Kii Nagashima - Shingu

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紀北町, 北牟婁郡, JP

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Route Overview

Outdoor Adventure JP

Outdoor life, usually from central Japan. Cycling, bike-packing, hiking, and photography.

66 mi.

7,925 ft.

Kii Nagashima to Shingu, on the Kii Peninsula.

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Route Details

# The Route
With a rugged and beautiful scenic coast, tiny fishing villages scattered along the shores, an abundance of isolated and rarely ridden mountain roads, and the [Kumano Kodo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumano_Kod%C5%8D) (熊野古道), @photo[an ancient walking trail through the mountains](2236518), the [Kii Peninsula](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kii_Peninsula) (紀伊半島) has been an area of Japan I’ve wanted to cycle in for a long time. This route rides along the @slice[east coast](d,105,106307.91) with views of the Pacific Ocean waving as you ride by.

**The Japanese archipelago is strongly affected by the Pacific Typhoon Season from May to October each year. August and September are the peak of the typhoon season in Japan. On average, the Pacific experiences 25 tropical cyclones with 11 of these approaching Japan and 3 directly hitting the country.*
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For this ride, I took the train from Nagoya JR Station south to Kii Nagashima (紀伊長島), just north of Owase (尾鷲).

There are plenty of short, punchy up-down climbs between the numerous fishing villages but nothing that's out of hand. @slice[The R778, south of Owase,](d,32708.11,41030.2) is the only long isolated climb, but it offers @photo[wonderful views](2236509) over the ocean and well worth the work. **I didn’t pass a single car or cyclist at all on the mountain.**

A few things to bear in mind are that the @photo[large stretch of beach](2236516) from Kumano to Shingu is closed to vehicles during autumn as it’s where sea turtles come to lay their eggs.

**I saw a few people fishing and running along the beach just before sunset, so I made sure to @poi[camp](2656733) in an area that was well used among fishermen and daytime picnickers to avoid the nesting grounds.*

The @slice[R42 heading towards Shingu](d,88855.44,106307.91) can be quite busy at times compared to previous parts of the route, so be mindful on this stretch. 
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## Major towns you will pass through:

* @point[Owase](d,25754.31)
* @point[Mihama](d,98184.02)
* @point[Shingu](d,105956)
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*NOTE: 
    There are quite a few tunnels along the route but for most of them there was usually a seperate tunnel for pedestrians and cyclist that run parallel to the car traffic. Even so, lights are essential as there are still a few mainly shorter tunnels that you have to share with traffic.

**Overall a pleasant days route, and one that I hope to continue in the near future.**

For a detailed review of the ride, visit [BikePackingJapan.com](http://www.bikepackingjapan.com/home/2016/9/19/kii-nagashima-to-kumano)

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Kii Nagashima - Shingu

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