Japan (Day 3) – Lake Kawaguchiko & Lake Saiko

Tue 21/07/2009

It was a very overcast day in Lake Kawaguchiko but a couple of us from the Hostel decided to hire some bicycles and ride around the lakes. There are 5 lakes in total hence this area is called the five lakes, duh. I wanted to go to all of them but that was not feasible on the bikes we had so we just decided to go around Lake Kawaguchiko and Lake Saiko. For most of the ride, it was on a designated cycle path but there are parts of the ride where you have to ride on the road.

It was fairly quiet on the roads so you should be fine. The terrain is quite flat for most of the journey but just as you move to Lake Saiko, there is a relatively steep climb. It’s only a short climb so if you have nothing to do in Lake Kawaguchiko, riding a bike is a great way to explore the area. You don’t even need a helmet, just bring a backpack with some water, nibbles and you’re set for the day.

There’s some splendid views to enjoy while you ride around the country side. We visited one of bat caves and it was quite possibly one of the worst tourist attractions ever. The cave is tiny, you can walk and crawl around in a matter of minutes. There wasn’t a bat in sight, I guess for obvious reasons and supposedly where the bats hibernate, they’ve blocked off the tunnel entrance.  If you fancy stopping at the caves, feel free to do so. The only benefit I can see from visiting these caves is to cool down from the heat, natural air conditioning.

The biking adventure took about 6-7 hours and you really get a sore ass sitting on those rented bikes. It’s not as bad as the time I rode from San Francisco to Muir Woods but it was uncomfortable nonetheless.

smiles