Day 1 – Fukuoka (Hakata Station) to Hita (Hita Station)
71km – From the 2.5 million 6th largest city of Japan, through the plains of Fukuoka prefecture and along the Chikugo River into the Western Oita town of Hita. This leg gets the show on the road and ends in a quaint Onsen town that is well off the beaten track.
It will all begin in one of the largest cities in Japan, and the de-facto capital of the island of Kyushu. The terminus of the San’yo Shinkansen, Fukuoka is a huge city that is the focal point of the region and part of the well trodden path that tourists often explore.
Hakata Station is the largest in Kyushu, and is also the starting point of the island’s self-titled Kyushu Shinkansen, which connects all the way to the southern city of Kagoshima and in the future will also branch fully to Nagasaki. You’ll get to see the sights and sounds of Fukuoka the day before the cycle officially starts, including the bustling Canal City and some of the more traditional historical and natural spots within the city.
When we get on our bikes, we’ll head south east out of the city, past the famous Dazaifu Shrine, before we join the course of the Chikugo River. This will take us into neighboring Oita Prefecture where the river changes its name to the Mikuma. As the evening approaches, we’ll arrive in Oita’s first major town, Hita, which acts as a small Onsen getaway for residents of Fukuoka. This is the first of a string of Onsen towns running along our route to Beppu, one of the largest hot spring resorts in all of Japan.
Highlights
- Hakata station area – Canal City, Yatai Street Stalls
- Ohori Park
- Dazaifu Shrine
- Tonkotsu Ramen (Fukuoka is the home of this style)
- Hita Onsen and Mikuma River
Food & Accommodation
As well as trying the famous Tonkotsu Ramen of Fukuoka, we’ll also eat Oita’s less well known famous dish – Hita Yakisoba – a fried noodle and vegetable dish on a hot plate topped with an egg yolk. In Fukuoka we’ll stay in a hotel near Hakata Station so that we can get the true nightlife experience, before resting our weary legs in a family run Onsen Ryokan in Hita for the night after our first day of riding