Obon D3 this time the “real” waterfall

Route: Karuizawa - Shiraito - Onioshidashi - Karuizawa
Bicycle: 52 km
Hiking: 5km
Total ascent: 1116 m
Average speed:12.4 km/h
Riding time:4:13 h
Weather: Sunny , some clouds, no rain (!) and not too hot

After the attempt yesterday that finished in a very different waterfall caused by a heavy downpour accompanied by lightning, today, the revenge ride. So again up to the way, crossing where the toll road to the official Shiraito waterfall starts. When I arrived on top, I checked the bus schedule and there was going to be a bus in a few minutes, so I decided to take the bus to the waterfall instead of hiking there. Being this a long weekend in the summer, they were a lot of other people aiming for the same goal. This meant that getting to the tollbooth took quite some time. But luckily, once the toll booth was behind it wasn’t too slow. The bus station is actually very close to the waterfall.

This waterfall is a major tourist attraction, even attracting a lot of foreign visitors. Probably aided by the fact that there’s relatively frequent buses from Karuizawa. It is a nice waterfall, but I would say that the homonymous waterfall close to Fuji is nicer.

To get back to my bicycle, I walked through the forest a nice hiking pass of about 3.5 kilometers. While ride around the waterfall, there’s an absolute craziness of tourist, most Japanese and foreigners, shortly after the waterfall I was pretty much alone and a nice Forest. The sun filtered through the three leaves creating a nice atmosphere. I had forgotten my bear bell on the bicycle, So that I played requiems of Fauré. A few days later on YouTube, I saw a film explaining some ideas how to keep bears away, and one of the ideas was to speak loudly. So probably it would have been better to put some podcast on rather than classical music. But it created a nice atmosphere in the forest.

Back at the road, Junction I had lunch in the same place as yesterday, before continuing to the second highlight of the day: Onioshidashi, literally: monster pushing out. Getting there by car would’ve meant yet another toll road and much less descending in ascending, but again this toll road was closed to bicycles. But I managed to ride about half of the distance through a very tranquil vacation house area with a wide road and absolutely no cars.

The Onioshidashi Park is a volcanic park on the slopes of Mount Asama. This mountain once upon a time was a Volcano as impressive as Mount Fuji. Until it suffered a catastrophic volcanic eruption and lost huge parts of itself. It’s still a pretty tall mountain, but the lava stones thrown around give testimony to its destructive powers.

Obon D2 Waterfall

Route: up to the entrance to Shiraito waterfall
Bicycle: 40 km
Total ascent: 819 m
Average speed: 11,4 km/h
Riding time: 3:31 h
Weather: nice until it wasn’t, not too hot, 25C

In Japan there are relatively frequently touristic toll roads that either go to some specific place or have especially nice views. Mostly these roads are closed to bicycles. I have no idea why and I’m pretty annoyed by it.Also around Karuizawa there is one of those toll roads, and it is the only way to get to Shiraito waterfall a famous local attraction. So as a cyclist, the only way is to walk from the entrance of the toll road through the forest to the waterfall. That was the idea for today. But I ended up with a very different waterfall.

The day started nice, not too hot. My last stop prior to ascending the mountain from where to walk to the waterfall was at Hoshino. The upmarket leisure area with a wedding church, an onsen and a lot of overpriced coffeeshops, bakeries, and restaurants along a small stream. It is a nice area, but also not very Japanese. As the rest of Karuizawa. I had hoped that I could stock up at a vending machine with a drink before cycling up the mountain, but that area is so upmarket that a mere vending machine is not in existence. Luckily, I found one a little bit further up in an onsen where I went later on on my way back.

Replenished with enough fluids, I started cycling uphill on a road with a little bit too much car traffic for my liking, but luckily most of the road had two lanes uphill. And so I arrived at the entrance to the toll road where a restaurant and a public toilet was located. Also, here are I simply wanted to stock up on more drinks before walking to the waterfall, but before I could start my hike, it started raining. Initially just a few drops, but after a minute, the floodgates of heaven opened. So, instead of walking to the waterfall, I took refuge in the restaurant and had lunch, still hoping that the weather would get better and allow me to get to the waterfall either by bus or walking. But the downpour continued for the next hour. Intermittently I checked on the weather app if the cloud would move away, and it seemed it would, but the time never seemed to arrive. I paid and waited a little bit longer outside already checking what the alternatives were to get down from that mountain.  Luckily there were actually alternatives as there is a bus stop going down to the train station. The buses are not very frequent, maybe once per hour. While I was still waiting and checking the weather app at a point the rain became a little bit lighter so I decided to get down.

This picture wasn’t even taken at the worst moment.

Slowly and safely, I made it down, keeping surprisingly dry under my rain jacket, at least the upper body. Legs and up to the waist soaked in rain and dirt.

I was uncertain if I really wanted to go to the onsen because it would mean to get into the wet clothes again after the relaxing bath. But once I was close to the onsen down in Karuizawa it had stopped raining. It probably still rained on the mountain. So I when for my soak. 

Previously when I was in Karuizawa the only public onsen I knew was the one built by Kuma Kengo in Hoshino area.  So I was curious to find out about a other public onsen actually, not too far away: Sengataki Onsen  

The answer is quite nice was too big outdoor pools one of them with a roof. What was creepy though was that I discovered a hidden camera that was pointing at one of the outside pools. I alerted the lady who was cleaning and checking on the onsen and she got rid of the camera and called the police. I hope they can investigate who put that camera there and that the onsen will not have negative impact. 

To get back to my hotel, I took a slightly different route through yet another vacation house area in the forest. Karuizawa is also strangely full of churches.It at least feels like they’re more churches than temples and shrines.

D1 through the hilly interior of Boso peninsula

Route: Sodegaura - interior of Boso peninsula - Heguri
Bicycle: 74 km
Train: 85 km
Total ascent: 900 m
Average speed: 16,9 km/h
Riding time: 4:24 h
Weather: sunny, some clouds and around 12C

It feels like a long time without some proper rides. Lately, most of my weekend time is taken up by visiting kitchen exhibitions, bathroom showrooms, toilet manufacturers, and obviously meeting with the house builder. But this long weekend I did reserve to do some touristic riding in an area, actually not very far from Tokyo, but where I have never been before: Boso peninsula. 

And I’m really lucky with the weather.  Yesterday it was snowing big flakes in Tokyo during most of the morning and then cold rain in the afternoon. But for this long weekend, today, Thursday, is a local holiday, I think for the start of spring, the weather forecast is excellent. Sun, a few clouds and getting warmer by the day arriving to about 20°C on Saturday. On Sunday I need to be back in Tokyo for more visits to the house builder. Hopefully finally being able to decide on the layout of the rooms, so that the plan can be fixed and we can enter into the next planning phase.

The ride didn’t feel so hilly, because there wasn’t one big climb, but it must’ve been more up-and-down and more gradual ascents than I thought, because somehow I climbed 900 m although I never really got very high up.

I didn’t have enough time to actually plan the rides so I just planned something quick in the Komoot app while sitting in the train. And I have to say so far what I saw today was not spectacular. Not bad either but nothing to write home about, or to actually write in this blog.

The one sightseeing spot, recognizing by Japanese local tourists, was this minor waterfall through an arch.

As far as I know, Boso Peninsula is famous for its flowers. but for sakura, it is still way too early, and while they were some isolated, flowering plum and peach trees, in the mountainous interior of the peninsula, it was clearly still too cold for the flowers.

The day finished in a small village in their abandoned  elementary school, now transformed into a basic guest house,co-working space, and restaurant. But the restaurant is open only for lunch on some days and there are no coworkers around. Luckily, the owner was able to organize a freshly cooked bento, which I ate in one of the old classrooms. And no, this is not my bicycle in the background. Those are some bicycles that can be rented here.

D2 - Akame 48 waterfalls

Route: Nabari - Akame waterfalls - Akameguchi
Bicycle: 13 km
Hiking: 10 km
Train: 55 km
Total Ascent: 440 m 
Average Speed: 17.7 km/h
Riding Time: 45 min
Hiking Time: 2:45 h
Weather: Cloudy and later some rain... but not on me, ~10 C

My first post with "hiking"... an activity I don't really like, because my eyes are normally glued to the ground so I don't actually see the surroundings through which I am hiking. Plus my knee isn't very happy with going downstairs (and yes... this hiking involved a lot of stairs). But Akame 48 waterfalls can be seen hiking only. 

As I was there too late yesterday, I had left the bicycle at Nabari station, so that's where today's ride started. From there up to Akame it isn't very far. I had spotted yesterday a bicycle rack where I left the bike hanging and then set off into the ravine. At the entrance they told me yesterday that it would take 90 min to get to the last waterfall and 90 minutes back. I thought that sounded like a long estimation, but for the way in, it was spot on. I entered the ravine at 9:20 and got to the last waterfall at 10:50... took a 10 min break and had a onigiri I had brought along. On the way back I was however a little bit faster and made it back by 12:15. 75 minutes for the way back. 

The path is along the ravine and follows multiple waterfalls from tiny ones...

... to much bigger ones. 

I had noticed yesterday that in the ravine it was quite cold and today with the weather being already colder, I opted for long cycling trousers and my trusted Castelli ROS jacket. Which was a good combination, allowing for some underlayers to be taken off during the hike and put on later again. 

Overall there were not many people on the hiking path. But one can imagine that in koyo period it will be quite full. Specially until the second major waterfall. After that the hike becomes a little bit more hard (after all, these are waterfalls... so to get to the one above, one needs to walk up and up and sometimes quite steep. So I think a lot of people only make it to the second waterfall... which means they are missing out on what I thought was the nicest of them all, Ninai waterfall (first picture above). 

When I came back I had lunch in a small restaurant in the rather ugly village at the entrance. While eating it started to rain... but luckily rain radar showed (and weather conformed) a break in the rain a little bit later. So I waited it out, then got back on the bike and down to the next train station in Akameguchi, quickly disassembled the bike, headed to the platform, managed to get the bag on top of the bike and jumped on the train that arrived in that moment. Perfect non-planning. 

Back in the hotel I had a long relaxing scrub in the hotels onsen, did put all my cloths in the washing machine and then relaxed in my room. 

Tomorrow it is back to work for at least 1 day, but in Osaka. Tuesday weather seems to be fine, so I will take PTO. Wednesday is the local holiday... but it seems it will rain... so maybe some museum time? Thursday again rain, so I will work but Friday looks nice and sunny, albeit cold. 

D4 Waterfalls over Takayama

Route: Nagano to Okuyama and back
Bicycle: 76 km

Train: 250 km

Average speed:  km/h
Total ascent: 967 m

Riding time: 4:11 h

Weather: Sunny, 10 C

For my last day of this 4 day weekend, I had looked up on Google Maps a bit the region, and found a waterfall in the mountains behind Takayama. Riding up there I came through this very Japanese typical koyo landscape, probably at its peak and with a small river also coloured in brown. 

Probably because the onsen town of Takayama has brownish water... Although I didn't try it. On the village square was this public bathhouse: 

I had lunch here and then further up into the hills to the first waterfall. Which was actually across the valley on the other side and against the light hardly visible. But tall. 

But there were tourist groups coming here by bus. Luckily they didn’t stay very long so there was also time to enjoy the view on my own from a small viewing platform. Originally I wanted to return from here but the guard of the parking lot convinced me that not too far up the road there was a second much better waterfall. 

And yes, that one was much better. Shorter but you could walk under it.