roads (marked on Google but not available for routing).

We chose the latter of the two options, and spent 20km on gorgeous misty gravel roads through quiet Hokkaido forest.

Seeking gravel in Hokkaido...a forestry road connecting Route 222 and Route 242 near Akan, Hokkaido, Japan

The two forest roads connect 1) Route 222 near Akan Town, and Route 242 near Kamishohoro and 2) Route 242 and Route 392 near Kamichahoro. On the excellent Touring Mapple (Hokkaido), they are at I3 and G3 on page 27.

Seeking gravel in Hokkaido...a forestry road connecting Route 222 and Route 242 near Akan, Hokkaido, Japan

The climbs are fairly steep at times on this route, but nothing too out of the ordinary for a forestry road. The gravel is chunky, so we were happy to be on our 2.35 Schwalbe Big Apple tires (drop the pressure, and they’re like magic carpets).

Seeking gravel in Hokkaido...a forestry road connecting Route 222 and Route 242 near Akan, Hokkaido, Japan

Conveniently, at the route 392 end of the route, there is an old school, still operated by the community as a community center (the Shizen-no-ie). An outside washing area made short work of muddy bikes and legs.

Cleaning off at the Nature House (自然の家) on Route 392 near Shiranuka Town, Hokkaido, Japan

By the time lunchtime rolled around, the skies had cleared and it was a scorcher. Our tent and panniers had been damp-ish for a few days, so we took the chance to lay it all out to dry while we had lunch in a covered bus stop.

Drying wet tent and gear near Sensho Pass, Hokkaido, Japan

In this sense, rainy spells on a bike tour are sort of like uphills. They can be tough going, but the reward of fresh dry gear at the end of them is worth the grind.

Our route for the rest of the day was more or less void of stores and people in general. Our road maps warns motorists that it is a 60km stretch of road with no facilities. The first sign of supplies came in the form of a very well stocked honesty-box style vegetable stall. We bought 200g of plum tomatoes (for 100 yen – US$1 equivalent) and ate the lot on the spot.

Honesty-box style local produce stall near Honbetsu, Hokkaido, Japan

We were soon freewheeling it into the small, seemingly very prosperous town of Honbetsu. Our priorities were to buy supplies at a supermarket, visit the local hotspring spa, and set up camp at the Honbetsu campground.

The bright lights of Honbetsu, Hokkaido, Japan

Once we had rolled into town, we learned that the official Honbetsu natural hotsprings were a 5km bike ride away, in the opposite direction of the campground. We were hot and tired, so we opted instead for the more local sento (bath house). We had the place to ourselves, and it did the trick.

Comments | Queries | Discussion

5 thoughts on “Cycling Across Hokkaido, Japan (Day 9): From Akan to Honbetsu”

    1. We don’t have any more recent beta on the road, unfortunately. Probably best to assume it’s still strewn with trees. Do let us know if you discover anything on the ground!

      1. I’m planning to do this route in June of this year. The comment above suggests the gravel road might be inaccessible. Do you know if this is still the case?

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Cycling Across Hokkaido, Japan (Day 9): From Akan to Honbetsu Difficulty Rating

Category

Grade

Points

Strenuousness

Vertical Gain

D

25

Time ascending

D

0

Technicality

Altitude

D

0

Hazards

D

Navigation

D

Totals

25/100

GRADES range from A (very difficult) to D (easy). Hazards include exposure to avalanche and fall risk. More details here. Rating rubric adapted from Hokkaido Yukiyama Guidebook 北海道雪山ガイド.