Cycling Hokkaido

I can't believe I've made it to episode 100. 100 straight weeks of doing the Cycling Hokkaido podcast has been a lot of fun. In this episode I talk about the show hitting 80th in the rankings for sports podcasts in all Japan, a new milestone, new places that have tuned in to the show, a new account on 'Ride with GPS', the Sapporo Odori Park Beer Gardens and give thanks to all who h...

Furano has so much to offer for cycling, hiking and sightseeing. It's no wonder it's one of the most popular tourist spots in Hokkaido. I am super stoked I got to see it by bike with Bradley Paul Bennet. Brad is a professional/licensed guide who is based in both Furano and Tokyo. He is also the founder/owner/operator of the guiding company Freewheeling.jp. We'd been trying to get toget...

I can't believe it has taken me all this time before I hiked up Mt. Moiwa. It's a beautiful place with a much richer history than I could have imagined. Who knew it was a 'Natural Monument of Extraordinary Academic Value'?? If you've spent any time at all in Sapporo you have seen Mt. Moiwa, but did you take a minute to delve into it's history? Well, just in case you didn&#3...

A Super Ride to my friends and I is a ride over 200km in a day. A Super Ride to Shakotan is always a great day. That was the first time the Englishman or I had ever done a Super Ride with another person, usually they're lone wolf type adventures, sure it took longer but it was an awesome day! From Sapporo, Teine to Otaru to Yoichi to Furubira to Shakotan and all the amazing sights along the wa...

What a weekend! From the very serious history of Yasukuni Shrine to the much more playful history of pro-wrestling in Japan, this episode has a lot to offer. And we've now been in the stomping grounds of wrestlers the likes of Hulk Hogan, The Rock, John Cena, The Road Warriors and Bruiser Brody. Not only them but fighters like Mike Tyson, Murata and Badr Hari....Ribera is an amazing steakhouse...

I met a whole bunch of new people this week and it was great fun. Hirokazu Fukunami is a very interesting guy who's been walking around Japan giving free rickshaw rides to all who'd like one for the past 3 years. He's now 3 months into his Hokkaido adventure. The Ororon Line is full of interesting people. I also joined a group ride last week which was great. Next time I hope I can be t...

This was a place I'd wanted to get to for a long, long time and it finally happened. I rode the biggest ride of my life, a one day total of 253.38km, out to Canadian World in Ashibetsu. This is a place with a very interesting history and it's still a cool looking place. And if you're looking for a big ride destination from Sapporo, this is the place for you! The history just along Rte....

Marty hiked up Mt. Eniwadake and it was quite the adventure! That was the first time he's ever done a hike like that and stoked on the new experience. The Shikotsu-Toya National park in Hokkaido is a beautiful place and getting a bird's eye view of it from the top of Mt. Eniwadake was amazing. The forests and volcanic activity in that area never disappoints. And the cycling curse of 2025 i...

I learned some new Japanese this week, as I usually do, and I thought this one was worth an episode's title. Always make sure you ain't flying low. Also in this episode Marty talks about cycling route 231, the Sea of Japan and a new really cool idea. Sorry, folks! This is amendment to episode 92. Debbie just got in touch with me a few days after this episode came out and something came up...

Who knew there was a Great Buddha statue in Otaru!?!? I sure didn't, but I'm sure happy I went to check Muryoju-ji Temple. There were some cool sights of Otaru from up there. I was also happy I went to check out Ryugu Shrine and Sumiyoshi Shrine, also located in Otaru. All three were beautiful places and are definitely excellent cycling destinations but be warned, there is some climbing in...

This week it really feels like the season is actually on. Yay! And what a week it was, night riding up to the Ishikari lighthouse is back on, riding in between jobs is back on and even 100km rides to my Fortress of Solitude in Atsuta are back on and all of it thanks to my American friend. A mix up between Lake Shikotsu and Shinshinotsu led to a bit of overeating but who cares. Folks, I hope you&#3...

In this episode Marty finally gets a look inside the Ishikari lighthouse. Who knew it was the oldest lighthouse in Hokkaido!? Marty also talks about how the 2025 cycling season is off to a horrible start. After last week, I didn't think it could get any worse....but it got worse! There's also some information about Hamanasu no Oka Park in here and splash of how cool Sapporo can be. As alwa...

Golden Week isn't going anywhere near I had envisioned. I had grand plans of taking off on multiple day bike trips with my new NatureHike one-man tent but NOPE! My Breezer bicycle decided that it was gonna need a ton of repairs right when Golden Week was about to kick off. On the bright side of things I still got out for a cherry blossom ride along Shinkawa and got out for a walk along the Mak...

In this episode Marty, Fuzanne and Joe talk about all kinds of things about Sapporo, Hokkaido and their first trip to Japan. It was amazing to hear how well they handled the Tokyo subway system and how impressed they were with the scale of the city. And up here in Hokkaido we did all kinds of cool sightseeing. We saw the Okurayama Ski Jump hill, the Olympic Museum, Hokkaido Shrine, Maruyama Park,...

In this episode Marty talks about the bumpy road that has been the start to this season. But things are starting to get going now that the Ishikari beach road is open again. And who knew the Mona Lisa made a trip to Tokyo 50 years ago. The main topic of this episode is the Japanese mamachari, the Japanese bicycle ridden by everybody and seen everywhere. Hope you like this episode and are having fu...

In this episode Marty talks about how he and his friend have been pretty unlucky with tire punctures to start the 2025 cycling season but as always this episode spins off into a few other topics. As is always the case, bike shops here in Japan are super busy so good luck getting same day service. Halley's Comet is the historical for the week and Alex Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky's scoring...

A big sign that Spring has come to Hokkaido are the tundra swans and they're here! So, naturally, we like to head out on our bikes to say hello to the noisy honkers. But as can happen when you're out on the road, trouble occurs. Getting through that trouble is a big part of being out there but sometimes somebody comes along that makes things a whole lot easier. Yoshino-san was just that ki...

That was one helluva fun time. Great food, great chats, great people. Thank you so very much for coming, Gordie! We covered so much ground in such a short time. We saw a Fighters game at EsCon Field, had dinner at Sapporo Beer Garden, cruised the Nikka Whisky factory, finally got to Sith Bar Darkside and ate some of the best food out there. That is Scottish cousin #1 for 2025. We're looking fo...

In this episode I talk about how Cycling Hokkaido hit 90th place in the podcast rankings for all Japan in the 'Sports' category and how my shed now has a lot more space in it....plus a couple of other things. As always, I hope you like this episode and are having fun out there!! Here's the link to the Cycling Hokkaido Instagram page.... www.instagram.com/cycling.hokkaido.podcast/ Buy M...

It's that time of year again when the shed needed digging out. The thaw is here! I also hope this episode can be of use to some of you out there if you need to mail your bicycle somewhere while you're here in Japan. And to top if off, I give you the surprising history of the beloved Japanese food.....takoyaki!! Have fun out there, folks. Here's the link to the company we use for mailin...

Convenience stores are all over the place here in Japan and they play a big part in peoples' daily lives. The Japanese didn't invent the convenience store but I think they've damn near perfected them. They definitely play a big role if you spend a lot of time out there on your bike and actually play a pretty big role in the daily lives of the people who live in Japan. If you're pla...

In this episode I talk about all the nifty places my mind takes me when I'm out on my bike. Riding isn't always just a physical adventure being out alone for sometimes more than 10 hours a day can be an emotional journey as well. And in case you missed it.....I don't wanna shovel snow anymore! Ha ha ha!! As always, I hope you like this episode and are having fun out there. Here's t...

It was great to meet Mike and we had a great conversation. Mike is a cyclist, hiker, outdoorsman, writer, baker, musician....one of those people that you love to sit down and have a chat with. He had some excellent cycling routes to talk about. If you're into gravel riding and want to do some here in Hokkaido, Mike is your guy! As always, I hope you enjoy this episode and are having fun out th...

After moving back to Hokkaido after living so long in the USA, I thought Hazuki would have some interesting thoughts and perspectives on the differences between the 2 places. And sure enough, this was a fun conversation. Hazuki is the first woman and the first Japanese person to come on the show. As always, I hope you enjoy this episode and are having fun out there. You can see pictures of some of...

Hokkaido maybe heard me speaking in the last episode and decided it was gonna flex! And since then, winter has been back full on, normal Hokkaido swing. The SAPPORO Snow Festival is on at the moment and with any luck I'll see some of you there. Have fun out there, folks! Cycling Hokkaido Podcast..... www.instagram.com/cycling.hokkaido.podcast/ Buy Me a Coffee.... buymeacoffee.com/cyclinghokkai...