Easy bicycle rental. Bus and bike trip through the great outdoors in the Kitami and Okhotsk areas

Sawada Yukie, a flight attendant and member of the JAL Hometown Support Team, and Nishiyama Hiroyuki, a mechanic with extensive triathlon experience and a member of the JAL Cycling Club, will report on their experience of the model course.

*To prevent infection, masks were removed only when taking photos.

Drop in on the day! Enjoy a casual bike trip at Kitami Cycle Station

Kitami Bus Terminal is the final stop for the connecting bus from Memanbetsu Airport to Kitami. In September 2021, the Kitami Cycle Station, operated by Hokkaido Kitami Bus, opened here.

Kitami Cycle Station offers bicycle rentals, which can be rented for anywhere from three hours to a maximum of nine nights and ten days. Helmets (free of charge), bicycle carrying bags, rental clothing, changing space, and repair tools are also provided. The appeal is that everything you need is provided, so you can experience it casually without any preparation or reservations.

After receiving an explanation at the reception, fill out a bicycle rental application form and change clothes in a designated area inside the store. Pay the fee at the bus terminal, choose the bicycle you want to rent in the garage, and you're ready to go.

With Nishiyama-san's advice in mind, we finally set off on our bus and ride!

Kitami Cycle Station

A model "Bus & Ride" route through clear air and beautiful scenery

The basic idea of "Bus & Ride" is to ride alongside a local bus route. It is a new style of cycling where you load your bike onto the bus and enjoy a shortcut or a one-way ride.

There are two types of "bus & ride" model courses in Kitami. The "Rubeshibe/Onneyu direction" is a course that goes from Kitami Bus Terminal to Onneyu Onsen Roadside Station via Rubeshibe Station, covering a distance of 34 km and taking approximately 3 hours. The other course is the "Tokoro direction" that we will introduce this time. It is a course covering a distance of 41.9 km and taking approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes. Both courses can be enjoyed by both beginners and experienced riders.

Alongside the road, grass fields spread out like a green carpet. As you approach Tokoro, the Sea of Okhotsk comes into view ahead. In the clear air, you feel as if you are taking in the beautiful scenery with your whole body. This is an experience that can only be had by riding a bicycle.

"The bicycle is electrically assisted, so it's easy to pedal uphill," says Sawada. Even beginners can enjoy riding without difficulty. You can attach a smartphone to the handlebars, which is convenient for checking the map while riding.

While you're there, why not not just ride the course, but also stop by some spots where you can experience the charm of the Kitami and Okhotsk area to the fullest?

Ride between Lake Saroma and the Sea of Okhotsk! Wakka Primeval Flower Garden, a large colony of coastal plants

On the course to Tokoro, you can enjoy the view of Lake Saroma, a lagoon formed when part of the Sea of Okhotsk is cut off by sediment. Wakka Primeval Flower Garden, located between the Sea of Okhotsk and Lake Saroma, is a large colony of coastal plants with over 300 types of flowers in bloom. From April to September every year, a wide variety of plants bloom, creating a lovely sight.

Sakaeura Fishing Port, located on the eastern edge of Lake Saroma, is one of the bases for oyster and scallop farming. The Wakka Primeval Flower Garden promenade, which runs through Sakaeura Fishing Port and along the shores of Lake Saroma, is a great riding course. This promenade is on the sandbar that separates Lake Saroma from the Sea of Okhotsk, and is a scenic route with views of the lake on both sides.

There are no barriers around, so you can take commemorative photos of your bike with the sunset in the background, a unique opportunity to visit this location.

Wakka Primeval Flower Garden (Wakka Nature Center)

Travel back in time to the Jomon period while taking a forest bath at the Tokoro Ruins Forest

Next we visited the "Tokoro Ruins Forest." We got off our bikes and walked through the forest. This forest is filled with deciduous broadleaf trees such as oaks and Japanese oaks, and contains the remains of pit dwellings from the Satsumon culture (about 1,000 years ago), the post-Jomon period (about 1,800 years ago), and the Jomon culture (about 4,000 years ago).

These "Tokoro ruins" are designated as a national historic site, and there are six restored houses along the walking trail that you can actually enter. We got off our bikes and took a short walk through the forest. We enjoyed forest bathing in the quiet space while touring the historic sites, and experienced the extraordinary feeling of having traveled back in time to the Jomon period.

Tokoro Ruins Forest

For lunch, enjoy plump scallops at "Gohandokoro Tabemonoya"

For lunch, I went to "Gohandokoro Tabemonoya," which has a full menu of noodles, rice bowls, set meals, and more. I ordered the popular "Fried Scallop Set Meal" (1,400 yen).

"We want to deliver the real taste," says the restaurant, which is particular about using fresh, large scallops. The crispy batter contains chewy scallops. The two of us couldn't stop eating because of how delicious they were. It was a very satisfying set meal, both in taste and volume, that got us moving and filled our rumbling bellies.

Rice restaurant Tabemonoya

Cafe Shaberitai: The signature dish is the drift ice soda! Loved by locals and tourists alike

On the way back from Tokoro Bus Terminal, the turnaround point of the one-way ride to Tokoro, you can take a bus. Cafe Shaberitai, located right next to the Tokoro Bus Terminal, is a country-style shop that opened in 1980. The name of the shop comes from the desire to provide a place where anyone can feel free to come and have a fun conversation.

Among the menu items that have been popular since the cafe first opened, such as curry, the most popular item is the "Drift Ice Soda," a glass filled with vanilla ice cream that resembles drift ice. This menu is inspired by the winter waters of the Sea of Okhotsk, where drift ice floats. While waiting for the bus to depart, we reflected on the day with a colorful local soda.

Cafe I want to talk

On the way back, put your bike on the bus. With "Bus & Ride," even beginners can enjoy it with peace of mind.

After enjoying the spectacular views of Tokoro and the delicious food, you will return to the starting point by bus from Tokoro Bus Terminal with your bicycle.

Hokkaido Kitami Bus requires a reservation by the day before on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, and you can load your bicycle onto the bus without folding it. If you put your bicycle in a bicycle carrying bag, no reservation is required, and you can use the suburban line any day of the week.

*This is a demonstration experiment. The demonstration experiment for this season will end on November 30, 2021.

Once you've loaded your bike onto the bus, you can borrow a special belt from the driver to secure it in place. After that, you can enjoy the view from the window as you're rocked along on the bus. The appeal of the "Bus & Ride" service is that you can use the bus to accommodate sudden changes in weather or your physical condition. You can enjoy your bike trip without any stress.

After a swaying bus ride, we arrived at Kitami Cycle Station.

"The Wakka Primeval Flower Garden promenade was so pleasant that I wanted to keep running forever," said Nishiyama. Sawada said with a big smile, "The scenery and the fresh scallops were amazing!"

A trip to Kitami and Okhotsk where you can encounter scenery and local cuisine that can only be experienced by bicycle. If you take a bicycle trip using the "Kitami Cycle Station" and "Bus & Ride", you will surely be able to experience unknown charms.