I took an early morning walk from K's, crossing the bridge over lake Kawaguchi where I stumbled on some great views of Mt Fuji, framed in cherry blossom.
The plan for the day was to cycle north, climbing over the mountains that separate the Fuji Five Lakes region from the Kōfu Basin, then cycle and train up to Matsumoto to see the castle there. I had the choice of a long, winding climb over the mountain on a minor road or a shorter climb followed by a longish tunnel on a busier road.
I opted for the long, winding maybe scenic? climb over the top, but when I got to the appropriate junction I found a makeshift sign, scrawled in Japanese. I had no idea what it said but was approaching altitudes where snow was lingering, so decided it must be saying 'road ahead closed' and opted for the tunnel instead.
This wasn't much fun as there was no hard shoulder but plenty of traffic. I donned my lights and reflectors and got the hammer down to minimise time in the tunnel. Safely out the other side, it was largely downhill all the way to Kōfu station (via the Golden Arches for some mid-morning caffeine where I packed up my bike for the umpteenth time and hopped on the train to Matsumoto.
The plan for the day was to cycle north, climbing over the mountains that separate the Fuji Five Lakes region from the Kōfu Basin, then cycle and train up to Matsumoto to see the castle there. I had the choice of a long, winding climb over the mountain on a minor road or a shorter climb followed by a longish tunnel on a busier road.
I opted for the long, winding maybe scenic? climb over the top, but when I got to the appropriate junction I found a makeshift sign, scrawled in Japanese. I had no idea what it said but was approaching altitudes where snow was lingering, so decided it must be saying 'road ahead closed' and opted for the tunnel instead.
This wasn't much fun as there was no hard shoulder but plenty of traffic. I donned my lights and reflectors and got the hammer down to minimise time in the tunnel. Safely out the other side, it was largely downhill all the way to Kōfu station (via the Golden Arches for some mid-morning caffeine where I packed up my bike for the umpteenth time and hopped on the train to Matsumoto.
On arriving into Matsumoto, I put my bike together outside the station and headed off to find the castle - another of Japan's national treasures. I'd been cherry picking apt, given the time of year! the best castles to visit on this trip and Matsumoto was no exception. Known as Crow Castle because of its black exterior, it was the seat of the Matsumoto domain and still has the original sixteenth century wooden interiors and external stonework.
After my visit it was back on two wheels for practically the last time on this trip as I set the Sat Nav for Shiojiri and my hotel, 25km to the south.
After my visit it was back on two wheels for practically the last time on this trip as I set the Sat Nav for Shiojiri and my hotel, 25km to the south.
I was planning to spend tomorrow cycling north to Hakuba, then visit the Tateyama Alpine route on Sunday but the forecast for tomorrow was azure blue skies, with Sunday becoming overcast and cloudy. So I decided to do the Alpine route tomorrow to take advantage of the fine weather.
Yet another early start to catch the first train north from Shiojiri. This got me to Omachi for around 8am where I locked my bike up near the station, leaving all but my most valuable luggage behind with it. I'd been in Japan long enough to realise theft is all but unheard of here.
From Omachi, I took the (expensive) shuttle bus to Ogizawa, the starting point for the Tateyama Alpine Route.
The Alpine route is a tourist attraction that traverses the 37km from one side of the Hida mountain range to the other. In order to travel the entire length, one must utilise no less than 5 distinct modes of transport including funicular, trolleybus and an aerial tramway. I was only travelling half the route from the east side, then returning to the same end later in the day.
From Omachi, I took the (expensive) shuttle bus to Ogizawa, the starting point for the Tateyama Alpine Route.
The Alpine route is a tourist attraction that traverses the 37km from one side of the Hida mountain range to the other. In order to travel the entire length, one must utilise no less than 5 distinct modes of transport including funicular, trolleybus and an aerial tramway. I was only travelling half the route from the east side, then returning to the same end later in the day.
An electric bus starts the journey, taking us through a tunnel to the Kurobe Dam. This has to be crossed on foot before hopping on an underground funicular, then a dramatic aerial tramway. Another short underground trolleybus and we'd arrived at Murodou station (2,500m) and the highlight of the route.
As I stepped out at Murodou the sun was breaking through the early morning mist and the sky turning blue. The snow corridor section is every bit as spectacular as I'd hoped it would be, with walls of snow up to 20m high on either side of the road. After half an hour wandering through and taking photos I decided I was as close to freezing as I was prepared to get and headed back indoors for some food.
As I stepped out at Murodou the sun was breaking through the early morning mist and the sky turning blue. The snow corridor section is every bit as spectacular as I'd hoped it would be, with walls of snow up to 20m high on either side of the road. After half an hour wandering through and taking photos I decided I was as close to freezing as I was prepared to get and headed back indoors for some food.
In the afternoon, I did the route in reverse to end up back at Omachi station just after 3pm, relieved if not surprised to find my bike and luggage just as I'd left them. I stayed the night at K's house Hakuba, a few stops further up the line and had an amazing Japanese / Italian pizza at a small pub in the village.
My last couple of days in Japan were spent getting back to Tokyo, buying gifts for friends & family and doing some final sightseeing.
This included hopping on the Metro (and getting briefly lost!) to the famous Shibuya Crossing for a kōhī overlooking the chaos, visiting the giant 18m Gundam robot at the DiverCity Plaza complex and checking out some malls and toy shops.
This included hopping on the Metro (and getting briefly lost!) to the famous Shibuya Crossing for a kōhī overlooking the chaos, visiting the giant 18m Gundam robot at the DiverCity Plaza complex and checking out some malls and toy shops.
I'd totalled just under 500km on the days spent cycling, which is maybe a few less than I would have liked. I try to keep some flexibility in the days when planning but ended up using the train a bit more than intended.
The cycling we did was amazing though. Combined with the sightseeing in Kyoto, Hiroshima and Tokyo, I really enjoyed the two weeks seeing Japan and highly recommend it as a cycle tour destination
The cycling we did was amazing though. Combined with the sightseeing in Kyoto, Hiroshima and Tokyo, I really enjoyed the two weeks seeing Japan and highly recommend it as a cycle tour destination
