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What an incredible adventure. My thoughts when reading were that for all the modern convenience we enjoy today, we have lost so many opportunities for exploration and adventure.

Although I suppose I could go ride my bike across Japan this weekend if I wanted to. And while I wouldn't be the first to do it, it would no doubt still be a memorable adventure.

Or just fire up youtube and watch someone else ride his bike across Japan. ;)
Well, why go to a fine restaurant when you can just stick something in the microwave? Why go to the park and fly a kite, when you can just pop a pill?
This is on Librivox:

https://librivox.org/around-the-world-on-a-bicycle-vol-1-by-...

https://librivox.org/around-the-world-on-a-bicycle-vol-2-by-...

and is an interesting listen, which is a record of how Europeans and Americans used to view the rest of the world (and to some degree, for some folks, still do).

Thank you for sharing. For anyone who is interested in a version with the original illustrations, I was able to find one here:

https://archive.org/details/aroundworldonbic01steviala/aroun...

https://archive.org/details/aroundworldonbic02steviala/aroun...

Not sure how well it would download to an e-reader, though.

>>>>>In every town and village one is struck with the various imitations of European goods. Ludicrous mistakes are everywhere met with, where this serio-comical people have attempted to imitate name, trade-mark, and everything complete

Seems like quality control came after the innovation post-war boom to the japanese :)

I wonder how this works in practice

Do you lug along spare tires/chains/tools? And then mail extras ahead to your destinations?

Yes, he carried some spare parts, one at least one occasion, he had a local blacksmith do repairs, and I think he might have been paused at one point, waiting for additional spares by post.