NY2024 - D8 Tanzan and Hasedera

Route: Yamato Yagi - Tanzan - Hasedera and back
Bicycle: 40 km
Train: 122 km
Average Speed: 14.2 km/h
Total ascent: 626 m
Riding Time: 2:46 h
Weather: Sunny and cloudy, and cooooooooold, (Wahoo says 5C... but bones say much less)

I had left my bicycle yesterday at the bike parking house at Yamatoyagi so returned there today by train and the "fun" started. "Fun" in inverted commas, because it wasn't that much fun due to the temperature. Or maybe more due to wrong planning. As long as I was riding uphill I was nice and warm, I even stripped some of my layers riding up to Tanzan, but sightseeing in cycling cloths in this cold isn't a good idea. And riding downhill after sightseeing through the cold wind wasn't a good idea. 

However I made it finally to Tanzan shrine above Asuka. I had cycled up painstackingly a few years ago, just to find it already closed. Not so today. 

This time I cycled up from the Asuka (not Sakurai) side, up a road I remember thinking back then, I do NOT want to cycle up, because so steep... but actually it wasn't THAT steep. Yes... it's a mountain but with a few rests and a bit of weaving (not many cars), totally doable. 

Down on the other side, over to a lake in the total country side and then a little bit up to Hasedera, where I had also already been a few years ago in decidedly better weather. Warmer weather. 

I visited the temple but then instead of continuing with the original plan, which had me ride through the mountains behind the temple over to Nara (and then take a train back from there), I made it down to Yamato Yagi the quickest way and back to a train and my hotel in Kyoto. I didn't even stop at a super sento that is on the way, fearful of needing to leave the super sento and ride the last few (5 or so) km to the train station later in the day. Coooooold. 

But I did decide to come back. Probably in Golden Week. This area is just too nice. And is definitely nicer with a bit more of green. 

Now back in the hotel I took a relaxing and hot bath (in the hotel's sento), packed my suitcase and will now go to the conbini and ship it back home, before returning myself tomorrow (by Shinkansen).

NY2024 - D7 Kyoto to Imaicho

Route: Kyoto - KeiNaWa cycling route - Imaicho
Bicycle: 78 km
Train: 62 km
Average Speed: 18.8 km/h
Total ascent: 214 m
Riding Time: 4:09 h
Weather: Cloudy, 8C

I didn't have a specific plan layed out for today, so in absence of that I decided yesterday evening to do the "easy thing" and just ride along the KeiNaWa cycling route to inner Nara prefecture (somewhere), leave the bicycle there to pick up tomorrow for a ride from there. I have riden already multiple times on this cycling route. From Kyoto to Kizu it is very straightforward, always along the river on a separate cycling route. Later on it get's a bit more "complicated" and although in general it is very well indicated, every now and then the route seems to disappear. But I had found a GPX file online that retraced the route quite well. I didn't actually take any pictures before coming to Nara, where I simply passed by the Heijo palace, a vast archeological site (that I visited before). It is probably a sacrilege to not visit again... but I didn't. 

During the ride I decided I decided to get to Yamato-Yagi, which seemed to be a very convenient transport point back to Kyoto. I have stayed already several times in that area, and like it. Plus Imaicho (which is an old city center within Yamato Yagi) is always nice. It is one of the view villages that are still mainly intact with old houses and seems still to be in normal use. There is a little bit of tourism ongoing here, but very low key. Which is crazy. There are so many tourists flocking to Takayama or to Magome/Tsumago (which are out of the way to reach for most of them), to see a bit of "traditional Japan"... but most of those same tourists stay in Kyoto (or Osaka) and totally ignore Imaicho, and the villages around, such as Asuka, which are an extremly easy day trip.

After a spin through the old part, I went to a super sento in the area. And what an area, your typical grotesque super sento area, somewhere sandwiched between a major road, a construction site and a chemical plant... but once you are inside you don't see or hear any of this and can find total relax. They had one of those "pool" where to lie on the ground on stones heated by hot water running slowing down. You are not actually lying in the water, but kind of on top of it on the hot stones. My favorite! 

NY2024 - D6 Exploring around Oku Biwako

Route: Hikone - along Biwako - Makino
Bicycle: 74 km
Train:160 km
Total Ascent: 306 m
Average Speed: 19.2 km/h
Riding Time: 3:52 h
Weather: cloudy and cold, 4 C

After the sunny day yesterday, today it was grey, cloudy and cold. Considerably colder than any other day this week... but still above 0. Yesterday I left the bike at Hikone station, so I picked it up there again and then set out for the Oku Biwako area. I had only been once last year in GW in a Biwaichi-ride, when it was relatively warm and a very long ride, so I hadn't really had time to enjoy that area too much. 

In Hikone I tried (and failed) to take a picture with the castle, one of the few surviving original castles...

... while in Nagahama, where there is a reconstructed castle on the lake shore, I concentrated my photographic exploits on the trees in the park, that had already been prepped for the winter: branches secured to a stick so that heavy snow doesn't break them and the stem tightly bound with straw mats. This isn't against cold, but against insects. Aparently there are some insects that start clinbing trees in the autumn and then will infect the tree. But with this system, they are getting entangled in the strawmat and cannot continue their ascent and in srping when the mat is taken off, they are being burned together with the mat. Or at least that is the explanation I remember from a park where I saw that system. 

Before truely entering the Oku Biwako area, I had conbini lunch in the parking lot of a conbini. Luckily at that point the sun was shining just a little bit so it was actually not too cold to sit on the floor. There weren't really a lot of other options, most places in the small villages back there were closed. Even the road side station was closed. Then over a small lump of a hill, which officially was closed to traffic for the winter... but totally ridable. However there were some rests of snow on the side of the road. 

I did attempt a ride out onto one of the hills perking into the lake. When I hit on the first road block... I wasn't detered, passed below the bar and through the tunnel...

But the road on the other side was even more closed... Luckily only the road going up. The road going down, while tecnically also closed to traffic, wasn't closed off... so I made it back to the village from where this part of the adventure had started. 

There was a little bit of a view though... but all very grey today, the weather but also the flora. (or lack there of). However aparently the fauna was very active. On some parts of the lake there were crowds (well, small... but still crowds) of bird watchers with enormous cameras waiting for birds... that never semeed to arrive. Similar to the fishermen standing in the water for hours and hours apparently without catching ever anything. 

I now new that this street was closed, but I still did ride a little bit on that street from the other side just to see it... but after a while decided to turn and head to the station, which was a good decision, as about 5 min before getting to Makino station it started to rain (as was forecasted), and getting wet in this cold isn't a good idea. I got to the station about 15 minutes before train departure which was enough to pack up the bike and get a hot drink from the vending machine and still needing to wait for the train for a few minutes. 

I think I need to come back again to enjoy this area with some better, warmer (but not too warm) weather and some more lush vegetation, And to explore more those coastal street. 

74 km and not that much climbing, but I am pretty tired. Maybe the cold? Or accumulated fatigue? But I think the cold is more likely to blame. Off to a good night rest and then 2 days in Osaka office. 

NY2024 - D5 Two rides in one

Route: Kyoto - hills between Uji and Otsu - Biwako - Hikone
Bicycle: 106 km
Train: 85 km
Total Ascent: 928 m
Average speed: 16.1 km/h
Riding time: 6:37 h
Weather: sunny and perfectly blue sky but cold, 4 C, (including a bit of ice on one of the hilly roads)

Today was really two rides in one. The first part on ridiculously steep but also remote roads between Uji and Otsu and the second part in the sun and on the flat cycling road along Biwako. 

The original plan had even more hills in the early part including a visit to a mountain temple (Kami Daigo) but after struggling up two steep hills and the equally steep downhills, I decided against that and descended to the valley of Kamogawa continued there a bit in direction Otsu but then took yet another turn into the hills (not so steep though) and when I was on top of that hill took another detour around a hill through again very remote parts. Nothing of this is far away from Kyoto or Otsu, but it feels like a very remote place. 

Then a final steep downhill and down to the lake. I had conbini lunch at the lake as I wanted to get moving and continued towards Hikone, where I had identified a super sento yesterday. 

Around Omi Hachiman I took a detour that is closer to the lake and is really nice. I have cycled around/along Biwako now many times, but never did this road. Really nice. Initially along the shore and then up into the hills but still along the shore. Nothing too steep though and very little traffic. At the end a small harbor with a cat who “employs” several fishermen to catch her fish.

Apart from that “new” section, the ride was very traditional, with the obligatory photo of “Biwako” …

… and of the “idyllic” tree on the shore, very beloved by drivers of bicycles, motorbikes and cars for a romantic picture of their ride. Today many were awaiting sunset.

Not me though, I took a quick picture of bike and tree (traditions need to be respected) …

… and continued away from the sunset that I caught in Hikone just before turning inland and towards the onsen

For tomorrow I left the bicycle parked at Hikone station and will likely ride from Hikone to Takashima or at least to the Oku Biwalake area and then get a train back to Kyoto. Today it was so sunny but apparently tomorrow it will be cloudy with some rain in the afternoon. But around Lake Biwa there are many train stations so should be okay to go while checking the clouds. 

My original plan for today also had an other lake, Kisenyama Dam, but when I was at the entrance to a small road leading to it, there was an automatic announcement that sounded like continuing wasn’t a good idea. If I understood correctly the hunting season was on. 

NY2024 - D4 exploring around Fushimi and on to Uji

Route: Kyoto - Fushimi - Uji and back
Bicycle: 58 km
Total ascent: 532 m
Average Speed: 14.7 km/h
Riding time: 3:56 h
Weather: sun, clouds, rain all mixed, 6 C

In theory the weather forecast for today was no rain from the morning... but that wasn't really true. It was rainy in the morning, so I had a slow and late start. When I finally got going around 10:30 it kind of had stopped raining, but the roads were wet after a night of rain. My plan was to ride to the tea fields behind Uji, a ride a tried (from Nara) about a year ago, and was also stopped by rain. This time it wasn't only the rain that did put a stop to this plan, but also an intriguing roof ridge I saw on a hill, and decided to investigate:

The (rebuilt) castle of Fushimi. Very quiet place.

From there it wasn't far to a shrine on the same hill and the mausoleum of the Meiji emperor.

Weather today was very changing, sunny in one minute, grey in the next and a few rain drops soon after, just to return to sun or clouds again. Anyway, the rain was never strong enough to really get wet. Luckily as it's cold. 

After exploring the sights on this hill I continued my preplanned route towards Uji, and before I knew it was at Uji station. By then it was a bit after 12:00 so I decided to have lunch in Uji, in a family restaurant, considering that Uji is too touristy for normal restaurants plus it is 1st of January, so most normal restaurants are closed. While eating it rained again, and I also realized that my full plan was not achievable. So I replanned the route and shortened it a bit. It still went a bit uphill, and still contained one tea plantation.

Back through built up area, until I was down on the bicycle road along Kizugawa. Not the best ride through built up area, specially after the enjoyment of nature the first 2 days in Northern Kyoto. Not really bad... but just not really enjoyable either. Once on the river, there is the typical river cycling lane linking to the cycling lane on a few other rivers and back to my hotel. While I was cycling I heard my phone beeping. The typical beep of the alert system. After a while it beeped again and again. So I checked what had happened. I already suspected that it was an earthquake, and I was right. A rather major earthquake (shindo 7) in Ishikawa prefecture, with tsunami warnings for practically the entire Japan sea coast. Back in the hotel I watched a bit of television, where they were saying continuously "evacute now... don't leave it to later, evacuate now to higher places ... a tsunami is coming ... evacuate now..." Luckily there is some time between an earthquake and the inbound tsunami, so hopefully most people will have had enough time to evacuate to somewhere a bit higher. Now, about 6 hours later, and a multitude of strong aftershocks in the area, they continue to ask people to evacuate for the tsunami. So far however it seems that there haven't been a lot of injured people. But we will see in the next days. The announcer on the television at least seems to be well prepared. Assuming that he is sitting in Tokyo, the helmet is really only show. 

NY2024 - D3 Shopping and pure crazyiness in Fushimi Inari

Route: no real route... just close to the hotel
Bicycle: 8 km
Total Ascent: 51 m
Average Speed: 10.7 km/h
Riding Time: 46 min
Weather: grey, but it actually did not rain, 10 C

The weather forecast for today was rainy. So yesterday I decided to get a well deserved sleep in, something I do seldom lately as on the weekends if weather is good enough, and it often is, I am out and about with my bike. So after resting and then sulking a bit longer in bed (watching YouTube and the like) I finally got out there around noon. This time not dressing in cycling cloths, again something I relatively rarely do on days off and it is actually strange to sit on the road bike without the properly padded cycling shorts. I had a small shopping list of things I want to buy. I could buy them in Tokyo, but well, I am here and didn't have a ride plan for today. I went to a large shopping mall just South of the station where I had seen that there was an outdoor shop and many other shops, where I hoped to find a bath robe. I didn't find any bathrobe at all... but I found some new sturdy shoes. My current shoes I bought in 2018 when I moved to the Netherlands and since I have been wearing practically daily when weather isn't good enough for sandals. They are still okay... but I can see the day coming when they will fail, so I had decided to get a new pair. And so I did. I also got some New Years precooked dinner for later tonight. 

I came back to my hotel dropped my shopping and after a while set out just over the river from here to Fushimi Inari. It is crazy how busy that area is, but only about 3, 4 streets. Everything between the 2 train stations close to the shrine and the Fushimi Inari shrine itself. Hordes of people, mostly tourists, on the streets. But be away one more block, and it is a perfectly boring, anonymous Japanese neighbourhood. 

I just came to check out how Fushimi Inari is gearing up for the big hatsumode. And yes, it was gearing up. The presents to the shrine were already arranged ...

... and the food stalls up and cooking.

This ride concludes yet an other year on the bike. Considering that I practically don't cycle from June to August due to the heat in Japan, raking up over 8,000 km isn't bad. Nothing to compare to the 16,000 I did a few years ago in the Netherlands, but then I was cycling in the flat (and boring Netherlands) and went out there nearly every day for a quick spin after work. Now I am regularly riding to work (about 9 km each way) and in varied countryside on the weekends. And 8,000 km with nearly 70,000 m of climbing are also an other beast. In the Netherlands I did regularly rides of 140 km (e.g. riding from Leiden to Amsterdam, picking up people there for a ride, riding maybe 60 km with those guys, dropping them off in Amsterdam again and then back to Leiden... and 140 km were done. Easy peasy. This year, I think I did a 100 km ride at least every month (except probably June and August when it was too hot to get a lot of cycling done). (In July I was at a cycling event of my company in Europe, where it was hot... the hottest day of the year... but nothing compared to the humid heat of Japan). 

Also riding over 500 h in a year means that I spent about 6% of my entire time this year cycling. If you add time with the bike but not cycling, e.g. taking pictures, stopping for lunch... it was probably close to 10% of my time that was spent close to a bicycle out there in the nature. 

NY2024 - D2 Kyomi pass, Kifune and Ohara

Route: Kyoto - Kyomi pass - Kifune - Ohara - Kyoto
Bicycle: 76 km
Total Ascent: 1,025 m
Average speed: 15.7 km/h
Riding time: 4:49 h
Weather: Sunny and cool, 6C

For today I chose the "Kyoto heart" route, called so because of it's shape on Strava... only that I added Kifune to it as well. The initial mountain was the same as yesterday, but I took a slight different and maybe a bit better way from my hotel in the South of Kyoto to the North. Including a brief stop at a cycling "school", aka a park for kids to learn traffic rules... but it wasn't as nice as the park in Wadabori in Tokyo. So from there further up into the mountains on this small and very quiet road through the forrest. 

On the downhill I passed again a natural spring which seems to have very good water, as today as well as yesterday there were people who had come by car to fill up many many bottles... but as I only had one bottle to fill I got mine without waiting. After some further downhill a new uphill awaited on a new route, part of the Kyoto heart. Also that road very, very quiet. But yellow on the map. But hardly any cars. 

Then again downhill which brought me back closer to Kyoto and something like a suburb of Kyoto where I had decided to have lunch. I had seen on Google maps a "steak restaurant" that caught my eye. Rightfully so, the meat was excellent. 

But the restaurant itself very strange.  A place full of prohibitions: no smartphone while eating, no children, groups of people must come in one car, no perfume... They even said that they had to call the police because of perfume use. From the outside the place doesnt even look like a restaurant and does everthing to avoid to have customers... but then the food they prepare is excellent. 

After lunch it was uphill again, to Kifune. A place I now recognize. When I was for the first time in Japan in 1995 I took a trip for maybe 1 - 2 weeks in July or August and visited - among other places - Kyoto. There I stayed in a youth hostel and in the evening they had organized to go and visit a festival with lanterns at some temples. I signed up and we went by bus there with a guide, as far as I remember. I never really knew where that place was, but when coming to Kifune today, I am pretty sure it was here. It's a small weekend town in a narrow valley in the hills North of Kyoto. I don't think people actually live there, but it has a lot of summer restaurants, that probably serve food on top of the river, probably a few ryokans. And a very relaxed atmosphere. There is a train station at the bottom of the entrance street to it, from where it is a few kilometers walk and quite a lot of people did the treck. In the New Year it will be many more. 

Officially it is famous for its 2 shrines... but they are just your pretty average mountain village shrine. Nothing terribly special about them, but it is a great location to get into the nature not far from Kyoto city. 

Then it was downhill again, nearly back to the lunch restaurant, and from there up the next valley and over to Ohara. To Ohara I had been before, once to visit the most famous temple there and once just passing through. In principle I wanted to have early dinner/late lunch there at the pickels factory, but I had such a good lunch at noon and it wasn't late enough for an early dinner, that I skipped that idea. Instead I added an other temple and a few more meters of climbing. 

And finally it was all the way downhill to Kyoto and my hotel. With a brief stop at Shimogamo shrine at the confluence of Takano river and Kamo river. At this shrine there were also very serious preparations ongoing for the upcoming Hatsumode. A big parking lot (which will be too small for sure), a lot of food stalls and signs everywhere inside the shrine complex where to find what and where to go. But today still everything pretty quiet. 

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.