With so little information available, The Japanese Odyssey (hereafter TJO) remains an ultra-distance cycling event that’s quietly—but intensely—beloved.This marks the final installment of the column series by photographer Eigo Shimojo, who set out to explore the riders who take on this mysterious event.And during the course of this series, the enigmatic TJO has unveiled details for its 2025 edition.This year’s tagline? “The Forgotten Tōge”—forgotten mountain passes!For full details, please check the official website, but here’s a quick overview for now. Schedule: October 3, 2025 (Friday) – 13 days and 12 hours (324 hours)    A pre-event is scheduled for October 2 (Thursday) in Fukuoka.Start […]

The details for The Japanese Odyssey (TJO) 2025, set to take place this autumn, have finally been announced! This year, the journey starts in Kagoshima and finishes in Matsumoto City. Riders will navigate through 20 checkpoints over 13 and a half days, including ferry crossings along the way. The route spans 2,300 km with a total elevation gain of 46,000 m.For the full schedule and route details, please check the official website. In this column, we bring you a detailed report on the bikes and packing setups of three “intense” riders who took on TJO 2016. Their gear choices reflect their professions, nationalities, and personalities—so take notes and get inspired! ＊You can find the previous […]

The final installment of the Honolulu Century Ride 2024 rider interviews concludes with the experiences of advanced cyclists.What do veteran riders, who have participated in this event five, ten times, feel about it? What aspects keep drawing them back? We asked veteran participants about the allure and unique ways to enjoy the Honolulu Century Ride (HCR), often described as “the greatest ride event on Earth.”“Why do you keep coming back to cycle in Hawaii?” Table of Contents １. The Reason a New Employee Took on His First Ride / Keisuke-san２. A Goal Carried Over to 2025 / Kenji-san, Keiko-san３. Riding Solo, Yet Never Alone—A Story on the Road / Dankichi-san １. The Rea […]

The second installment of The Japanese Odyssey (TJO), scheduled for autumn 2025, dives into the riding philosophies and gear preferences of the fastest rider from the 2016 event and the two organizers from France. If you’re intrigued by the challenge of ultra-long-distance cycling, this is a must-read! Take inspiration from their bikepacking setups and consider joining the adventure yourself. For detailed schedules and routes for this year, please visit the official website (as of January 2025, these are yet to be announced). ＊You can find the previous essay here. The 300km/day Speedster Engineer / TOM WILLARD(England) Before the start, he was the first to arrive at Nihonbashi ear […]

Now then, the ultra-long-distance cycling event “The Japanese Odyssey” (hereafter referred to as TJO), set in the familiar landscape of the Japanese archipelago, is well-known to us. After more than a year of silence, the announcement for its 2025 edition finally appeared on its official website last autumn. It also mentioned that the starting point would return to Hokkaido, where the journey began 10 years ago. Amazing! The event began in 2015 with only six riders, all of whom were foreigners. As word of its craziness gradually spread, the number of participants grew to 21 in 2016 (still without any Japanese riders). For this year’s Global Ride, we are pleased to present a serie […]

Reflecting on 2024, as the year draws to a close, how has it been for all of you? To wrap up the year, the Global Ride editorial team is bringing you a photo album from four international fun ride events: ‘HONOLULU CENTURY RIDE‘ in Honolulu,‘BIKE NEW YORK (FIVE BORO BIKE TOUR)‘ in New York City, ‘PORT DOUGLAS GRAN FOND FESTIVAL’ in Port Douglas, and ‘BRISBANE CYCLING FESTIVAL’ in Honolulu.“Please enjoy the routes and scenery that highlight the unique characteristics of each region.” Table of Contents 1 HONOLULU CENTURY RIDE2 BIKE NEW YORK (Five Boro Bike Tour)3 PORT DOUGLAS GRAN FONDO FESTIVAL4 BRISBANE CYCLING FESTIVAL 1 HONOLULU CENTURY RIDE Event area＿Hawaii / U.S.A．Date: […]

The Japanese Odyssey (TJO) is more than just a cycling event set across the Japanese archipelago. It’s a journey—beyond a journey—a true adventure, a quest, perhaps even a form of creation. The second installment of this series begins with a reflection on the riders, along with photographer Eigo Shimojo, as they set out on their routes following the pre-ride briefing the day before. ＊You can find the previous essay here. ＃04 Moving Dots in Motion The day after the briefing, on an unspecified date in September 2016, I embarked on my first field coverage of The Japanese Odyssey. My task was to chase down nameless cyclists from all over the world, scattered like dots across Japan. There was no […]

For readers of Global Ride, The Japanese Odyssey (TJO) is already a familiar name. This independent ultra-long-distance event that spans the length of Japan is set to return in 2025 after a two-year hiatus. According to its official Instagram account, this year’s starting point will be in Hokkaido. What kind of (crazy) journey awaits this time? With the editorial team buzzing with anticipation, eager for more details, we bring you the second installment in our TJO series.In this essay, photographer Eigo Shimojo—a rider himself—delves into the moment he first encountered the essence of TJO during its second edition in 2016, offering a glimpse into the heart of this extraordinar […]