*Check out Race Report #01 & #02 here.https://globalride.jp/trip-travel/ehimemonitortour24_01_en/https://globalride.jp/trip-travel/ehimemonitortour24_02_en/ Table of Contents 　1. Touring the Fishing Villages and Capes of Southern Ehime (Uwajima City)　2. Our Everyday Lives Become Someone’s Entertainment (Uwajima City – Matsuyama City) Already, the Ehime tour has reached its fifth morning. As we enjoy a homemade Japanese breakfast at Kokuriko, the cozy rural dormitory that has hosted us for the past two days in Uchiko, our conversation with the owners, spoken in the gentle lilt of the Ehime dialect, is just beginning to reach full bloom… Yet, it’s already time to say goodbye. Parting […]

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 […]

Check out Race Report #01 here.https://globalride.jp/trip-travel/ehimemonitortour24_01_en/ Table of Contents 　1. ITOMACHI HOTEL0（Saijo City）　2. Ishizuchi Mountain’s UFO Line (Saijo City, Kumakogen Town)　3. Ozu Washi and Ukai Houseboat Cruise (Uchiko Town, Ozu City) 1. ITOMACHI HOTEL0（Saijo City） On the morning of the third day, refreshing light streamed into the hotel room, promising a good start to the day. Glimpses of the long-awaited blue sky through the window made waking up even better. The “ITOMACH HOTEL0 (Zero),” which opened in 2023 in Saijo City, is an eco-friendly complex hotel committed to low environmental impact through zero-energy operations. It features a sty […]

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 […]

In mid-November, a group of international cyclists arrived at Matsuyama Airport, each carrying a bike travel bag. Invited by Ehime Prefecture to participate in a week-long cycling monitor tour aimed at promoting international cycle tourism, the group consisted of professional-level cyclists, including representatives from bicycle-focused travel agencies and media from North America and Australia.Over the course of seven days, we rode together around Ehime, documenting the experience in detail. This three-part series will provide a comprehensive account of the action-packed journey. What exactly does an international cycling monitor tour, a rarity in Japan, entail? Stay tuned to find out! Tex […]

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 […]