Lake Ashi and Fuji from a distance

Route: Shin Matsuda - Ashigara pass - Nagao pass -    Gotemba
Bicycle: 57 km
Train: 170 km
Total ascent: 1397 m
Average speed: 12,6 km/h
Riding Time: 4:32 h
Weather: Sun, clouds and quite warm 

Yesterday in my Strava feed I saw a Strava friend doing a Hakone loop, and decided to copy it. As you can see my copy didn’t become a loop, because I ran out of time but I did compete the two main climbs and avoided the steep descent from Hakone to Odawara. 

Conveniently the starting point is in Matsuda, direct train by Odakyu from home. Initially along a bicycle lane on a river and the up to Ashigara pass on a road that is mainly used by cyclists and motorcyclists, but hardly any cars. 

But steep. Cyclable for me, but with several rest stops along the road. Nearly all other cyclists were faster than me, except a guy on a vintage bike who similar to me struggled the hill up with rest stops as needed. 

On the top however one is greeted by a wonderful view over the valley of Gotemba and Mt Fuji. Today the weather was a bit cloudy so not the same brilliant pictures as I saw in the Strava feed yesterday, but still nice… and a reason to return on a blue skied day. 

On the downhill at a parking lot are these Fuji shaped parasols (and a matching public toilet) behind which a shy Fuji was hiding.

Down and some conbini lunch and then in towards the next climb to Hakone. On the way there I decided to just do the climb but to not cycle down in the Hakone side, because it was getting late (finally I was on top of the pass at about 15:30), from Hakone to a station it is farther and there is a quite steep descent to content with towards Odawara. 

The climb to Nagano pass initially was in a relatively busy road , which however has a cycle / walk path song it, which I used uphill. But midway through it turns away from this major road to a much less used but very well build road up to Nagao pass. That ride up was sooooooo nice. Really nice gradient, good surface, wide road, little traffic and stunning views of Fuji and more stunning views right after the pass of lake Ashi down in Hakone. One can even see the kitschy pirate ships.

The downhill was also nice … and those views! 

Down in Gotemba I took a very crowded train back to Matsuda and then back by Odakyu line home. 

Up and down and up and down around Oku Tama and Hinohara

Route: Okutama - Kosuge - Hinohara - Kitano
Bicycle: 85 km 
Train: 105 km
Total ascent: 1,216 m
Average Speed: 17.3 km/h
Riding time: 4:55 h
Weather: Very sunny and perfect temperature

This was an extremely nice route and definitely one to repeat. I can't wait! 

This year I am not taking Golden Week as vacation, but the following week, because my colleague wanted to take GW. However that still means I have a long weekend at the beginning of the week as the Monday is a public holiday anyway. Today on the Sunday I went to the Okutama region. 

I had cycled parts of this ride already. Obviously up to Okutama lake and also to Kosuge and over to Uenohara, but this time I connected it over to Hinohara before descending again into the plains and taking the train back home. I nearly like everything about this route:

• Nice small street from Okutama station up to Okutama lake
• Road along a big lake
• A bit more challanges up the hill around Kosuge and then a slightly ondulating descend with not much traffic towards Uenohara, but without making it down to Uenohara which can be clogged with traffic
• View of Fuji in the distance
• And then up again through a quiet tunnel but on a well build road 
• And finally down hill on the bigger of the two Hinohara roads, which has a nice decent

This route really has it all! 

This statue is in front of the visitor center at the dam. 

As it was GW houses and villages were decorated with flying carps for the boys:

It seems however that I didn't take any picture of the views of Mt. Fuji... but hey... another reason to go back again. 

Full bloom around Fuji

Day 1

Route: Hashimoto - Doshi - Yamanakako
Bicycle: 72 km
Train: 35 km
Total ascent: 1496 m
Average speed: 13,6 km/h
Riding time: 5:19 h
Weather: sunny and nicely warm during the day but cold once the sun had set

Originally I had planned to go with a group of cyclists from Osaka to Mt Fuji last weekend, but the weather forecast showed rain for most of the weekend, so the ride was cancelled… and finally it was a nice and sunny weekend where instead I went house hunting and enjoying time with friend on our bikes in Tokyo. 

I have now ridden already several times from Hashimoto to Yamanakako through Doshi village. A long but never too steep ride on a road with traffic but tolerable amounts.

 Today the flowers were out in force.

Mostly cherry blossoms as to be expected but also some peach flowers, recognizable with their full flowers in strong dark pink: 

I had decided to have lunch at the road side station but shortly before arriving there I saw a small restaurant with a lot of motorbikes parked outside. So , thinking that this must be very tasty I went there as well. And yes, tasty it was. It was a lot of small tapas like dishes plus a full dish of meat and rice. I will definitely be back.

Over the mountain and then a short way down to Yamanakako and a picture of the lake , swans and Fuji in the distance before heading to an onsen at the other side of the lake. 

 First time in this onsen and one with a really nice and unobstructed view of Mt. Fuji while soaking in one of the two rotenburos: 

After a good bath and a simple dinner at the onsen I road to my hotel for the night. A hotel from the bubble years, never renovated, but in a convenient location on the lake shore and with a good price. In the end it’s about sleeping. Nothing else. 

Day 2

Route: Yamanakako - Kawaguchiko - Otsuki
Bicycle: 72 km
Train: 80 km
Total ascent: 503 m
Average speed: 15 km/h
Riding time: 4:48 h
Weather: blue skies, sunny and not too warm

While at Yamanakako yesterday the cherry blossoms hadn’t even opened yet, in Kawaguchiko they were in their prime full bloom. I always knew that Yamanakako is higher, but never thought of it to be that much higher that it would make so much of a difference to the cherry flowers. 

The day started in a cool morning at Yamanakako with a clear blue sky and a Fuji still partially covered in snow.

From there I made my way over to the Kawaguchiko area and Chureito pagoda sure that I’d be able to get a famous photo with Fuji in the background, the pagoda in the forefront and sakura in full bloom. Well, I only managed to arrange 2 days f these things in any one picture. Either Fuji and sakura or sakura and pagoda. But all three were elusive due to a decision (by the local government?) to burn on this blue skied, full bloom Sunday with thousands of local and foreign tourists, the grass on the hills of Mt. Fuji. I don’t understand why these grasses need to be burned, but to burn them on a weekend with brilliant weather and full bloom seemed to be a specially stupid decision. 

Fuji with sakura alone however is already quite nice.

And I had waited for about an hour in this line observing how the sky little by little got clouded by the smoke. 

The pagoda towering over the sakura trees. 

From here I made it through a very small mountain road over to Kawaguchiko , taking more pictures and finally to a shrine on the foothills of Mt Fuji. Everywhere sakura in full bloom and many people around enjoying them. 

To return I went downhill all the way to Otsuki, put my bike in its back and back to Tokyo by train. 

Although the smoke was a shame it was a great weekend enjoying hanami around Mt Fuji.