NY2023 D5 Kameoka - Miyama- Wachi

Route: Kameoka - Miyama - Wachi 
Bicycle: 65 km
Train: 90 km
Average Speed: 19.4 km/h
Total Ascent: 303 m
Riding Time: 3:21 h
Weather: started with sun and clouds, ended in icy rain, 1C 

While I write this, I am sitting in a warm train on the heating, and am still quite cold as my cycling pants, shoes and socks are pretty wet. This was me in the - nicely warm - waiting room or Wachi station, trying to bring life again into my wet and freezing feet (with a warm drink between them). Hail to Japanese vending machines! 

The plan for today in principle was good, cycling from Kameoka to Miyama and the catch a train back to Kyoto from Wachi, only that it started raining about midway through and that in winter in the mountains. Not too much higher that rain came down as snow.

But the valley of Miyama with its traditional farm houses is definitely nice and merits a new visit, with better and slightly warmer and dryer weather. 

I had this page of the Japan Guide open on my mobile phone for maybe 3+ years as a reminder that I want to visit. Maybe not the best way to make a list of places to visit and other reminders, but it does work. I also have some more pages open:

• A page about Tamba Sasayama (actually not too far away from where I was today) 
• Kabuki program in Tokyo
• A list of travel highlights 2019 from a Japan guide author
• A page about Awaji
• …

You get the idea. 

Miyama would for sure have been nice. It’s a remote valley but good to cycle (no steep gradients, good road with not much traffic, and several villages along the road with probably some places to eat as well, at least when it isn’t New Year period when many things are closed. Everything should be back to normal tomorrow, 5/Jan.)

Now some hours later, back in my accommodation in Kyoto, I have had a nice warm (but not too hot) bath in the local sento, just around the corner... 

... and Uber dinner... and am ready for bed. No real plans yet for tomorrow... but not into the mountains. Probably up to Biwako. Weather should be fine. Just cold. Hope that the shoes will be dry by then. I even bought a Japanese sports newspaper (seemed to be the thickest of them all) and have stuffed my shoes with it. Luckily I brought a second pair of shoes, just not totally apt for cycling. So "worst case" tomorrow just some Kyoto city sightseeing. 

NY2023 D4 Kyoto - Kameoka

Route: Kyoto - Arashiyama - Mizuo - Kameoka
Bicycle: 51 km

Train: 20 km

Average Speed: 14.8 km/h

Total Ascent: 714 m

Riding Time: 3;28 h

Weather: Sunny but cold and a few snowflakes, 4 C

Today did go to plan and was nice and different from the previous days. Since I am in Kyoto I thought it only fair to explore some areas around Kyoto where I haven’t been before. So when I looked at a map yesterday it seemed that the plain around Kameoka might be a good destination. But as so often it isn’t the destination but the way to it. 

I saw that there was a pass behind Arashiyama and initially planned to ride up there and then turn on a street that runs parallel to the Sagano Torokko train, but per Komoot that road isn’t passable (although per Google maps it even has a road number), so I also planned an alternative route further up into the mountains and then down to Kameoka plain. 

While riding I met one other cyclist and I met him at the right moment, not too far from the turn I would have needed to take to get in that road. But he advised that that road has trees lying across and is generally more something for a mountain bike. So I continued up the “main” road to this mountain village, famous for its Yuzu. 

I am saying “main” road, because although technically it is the main road there is hardly any traffic. So perfect for us cyclists. 

It was a long ascent but doable. I only pushed the bike for a few meters on the first ascent close to the top, and with the excuse that there was a car behind me that wanted to take over, so I got off... and there was just no possibility to get on the bike again, too steep for that. But the rest, I slowly but steadily made my way up. 

Already on the way down, I even passed this Gassho zukuri house:

The descent was also okay. Not too steep, the road surface good enough, only very few cars... but cold! Although I had put on again all my layers of clothing, which admittedly as a cyclist in winter aren't actually that many, my fingers were frozen when I arrived in the valley. But once down in the plain, I found a conbini, got a hot drink and a hot bun and was on my way again for the two tourist spots of today. 

Frankly I hadn't done a lot of research yesterday, but saw on google maps two temples which I picked. The first one seemed to be closed today... so I only have a picture of the gate (which was open... but nothing behind it was open): 

While the second wasn't exactly teeming with activity, but there must have been something shortly before I arrived. At least there were still a lot of people clearing things up. I also saw a few people leave with their Kagami Mochi.

In a corner of the temple was a small fire, where a long rope was being burned. I saw on New Years Eve quite a lot of people in Kyoto walking around with small ropes (maybe about 30 cm long) that were burning on one end. 

From there it was a short way to the station in Kameoka, where I left the bike in a proper bicycle parking house to wait for me until tomorrow... so now I need to make plans for tomorrow starting in Kameoka... 

NY2023 D3 Nara Wazuka Kyoto

Route: Nara - Wazuka - Kyoto
Bicycle: 80 km
Train: 40 km

Average Speed: 14.8 km/h

Total Ascent: 486 m

Riding Time: 5:23 h

Weather: Sun & clouds, and some rain, 3 C

I left my bike yesterday at the bike parking at Nara station, so today I could start from Mara and head back to Kyoto. The idea was to explore the tea plantations around Wazuka, from where most of the famous Uji green tea stems and to get over some mountains there and then down to Uji and back through Fushimi Inari jinja to Kyoto. 

Also today didn’t go to that plan, but being flexible is part of enjoying being out and about with the bike. The first part to Wazuka went as planned and I had a wonderful ride through the hills of the tea plantations. 

As the information on the internet already told me, these tea plantations are on surprisingly steep hills. 

I had originally planned to ride over one of these hills (they are steep but quite short, only about 1+ km, so worst case totally walkable), but when I was at the base of the climb it started raining. Luckily I was at the only conbini in the valley, so could hide from the rain, but I thought that it would be wiser not to climb up and ride down (!) a wet, steep hill, far away from civilization and train lines. So instead I decided to return back to the Kiso river in the Nara - Uji - Kyoto valley where there would be multiple train lines to choose from. However the rain wasn’t persistent, so I waited it out at the conbini and then head back down, back over the river ... 

... and along it, and back to the cycling road on Kiso river. From there it was a rather uneventful ride back to Kyoto, until arriving at Fushimi Inari Taisha, a very famous spot for Hatsumode. And thus rather busy... but that is part of it. These shrines and temples are in use, specially the first few days of the year. 

I had come here also in early January 2016, which was my first Hatsumode experience in Japan. I don't remember, but I am not sure if I expected anything special or just wanted to see this shrine again, one of my preferred shrines in Japan. So back then I was very surprised by all the offers standing on display. A lot of alcohol (mainly Sake, but also beer), but also other products. E.g. Kleenex, soy sauce, fresh fruit and vegetable, water, ...). Everything the companies that are coming to pray for an other successful year, are producing. Looking back through my old pictures, I saw that last time I was here on January 4th, so already a working day. Not sure if for that reason, but back then, there were a lot of business men coming to give their offerings. It seemed like the president of the company plus a few senior managers all together visiting the shrine. The produce they offer is only "for display" I think. What they are actually offering is money. Back then, there was also a dance / singing of some shrine girls on a stage. But not so today. Anyway, I have my fond memories of this shrine, even if today wasn't anything too special. 

BTW, last time I visited was also special... and can be found here. 

The day finished in an onsen / super-sento (Makoto no yu) not too far from my accommodation. Apparently in what was the red light district of Kyoto in the past, but now a very residential area, with this onsen. It had just one rotenburo, but with a nice view into the night sky with a decoratively shining half moon. After getting my well deserved soak, I had a very good dinner there (steak prepared by myself on a small iron plate) and then headed back to my room, where I am now sitting on my futon, completing this blog post. 

NY2023 D2 Kyoto to Nigatsudo (Nara) 二月堂へ初詣

Route: Kyoto - Nara
Bicycle: 58 km
Train: 40 km
Average Speed: 16.9 km/h
Total Ascent: 347 m
Riding Time: 3:25 h
Weather: Dry, sunny, cold and quite windy, 8 C

On the first day of 2023 I cycled to my preferred temple in Nara, unfittingly my called “February temple” 二月堂. There is even a March and April temple in the same area, but no January temple (to my knowledge). 

Anyway, I like this temple for its superb view over Nara and the valley it lies in.

Unfortunately Japanese cities, even Nara, are pretty much destroyed by new developments and the tiering down of old buildings, so one can only imagine how nice this view must have been in the past.

My original plan was to cycle from Kyoto to Nara and back through Inari jinja, but I started late (I think I was only in the bike at 11:00), had quite fierce headwind or sidewind (also a bit of tailwind but not that much) and even lost my wallet. Luckily I noticed in a conbini (which saved my bladder from explosion) and hadn’t cycled too far from a vending machine where I had bought a drink. So after eating something at the conbini (praise be to ApplePay), I retraced my steps, and luckily found it lying there on the road. So that was a close call, but things worked out. 

The ride from Kyoto to Nara is nearly all on a cycling path along the Kiso river. It seems the complete route is now from Arashiyama all the way to Wakayama, 180 km! I have probably done the entire ride already in bits and pieces. 

As cycling back to Kyoto was out of the question, I decided to park for the night at Nara station, ride back by train and pick up the bicycle tomorrow. Probably for cycling through the tea plantation hills around Uji and back to Kyoto via Inari jinja. 

While I write this I am comfortably sitting in a train back to Kyoto. Still rather empty but the conductor already several times reminded us, that this train will become very crowded. For sure he is referring to Inari jinja station. (In the end it wasn't that bad, yes, the train got crowded, but nothing to compare to normal rush hour in Tokyo or even late rush hour in Tokyo).

Nara itself was also pretty crowded as was an area at the confluence between Kisogawa and Yodogawa, where there must be an important shrine or temple , which I totally ignored.

NY2023 D1 New Year in Kyoto お正月京都で

Route: To Higashi Kyoto

Bicycle: 18 km

Average Speed: 11.5 km/h

Total Ascent: 138 m

Riding Time: 1:36

Weather: Cold and dark... but dry, 3 C

For my first year back in Japan, I have come for the New Year (and until 9/Jan) to Kyoto. And it did not disappoint. 

I had come without a precise plan for these next 10 days. The new not fixed appointment is on Friday, when I have to go to Osaka office for the first working day in 2023. My company is closed 2-5/Jan and the 9/Jan is a local holiday again. Luckily Kyoto /Osaka are so close that commuting there won’t be a problem. 

An other reason I decided for Kyoto is that in smaller cities there is a risk that everything, including restaurants & shops are closed for the first few days of the year. But in a big city such as Kyoto that isn’t a risk. Many things are closed, but enough is open to still have plenty of choice. 

So anyway, I came without detailed plan, so while I was waiting for the delivery of my suitcase I planned some rides. 

Although this isn’t my first New Year in Japan, it was the first time I went to temples at midnight. And which city better for that than Kyoto!

I had searched a bit on the internet which temples and shrines are the best for New Year, and - not surprisingly - there were several suggested temples in Eastern Kyoto. The first temple I went to (and where I parked and then explored the area on foot) was Koudaiji 高台寺 and it was the best of all. 

Quite serene, albeit the many visitors and they even had free Amazake (a kind of sweet , warm , rice porridge drink). 

I was there too early to wait for midnight so went over to Yanaka shrine, which must have been so full that it was impossible to even approach it. It seemed that all ways leading to it were cut of by friendly but resolute watchmen. There was a big night fair behind the shrine though.

When it became clear that this shrine wasn’t going to be reasonably easily accessible, I walked back to Kodaiji, where I arrived a few minutes before midnight, right in time for the midnight countdown.

At the temple itself a monk was playing a huge drum, hitting it not only on the surface, but also the sides and striking over the nails that hold the skin in place with his drum sticks.

Shortly after midnight I left and went in search for an other temple, which however turned out to be closed so decided to head back to my holiday apartment. 

Nagahama on Biwako 余呉湖イチ

Route: Maibara - Yogo lake - Maibara
Bicycle: 76 km

Train: 250 km

Average speed:  km/h
Total ascent: 87 m

Riding time: 3:47 h

Weather: Sunny and not too cold

I was in Osaka for work and took the opportunity to stay for the weekend. The Japanese government has still a program in place to entice people to travel domestically with huge discounts on hotel rates plus vouchers to be used in local shops and restaurants. I had used that program already when traveling to Fuji-5-lakes and in November in Nagano. This time in Osaka it was specially cheap as I choose a cheap hotel, did get the full hotel price reimbursed by my company and had all the discounts. So essentially staying the weekend on was for free. 

I hadn't brought my own bicycle as on a business trip that is too much of a hassle, but I knew that there is a good bicycle rental shop in Maibara station. I reserved a bike a few days before by phone. According to the shop only my height was needed... however the bicycle they had ready for me was several sizes too small. 

Initially they tried to just up the saddle... but I could hardly fit on the bike. Luckily it is mid December and not many people think this is a good season for riding bikes (why?) so there were a lot of other bikes still available and they decided to give me instead this carbon Merida bicycle which was a joy to ride. (Very similar to my own road bike). 

I had made a few plans where to ride, but after consulting with the shop I decided to go with Yogo lake. I had never before ridden into this direction of Biwa lake. So far the farest (from Kyoto/Osaka direction) was Maibara... so off into the unknowns of Nagahama. Nagahama has a replica (as so many places) of a castle very close to the shore...

... of lake Biwa, which was flat and quiet on this rather windstill day with only a few decorative clouds. 

Along nearly the entire lake Biwa there is a bicycle path. It can be a bit bad in some places, but here around Nagahama it was wide, sometimes separated from the street by some small trees and good to ride. 

Lake Yogo itself is a small, very round lake with a quiet street running once around it and as that street doesn't really go anywhere, practically no traffic. 

I did the same ride a few months later with a colleague, this time however with a strong headwind riding towards Yogo lake... which made that on the way back we hardly needed to pedal. Today however back from the lake I had to pedal. But through nice landscape dotted with small villages before returning my bike at the station and catching a train back to Osaka. 

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.

D3 Behind Mt. Iizuma

Route: Kurohime - Togakushi Jinja - Nagano

Bicycle: 47 km

Train: 30 km

Average speed: 12.0 km/h

Total ascent: 1025 m
Weather: sunny, some clouds, but cold (because of the elevation), 6C

Riding time: 3:53 h 

Yesterday I had left my bike at the local bike shed outside of Kurohime station... and it faithfully waited for me (not totally alone) the entire night.

And then the climbing started... all the way up to the Upper shrine of Togakushi, through stunning landscape of volcanos. 

But it was a gradual climb with no crazy slopes, so I was able to work up my way, little by little enjoying the views.

At the top of the climb was the upper Togakushi shrine, but getting to it from the street involved nearly 5 km of hiking (walking) including the last part some uneven stairs up to the shrine. I wasn’t alone to have set out for it, there was a formidable “procession” making its way up the slope.

If you expected some extremely unique or even old shrine or a beautiful view at the end, those expectations were trashed  there was a rather normal , relatively new, small shrine and although we had walked uphill for 2,5 km, there wasn’t any real view.

At the entrance there had been two soba restaurants, but unfortunately the waiting list was so long that I gave up and instead continued on to the Middle shrine, which also turned out to be a pretty normal shrine. 

But somehow both of them are very famous (and popular). For Japanese probably there is some religious meaning to these shrines and for us foreigners I guess it is the landscape they are in.

Then the descent started. Initially it was quite gradual as there is a high plain around the Mt Iizuma… with some more nice views. 

I even went to an old (but rebuild castle above Nagano (which was closed and semi abandoned) , but then the real descent started and it was literally terrifying. 7 sharp bends at 16% inclination on a rough surface in a kind of half tunnel with cars coming up and down through it. Never again! 

Miraculously safely back in the valley, I went to Zenkoji temple. I had been a few weeks before at the end of Silver Week already, but back then in the rain, today with maple trees glowing in the sunlight it was a nice view.

D2 Koyo at Lake Nojiri

Route: Nagano - Shinano- Lake Nojiri - Kurohime 
Bicycle: 58 km

Train: 30 km

Average speed: 15.2 km/h

Total ascent: 1054 m
Weather: cloudy, wet after lunch , 5C

Riding time: 3:49 h

While I write this I am sitting in the waiting room of Kurohime station, where I arrived just a few minutes after the train to Nagano had departed and now need to wait for one hour. Admittedly the waiting room could be a little bit warmer and unfortunately the soba place has closed also at the same time as the train left. But anyway I’m sitting here in the dry and trying not to get too cold. After a day outside riding through very beautiful koyo... but also some rain at the end:

When I first booked the hotel in Nagano for this long weekend I hadn’t really a precise plan what I wanted to do, but I thought that this area here should be nice for cycling. And it definitely is. So I asked in a cycling related Line group, I’m a member off, if anyone had any suggestions for cycling in this area. And one member suggested Lake Nojiri.

When I first arrived to the lake it looked very romantic with the clouds hanging low over it and vapor coming up from it. 

After riding for a little bit along the shore I found a very posh place to have a hamburger. Apart from hamburgers they also had a sauna which seemed to be very popular, as there were many people that clearly just had come out of the sauna.

During lunch I decided to do the full circle of the lake, which wasn’t actually part of my original plan. But looking at it now it was definitely the best part of today’s ride. 

Maybe I should have stop there and come directly to the train station, but I continued with my original plan which foresaw another lake and potentially a waterfall. I didn’t make it to either because what previously was just a bit of dampness became rain and rain at 2°C is just plain cold. 

I’m not entirely sure, but this might’ve been the first ride I’ve ever done with more than 1000 m of climbing in just one ride. And that in only about 50 km!

A few hours later I am sitting now in a horse meat restaurant enjoying some horse sashimi and being very comfortable warm after taking a long onsen soak in my hotel  the same DormyInn where I stayed for 1 night at the end of my Silver Week this year. 

D1 Karuizawa to Nagano (a try)

Route: Tokyo - Karuizawa - Nagano 
Bicycle:  km

Train: 160+

Average speed:  km/h
Total ascent:  m
Weather: very sunny and warm for November, 17 C

Riding time: h

For my first day of this 4 day weekend I had planned a long, but continuously and gradually downhill ride from Karuizawa to my hotel for the next few days in Nagano. 

The weather was perfect, sunny and relatively warm for early November. 

However the ride didn’t go to plan. Although I had changed my tires to tubeless only a few weeks ago, an enormous nail entered in the tire and the sealant wasn’t able to close the hole. 

Luckily the mishap happened at a parking lot, so I had comfortable space to try to put an inner tube in and continue. I tried and tried but didn’t succeed. Then someone from the parking lot who turned out to be also a cyclist came over to help. He managed to put the tube in, but it turned out that the inner tube I had been ferrying around for years was also broken. My savior then went to have lunch but offered to drive me afterwards to a bicycle repair shop. Which he did with his entire family. The shop he had chosen was surprisingly far away, but open and I got fitted with a new inner tube, went to the next train station and got by car to Nagano.

A few months later I tried with a friend who likes repairing bicycles to change the inner tube on my front wheel. And although we were sitting comfortably in his apartment, I wasn’t even able to get the tire off, nor was I able to put the tube in. A further few weeks later I bought a tubeless tire repair kit, but currently have tubes still in the tires so just hoping for the best.