GW2025 D9 exploring around Himeiji

Route: Himeiji to Engyoji (and back home)
Bicycle: 27 km 
Ropeway: 400 m 
Train: 580 km
Total ascent: 200 m?
Average speed: 11,2 km/h
Riding time: 2:27 h
Weather: grey but no rain. Neither warm nor cold, 20 C

I didn’t really have a plan for my last day of Golden Week. At some point I had planned to go from Shodoshima to Okayama and then ride the last day to Himeji (from where my train return ticket was). But when I discovered that there was a direct ferry from Shodoshima to Himeji I changed that plan. The ride Okayama to Himeji ( if done on potentially nice roads along the coast) was likely going to be too long for safely catching a train back home.

So instead I was already in Himeji, without a plan. Yesterday on the ferry I checked what is famous around Himeji and a temple on a mountain came up (and obviously the castle). And yes, this temple was very nice. Perked on top of a small mountain right behind Himeji , surrounded by nature. 

There didn’t seem to be a way up by bicycle so instead I took the rope way. From the top station it is about 1 km of walk to get to the sprawling temple complex. 

It reminded me a lot of Mount Hiei close to Kyoto, but I think this temple was even more quaint although it did have tourists. Including a very noisy group of elderly Spanish tourists. 

On the way to the mountain, I did pass below Himeji castle and took a picture, but had no plan to actually visit it. I have been 30 years ago… and apparently no strong inkling to go back. 

And with that an other Golden Week has finished and I am in the Shinkansen back home. My original ticket was for around 18:00 but I could easily change it for a 15:00 departure including space behind my seat for the bike. 

GW2025 D7 Rain on Shodoshima

Route: Ikeda to Tonosho and back
Walking: 3,5 km
Bus: 15 km
Total ascent: 84 m
Walking time: 1 h
Weather: rainy and very windy, but warmer thab expected , 29C

After the brilliant day yesterday, today was a rainy and windy day. I had reserved a ticket for the museum on Teshima a few days ago, but I actually canceled it today out of fear that the ferry might stop running. The weather forecast and reality, had winds of up to strength 8. Now I don’t really know what the unit of this wind measurement is, but I do remember that strength 10 I experienced a few months ago on Boso Peninsula was scary strong. So taking a boat to another island and needing to return back to Sadoshima didn’t seem like the safest choice. Instead, I walked down to the small village around the port of Ikeda and took a bus from there to Tonosho, the next village over. Around the port there are a few exhibits from the art triennial. Nothing really to write home about. 

At the tourist information center I got a recommendation for a local speciality restaurant: Soumen. Very thin noodles. Frankly, I don’t know what is so special about these. They tasted OK but also nothing that I would consider extremely special. But it is the recognizing local speciality.

When I had finished lunch, it had started to rain a little bit harder and the wind was getting stronger so I decided to take the next possible bus back to my home village. And was in big luck that the next bus was leaving just within a few minutes from me arriving at the bus terminal. The bus only left me down in the village because the other route that goes up here, where my hotel is outside the village overlooking the bay, only runs every now and then. But luckily, the rain was kind of OK and the wind wasn’t too much of a problem either.

I spent the afternoon first in the lobby, trying to read a local manga that seems to be famous on this island. I just read the first chapter, and it was quite simply about some school friends. Not really sure how you can write many volumes about them. 

Later on, I moved to the communal bath, relax there a little bit then to my room watch some Netflix and now I have just come back from dinner, which luckily I managed to reserve yesterday.

Tomorrow will be my last day on the island and the weather will be fine again. I’m planning on a bit more art and a ride along the coast to a port from where I can take a ship back to Honshu.

GW2025 D6 The beauty of Shodoshima

Route: around (not all of it) Shodoshima

Bicycle: 69 km (marking finally 3000 km this year) 
Ferry: 25 km
Total ascent: 1190 m
Average speed: 13 km/h
Riding time: 5:10 h
Weather: sunny and again great temperature, 20C

Today I left the big island of Shikoku and went to the second largest, Shodoshima. The island is famous for its olive trees. Also here are parts of the art triennial. But no art museum. My initial plan was very ambitious to see art and ride to the top of the island. I realized when I was at the first art valley, that my plan was not achievable. So I replanned. Actually I replanned later an other 2 times adding more kilometers, more elevation, more views and more art. 

This first valley I went to is famous for its rice paddies. I cycled up through them until I reached the well that feeds these paddies to enjoy the view over the entire valley.

Down in the valley there are a few more art installations. Including this bamboo dome built by a Taiwanese artist which integrates perfectly into the landscape and is extremely relaxing to sit inside. Hear the noises of the forest and fields around you while being in this semi closed space completely constructed with bamboo.

From there were indications downstream to another artwork reachable by a pleasant walk at the border of the forest. This artwork was in an old mill where machines were playing old wooden utensils, including old soumen (the famous noodles of this region) boxes.

After recovering my bicycle, I continued further downstream And came by this kabuki theatre in the middle of fields.

In the next village, there was some more art exhibits, including this rather disturbing house half filled with water and with creatures that could rival any ghost train. One can even write through it on a small boat, within the house. As the boat master was on lunch break when I arrived. I also went to lunch in a close by and now closed school. But the Charon never arrived , so I just had a look and then continued on my way. 

My replanned route took me now over to the other side of the island where this egg is standing. To get there I needed to get over a small pass on the top of which there was this wonderful bus waiting room was probably the nicest view of any bus stop I’ve seen in a long time.

The place where the egg stands doubles also has a view point for the sunset.

I continued down to the coast and he replied my ride again to take in more of the coast and a small road running along that coast with a little traffic.

As I hadn’t managed to reserve dinner for today, I bought some dinner at a convenience store a few kilometers before my hotel. Stuffed the dinner into my pockets and my T-shirt and then proceeded to the check-in. But the day was so nice that I wanted to continue riding and there’s another peninsula with more art closeby so I replanned again my ride.

I was too late for the artworks indoors, but the outdoors could be enjoyed. After a lot of up and down I pretty much felt like this statue.

I managed to return to my hotel right in time for the sunset view.

GW2025 D5 a bit of everything

Route 1: small round of Naoshima
Route 2: Takamatsu - temple 82 - 81- back to Takamatsu 
Bicycle: 63 km
Ferry: 32 km
Total ascent: 907 m
Riding time: 4:54 h
Weather: sunny but not hot, 20C

With everything ongoing at work, and with building the house, I didn’t have a lot of time to organize this Golden Week trip. I reserved the hotels a few weeks ago, but that was about it. So I didn’t realize that for the museums in Naoshima, one now needs a reservation. So when I finally checked yesterday evening, I saw that there was no more reservations possible for the entire week. Luckily I didn’t go yesterday in the rain, hoping to be able to see museums. It is likely I wouldn’t have been able to access them. There are a few that during the art triennial are accessible without reservation, but they also run a reservation program at the same time, so probably if you turn up without a reservation you’re just stuck in a long queue waiting. In the rain.

So I went today in perfect weather conditions, however, my bicycle wasn’t in perfect conditions. I noticed in the morning that the rear tire had only a little bit of air left in. Luckily, there was a bike shop right in front of my hotel which left the pump outside on the pavement. So I filled the tube there, cycled to the port, took the ferry over to Naoshima, but by the time I arrived on the island, the tire was very soft again. I got a pump at one of the bicycle rental shops in the harbor, but also had a look at the tire and it was clear that this tire hadn’t a hole, rather it lacked the rubber from too much riding.

So I just did a quick round of Naoshima, to the few pieces of art that are actually accessible on a day where all the museums are closed. These were the same pieces of art I already saw back in 2016 when I was here for the first time. Back then no reservation for any of the museums was needed. I just remember that we were waiting in a small queue in front of one art exhibit, but that was about it. And that was also in the middle of golden week. So clearly this art triennial has taken off in popularity, plus there are many more international visitors to Japan and this area.

Naoshima is probably best known for its “pumpkins” designed by Kusama Yayoi.

Pumpkin 1:

Pumpkin 2: 

And even a “traffic” sign for the pumpkin:

Next time I come to Naoshima I must be better prepared with reservations for some of the museums. Probably it is better to visit the island outside of the triennial.

While on the island, I called a bicycle shop in the harbor of Takamatsu and confirmed that they would be able to replace the tire. After my quick round of the island, I took back an early ship to Takamatsu got the bicycle repaired while I was having lunch at the station.

This left me with the entire afternoon free for another ride. On Shikoku there’s a pilgrimage to 88 temples that are spread around the entire island.When I came to Takamatsu yesterday, I saw that there were two on a mountain just outside of the city, so I planned a ride there.These were temples, 82 and 81.

There was even another pumpkin.

I had actually been to both of these temples nine years ago on my very first trip to Shikoku. Back then we were traveling by car. Actually, I remember letting my ex-husband out at the bottom of a path up to temple number 81, so that he could hike up, while I was driving up. I would not have imagined to ride up this mountain by bicycle back then.

I was actually surprised how many meters of elevation this mountain/hill was. 

On the way down back to the plains, I was rewarded with the spectacular view over towards Sakaide. 

On the ride back to the city, I tried finding smaller roads. In some places I succeeded, in others, not so much.Japan simply outside of the major megalopolis like Tokyo, Osaka, etc., is a car country. We forget that living in Tokyo.

GW2025 D4 some art in and around Takamatsu in the rain

Route: not really, just Takamatsu and Shikoku mura
Walking: 14 km
Train: 10 km
Total ascent: 242
Walking time: 3:25 h
Weather: rain in the morning, grey in the afternoon, 15 C

It seems that the destiny of Day 4 of Golden Week is rain. I just saw in my Strava feed that last year I was walking from an onsen back to a train station in the rain around Mt Aso. This year I am not in a onsen rich region (for Japanese standards). Here the topic is art. 

I had initially considered to go to Naoshima as per plan, but without the bicycle. However the entire morning it was raining and pretty cold. Luckily I brought my light down jacket. And bought a sturdy umbrella in a conbini close to my hotel. But even so it seemed a miserable idea to go to a small island in that rain. Not everyone agreed. There were plenty of people going by ferry, although likely much less than anticipated for the last day of Golden Week. 

I just looked at some “art” around the port. I say “art” as at least this piece of “art” is so far from being art , that I wonder how it made it on the list.

A few other things were around but all far from leaving any impression. 

For lunch I had the famous Udon of Takamatsu, all my Japanese colleagues mentioned that I must eat Udon here, went briefly back to the hotel (which has a trap called TV set with Netflix connection), before venturing out again and going to the museum village of Shikoku Mura. 

It assembles old houses brought here from many parts of Shikoku. Plus a modern art museum built by Tadao Ando.

When back in the hotel (now I am in a very small train going back to the city) I’ll have a long, warm soak in the onsen (with rotenburo!) and then do some “homework” for my house building. In the Tadao Ando museum there was an art installation that asked for visitors to contribute a shape that is currently close to them. I built my house. 

GW2025 D3 Setouchi Art Triennial around the Seto-Ohashi bridge

Route: Okayama - Seto Ohashi - Takamatsu
Bicycle: 66 km
Train: 53 km
Total ascent: 565 m
Average speed: 13,4 km/h
Riding time: 4:54 h
Weather: sunny a few clouds but not THAT warm, 18C

Today was another perfect day, that didn’t go to plan. I got up relatively early and took a train from Okayama over to Shikoku. It passes over a long bridge going through the Setonaikai dotted with islands. I got off at the first stop on Shikoku, assembled the bicycle, and then set out to the art exhibits around the bridge.

The first piece of art I saw was this small hill, which wasn’t a tomb, like the slightly bigger hill I saw a few days ago in Kibi plain.

From there, I followed the signs for some other pieces of art around it, none of which really impressed me.

In the small village of Seicho, they were three abandoned schools. The kindergarten, elementary school and junior high school.well now closed and used as temporary exhibition sites for this art festival. However, the artists didn’t seem to have a lot of ideas, so most of the exhibits in all three schools were kind of just stuff that was already in those school buildings abandoned, put together and reclaimed as art.

There was really only one piece of art that I thought was interesting. It was a still life photographed over several weeks in a style similar to Caravaggio. It started with a very abundant display of fruit and vegetables, very colorful and apparently full of life in front of a dark background. Initially, you didn’t notice anything, but looking at it for some time, one could appreciate the change from this fresh, full of vitality, display of fruits and vegetables, to the decay.on the wall behind, there was still a clock from the school, which every minute was the change of the hand gave a loud noise. So you could hear the passing of time, while seeing it reflected in the unstoppable decay of rotting fruits, and vegetables.

With all this art time flew by. At one of the schools, there was even a service for some lunchboxes, and freshly fried fish, so I had lunch there, and it was clearly too late to ride to Kotohira shrine and make it up there.It’s already the second time I’m here in this area of Shikoku and do not manage to get to this famous shrine. So a good reason to come back sometime in the future.

Instead, I saw that there was one piece of art that still belongs to this area, which was between the area around the bridge and Takamatsu. So I replant the ride to get to also this piece of art. Which essentially was a small village park with a bench and a place to light a bonfire.

It was however, early enough to make it to Takamatsu and still have more than sufficient time to see again the superb Ritsurin garden.this is definitely the best Japanese garden that I have seen. Although it didn’t make it on the official list of the three best gardens. What I really like about it how it incorporates the nature around it into the garden. It offers so many different view points that you could easily spend an entire day in this garden discovering new views.

GW2025 D2 Ashimori and Takahashi

Route: Okayama - Ashimori -Takahashi

Bicycle: 70 km
Train: 0 m
Car: 51 km
Total ascent: 987 m
Average speed: 15,4 km/h
Riding time: 4:35 h
Weather: sunny and again not too warm, 20 C

Today was a wonderful day with new discoveries and very relaxing. Now I just need to hope that I’ll be able to make it back to Okayama as I am sitting in a train at Bitchu Takahashi station that isn’t moving because somewhere down the line rocks did fall on the track. I am pondering if I should put the bicycle together back again and ride down to the plain of Okayama. However even Soja is 30 km away, it’s already 18:00 and it seems that trains from Soja are also not moving. Probably because the trains from Takahashi don’t arrive. The other passengers are sitting relaxed, and I have still the blog post of yesterday to write, so I am sitting here as well … However, after an announcement saying that the responsible JR person would be at the site of the rock at 19:00 to check it out, instead I decided to take the bike and just when I had it all assembled again a man who was going to take the train as well approached me and offered to take me by car. So here we go. By car to Okayama.  

The car ride itself was also a great experience. Obviously I was a bit conscious of the fact that I am boarding a car of a totally unknown man. But , well, most people in the world are good people. And he was definitely one of them. Surprisingly I had a really good conversation with him. He seemed very well informed about global affairs , the war in Ukraine and just generally an interesting person to talk to about more than just the weather. 

Now back in my hotel , and back to today’s blog post.

Getting out of Okayama wasn’t the best route, but once outside I was on one of cycle paths in the Kibi plain but somewhere took different turns from yesterday and this came to a new place: Ashimori 

I had never heard about this place and even yesterday when I searched for interesting spots around Okayama it did not come up. So I was really lucky to stumble up on it. On my way. A nice small village, largely maintaining its old character of, what I would call, post town. There is an old samurai residence, which I did not visit and a garden that uses the mountains as part of its landscape design. The old lord of the area could sit in his tea house above the small lake and enjoy the breeze and the views.

Before entering into the mountains, I had udon at a local small restaurant, where the owner‘s wife was very eager to speak English and gave me a small cake from the area. From there, it was uphill on a very nice and quiet country road through the lush green vegetation. I’m really surprised how green everything is. Which really I shouldn’t. Japan is a very green country. But somehow this year I didn’t notice the change from winter landscape to the lush green landscape. I’m simply too busy with my house building, that I didn’t have enough time to cycle in the countryside and mountains around Tokyo. So this trip here feels like the first time to really see this abundance of green.

Somewhere in these mountains, there are small hamlets, probably all but destined to disappear in the next 50 years.

And with that I made it to the viewpoint above the castle of Takahashi. 

I didn’t have enough time to visit the castle and the mountain it is on top of looks really steep. I actually visited it eight years ago on my tour through Japan. Back then I took the train from Okayama and then a taxi up to the entrance of the castle. Today instead, I visited a temple, down in the valley, which back then the taxi driver recommended to me, but somehow I hadn’t considered visiting it. The temple itself is probably a pretty normal temple, but the draw of it is it’s Japanese garden.

The Rododendron wasn’t in full bloom yet, but even though this garden was very relaxing and calm.

People always complain or fear how full everything will be in golden week, but it’s so much depends on where you go. Yes the train yesterday was crazy full but today both in Ashimori, and in Takahashi, there were very few people around.It simply isn’t on any major, or even minor routes through Japan, not even for the Japanese.

GW2025 - D1 Kibi plain repeat

Route Okayama - Kibi plain round trip
Bicycle: 61 km
Train: 650 km
Total ascent: 243 m
Average speed: 15,7 km/h
Riding Time: 3:47 h
Weather: very sunny but not THAT warm, 20C

I organized this Golden Week trip maybe about two months ago, right after I found out that this year is again the art triennial in the Setouchi region. And although it is right in the middle of Golden Week, I did have no problems in finding reasonably priced accommodations in the area.

For the first two days, I’m in Okayama, where I have been eight years ago on my big trip through Japan. Today was actually a repeat of a ride that I did back then.

In order to come here, I needed to pass through the craziness of getting on a Shinkansen out of Tokyo on the first official day of Golden Week. The situation at Tokyo station was a well organized chaos. I made it pretty easily to the actual platform, but on the platform there were hoards of people, kept in organized queues by special railway employees.During Golden Week for the Nozomi Shinkansen, all seats are reserved, which means that people who did not get a reservation are all desperate to board a Hikari or Kodama train. So there were long queues on the platform, and the people who were actually there to take their reserved seat in the Nozomi needed to kind of squeeze between everyone else. Even the vending machine was nearly empty, and that at 9 AM in the morning. Luckily, I had bought something for breakfast and lunch at a conbini on the way to Tokyo station, so I didn’t need to get anything from the platform shop. However, once I was in my Nozomi on my reserved seat, I had the space behind the seat for the bicycle and could sit comfortably all the way to Okayama. As there was so much traffic and, probably especially the Hikari and Kodama trains, took more time at the platform to load and unload people, the entire system was in delay. And by the time I reached Okayama, my train already had racked up more than 20 minutes of delay. Even Okayama station was very crowded and we needed to form a line to get out of the turn-still. 

On my way, I had planned the ride for today and tomorrow. Today, a short ride into Kibi plain with its temples, shrines and old tombs. 

The first two stops were too big shrine complexes at the foothill of a small hill. As in the next few days is the children’s day, they were kois flying above in the air. Normally, they should be flying over a river, but here they were flying over the parking lot.

The second shrine per the description had a very special roof, I think if I wouldn’t have read it, I would not consider this roof as anything special, but just a normal shrine roof. But I’m clearly no expert.

As I continued on the cycle path, I continued through the plain with small fields and small hamlets. I had planned a little bit longer ride, but at some point it was getting surprisingly chilly and also a little bit late, that I decided to take a shortcut cut back to Okayama. but while being on my shortcut, I remembered a picture of the main temple of this area with a flower field in front of it. So I checked how far it would be from where I was on my shortcut, and it was within less than 4 km, so I decided to give it a detour. I had been to this temple 8 years ago, but to my surprise I had a new experience today. They were arranging the big drums for a concert in the evening in front of the pagoda in the yard of the temple, and already had some test runs of their performance.

And no, this hill is not a hill, it is actually an ancient tomb.