NY2025 D3 Nigatsudo and Kashihara jingu

Route: Kyoto - Nara - Kashihara - Yamatoyagi
Bicycle: 94 km
Train: 60 km
Total Ascent: 483 m
Average Speed: 16.3 km/h
Riding time: 5:46 h
Weather: Cloudy, some very dark clouds, which I managed to run out, cold, 5 C

For the last day of this year, I went to the temple in Nara I like most: Nigatsudo. 

Even nowadays when Nara is so flooded with tourists, around Nigatsudo it is still okay. Yes, there are tourists, but a normal amount, not hordes. And this is so strange. It is so close to Todaiji, just up a bit the hill... but it seems that the majority of tourists only alot half a day to Nara, see Nara park with the deer and Todaiji and then hurry on to Osaka or Kyoto or maybe Uji to see more clogged places, instead of making it up a little bit further the hill to Nigatsudo and its excellent views over the valley. 

I have probably written the same every time I wrote about Nigatsudo, but it is still an obligatory stop for me in Nara. I actually didn't visit any other parts of Nara. Also because a very dark cloud was looming overhead and looked like it might downpour at any moment. 

Originally my plan was to cycle to Nara and back to Kyoto. But I also want to visit a "tiger" temple which is farther away from Kyoto... so instead I decided to continue on, leave the bike in Yamatoyagi and restart from there tomorrow and go to the tiger temple... on the first day of the year of the snake. 

 I already got my commemoration photo of the year of the snake at Kashihara jingu. A day early, but thanks to this before the crowds. The shrine was actively preparing to receive thousands and thousands of worshippers from tomorrow. But today it was still very quiet. 

Overall the ride along the river between Kyoto and Nara is rather boring. Maybe I have done it now one time too many or I am just too much a mountain goat now that I am no longer thrilled by it. Yes, it is easy riding between Kyoto and Kizugawa on a broad cycling road along the river. After Kizugawa the cycling road becomes more complicated, disappears in some places before then returning in smaller edition somewhere after Nara. But Japanese landscape along heavily inhabited rivers simply is boring. The nicest part is the submergible bridge, which however now since a few years is under renovation. 

The rest of the landscape looks something like this. Villages, factories... and always a strong wind. 

At one place however there was a very early (or late... 31st December) blooming cherry tree:

In Kashihara jingu I saw the last sunset of the year... and I will not get up early tomorrow morning to try to see the first sunrise. I did do that I think once back in Barcelona... but it is easier there, as sunrise is much later in winter than in Japan. 

The day ended in an super sento in the Yamato Yagi area. The same I went to in early January this year. The area around the super sento continues to be as ugly as previously (and will never be nice). But today also the super sento was super full. I hadn't expected that so many people thought that it was a great idea to have a last bath on the 31st of December... but apparently I was wrong. Many people, many small children and some of the pools really full. I did relax a bit... but not as much as I would normally do. Also knowing that I needed to cycle in the cold the last ~5 km to the station didn't entice me to stay until late to try to avoid a bit the cold. 

The ride overall was rather boring... and most of the time on the bike I spent thinking about facades and what kind of material I would find acceptable or even nice for the facade of my house. My current conclusion is:

• Natural wood/bamboo would be ideal... but as far as I understand the building regulations in Tokyo this is out of questions due to fire prevention laws
• Mortar (ideally in a warm colour, maybe dark red, or the typical Japanese yellow)
• Maybe corrugated steel if it fits with the house design

But the typical material used for new houses in Japan which is a ceramic cladding that tries to look like stone but doesn't look like stone at all. It just looks like plastic to me (although it is some kind of ceramic)... that material I have yet to see a house that can pull it of. 

At least I know that mortar is possible, albeit more expensive than the ceramic cladding. 

NY2025 D2 Up to the heart of Kyoto

Route: Kyoto heart route in Northern Kyoto plus mountainous road behind Kurama
Bicycle: 74 km
Total Ascent: 1240 m
Average Speed: 15.7 km/h
Riding Time: 4:44:44 h (o yeah...)
Weather: Sun and clouds and even a few snow flakes, cold, 5 C

For my second day here, I repeated but prolonged a ride I had done nearly a year ago: https://bicycletraveljapan.blogspot.com/2023/12/d2-kyomi-pass-kifune-and-ohara.html 

But this time instead of sightseeing in Kifune I went up to Kurama and further up until national road #477. One of the smallest National Roads out there I guess. A small mountain road connecting Ohara with I don't know what. There is nothing essentially... Ohara to Kurama there is a more logical road further down the mountains and behind Kurama there doesnt seem to be anything except mountains and forests. Thus there were also only very few cars. Part of that National Road was so steep that cycling up wasn't in question (for me) and even on the downhill there were some parts that were scarily steep. 

The first part of the ride was essentially a copy paste, but with a better exit road from central Kyoto to the beginning of the climb. That climb behind Kinkakuji seems to be a staple for Kyoto road cyclists. On top of Kyomi pass there were two small groups waiting for each other. Even on this cold day in the middle of the winter... when most cyclists remain home. 

The other part I copied from that earlier ride was the lunch stop, in a wagyu restaurant, with very severe rules: no smartphones while eating, no loud conversation, no children, no single people by car, no take away ordering in the restaurant (only by phone), no perfume,... the list goes on. The restaurant is plastered with all their rules both on the outside but also on the inside. And frankly it takes away a bit of the enjoyment of the good meal. Where ever you look, there is some rule on the wall that forbids something. 

From there instead of Kifune, I went through Kurama, a place where I have been a few years back by local train and enjoyed the onsen there. It was closed during (or due to) Covid, but seems to be open again... although today it seemed closed... and anyway, it was at the bottom of the ascent, so not for me today.  

Overall it feels colder this year than last... although this snow picture is a bit of an exaggeration. Yes, there were some snow flakes behind Kurama in the mountains flying through the air, and yes, between Momoi pass and Maegahata pass on the side of the road there was snow as well as in the small mountain village of Momoi. But it was totally safe to ride and not that cold as the picture might make you think. Well... cold... but still survivable with the cycling winter clothes I use. 

The area looks like fun to explore. Maybe stay in Ohara and cycle from there on the various small mountain roads. But not in winter... in winter I prefer down in Kyoto in my U-Bell hotel (where I am now for the third or fourth time) with the hot sento waiting for my tired and cold body once off the bike. 

NY 2025 D1 - The return of the pickles

Route: Kyoto - Ohara and beyond and back
Bicycle: 60 km
Total Ascent: 662 m
Average Speed: 17.8 km/h
Riding time: 3:22 h
Weather: generally sunny, a few snow flakes, cold (but okay) 5 C

For this first day of my long New Years holidays, I had a slow start. The first time sleeping without a alarm bell in what feels like an eternity. I have been busy looking for a plot of land where to build a house, and otherwise on weekends I am generally out there somewhere with my bicycle. As I was today... but today at least I had no specific plan, didn't need to catch a train and thus had a sleep in. Then I put the bike together (which was in a rinko bag with both wheels removed, as that makes the bike considerably smaller so better to transport in an already very full Shinkansen) and then started at noon. 

While I was having my slow start I decided to on my target for today: pickles

There is a pickles factory cum restaurant at the entrance to Ohara. Ohara being a place where aparatenly a lot of vegetables are being grown 

I had been here a few years ago on an other ride and really liked the fresh pickles (I am normally not a big fan of Japanese pickled vegetables, but these were so fresh and varied), that I wanted to come again. I had tried one time... but it was too far in my route and I was hungry earlier, so today I made it the goal. 

When I first was at the restaurant, riding uphill, it was about 13:00. But as I had started only at noon, I still wanted to ride a bit more. So I continued up, a little bit down and up again all the way to a tunnel from where then it would be a long down hill to Takashima on lake Biwa. I just passed through the tunnel, looked at the snow on the other side and then road back down to Ohara and my lunch.

Riding up there it even did snow a little bit. Just floating snow flakes in the wind. Nothing that would actually stick. 

I remember this road up to the tunnel as quite challenging... but not so today. Very enjoyable instead. 

D3 perfect autumn scenes on small roads

Route: Saku Uminokuchi - Tatsuoka castle - Shimonita - Takasaki
Bicycle: 103 km
Train: 104 km
Total ascent: 1046 m
Average speed: 18.4 km/h
Riding time: 5:35 h
Weather: Clouds and some sun

When preparing for this ride I had seen a trip on Japan Guide in this area, where the writer visited the remains of a castle and a shrine in Saku. So I decided to ride down that way. From there I had also multiple options. Easiest would have been to just continue further downhill and take the Shinkansen either in Ueda or in Karuizawa... but the more interesting (and more challenging option) was to ride through the mountains to Takasaki... and that's what I did. 

But first to the castle... or well, the little bits that remain. Frankly from the ground it is not very impressive. Apparently there is a view point above in the hills... but although I tried, it wasn't accessible by road bike. Too much gravel on a steep road, so I gave up on it. What would be visible from there is the form: a five pronged star. One of only two castles in Japan with this form, the other one being in Hakodate in Hokkaido. 

However the koyo at the shrine in the same village was in full swing. Apart from this it was a normal temple (or shrine?), but with pagoda and all.

From there it was up through the mountains. Already until here I had managed to cycle on very private roads, but the road up here between Usuda and Shimonita was again one of these small mountain roads where one wonders why they have been constructed. But I am not complaining. Thanks to the Japanese tax payer (myself included), we have these small roads that connect minuscule villages through the mountains. And once there is a road it will get maintained. 

While yesterday on Yatsugadake koyo was way beyond peak... well, essentially all the leaves were gone, here in the lower elevations of this mountain range, koyo was at its best. Up on the pass a picture of a bike ...

With this impressive mountain range in the background. It must be somewhere between Takasaki and Karuizawa. I had also seen it in the distance when I went to Bessho onsen earlier this year. Definitely doesn't look apt for cycling. Probably not even for hiking. But for climbing. 

From there it was a very long downhill. Not only the downhill from the pass, but further down, as Saku on the Nagano side of the mountain is much higher than Takasaki and Shimonita on the Gunma side. Mostly  through very remote mountain forests. Only further down small villages came into view. 

Even quite close to Takasaki station (I think at about 7 km) this was the panorama: 

Definitely an other area of Japan to explore more. I will probably consider the same ryokan again, for it's good price, rotenburo and vicinity to a conbini. Next time a bit earlier in the season to see koyo on Yatsugadake... or maybe spring. 

So much to explore. But today's ride was already a treat with those small roads, no traffic (and no bears) and koyo. 

D2 Yatsugadake View Road

Route: up to Märchen Straße and down again
Bicycle: 41 km
Total ascent: 1064 m
Average speed: 11.9 km/h
Riding time: 3:28 h
Weather: sunny, 15 C

For today I went further up the mountain. In principle to two spots famous for their koyo… only that I was way too late for this. The birch trees, which seem to be the most abundant trees on Yaktsugadake already had lost all their leafs and a few maple trees were mostly barren as well with a few remaining red leafs.

The view , however, from the highest point of my ride, at about 1700 m, was fantastic. Higher than several of the mountains around it, but there was actually a road that was going further up.

Riding up in shorts and short sleeves was the perfect thing to do on the way down I put on my warm leg covers, the arm covers, a cap, a scarf and an additional long sleeved cycling underlayer. 

I could have probably ridden further up , but I prioritized a visit to an onsen halfway down the mountain that I had seen on Google maps, as well as on the way up. An onsen, which was besides a modern art museum, which I didn’t visit and which was standing there, a little bit like a foreign object in this nice landscape. 

Today I planned my timing much better. I checked when I took the pictures yesterday at the station which seem to be a good time to start riding back from the Osen the last eight back to my accommodation, so I could get down before it got too dark. But that still allowed me to see the sunset over Yatsugadake while lying in the hot waters of the rotenburo. 

So while I didn’t see the call you, I was aiming for, I still had a perfect day outside on this mountain. And I’m already planning my next visit to this area. Maybe in May when the days are longer and the nature should be green.

While my hotel is simple, it has several convenient points for me:

• Cheap cheap at about ¥7000 per night.
• Very close to a convenience store.
• Bookable without breakfast and dinner.
• With a small and simple onsen, but including a rotenburo.
• And close to a train station, in case I don’t want to cycle up here, or I want to leave from here by train. I don’t think the train runs at high frequency, but it’s still run several times a day so should be reasonably usable.
• And as a traditional ryokan has your name out on the street announcing to everyone your presence... so much for privacy... 

What was surprising that I saw only one other cyclist in the entire day. And it was brilliant weather, perfect for riding and also the roads had not too much traffic and those wonderful views. There were a lot of motorcycle riders and also cars… not too many, but only one other cyclist.

D1 up To the highest railway of Japan

Route: Kofu - Saku Uminokuchi
Bicycle: 63 km
Train: 127 km
Total ascent: 1422 m
Average speed: 12 km/h
riding time: 5:11 h
Weather: sunny , no clouds, great visibility but getting cooler, 18 C

An other long weekend and off I go. When I organize this weekend, again, I organize two different possibilities. One option staying in Izu Peninsula and the other to come to a place Between Yamanashi and Nagano prefecture Just on the foothills of Yatsugadake, One of the large mountains in the Japanese Alps. When the time grew closer the weather forecast for both parts on Saturday with terrible, so I canceled both and then rebooked only a few days ago for Sunday to Tuesday instead of Saturday to Monday in Nagano prefecture. Yesterday instead, I went with friends from Meetup to a hello Kitty exhibition in Ueno. Which was more fun than what I had expected.

Today I started my right from Kofu station, and from there it was practically uphill for the next 50 to 55 km. Down in the valley, I didn’t really find a good quiet road, but surprisingly up into the mountain. I had a very nice village Road not too small not too big simply perfect. And with nice views both of Fuji and Yatsugadake as well as the Northern Alps.

Fuji was really extremely well visible the entire day. At least from where I was. In a line cycling chat room I’m in a person who went to Hakone, which is much closer to Fuji did not have so much luck. Fuji was covered by clouds from that side.

And turn around, and there are more mountains, in this case, the famous Yatsugadake, which my father climbed many years ago when he came to Japan at relatively regular intervals for tours and then had some hiking trips on his free days.

But the koyo season hasn’t started yet and this picture was taken probably at around a little bit over 1000 m of elevation, but still mostly the trees are green. We will see you tomorrow if in the higher elevations there will be more colorful.

On my way to the highest point of the Japanese railway network, I happen on a very small road through a forest with this very nice stream flowing through.

And here I was at the remarkable place of the highest railway tracks in Japan. I came here two years ago in summer with some people from Meetup that had organized a weekend trip by train and we took a special astronomical observation themed train. Only that on the day we went it was cloudy and no stars visible. Very different from today. Where I could see nice stars from the rotenburo in my simple ryokan. 

Not too far from this point, there is a radio observatory. Which I visited with the last sun rays of the day.

The next train station is also astronomical themed and has the stations in its ceiling. 

Was the sun gone,  it became quickly very cold, but I had all my stuff on the bike so I could dress up warmer which was sufficient to keep me warm enough while riding. 

I had not planned the time and / or route too well For the last 10 km. On paper, it looked good , flat and then downhill to the hotel but in reality it got very quickly very dark and I was on the winding downhill road in pitch darkness with deers coming out of the  wood right and left. But slowly and surely, and without encountering, any bear or other more fear inspiring creatures, I made it to the village of my ryokan, Which also features a conbini where I bought my dinner and breakfast.

D3 Yamadera

Route: Zao onsen- Yamadera - Kaminoyama onsen
Bicycle: 86 km
Train: 350 km
Total ascent: 500 m
Average speed: 15 km/h (for the part wahoo recorded)
Riding time: unknown (Wahoo only recorded the ride up to Yamadera)
Weather: sunny, a bit windy, 22C

The day started in two different onsen tubs of my hotel. Between 21:00 and 10:00 the onsen are free to be used (privately) by the guests. When I woke up at 6:00 and went down to get a key there was none but around 7:00 I got a key to this tub:

Where I had a relaxing bath. When I came back to hang the key back at the board also an other key was available if one of the tubs with a view that I hadn’t been to yet. So I took the opportunity and had a second bath.

While taking the bath one actually doesn’t really see the landscape. Only if you sit on the wall between the two tubs. But then there was the famous “unkai” = “sea of clouds”. 

Sufficiently clean and relaxed I went back to my room and had my conbini breakfast (which I prefer over a Japanese breakfast) , packed my too big bag (definitely did bring unnecessary items: 2 jackets!) and then started the ride of the last day of this 3 day weekend.

When I planned this weekend back in August I only knew that Zao onsen itself is famous and that the crater above is a nice place. So I hadn’t a specific plan for the third day. And then decided to give Yamadera a second visit. I had been there already on my Tour de Japan back in 2017. Curiously nearly exactly 7 years ago on 11/Oct. Back then I went by train from Yamagata as I had gotten incredibly wet the day before and didn’t want to take an other chance. Turned out weather was totally fine. And I missed a very nice cycling path along a river. 

Today being a National holiday and perfect weather the temple was more busy than back then, but still reasonable.

But strangely the part of the temple I like most is the post box. Last time I even saw the postman coming up all these stairs to deliver/ receive post. 

Back down the many stairs I jumped back on my bike and down it was along the nice bicycle path until I took the turn to Yamagata, which week was on streets that weren’t that nice. I took a rest in the castle park had a snack there…

… and decided that by now it was too late to get to an onsen I had seen in the hills around Kaminoyama and instead cycled to the station directly where I am now in the waiting room with the bike packed up, a bento bought and waiting for my train. It wasn’t possible to change the reservation to an earlier train as it is fully booked. But sitting here isn’t so bad either. 

D2 Okama crater

Route: Zao onsen to Okama crater and back
Bicycle: 49 km
Walking: 2,6 km
Total ascent: 1480 m
Average speed: 12,2 km/h
Riding time: 4:02 h
Weather: sunny and early autumn temperatures. Between 20 and 10 C depending on height 

Today up to Mount Zao and its very photogenic crater. 

To get there even from Zao onsen which is already halfway up, it still takes a lot of more ascending. But no place crazy gradients. Thus slowly but steadily, I made it up there. From Zao onsen one first needs to go up to about 1000 m but then the road drops again down to about 700 m from where it is an up again to about 1600 m. And the same, obviously on the way back.

On the way up, I took a brief stop at the athletes Village, which seems to be a sport training center for various kinds of sports to get additional fluids from their vending machine.

From around 1300 m the koyo started.however, it isn’t an impressive arrangement of colorful leaves, probably because of the lack of maple trees and the food that you get the less trees there are anyway.

Probably the best koyo was just below the entrance to the lift to get up to the crater.

The lift was a typical flimsy Japanese lift. This one was lacking practically all kinds of safety measures. It was essentially only a place to sit without any backrest and one pillar to which to hold on. Luckily, it did not get very high above ground. And it wasn’t windy. I’m always surprised by these lifts in a country that is so risk adverse like Japan. A country that regulates every single river and creek so it doesn’t cause any destruction. A country that builds walls against the ocean blocking most of the view to protect itself from tsunamis. A country that closes hiking path for very extended times due to minor volcanic activity. But at the same time a country , where if you have a lift that was built probably before more stringent regulations came into place, you are totally welcome to keep it operating even when it is clearly is a rather dangerous affair. 

Before getting on the lift, I don’t all my clothes as it was already relatively fresh at the base of the lift and at 1700 m. It was a little bit colder and a bit more windy. But my cloths were up to the challenge. 

The crater itself can be accessed also by car, but not by bicycle, and the lift I took. With this being a long weekend and wonderful weather, they were quite a number of tourists up there. and thanks to them. There was also a small visitor center that did sell some easy food. I got a big pork bun which I ate on my way down.

After that, it was down first with the lift then 13 km or so by bike luckily it hadn’t been too steep on the uphill so on the downhill, there was no part that was uncomfortably steep. Then up again and over a pass and down again to Zao Onsen, where I bought in the conbini my dinner for tonight and returned up the hill to my hotel with the many different rotenburos. For today, I had reserved with a spectacular view, only that I was there after sunset. But still, if you switched off the light then you could look out into the darkness over the valley, see the mountain range opposite, the lights in the valley and along the hills, under the dark sky with a few stars.