Kicking Miles Japan 2017

1,800 kilometres across Japan by kick-scooter

The Journey

In March 2017, three friends and I kick-scootered 1,800 kilometres from Fukuoka to Hakodate. Forty days, 35 cities, averaging about 45 kilometres daily. The plan seemed reasonable on paper. Reality proved more interesting.

I thought I understood what 1,800 kilometres meant. I was wrong. By day 10, my legs had different ideas about sustainable daily progress. By day 30, I had learned something about breaking impossible-seeming goals into manageable pieces.

Documentation

We documented the journey on Website, Instagram and Facebook.

Interactive Route Map

Our complete route from Fukuoka to Hakodate, documented with waypoints and major stops:

Interactive map showing our complete 1,800km journey with waypoints and daily stops

Route & Planning

We started in Fukuoka, aimed for Hakodate, and mapped a route through Japan's spine. Four segments: Kyushu to Osaka, Osaka to Tokyo, Tokyo to Sendai, then north to Hokkaido.

The Route:

  • Fukuoka to Osaka - Western coast, learning our rhythm
  • Osaka to Tokyo - Through Kyoto, Mount Fuji, urban Japan
  • Tokyo to Sendai - Northeast, different terrain
  • Sendai to Hakodate - Final push, ferry to Hokkaido

Forty-five kilometres per day sounded manageable. Some days we managed 50, others barely 35. Rest days were not optional suggestions. They became essential mathematics.

Major Cities & Stops

Over 40 days, we passed through 35 cities, each offering unique experiences and challenges:

Southern Route (Kyushu & Western Honshu):

  • Fukuoka (Start)
  • Kitakyushu
  • Shimonoseki
  • Hiroshima
  • Okayama
  • Osaka

Northern Route (Eastern Honshu & Hokkaido):

  • Kyoto
  • Tokyo
  • Sendai
  • Morioka
  • Aomori
  • Hakodate (Finish)

Daily Rhythm

By day 5, we had found our pattern. Early morning planning over convenience store coffee, 20-something kilometres before lunch, another 20-something after. Find somewhere to sleep, document the day, plan tomorrow.

What Each Day Actually Looked Like:

  • 6:30am: Coffee, route checking, weather complaints
  • 8:00am: First 20km, usually optimistic about distance
  • 12:00pm: Lunch break, equipment reality checks
  • 3:00pm: Second 20km, increasingly realistic about distance
  • 6:00pm: Find accommodation, document everything

March 25th, day 25. I remember eating sukiyaki the night before we reached Tokyo. Nervous energy about the big city, half of us feeling like we had butterflies, the other half overfull from that hearty meal. Restless before what felt like the main event.

What I Learned

Forty-five kilometres daily turned out to be sustainable. Eighty would have broken us. This taught me something about the difference between intensity and consistency that I still apply to other projects.

Notes to Self:

  • Sustainable beats heroic: Daily progress compounds; sprints lead to burnout
  • Plans are starting points: Flexibility saved us more than rigid schedules
  • Team coordination: Four people, different strengths, shared direction
  • Slow reveals more: Smaller cities showed us Japan beyond the guidebooks
  • Know your limits: When to push harder, when to rest, when to adjust

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