Ep.154 Wild Camping & Yoichi's Hidden History

<p>In this episode of the show, I talk about the beginning of the summer festival season here in Hokkaido, including the lively Otaru Ushio Festival.</p><p>I also share my recent bike trip to Yoichi, where I spent a night wild camping on Fugoppe Beach. It was a beautiful evening by the sea, and I stayed there because I wanted to explore some of the Rita Taketsuru sites around Yoichi the next day.</p><p>Some of those sites , including the gravesite of Rita and her husband Masataka Taketsuru, were quieter and more reflective than I expected. It was an interesting contrast to go from the energy of a summer festival to a peaceful cemetery on the same ride.</p><p>But the real surprise came when I found that the same cemetery had a monument to the Aizu samurai who settled in the Yoichi area. I had no idea that was a part of Yoichi's history.</p><p>The more you explore Hokkaido, theu more connections you discover to Japan's samurai past and the bicycle is the perfect way to uncover these hidden stories. </p><p>Cycling Hokkaido Podcast Instagram page:</p><p>www.instagram.com/cycling.hokkaido.podcast/</p><p><br></p><p>Buy Me a Coffee:</p><p>buymeacoffee.com/cyclinghokkaido</p><p><br></p><p>🚴🏻Fuel your ride with POW BAR. Cycling Hokkaido podcast listeners get 10% off. Use the link here:</p><p>https://thepowbar.com/discount/CyclingHokkaido?redirect=%2Fcollections%2Fenergy-bar</p><p><br></p><p>Brad Bennet and Freewheeling.jp Instagram page:</p><p>www.instagram.com/freewheeling.jp/</p><p><br></p><p>Ep.87 Sapporo Su & Tokyo Joe in Hokkaido:</p><p>https://pod.link/1717043158/episode/ZDdmOGE2MjgtYzJiZi00ZGE4LTg3MjktOTFlYTQ4OGM3OTlm</p><p><br></p><p>Ep.83 Baseball,Whisky & Star Wars</p><p>https://pod.link/1717043158/episode/MDQzZDE5MjMtMmUwNS00N2UwLWI3YjItN2NlNTRjMTYwMmM1</p><p><br></p><p>Ep.12 Cycling Yoichi, a Town in Decline</p><p>https://pod.link/1717043158/episode/OGNkMTgwMzAtNzI1Yi00NmM3LWJhNGYtZTIxYzA1MDgzNDBl</p>