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Wakkanai to Sapporo

Tomokomai to Sapporo by @George5's direct route?
Sapporo to Hakodate by bus is a waste of precious daylight, where are you planning to stay on your second day?
 
Tomokomai to Sapporo by @George5's direct route?
Sapporo to Hakodate by bus is a waste of precious daylight, where are you planning to stay on your second day?

Yup! Straight up past Chitose up until Sapporo. :) Nowhere to stay unfortunately on the 2nd day, everywhere in Hakodate seems fully booked for the Sunday.

Honestly, I agree with you about Sapporo to Hakodate being a waste but it looks like slim pickings for accommodation which is what I'm basing this trip on unfortunately! Any advice for a different route?
 
It's been ages, and I was driving it, but I remember lots of empty space there. Very few restaurants. Even the camp grounds were empty, and seemed not to be around stores where you could buy food for dinner/breakfast while camping. Until you get to Asahikawa, I'd try to google as much lodging as possible, just to be sure what's out there and what's not.
Great information and knowledge.
 
@kyoazu mate you might want to have a look at @Conrad 's maps in the Today August 2015 thread, and @xDOMx 's Hokkaido Training camp thread. From Sapporo you have a lot of ride options.
Yup! Straight up past Chitose up until Sapporo. :) Nowhere to stay unfortunately on the 2nd day, everywhere in Hakodate seems fully booked for the Sunday.

Honestly, I agree with you about Sapporo to Hakodate being a waste but it looks like slim pickings for accommodation which is what I'm basing this trip on unfortunately! Any advice for a different route?
That's as clear as mud, reads like Hakodate is full so I am getting a bus to Hakodate. You don't want to do any riding on your second day? Hakodate has accommodation everywhere, at the station there is tourist info desk with English speakers who will call round for you.
I am pretty sure that if you decide on a destination from Sapporo on the second day Sapporo tourist info will call and arrange it for you, or when you roll into another town ask at their tourist information. Maybe it's just me, but I can never be sure where I will be day to day on trips so I just improvise as I go. If you cannot speak a bit of Japanese it might be a problem.
If you are fixated on following route5, as you posted earlier I would get your bus as far as Mori, then ride south round that volcano to Onuma lake. There is a tourist info place next to Onuma station. That way you will get some riding in and not have to negotiate all the traffic out of Hakodate heading for the expressway on day3.
 
Hey, cheers for that Tanki. I took a look at those threads, especially @xDOMx7s and got some really good ideas.

The current plan is:
Day 1: Tomakomai to Sapporo

Day 2: Sapporo to Yubari

Day 3: Yubari to Shiraoi/Noboribetsu

Day 4: Shiraoi/Noboribetsu to Lake Toya

At the moment, I've still got some sorting to do. I'm planning to buy 25c tires and a handlebar bag. Also, trying to find a way to get my compression bag to fit behind my saddle (it's not working out…)


I also took a look at Seino and trying to get my bike shipped from Hokkaido back to Tochigi. I can't rent a box unfortunately so the prices and options are looking sky high. Does anyone have any alternatives? I'm taking a plane from Sapporo to Tokyo and am thinking of trying to get it onto the plane but I only have a rinko bag.
 
I'm taking a plane from Sapporo to Tokyo and am thinking of trying to get it onto the plane but I only have a rinkō bag.
That's fine if it's a two-wheel-off bag. I have never known anyone do this with a one-wheel-off bag. With the former, they'll put it with the strollers and the wheelchairs and you'll be fine.

Or... take the train. Foot massages optional.
 
That's fine if it's a two-wheel-off bag. I have never known anyone do this with a one-wheel-off bag. With the former, they'll put it with the strollers and the wheelchairs and you'll be fine.

Or... take the train. Foot massages optional.
Unfortunately, I have the one wheel off rinko bag. =( I would have loved to take the Shinkansen from Aomori but I already booked my flight and I can't cancel it. I'm thinking of hitting up a bike shop in Sapporo and see if I can buy a box and they can possibly help me ship it from there. I'd really like to avoid that option if I can though!
 
Ship just the wheel with はこboon and take the rest on the plane. https://www.takuhai.jp/hacoboon/hb26
shipping cost under 1000 yen. The bike wheels are way light so if you send them courier the heavier frame you can travel with. P.S. I like your latest travel plan.
 
Thanks for all the tips and advice everyone. The ride so far has been great; wide roads, beautiful scenery and fantastic weather. I don't know if I ever want to ride around Kanto again...

Here's a short summary of my trip thus far:

Day 1: Tomakomai to Sapporo
Day 2: Sapporo to Yubari
Day 3: Yubari to Tomakomai
Day 4: Tomakomai to Date via Noboribetsu and Shiraoi
Day 5: Date to Lake Toya and a lap and a bit around Toya

I'm going to leave Toya in a bit and head up to Niseko. After that, I've got no real plans but I'm thinking of heading up to Otaru before spending the last day in Sapporo.

About the bike; I'm gonna take it on the plane. I hit up a local bike shop in Sapporo last week and they said they'd give me foam for my bike. I plan to hit up a 100 yen shop and get some bubble foam and tape and hopefully it will be all good.
 
Thanks for the all the advice and tips everyone; arrived back home yesterday in mostly one piece.

After Lake Toya, I headed up to Niseko where I stayed there for the night before going up the very scenic Route 343 (Maple Highway) to Akaigawa followed by the equal scenic Route 36 to Yoichi. After Yoichi, it was plain sailing to Otaru and Sapporo where unfortunately I had a slight crash on the pedestrian walkway in a tunnel and tore the shoulder of my jersey (hopefully I can head down to Tokyo this weekend and see what Rapha can do.)

Also managed to take my bike onto the plane okay. I had to remove the pedals and remove the air from the tires which came back to bite me in the arse once I realised that the valve of my tubes had removable cores and I couldn't pump them up using my mini pump and had to take a taxi ride home from the station to my house.

All in all, great trip! I'll definitely go back again albeit with less gear and perhaps a lighter bike/bigger cassette.
 
and remove the air from the tires
Next time nod your head and don't or just a super short pzst. Do they think air pressure is extra on the inside of a tube? The same air is being affected by the same pressure as outside the tube. All that happens up there is the tire goes softer due to low air pressure and it gets harder as the plane comes down. If the hold is a pressurized one it's pressurised to sea level only. Guess the ground crew aren't to good on physics. Hope the Rapha heals soon.
 
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All that happens up there is the tire goes softer due to low air pressure and it gets harder as the plane comes down. If the hold is a pressurized one it's pressurised to sea level only.
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I think the passenger area, and the hold, are pressurized to about 8000ft, well above sea level.

And I think the tire(s), for a given inflation, will get 'fuller'/harder because of that, not softer.
 
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