D2 NAAF Around Omachi

Route: around Omachi and up to Kuzuonsen

Bicycle: 60 km
Total ascent: 1012 m
Average speed: 
Riding time: 4:19 h
Weather: clouds and sun, no rain, 22C

Also today I saw one piece of art that was great. Unfortunately only one. Or one and an half. But that one was actually the best I have seen so far. Better even than the ones in Echigo Tsumari. 

Initially I thought that the second last art work was good, and it’s nice and all, but like yesterday the best was the last one.

A very cruel piece of art. In the forest some trees have been cut, prepared into wooden planks, firewood and even the branches are all there. Only a central column remains and the root still in the earth. While the neighboring tree hasn’t been mutilated and is still growing as if nothing had happened to his neighbor. Makes you wonder if one should be “lignio abstinent”. But at the same time I am thinking of buying a piece of land in Tokyo to build a house which will be made of wood… conflicted…

It’s also true that there are too many trees in Japan. Specially Japanese cedars (probably the tree in the picture) which causes hay fewer to what seems to be half of the population in Japan. Actually the government announced a plan to reduce these trees, but it is hard to see how this can be implemented due to the lack of manpower specially in rural areas and just the vastness of the forests and mountains in Japan.

The day started relatively late, because the art works don’t open until 9:30 and I used the full opening time until 16:30. The first art work was close to my accommodation around lake Nakatsuna. 

I’d say decorative, but mainly because the lake is nice by itself. The next two in an abandoned school did tell me even less. 

The third on my way to a dam was a video installation about hunters and the forth was a decorated but otherwise ugly wall of the Omachi Power museum… 

… a museum likely dedicated to the many dams that exist in the area. The most famous of them: Kurobe Dam, which is on a complicated but very popular route of many different transports (Trolleybus, cable car, bus, train…) through the Northern Alps. 

From there it was up and up to a first dam …

And a second dam which had yet another piece of art.

For me it was the place to eat my onigiri. Which felt a bit little but was all I had. As it was already 12:00 I decided against continuing up to the final dam but instead was tempted by an onsen in the area which had been highly recommended by the owner of the pension where I am staying. 

It was a nice onsen, but I confirmed that doing an onsen during a ride isn’t so nice as doing it at the end knowing thrrr are only a few kilometers left. 

Once down from the mountain I found a soba restaurant (in the middle of soba fields) , where I had lunch. Warm soba this time. 

Before heading to the last cluster of art works on Omachi onsenkyo a hotel village , now apparently popular by bus tours that do the Kurobe dam tour. 

In this old sake factory now a sake museum where small moving and sounding objects. 

Right next to what seemed to be a waste thermal plant was this art work, which didn’t tell me anything. Jus looked like wooden planks for walking, similar to the ones in the forest with the long poem above. It looks like a nice place to have lunch, but that’s about it.

Anyway even here I did get one more stamp for my passbook.

And off I went to the last but one piece of art, which gains an honorable mention.

But the best was the last, to which I arrived in extremis, barely minutes before they were closing. 

D1 NAAF Matsumoto - Omachi plus art

Route: Matsumoto - Omachi and art installations between 

Bicycle: 65 km

Train: 220 km

Total ascent: 659 m
Average speed: 15,9 km/h
Riding time: 4:04 h
Weather: cloudy, later on light drizzle, 20 C

I read recently in the Japan Times about an “inconvenient“ art festival in the Northern Alps, which picked my interest. 

The Northern Alps Art Festival (NAAF), curiously organized by the same person as the Echigo Tsumari triennial where I was a few weeks ago. Initially I had thought to come here next weekend which will be a long one, but it turned out that 2 weeks before there were no train tickets anymore available, and with me being busy most of the other weekends in October plus reasonable weather I decided to make also this weekend a long one. Although there is no koyo yet and it is not a long weekend, it was difficult (but possible) to buy train tickets. 

From Matsumoto I first needed to get out of the city and then went as a first stop to a point to buy the “passport” for the art festival. Had a quick lunch in a restaurant on the same parking lot and then went to the first art work, which left me a bit underwhelmed.

The second piece was behind a temple in a forest.  This seems to be a theme with this festival. A lot of the places I saw today are somehow within temple or shrine grounds. 

Also this one frankly did not impress me. But it was in a curious location on a kind of golf in the woods ground. 

At the third place were some video installations. One of them being story telling from what seemed to be old , Japanese tales. 

I didn’t stop in Omachi, where there is more art in the town but continued to lake Kizaki, that had also more art.

But the highlight of the day was this spiral of lenses. They were specially magical as by this time it had started to rain  slightly. 

Although this art festival is called “Northern Alps” those guys did hide today behind some big clouds, so instead of Alps, there were only some smaller mountains around. 

SW D10 Tateshina Daira

Route: Suwa - Tateshina Daira - Chino

Bicycle: 41 km 

Train: 180 km

Total ascent: 608 m

Average speed : 14,7 km
Riding time: 2:46 h
Weather: very sunny but no longer hot, 25 C

The trip started 10 days ago in a full Shinkansen where there was only seating space on the ground for a few stations and then only standing. And is finishing in a sold out train back to Shinjuku. Between these two train rides lie 430 km and 5513 elevation meters of cycling, a lot of art, even more landscape and a lot of enjoyment. 

Today weather was very nice. Sunny and no longer hot. Such a change compared to the rain and dark clouds yesterday. I am always surprised how quickly weather can change completely. 

In principle I had planned to ride a part of the famous Venus Line up to Shirakaba lake, but I only made it up to Tateshina Daira. 

Obviously it is tiring to climb, but I think I could have done an other 10 km of climbing. Overall the plan per Komoot was only 1010 m of climbing and per Strava I did climb 608 of them. However it was getting cold. Not as long as I was riding uphill, but when I stopped at Tateshina Daira for lunch and a rest, sitting outside quickly became rather cold, and this was only at 1230 m of elevation. The top of the road was going to be at 1760 m. I only had my rain jacket as potential wind breaker and jacket for a nearly 30 km decent. This somehow seemed unwise. I need to ask some cycling friends what they bring for alpine descents. 

So instead I explored a bit around the lake and found a tiny road down to a very nice waterfall. 

From there further down and to a village onsen. It was a small village onsen, where the locals go and even leave some of their stuff permanently in the changing room. But it had a rotenburo. Once upon a time it had a view of the nearby stream, but now it’s blocked off for potential views. In the same grounds was also the village administration office, the shrine grounds and the cemetery. All you need for a successful village. 

SW D9 Ueda to Suwako

Route: Ueda - Shinonoi - Matsumoto - Suwa
Bicycle: 73 km
Train: 57 km
Total ascent:  635 m
Average speed: 16,5 km/h
Riding time: 4:30 h
Weather: for the first part rainy, for the second part windy and dark clouds but no rain anymore, 

The original plan was to ride over from Ueda through Aoki to Matsumoto and then either by bike or train to Suwako. A road I had seen a few months ago when I tried (and failed) to cycle from Bessho onsen to Matsumoto. But that plan didn’t count on a cold rainy day. When I started there was only very light rain, but t this transformed into proper rain quite quickly and at a conbini already in direction to Aoki I reconsidered my options. Being alone in the mountains on a small road up and (!) down with so much rain wasn’t going to be neither safe nor fun. So I reconsidered my options:

1. Cycle to Komoro and get a local train to Kobuchizawa. 
2. Cycle to Ueda and take a Shinkansen back to Tokyo and call it off. 
3. Cycle to Shinonoi and get a train from there to Matsumoto.

I went with option #3. Option #1 has considerably less trains. Option #2 was tempting because then I could have participated in the evening in Tokyo at the NPC ride, but weather tomorrow in the lake Suwa area seemed to be so nice plus I already had booked a hotel which at such short notice was not going to be refundable. So option #3 it was. 

So I cycled down again on the same bicycle road along the river all the way to Shinonoi. Uneventful but wet ride. 

However as soon as I arrived at the station, had packed up my bike and changed into dry clothes, the rain stopped and the sun made an appearance. But this wasn’t going to fool me. Now I was sold on the train option. 

From the train I was surprised to see a lot of damaged trees. Apparently dried out. How is that even possible on Japan with the humid summers? Or were those trees simply killed by heat not lack of water? Japan has more than enough trees, so it’s probably not a problem. And maybe even a chance to plant something else that hasn’t half of the nation sneezing in spring with allergy.

I arrived at Matsumoto station shortly before 12:00, found a very good karaage restaurant where I had chicken nanban. After lunch I changed back into my slightly damp cycling clothes, put the bike together again and then set off towards Suwako. On google maps it seems like an easy ride, but in reality there is a 1040 m high mountain pass in between and the road has a lot of up and down. 

But one gets a nice view of the lake below, and on days with less clouds the Minami and Kita Alps would also be visible. From a distinctively brutalist viewing platform. 

From there on a very small and incredibly steep (I walked) road down to the lake, a short stop on the shores in a foot spa and then off to my hotel for the last night of this trip.

SW D8 Nozawa onsen to Ueda

Route:Nozawa onsen - follow the River - Ueda
Bicycle: 101 km
Total ascent: 644 m
Average speed: 19,2 km/h
Riding time: 5:16 h
Weather: cloudy but no rain where I was, 27 C

 

Today was a transition day. Fitting for the day after the queens stage. Downhill from Nozawa onsen to the broad valley around Nagano that is a hot bed for any kind of fruit cultivation. Mainly apples, but also walnuts, pears, kaki, grapes, …

And mountains.

 

The only sightseeing spot I visited today, was this gigantic ginkgo tree. I had seen indications to it in past rides around Nozawa onsen, but never actually went. Should definitely go again when the koyo season is in full swing.

Apart from that, it was a relatively uneventful day, riding for a good pirate along the river on a dedicated bike path.At my second breakfast stop, I checked if there is an onsen close to Ueda and found one not too far and nearly on my way. It was one of the few onsen with a view while sitting in the hot water. A view over the valley and towards the mountains in front. There was even at some point a nice little rainbow, but I got lucky and it never rained in the entire day where I was.

SW D7 Tokamachi - Akiyama - Nozawa onsen

Route: Tokamachi - Akiyama - Nozawa onsen
Bicycle: 80 km
Total ascent: 1750 m
Average speed: 15,2 km/h
Riding time: 5:15 h
Weather: hot but not that humid, mostly sunny later some clouds, 30 C

After the rest day, today the Queens stage: up to Akiyama and then at the end up to the ski area of Nozawa onsen. 

Akiyama was suggested as one of the interesting spots fit the art exhibition, but I didn’t make it up to the interesting piece. I stopped about 6 km and , more importantly 240 meters of elevation before reaching that part of the exhibition. Maybe in hindsight I should have continued on, but I had the feeling that there was a lot of downhill in the uphill I had done and needed to cycle all this back. But it was misleading. Actually what I saw on Komoot was much closer to reality, ie nearly one long downhill with one kicker, compared to what I had felt coming uphill. Not the first time that some downhill in an uphill on the way back seem petty.

At this abandoned school I turned back after a good rest and an onigiri I had bought at a conbini in the valley. Inside was an art installation that was more for children to play with. 

But the valley itself was gorgeous, with a steep wall on one side and a lovely stream.

On the way down I stopped at a soba restaurant. Apparently Niigata is very famous for its rice, but I have been eating soba twice and even saw some soba fields. 

Back down in the Shinano valley I stopped at Hong Kong house and yet an other abandoned school turned into an art venue for a last look at some art:

But overall the art I like here is the one that stands in the landscape and interacts with it. 

For the night I had reserved a room with half board in the ski area of Nozawa onsen. I had come here last year November. Very friendly owners. And a good cook. 

Tomorrow probably back to Tokyo as weather isn’t promising here. Not yet decided if I’ll ride in the rain to Nagano or get down the mountain by bus and then take a train from Iiyama. 

SW D6 More art, more rain, no bike

Route: ryokan to MonET museum and back
Bicycle: 0 km
Taxi: 3,5 km

Bus: 3,5 km
Weather: rain and more rain, 25 C

Today’s forecast was rain and more rain. So much rain that parts of Niigata prefecture are under alert for landslides and inundation. So cycling wasn’t in the plan today. But today the museums opened again, so I took a taxi from my ryokan to the MonET museum in Tokamachi. 

Frankly I am a bit disappointed by it. I had expected that as the main venue of the festival the art work would be new, but really only the art work on the openly accessible ground level was new, and I had seen that already on Sunday. 

While the art inside the museum was mostly (or maybe even completely) the same as 2 years ago. This doesn’t mean it’s not good /interesting art, but I had expected to be mostly new exhibits. 

Anyway I was able to see again this “waterfall”. It’s not water but silicone oil falling down and creating a very nice and gentle movement. 

As I had no other plans for today , I took it slowly , then had lunch at the neighboring “michi-no-eki” and am now sitting in the onsen of the museum, writing todays and yesterdays blog posts. 

The onsen doesn’t have a rotenburo, which normally isn’t what I like, but with the rain rotenburo can often not be enjoyed anyway. 

Once I finish this post I’ll go and get my bath and then either watch the sumo tournament here or go back by taxi (or bus?) to my ryokan for a last night. Tomorrow weather is supposedly again sunny (and hot - very hot apparently all in Japan with 36 C in Tokyo and not much less here) and I’ll ride from here to Nozawa onsen, to the same pension I already went last year. Probably on Saturday I will return to Tokyo as the weather in the region isn’t going to be good for riding. So probably I can participate in the NPC ride in Tokyo on Saturday evening. 

SW D5 More art

Route: Valley of Tokamachi
Bicycle: 48 km
Total ascent: 554 m
Average speed: 16 km/h
Riding time: 2:58 h
Weather: very humid, some rain, and warm, 30 C

Today’s weather forecast had some rain, some non-rain time. I managed to pass the rain time under the roof of a 7/11, but still got kind of wet: road spray and an incredible humidity. Like in a botanical garden subtropical green house. 

I had decided to stay in the valley and look for some new artwork in the area. Luckily the app of the Tsumari Echigo festival has a google map where one can filter for new artwork. I should also remeber fit the next time that the indoor events are all closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. 

Most of the art work I saw left me pretty indifferent …

Except these cubes in the forest on a very soft ground in a very wet forest. 

But I also went to see some long time favorites:

I think here the official art work is the blue metal construction (an English terraced house) but I like the enormous torii in the rice paddies. 

This was the furthest I got today from my accommodation . Rain was already visible in the distance but I made it to a 7/11 comfortably in time and has lunch under their roof (outside) while waiting out the rain, before returning and going towards Tokamachi. A new piece of art that has been recommended was this:

A man powered snow plow, which wouldn’t work, which is clear from looking at an actual snow plow right next to it. 

Checking the weather it weekend it wouldn’t rain soon, so I continued to the farest spot in Tokamachi , where these two pieces of art awaited me:

I had seen pictures of it, where the ball was still green, but I think even with the withered leaves it still looks nice. 

These two pieces were next to a shrine at the feet of a hill behind the local sports ground. 

This shrine had a sumo ring, but this wasn’t where I watched sumo today. Instead back in my accommodation I watched the autumn (!) sumo meeting and how Oo-no-sato did win his 10th match in a row, on his way of winning this tournament with two wins advantage over the next 3  competitors. 

SW D4 more art and a castle around Tokamachi

Route: Tokamachi area
Bicycle: 44 km
Total ascent: 582 m
Average speed: 12,9 km/h
Riding time: 3:24 h
Weather: hot and humid, some rain, 30 C

Today’s highlight was not art, but a castle.

And I nearly missed it for the third time. I have been here now three times once in 2015 by car and then two years ago in 2022 by bicycle and both times I was really close to this castle, but both times I did not make it up to the castle. The year we came by car, we went to a part of the art installation that is only a few hundred meters below the castle, but if I remember correctly, it started raining, so we probably didn’t drive up to the castle. Two years ago, I came again to this area on a very hot and humid day and had struggled up the hill to a certain point, not actually with the goal to reach the castle, but those aren’t installations below it. But I gave up on the road junction and rode downhill instead. Today again, I was at risk of not reaching the castle. The initial road is crazy steep so I pushed up the bike for most of it. Then at the road junction where I had given up the last time, it levels off a little bit, but at that point it started raining. Not the first rain of the day but the first strong rain. Luckily, I made it under a tree and in combination with my rain, jacket and helmet cover I stayed reasonably dry.The rain didn’t last very long, which was kind of clear from the type of clouds today. So I waited it out for maybe 10-15 minute, And then restarted my ride. Originally, I hadn’t even planned to ride up to the castle, instead, I was interested in the art installations.But once I reached the entrance to the art installations, I remembered that I had been here already back in the day. So no need to repeat this again that instead, I continued uphill and was greeted by this very asiatic view. One can easily imagine it as an ink drawing.

But let’s start the day at the beginning. The first artwork was really close to my ryokan, So I kind of felt compelled to go and see it.

Well, I would say that the bear alert sign on the road leading up to it was more artistic than this piece of art.

After that, it was down through the rice and soba fields and the next stop was this artistic parking lot, which I kind of like and have visited in every single visit to this area.

This time I even saw how it looks from the side.

The next stop was one of the artworks I had been recommended the other day at the museum. And it was nice, but didn’t make the highlight of the day. While I was there it rained a little bit on and off, very light rain, but still I did hide below some trees and waited it out.

At this point, I had become rather hungry, and I had missed to buy some snacks at a conbini. So I decided to ask Google sensei for some restaurant recommendations, and it came up with a very good suggestion for a soba restaurant. Both tasty and very nice settings. I would say this was highlight number two of the day.

What definitely did not feel like a highlight, or even vaguely interesting, was the artwork right in front of the small castle. I get it, that the stone is formed like the mountains in front, but with all the clouds, the mountains weren’t visible, and overall the stone just seemed a stone among other stones.

 

From here it was mainly downhill. I made a stop at the local golf course which hosts another big part of the art exhibition. But even the outside artworks were today closed. Not really sure why that would be necessary.