This blog is about travelling through Japan on a bicycle. Initially on a foldable bicycle (Brompton) and more recently mostly by road bike (Spezialized)... but also by train, ferry, plane, bus or any other transport, if sea, weather, mountains or the like come between me and my desire to ride.
I have tried to summarise information that could be potentially helpful also for other bicycle travellers through Japan, such as list of bicycle roads, helpful web pages etc.

Sunday 17 March 2024

D2 - Akame 48 waterfalls

Route: Nabari - Akame waterfalls - Akameguchi
Bicycle: 13 km
Hiking: 10 km
Train: 55 km
Total Ascent: 440 m 
Average Speed: 17.7 km/h
Riding Time: 45 min
Hiking Time: 2:45 h
Weather: Cloudy and later some rain... but not on me, ~10 C


My first post with "hiking"... an activity I don't really like, because my eyes are normally glued to the ground so I don't actually see the surroundings through which I am hiking. Plus my knee isn't very happy with going downstairs (and yes... this hiking involved a lot of stairs). But Akame 48 waterfalls can be seen hiking only. 

As I was there too late yesterday, I had left the bicycle at Nabari station, so that's where today's ride started. From there up to Akame it isn't very far. I had spotted yesterday a bicycle rack where I left the bike hanging and then set off into the ravine. At the entrance they told me yesterday that it would take 90 min to get to the last waterfall and 90 minutes back. I thought that sounded like a long estimation, but for the way in, it was spot on. I entered the ravine at 9:20 and got to the last waterfall at 10:50... took a 10 min break and had a onigiri I had brought along. On the way back I was however a little bit faster and made it back by 12:15. 75 minutes for the way back. 

The path is along the ravine and follows multiple waterfalls from tiny ones...


... to much bigger ones. 


I had noticed yesterday that in the ravine it was quite cold and today with the weather being already colder, I opted for long cycling trousers and my trusted Castelli ROS jacket. Which was a good combination, allowing for some underlayers to be taken off during the hike and put on later again. 

Overall there were not many people on the hiking path. But one can imagine that in koyo period it will be quite full. Specially until the second major waterfall. After that the hike becomes a little bit more hard (after all, these are waterfalls... so to get to the one above, one needs to walk up and up and sometimes quite steep. So I think a lot of people only make it to the second waterfall... which means they are missing out on what I thought was the nicest of them all, Ninai waterfall (first picture above). 

When I came back I had lunch in a small restaurant in the rather ugly village at the entrance. While eating it started to rain... but luckily rain radar showed (and weather conformed) a break in the rain a little bit later. So I waited it out, then got back on the bike and down to the next train station in Akameguchi, quickly disassembled the bike, headed to the platform, managed to get the bag on top of the bike and jumped on the train that arrived in that moment. Perfect non-planning. 

Back in the hotel I had a long relaxing scrub in the hotels onsen, did put all my cloths in the washing machine and then relaxed in my room. 

Tomorrow it is back to work for at least 1 day, but in Osaka. Tuesday weather seems to be fine, so I will take PTO. Wednesday is the local holiday... but it seems it will rain... so maybe some museum time? Thursday again rain, so I will work but Friday looks nice and sunny, albeit cold. 

Saturday 16 March 2024

D1 - Muro temple and art

Route: Sakurai - Uda - Muro - Akame - Nabari
Bicycle: 53 km
Train: 30 km
Total ascent: 1215 m
Average speed: 14,1 km/h
Riding time: 3:47 h
Weather: sunny and early spring, probably around 16C (but Wahoo thinks it was -124 C ...)


Next Wednesday is a local holiday and originally our boss was going to come to Japan next week as well, likely to Osaka. So quite a long time ago, I think probably shortly after my winter ride here in inner Nara prefecture, I reserved a hotel in Sakurai to continue exploring this area that I like so much. 

To have extra time I already arrived yesterday evening by Shinkansen and local trains from Tokyo. So today I could start immediately with the ride. 

I had bookmarked two locations closeby based on recommendations from the Japan Guide Forum

  • Muro Art Forest
  • Akame 48 Waterfall's

But it turned out that I would manage only the Art Forest. But let’s go in order.

I planned a route yesterday evening which turned out to be on very nice and very quiet roads once I turned away from the state road after about 7,5 km, and actually I could have enjoyed even more rural roads as most of the steep part of the state road had a village road in parallel , which stupidly I didn’t take. But once away from there quite soon I came to a long lake with a small road that had hardly any traffic. It was even a recommended route from Nara prefecture and well indicated.

The route went to Muro, where my first google pin was. But while cycling there I noticed that everywhere there were indications of Muro temple. So I decided to give it a visit. It starts like any normal temple with a big gate...


... then goes up what seems to be a lot of stairs ...


... until you realize, beyond the pagoda ...


... that ... 


... the stairs hadn’t even yet started in serious.


Only at the end of these long and somewhat irregular stairs is the Inner temple with a nice view over the valley.

The village itself was very traditional and surprisingly touristic. 

But could easily be host to a TV series of Showa or even Taisho period.

I had a very good vegetable lunch in a traditional ryokan at the entrance to the temple before continuing and exploring the Art forest.

This art installation was quite popular with young people (in their 20s and 30s). Only a few people above that age range had also made it to the park. Probably all the pictures end up on Instagram... except mine... which end up here on blogger for no one to read. 



Originally my plan was to then go to the 48 waterfalls and ride back to Sakurai... but with all this sightseeing it had gotten quite late. I still did cycle onwards to the waterfalls but when I arrived it was already after 15:00 and I would only have been able to walk a part of the trail. Apparently it takes 90 minutes to walk to the farest waterfall and 90 minutes back. So a real hike. But that will be for tomorrow. I hadn't a specific plan, apart from leaving the bicycle at a train station in that area and continue exploring from there... so now I even know what to explore. Tomorrow weather is going to be somewhat worse... so I hope to get an early start to see the waterfalls and then decide if just riding back by train, riding back the same way I cycled up there today or explore somewhere further. No pressure. 

But it is good that finally it is warm enough to again combine cycling and tourism. Back in January it was definitely too cold for that. 

From the non-waterfalls I cycled down to Nabari, which resulted to be already in Mie prefecture and went to a super sento there. There were some more rural onsen on the way, but both I saw were already closed (and this was before 16:00). Probably in the afternoon/evening they are only for staying guests. 

After a good soak I left the bicycle in the parking lot of Nabari station, put my 220 yen into a un unmaned box and took the train back to Sakurai. Although this region is very rural, there are surprisingly many trains. About 4 or 5 every hour towards Osaka and probably a similar number towards the coast of Mie prefecture. 



Monday 12 February 2024

D3 - Three lakes in one ride

Route: Mito - Hinuma lake - Kitaura lake - Kasumigaura lake - Tsuchiura
Bicycle: 107 km
Train: 85 km
Total ascent: 252 m
Average speed: 18,9 km/h
Riding time: 5:40 h
Weather: sunny but cold , 8 C


For the last day of this 3 day weekend I cycled my way back from Mito to Tsuchiura but touching on all 3 lakes that are in the area. 

Lake #1: Hinuma

The smallest of the 3 lakes but also this one with at least for some part a bicycle lane. From there through this countryside which is very much dedicated to vegetables and probably also some fruits.  For sure strawberries, but I think generally vegetables. Now it was still too early for most of them but the plastic greenhouses were already ready as were the fields.


The strawberries however were already on sale. There was a strawberry farm that made heavy publicity along the road so I decided to stop and join the queue of people buying strawberries in all sizes. Well , generally quite big sizes. I got for 700 Yen a small box of strawberries to eat on the spot. And while they looked nice , the taste was quite thin. For me strawberries are a fruit of early summer. Maybe May or so, but here it is typical of Xmas and winter in general. Obviously they grow in greenhouses but still I think the European strawberries in May are much more tasty. 

Lake #2: Kitaura

This is a very long but not very wide lake running practically parallel to the sea but separated from it by some hills. Quite a layer back atmosphere. I wonder how long a ride around it would be… and got the answer from Komoot: 70 km. 

There were practically no other cyclists along the lake. The road around it is small just for the local fishermen and farmers and their small cars. Also the villages are quite small but passing over a bridge in the upper middle of the lake there was the one and only restaurant in the area. An old style village restaurant that served a very well fried Hirekatsu. Tasty! 

Lake # 3: (the good old) Kasumigaura

Through more layers back and very slightly ondulating terrain I came over to Kasumigaura. If I remember correctly the second largest lake in Japan, just surpassed by Lake Biwa. 

I had a crepe at the roadside station by the big bridge and decided to go from there back to Tsuchiura instead of adding the northern part of the lake to the itinerary as it was getting late. I made it back to Tsuchiura well before dark and went to an onsen I had visited a few weeks ago, to wash,  relax and eat before now taking the train back to Tokyo. 

Sunday 11 February 2024

D2 - Into the rolling hills around Mito

Route: Into the hills between Mito and Motegi
Bicycle: 98 km
Total ascent: 800 m
Average speed: 16,7 km/h
Riding time: 5:51 h
Weather: sunny but cold , 8C


For this second day, I went to explore the rolling Hills between Mito and Motegi. Even more remote than the area between Kasumigaura and Mito that I came through yesterday. Some small villages, some of them still with a lot of traditional houses, rolling hills, Some fields, forests, small, rivers, and surprisingly a few, I think two to be precise, groups of cyclists.When I looked up yesterday, if there any recommended roots here in the area, I couldn’t find anything on the various websites I know that recommend rides around Japan.It isn’t actually that far from Tokyo, but the area is probably not interesting enough for someone to come from Tokyo all the way here. There are better mountains much closer to Tokyo and while the rolling hills are nice, it’s also not spectacular and the area is relatively hard to reach.


While being out there shortly before 12 I got really hungry and realized that I was in the middle of nowhere. Actually close to Village, but there was nothing in that village. Luckily Google maps showed me a soba restaurant a few kilometers further on that was so popular that I even needed to wait. During lunch, I decided to make the right a little bit easier, which was a good decision as it was already 2 o’clock when I restarted the ride and I wanted to get to the onsen prior to it getting dark.


A few of the plum trees already are in full bloom, and some of them have a really strong, sweet scent. 


But mostly it is still too early. It is still winter, spring is still an idea of the future.


When planning this weekend yesterday while coming here by train, I saw a super sento close to Mito which had a very nice picture and it seemed that you can look outside into the countryside while soaking in the hot water. And yes, that is really what is happening. You don’t have an actual view of the landscape, But you can look into some bamboo trees, and some other shrubs, instead of just looking at a wall.

Saturday 10 February 2024

D1 - Long weekend around Mito

Route: Tsuchiura - Kasumigaura - Mito
Bicycle: 62 km
Train:
Total ascent: 184 m
Average speed: 20,6 km/h
Riding time: 2:59 h
Weather: sunny and cold, 8C


An other long weekend in the winter. I won’t be working a lot in February. Last weekend was a long weekend as I went on Monday and Tuesday with friends to Odawara (only that midway through it started to snow and we “evacuated” to the train). This weekend is an official long weekend with Monday being the National Foundation Day. It commemorates the foundation of Japan (or better to say the ascension to the throne of the first emperor in 660 BC). Actually in looking it up , I just noticed that the holiday is on Sunday, but Japan has a system that if a holiday is on a Sunday (not Saturday) it gets moved to the next Monday. 

Next weekend won’t be long, but the last weekend of February will be long again. Current emperor’s birthday on the 23rd. 

Seeing a few days ago that weather was going to be good albeit cold, I reserved on Thursday a hotel in Mito for 2 nights. 

Today I hadn’t an early start, so only was on the bike a bit before 13:00. Starting from Tsuchiura. Initially the same ride as a few weekends ago. Along the Kasumigaura lake…

… then over the bridge, some hot noodles at the roadside station, and then into the countryside between the lake and Mito. This countryside is really very remote, or so it feels.There isn’t anything special about this countryside it’s just countryside. So unremarkable that I did not take any pictures, until I came to a second much smaller lake.


The hotel had a small communal bath which I had completely to myself where I washed and warmed up before, having dinner at the restaurant close by.


Saturday 27 January 2024

Around Tsuchiura

Day 1

Route: a part of Kasumigaura 
Bicycle: 81 km
Train: 85 km
Total ascent: 51 m
Average speed: 21.4 km/h
Riding time: 3:46 h
Weather: very sunny, weak wind, 7C


For this weekend I had reserved a hotel in Tsuchiura , Thinking that cycling in the mountains around Hashimoto was maybe not a good idea if there was some snow. There probably isn’t, But now I’m here anyway. I’ve been here in this region last year in February and March several times, and in one of the visits I did ride around the entire Kasumigaura lake with a group of very fast cyclists, at least for my standards. Today I took things more relaxed. Enjoying the very sunny and windstill day. Sunny enough to ride with short sleeves, thanks to the Castelli ROS jacket with removable arms. 

The view of the lake with the sun is really nice, But I think now I do prefer riding in a more hilly environment. 


The day concluded in a typical super sento in Tsuchiura with a special treat: nearly naked men in one of the rotenburo. On tv screens though and fighting for the sumo winter title. What a Japanese experience! 




Day 2

Route: Tsuchiura - Sawara - Abiko
Bicycle: 129 km
Train: 56 km
Total ascent: 131 m
Average speed: 19.8 km/h
Riding time: 6:31h
Weather: cloudy, no wind, colder than yesterday , 6C

On this second day I did a ride that reminded me a lot of my rides in the Netherlands. Nearly always cycling lanes, very flat and a lot of water alongside. Either the lake of Kasumigaura or the Tone river. 

The destination of the day was Sawara. One of my first rides with my old Garmin was to Sawara. Back then I had stumbled across Sawara, not knowing that it is known as a nice small traditional town. This time I knew. 


There was a moderate amount of tourists, mainly Japanese. Sawara although close to Narita is pretty complicated to reach from Tokyo. But much nicer in my eyes than Kawagoe, which is the other famous traditional town close to Tokyo (and gets many more visitors).

After lunch in Sawara (soba) I took the cycling road on Tone river toward Abiko a station on the line back home  at least when you manage to get a JR train that transforms into a Chiyoda line subway and an Odakyu line train, like I did. It’s a slow train stopping everywhere but direct back home. 

Also today concluded in a super sento. This time in Abiko.



Sunday 7 January 2024

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).

Saturday 6 January 2024

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! 



Wednesday 3 January 2024

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. 

Tuesday 2 January 2024

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.