Cycling Hokkaido

A little autumn cycling, a trip to Lake Utonai, and a look at what a Ramsar site actually is.

Lake Utonai is one of Hokkaido's 13 internationally important wetlands, or Ramsar Sites, but in this episode Marty takes a look at what makes this one a little different from the rest of them.

If you're looking for Hokkaido cycling destinations you can't go wrong with Ramsar Sites. As always, I hope you find value in this episode of the show.

Buy Me a Coffee:

buymeacoffee.com/cyclinghokkaido

Cycling Hokkaido podcast Instagram page:

www.instagram.com/cycling.hokkaido.podcast/

Japan's 54 Ramsar Sites:

List of Ramsar sites in Japan - Wikipedia https://share.google/UnHyBCmG9EdhGGIJW

Get 10% off your online POW BAR order:

https://thepowbar.com/discount/CyclingHokkaido?redirect=%2Fcollections%2Fenergy-bar

Learn English with Marty at:

www.instagram.com/hess_village/

Ever have one of those days when things keep going wrong, and you start to wonder if you're just not meant to be out there?

A few days ago, I had one of those days. Between a punctured tire, a thrown chain, and a bear warning, I started to get the distinct feeling that the universe was trying to tell me something.....go home and sit down!

Have you ever had a mishap that, looking back, might actually have benefitted you or even kept you safe? Sometimes things don't go according to plan for a reason. Maybe it's fate, maybe it's coincidence, or maybe the universe is telling you to miss the next shift.

I'm still hoping to make it out to Yuni Garden to see the kochia in all their autumn glory, so hopefully the fates will align and I'll get another chance soon. Until then, be safe and have fun out there, folks!

But Me a Coffee:

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HESS Village English School Instagram page:

www.instagram.com/hess_village/

Cycling Hokkaido podcast Instagram page:

www.instagram.com/cycling.hokkaido.podcast/

The POW BAR 10% off link:

https://thepowbar.com/discount/CyclingHokkaido?redirect=%2Fcollections%2Fenergy-bar

Hop on your bike and join me on a journey into Hokkaido's ancient Jomon past. The Kitakogane Shell Mound is a fascinating archaelogical site, from pit dwellings and deer pitfalls to amazing clay impressions of children's feet.

Cycling around these historic places gives you a deeper connection to the people who live here thousands of years ago, their relationship with the land and the stories hidden in Hokkaido's landscape.

Their DNA lives on today in so many ways. Cycling Hokkaido, where every ride has a story to tell. As always, I hope you enjoy and find value in this episode of the show.

Buy Me a Coffee:

buymeacoffee.com/cyclinghokkaido

Cycling Hokkaido podcast Instagram page:

www.instagram.com/cycling.hokkaido.podcast/

POW BAR 10% discount:

https://thepowbar.com/discount/CyclingHokkaido?redirect=%2Fcollections%2Fenergy-bar

HESS Village English classes:

www.instagram.com/hessvillage/

Gokibiru is a beautiful destination for a bike ride. If you're looking for a day's ride less than 100km from Sapporo, Gokibiru could be just the place for you.

Gokibiru is a very small fishing port tucked away between the Atsuta and Hamamasu districts of Ishikari, just off the Ororon Line. The scenery is dominated by the gorgeous mountains and cliffs that surround what was once a completely isolated fishing village.

There are a few ways to get there, but eventually all roads lead to the sparsely populated Route 231. The riding is beautiful, the destination is worth the trip, and you never know what you might see along the way. You might even get lucky and spot a praying mantis!

Happy riding out there, folks!

Buy Me a Coffee:

www.buymeacoffee.com/cyclinghokkaido

Cycling Hokkaido Podcast Instagram page:

www.instagram.com/cycling.hokkaido.podcast/

HESS Village English School Instagram page:

www.instagram.com/hess_village/

Get your 10% discount off the POW BAR at:

https://thepowbar.com/discount/CyclingHokkaido?redirect=%2Fcollections%2Fenergy-bar

Last week I was down in Hachioji, Tokyo and got some excellent riding done.

Riding down in Tokyo, I think the most obvious difference from Hokkaido is the age of everything down south. You really feel the history when you're riding parts of the Koshu Kaido and beyond. The scenery is also very different. All the twists and turns in the roads, the short, sharp climbs, the bamboo forests and even the wild monkeys made it a really interesting riding experience.

I saw Lakes Miyagase and Sagami, rode from Takao to Yoyogi Park, visited the Hachioji Castle Ruins and the Musashi Imperial Graveyard. Experiencing all that nature and history down south made for some really interesting riding.

And to top it all off, our boys are doing great living down there. Excellent to see.

As always, I hope you find value in this episode of the Cycling Hokkaido podcast.

Buy me a coffee at:

buymeacoffee.com/cyclinghokkaido

Cycling Hokkaido Instagram page:

www.instagram.com/cycling.hokkaido.podcast/

The POW BAR energy bars:

https://thepowbar.com/discount/CyclingHokkaido?redirect=%2Fcollections%2Fenergy-bar

Jamie From Canada:

www.instagram.com/jamiefromcanada/

When you cycle around Hokkaido, one thing you can't miss is the farmland. But there is a lot more to those fields than meets the eye.

In this episode, I take a closer look at Hokkaido's agriculture. How much of the island is farmland? What is grown here, and just how much of Japan's food production comes from Hokkaido?

I also look back at the development of Hokkaido, the American agricultural influence, and what that development for the Ainu.

And finally, I brink it back home to own vegetable garden and the food that helps fuel my rides.

Hokkaido isn't just a pretty postcard. The more you know about where you're riding, the more you get out of the ride.

Buy Me a Coffee:

buymeacoffee.com/cyclinghokkaido

Cycling Hokkaido podcast Instagram page:

www.instagram.com/cycling.hokkaido.podcast/

10% off the POW BAR:

https://thepowbar.com/discount/CyclingHokkaido?redirect=%2Fcollections%2Fenergy-bar

Episode 160 of the Cycling Hokkaido podcast is about my ride out to the Niseko area, my first time out there this year. An awesome ride with tons of climbing. All in, I rode 230km with 2,228m of climbing over Saturday and Sunday. I stayed at a beautiful campsite at the foot of Mt.Yotei with a super clear night sky. Gorgeous.

But it wasn't all perfect. The bakery at the Akaigawa Road Station is gone. I wanted a sugar loaf! The campsite was a lot more expensive that I'd prepared for, and I didn't meet anybody else on the road.

But still, disappointments aside, it was definitely time well spent in the sadde.

Hope you like this episode of the show. Thanks as always!

Buy Me a Coffee:

buymeacoffee.com/cyclinghokkaido

Cycling Hokkaido podcast Instagram page:

www.instagram.com/cycling.hokkaido.podcast/

Get your 10% of POW BAR energy bars at:

https://thepowbar.com/discount/CyclingHokkaido?redirect=%2Fcollections%2Fenergy-bar

Over the last couple of weeks, I did two rides out to the Yubari area. The first one was to see the movie posters along the famous Cinema Street and hopefully find the famous donut shop Usagiya. Mission accomplished! Those cinnamon anko donuts are really tasty.

While I was on that ride, I really wanted to go see the Chidorigataki Waterfalls, but time wasn't on my side, so I went back out there the following week.

On that ride, I stopped in for a meat pie at PieMe in Naganuma and also got a couple of rice balls at Azekko in Yuni. Holy smokes, there is some good eatin' to be had out there.

And of course, the waterfalls were well worth the effort. The geographical formations there make them something special.

One destination, two great rides, and a lot of good food.

Have fun out there, folks!

Buy Me a Coffee:

buymeacoffee.com/cyclinghokkaido

The POW BAR 10% discount URL:

https://thepowbar.com/discount/CyclingHokkaido?redirect=%2Fcollections%2Fenergy-bar

Cycling Hokkaido Podcast Instagram page:

www.instagram.com/cycling.hokkaido.podcast/

Azekko Instagram page:

www.instagram.com/azekko.0416/

PieMe website: https://share.google/z77MsRGUH6AHudGfe

This episode of the Cycling Hokkaido podcast brings you the story of how The POW BAR came to be. My guest, Norris Scott, is the co-owner of this Niseko-based company, and it's a great story about how his wife started the company and where they're at with it all today.

This episode was recorded while Norris and I were in Furano at Brad Bennett's Freewheeling Cycling Festival. The rides that weekend were fueled by POW BAR and folks, they are excellent for powering you up and over hills and long distances.

The POW BAR isn't only for cyclists either. This energy bar fits the bill for hikers, skiers, snowboarders, and anyone else out there doing awesome things.

This episode also marks the start of a collaboration between The POW BAR and the Cycling Hokkaido podcast.

Listeners of the show can get 10% off their online order when they use the discount code CyclingHokkaido at checkout. You can use the link below or the QR code in my Instagram Stories to get the discount.

The discount is once per customer, there's no minimum purchase, it can't be combined with other discounts and it's for online orders only.

Get them delivered to your hotel, lodge, friend's house or wherever your staying in Japan to power your ride!

I hope you like this episode of the show!

Use this URL to get your 10% of your POW BAR order:

https://thepowbar.com/discount/CyclingHokkaido?redirect=%2Fcollections%2Fenergy-bar

The POW BAR Instagram page:

www.instagram.com/thepowbar/

The Cycling Hokkaido podcast Instagram page:

www.instagram.com/cycling.hokkaido.podcast/

Buy Me a Coffee at:

buymeacoffee.com/cyclinghokkaido

This past weekend I was lucky enough to meet Denise and Riley at the Furano Freewheeling Cycling Festival.

Denise and Riley are a young couple who have spent years traveling the world in the pursuit of paradise. Now they think they've found it in Tomamu, Hokkaido.

They found a lodge that they're going to open in December 2026 and right now they're getting it ready so it aligns with their visions and dreams for the future. It's going to be a place welcoming to artists, travelers, cyclists, skiers, snowboarders, anyone looking for a little adventure.

In this episode we talk about their travels, why they chose Hokkaido, the process of turning the lodge into their dream, and what it takes to build the kind of life you've been searching for.

Sometimes you go out for a ride and have no idea where it's going to lead you. Welcome to The Pursuit of Paradise.

Wakaranai Lodge:

dontknowlodge.com

Wakaranai Lodge Instagram page:

www.instagram.com/dontknowlodge/

Buy Me a Coffee at:

buymeacoffee.com/cyclinghokkaido

Cycling Hokkaido Instagram page:

www.instagram.com/cycling.hokkaido.podcast/

Fuel your ride POW BAR. Cycling Hokkaido podcast listeners get 10% off Pow Bar. Use the link here:

https://thepowbar.com/discount/CyclingHokkaido?redirect=%2Fcollections%2Fenergy-bar