GW2026 D2 my mother was right - Hagi 😍

Route: in and around Hagi
Bicycle: 39 km
Total ascent: 352 m
Average speed: 11,8 km/h
Riding time: 2:50 h 
Weather: Sun and clouds, 25 C

My mother has been enchanted by Hagi ever since she visited in 1995. And she was right! Hagi is a wonderful , traditional Japanese town . One of the few not destroyed by development. Actually probably the biggest that still feels quite traditional but is also alive. 

Some other much smaller examples I could think of are: Imaicho (but MUCH smaller), Magome (much smaller and now totally overrun by tourists wanting to “hike” between Magome and Tsumago). But I don’t really know any other town even somewhat similar to Hagi. 

I started the day at Hagi castle. Surprisingly one is allowed to ride inside the castle remains with a bicycle. Not sure if this was a good idea. Anyway, from the castle little remains just the moat…

.. and a shrine built by the townspeople after the castle had been torn down in admiring memory of their local daimyo now powerless, at least officially. 

There was also a rather nice garden around a tea house with Rhododendron in full bloom.

With the castle entrance fee one also gets entrance to a samurai building just outside of the castle, which however, was rather disappointing. Allegedly it’s the biggest remaining samurai building in Hagi, but it is just a row of tatami rooms.

From there, I cycled through the old part of the town, which is characterized by long walls on both sides of the road, old  residences, and a surprising amount of gardens, specially gardens with citrus fruits.Hagi is famous for summer mandarins (夏みかん). My mother even brought one of them back from her trip to Tokyo and she still remembers, I don’t.

In the old part of the town, I visited the most famous residence: The house of the Kikuya clan. Apparently, they started out as samurai, but then lost their master, and with that their status as samurai. From there they evolved into merchants, which was the lowest rank in Japanese society back then. But that didn’t impede them to become extremely wealthy, and well liked by the local daimyo and construct a huge house with an even larger garden.

After pottering a little bit more through the old streets, and passing by the Meirin Gakusha, an enormous, wooden school building from the Meiji era, now tourist information center.

From there I rode to the south and tip of the town, had lunch at a typical Japanese coffee shop run by an elderly lady who has a few home-cooked meal options. Close by it was another typical residence of Hagi along a small channel that even flows through the house and was used for cleaning the dishes , washing vegetables and as water source for the bath tub. 

It also had a nice tea room with the best view of the garden with a pond from the same small river. There was an elderly volunteer guide with whom I had a nice conversation about how my mother loved Hagi when she visited 31 years ago and how probably not a lot has changed since. There are tourists in Hagi, including some tourist groups. But even at the highlights, the Kikuya residence, there was always a lot of space around to visit calmly. It seems the city gets exactly the right amount of tourists for keeping the local tourism industry afloat, but not having any signs of over tourism. And I guess as long as Hagi remains off the Shinkansen network it will remain this way. Already now the majority of tourist don’t venture beyond Hiroshima. So going to Yamaguchi and then taking a bus over the mountains to Hagi would seem to most tourists like beyond even the unbeaten track. I’m definitely going to come back, maybe on a trip along the entire sea of Japan side.

The Yukawa residence, was the last residence of the day, from here on to a shrine, a temple, two UNESCO world heritage sites, a volcano, a forest and an onsen with a wide view! 

But let’s go in order. First the shrine of Shoin a famous teacher, who also gave his name to the biggest shrine close to my house where he is buried. 

The next stop was a temple: Tokoji. With so few visitors that the admission fee is self service, meaning that there is a box and a sign how much you should put in the box. The temple itself is big and has a grandiose approach, …

… but the really interesting part is the mausoleum for the Mōri family, the local daimyos.

But there was more to come. The next two stops were UNESCO world Heritage sites. The sites belonging to the industrialization under the Meiji revolution have become UNESCO world Heritage sites a few years ago to recognizing the achievement of the Meiji era to industrialize Japan without being colonized and with speed. 

The two sites in Hagi I visited are a wharf and an iron furnace. Of the wharf the only remains are a sea wall: 

Of the furnace , which actually never worked, more is remaining: 

From here I went to a small peninsula from where one has a wide view over the bay. 

But one can also go down inside the caldera of a cute small volcano:

I even went a bit further on that peninsula to a camellia grove, which however (not surprisingly) had already lost all its flowers. 

Now the last remaining activity of the day was a good soak in the onsen of yet another hotel with a rotenburo from where to enjoy the view over the bay. (Picture below is NOT from the rotenburo but from the top of the mountain.). The view from the onsen was a bit less spectacular but still nice. Down onto a port and the mountains in the background.

Finally back to town, to a wash saloon where I washed and dried my cycling clothes while having ramen in a nearby shop and on the way back got some breakfast items for tomorrow.  I’ll already be leaving Hagi and ride along the coast to the West.

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.

NY2024 - D1 Shrines prepping for Hatsumode

Route: Kyoto - Keihoku - Kameoka - Kyoto
Bicycle: 91 km
Total ascent: 1090 m
Average speed: 16.7 km/h
Riding time: 5:26 h
Weather: Cloudy a bit of sun and kind of cold, 6C

Yesterday was my last working day of this year. A very quiet day. I had already sent my suitcase to my hotel in Kyoto on Tuesday and the bicycle was standing in the entrance already all packed up with both wheels removed, so I only had to bring a small backpack with my work computer (next week Thursday and Friday I’ll be working from Osaka office) and get the train to Tokyo station. JR had decided that from 28/Dec to, I think 4/Jan all Nozomi shinkansen trains are reserved seats only. They even sent a lengthy, Japanese only email explaining how to walk to the shinkansen entrance (which I ignored as it seemed way too complicated specially with the bike and all). Really setting the scene for huge crowds at Tokyo station. But actually it was pretty normal. I was early at the station, so that I changed the ticket (in the EX app) a when I was at the Shinkansen gate to a train half an hour earlier without any problem, still getting a seat with luggage allowance for the bike. 

For my days in Kyoto I don't have a very specific plan, except riding my bicycle in the surroundings of Kyoto. A few days ago I looked up on komoot suggested routes close to Kyoto and then yesterday evening did chose the one for today. Starting in Kyoto, going North and up into the hills and then down again to Kameoka and back over the hills to Kyoto. A very nice ride, except probably the last part from Kameoka back to Kyoto. It wasn't too bad either, but on a relatively busy road and then also Kyoto on that side of town was quite busy and ugly. I know there are better ways from Kameoka back to Kyoto, but those go over higher passes... and there was no time for that today. 

My first stop was still in Kyoto, at a large shrine complex already fully prepared for the Hatsumode in a few days. But now still totally quiet. 

There were multipe shrine buildings all prepared for the influx of visitors over the next few days. 

Initially I hadn't planned to visit this shrine and had actually already passed... but then thought that it would be a shame to let such a big shrine (Imamiya shrine) unvisited. It is in the area of Kinkakuji... but clearly doesn't get any international tourists. Who knows why. It clearly didn't make it on any "tourist to do list". 

From there the road up into the mountains started. Initially on the map it looked like a biggish road, yellow and all... but actually it was a very small road with hardly any traffic, going up and up. Not a lot of view points, but nice through the forrest. 

In a small village on the way I came accross an other shrine, but a very small one. Only on google maps it seemed to be an important one. And actually there was an explanation sign and I think the shrine dates back to Heian period... so actually pretty old. 

While there I checked on google maps for food options and saw a ramen place in right behind an upcoming tunnel. It seemed a pretty normal ramen place, but it was specialized in wild boar ramen (and deer / wild boar gyoza). I took the ramen, very delicious: 

From there it was kind of downhill or flattish uphill until my way was interrupted by a closed road... luckily the diversion was on a very small and nice road along a river. But it meant a little bit more climbing in afterwards. 

Heading towards Kameoka came this shrine, Izumu Daijingu which in komoot had given the name to the entire ride, although it wasn't really the hightlight of the day. The highlight were simply those relatively small streets through the mountains. Up and down enjoying the mountainous country side spreckled with a few small villages.  

At this shrine also last preparation for Hatsumode were ongoing, but all still very very quiet. A quietness to take a breath before the busy days ahead. 

From there down to Kameoka, up through the hills to Kyoto and down towards downtown Kyoto until I decided to look for an onsen to wash, relax and have dinner. Once I had settled for one, when planning the route to it, I noticed in komoot a suggestion for a sightseeing spot, a bamboo forrest. And this is a huge bamboo forest. It is prepared for tourists in principle... but in practice there weren't any. For walking it is too big and too far away from other sights. But for people considering to rent a bicycle in Kyoto definitely a good idea. Similar to the famouse bamboo forrest in Arashiyama, but much, much bigger and with no tourists. This bamboo forrest is still a growing place for bamboo, not a show piece. 

When already back in Kyoto I looked on google maps for a super sento and found this one, which kind of seemed on the way. It was reasonable well on the way for the initial part (and only thanks to this onsen I had discovered - in komoot - the bambus forrest above... but riding from here back to the hotel along the river was only good in some parts. It was simply quite dark along those rivers and the one close to the hotel is kind of difficult to navigate with too many large roads around. But I made it back to the hotel sound and safe. 

GW2023 D5 Exploring gardens around Kyoto

Route: Kyoto to Uji and back
Bicycle: 54 km
Walking in parks and temples/shrines: 5.4 km
Total Riding time: 4:12 h
Average Speed: 12.9 km/h
Total Ascent: 339 m
Weather: surprisingly sunny and quite hot… but still just about bearable, 25 C

After the long ride around Lake Biwa yesterday, today I needed a much more relaxing day. So I looked in the internet for suggestions of gardens with hydrangea and/or azalea / rhododendron which are currently in flower (at least I saw already a bunch back at lake Biwa but also in the mountains between Kyoto and Takashima. And I found 4 potentially interesting places:

• Jonan-gu shrine

• Manpuku temple

• Mimuroto temple 

• Keihanna Commemorative Park

I only made it to the first 3 of these places, but each of them (!) was a real discovery. It was really amazing. I have been in Kyoto and around Kyoto quite frequently, or so I thought. So I wasn’t expecting to be able to discover in one ride 3 totally new places and each of them absolutely enchanting.

I started with Jonan-gu, quite close to my hotel and in what from even a few meters away seems to be a quite industrial, heavily traffic ridden neighbourhood you would not want to visit… but as so often in Japan the most beautiful places can be in the least beautiful neighbourhoods. 

Jonan-gu itself, i.e. the shrine is a pretty normal shrine… but it has a huge garden around. Actually it isn’t one garden, but a array of different gardens of different Japanese garden design from different centuries. Like a exhibition of garden design. Gardens focussed on cherry and plum blossoms, garden focused on water, a rock garden, … I forgot how many different Japanese gardens, but probably somewhere around 8 - 10! 

There wasn’t too much blooming right now, except the water lilies… which was a bit surprising as I had seen both wisteria as well as azaleas in full bloom back at Lake Biwa a few days ago. But even so the garden was exceptional. No idea why this place isn’t one of the “must visit places in Kyoto”… but no complaining here… was nice to have a garden with just a few other (mostly local) tourists. I even bought a tenugi for my wall in Tokyo. 

And as said… the surroundings themselves were rather dreadful:

After this first great visit, I got back into the saddle and started cycling towards Uji on a reasonably planned route. My next stop was Manpuku-ji. A temple with a distinctive Chinese influence. 

I took my time visiting this temple, as it was getting hotter and hotter… and the temple is rather large, with a lot of buildings. But in the temple one could find some respite. Once done visiting, I went to a temple nearby that was making publicity to have ‘temple noodles”… and yes, they had ramen with mountain vegetables, in a space where in the back room Buddha was worshipped, while in the front people where having their ramen. 

I probably spent the hottest ours of the day here… before continuing on to Mimuroto temple, famous for its hill covered in blooming azaleas. 

I had comfortably time here to visit everything before the garden was going to close. But clearly I had not enough time to cycle to the much further afield 4th sightseeing spot of the day. So I replanned my route (now very easy with Komoot and my wahoo, that allows for uploading a newly planned route on the go, something my garmin was not able to do), cycled through central Uji and on to the Kizugawa in the South with its cycling path. I made brief stop at this famous submersible bridge, walked halfway across and then continued along the river back to Kyoto and my hotel. 

The only disappointment of the day was the onsen at the end of it. I had searched for super sento’s in Kyoto and Fushimi Chikara-no-yu had come up… but it was a rather outdated supersento. And what killed it for me was the inability to choose the water temperature for the shower. But hey, one disappointment in a day of 3 major discoveries isn’t bad at all.