Jeffrey Friedl's Blog » A Bicycle Ride to the Kuuya-taki Waterfall in Western Kyoto with Manseki Kanemitsu

A Bicycle Ride to the Kuuya-taki Waterfall in Western Kyoto with Manseki Kanemitsu

by Jeffrey Friedl Tue, March 3rd, 2015 9:31pm JST (9 years, 2 months ago)

Manseki Kanemitsu 金光万石さん at the meeting point, Sanjo Starbucks, Kyoto Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/1250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Manseki Kanemitsu
金光万石さん
at the meeting point, Sanjo Starbucks, Kyoto Japan

Today I went out for a short, mostly-easy bicycle ride (track at Strava) with Manseki Kanemitsu, another member of the Cycling Kyoto! group on Facebook. Rain was forecast for the late afternoon so it was just us.

It was my first real ride since the grueling 90km mountain/snow adventure three weeks ago, and my third “real” ride in total, since my inaugural ride a month and a half ago.

(We're planning to do a more ambitious ride tomorrow with a larger group, so that'll be ride #4.)

We decided to head off to the Arashiyama area of western Kyoto, which unfortunately involves a lot of city riding just to get there.

Point-A-to-B City Riding 9:55am - taken while moving at 30 km/h -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/1000 sec, f/8, ISO 900 — map & image data — nearby photos
Point-A-to-B City Riding
9:55am - taken while moving at 30 km/h

We stopped by a tofu shop whose owners he was friends with, noted because they are perhaps the last shop in Kyoto sill use the old-style wood-burning hearth that I've often seen in old temple kitchens, but have never actually seen in use...

Iriyama Tofu Shop 入山豆腐店 -- Iriyama Tofu (入山豆腐) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/500 sec, f/8, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Iriyama Tofu Shop
入山豆腐店

Still Made By Hand 手作り -- Iriyama Tofu (入山豆腐) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/640 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Still Made By Hand
手作り

Wood-Burning Hearth 古いかまどをまだ使っています京都弁で「おくどさん」言います。 -- Iriyama Tofu (入山豆腐) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/400 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Wood-Burning Hearth
古いかまどをまだ使っています
京都弁で「おくどさん」言います。

Off we continued toward Arashiyama...

10:56am - taken while moving at 14 km/h -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/1250 sec, f/3.5, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
10:56am - taken while moving at 14 km/h

“ Guts Pose ” in front of the Seiryoji Temple 清凉寺の前のガッツポーズ ( I missed focus horribly on this one ) -- Seiryoji Temple (清凉寺) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/1250 sec, f/2.2, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
“Guts Pose”
in front of the Seiryoji Temple
清凉寺の前のガッツポーズ
( I missed focus horribly on this one )

Quaint North-West Arashiyama getting steeper 11:04am - taken while moving at 14 km/h -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/1000 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Quaint North-West Arashiyama
getting steeper
11:04am - taken while moving at 14 km/h

Tunnel 11:11am - taken while moving at 18 km/h -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/50 sec, f/2, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Tunnel
11:11am - taken while moving at 18 km/h

Very Steep Downhill Section 11:14am - taken while moving at 15 km/h the road eventually deadends, so we'll have to come back up later -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/1600 sec, f/2, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Very Steep Downhill Section
11:14am - taken while moving at 15 km/h
the road eventually deadends, so we'll have to come back up later

Little Village Stream with some plum blossoms at left -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/1000 sec, f/5, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Little Village Stream
with some plum blossoms at left

Finally in the Mountains 11:23am - taken while moving at 9 km/h -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/1000 sec, f/5, ISO 3200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Finally in the Mountains
11:23am - taken while moving at 9 km/h

11:25am - taken while moving at 10 km/h -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/1000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 2200 — map & image data — nearby photos
11:25am - taken while moving at 10 km/h

“ Warning: No Shoulder ” 11:28am - taken while moving at 5.2 km/h -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/1000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 560 — map & image data — nearby photos
“Warning: No Shoulder”
11:28am - taken while moving at 5.2 km/h

End of the Road entrance path to the Kuuya Shrine 空也神社までの小道の入り口 -- Kuuya Shrine (空也神社) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/1000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 1100 — map & image data — nearby photos
End of the Road
entrance path to the Kuuya Shrine
空也神社までの小道の入り口

Now on Foot ここでは足で行く -- Kuuya Shrine (空也神社) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Now on Foot
ここでは足で行く

Kuuya Shrine (空也神社) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/1000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 2200 — map & image data — nearby photos

Kuuya-taki Waterfall 空也滝 -- Kuuya Shrine (空也神社) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/1000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 720 — map & image data — nearby photos
Kuuya-taki Waterfall
空也滝

The guy performing devotions alternated between praying in front of the waterfall, and dipping into the cold water. It was quite cold, so I'm sure he was freezing, but that was likely the point.

I'd prefer to come in the summer when one could cool down after the ride up.

I grabbed a quit snapshot of Manseki...

Manseki -- Kuuya Shrine (空也神社) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/1000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Manseki

... and he of me...

Me -- Kuuya Shrine (空也神社) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/1000 sec, f/3.2, ISO 2800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Me

Quick Prayer for Traffic Safety 交通安全の祈り -- Kuuya Shrine (空也神社) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/1000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 1000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Quick Prayer for Traffic Safety
交通安全の祈り

Looking Back on the way out -- Kuuya Shrine (空也神社) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/500 sec, f/1.4, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Looking Back
on the way out

Rejoining our Bikes -- Kuuya Shrine (空也神社) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/500 sec, f/1.4, ISO 720 — map & image data — nearby photos
Rejoining our Bikes

Very Bumpy Road Back Down 12:01pm - taken while moving at 7 km/h -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Very Bumpy Road Back Down
12:01pm - taken while moving at 7 km/h

Where we took the tunnel on the way in, on the way back we wanted to take the short (but insanely steep) road over the mountain, but it turns out we couldn't.

“ Road Closed ” -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/1000 sec, f/1.6, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
“Road Closed”

There's a side road that goes up for a short distance... it gains 28m of elevation in about 150m of distance... a ridiculous 18% average grade. Here we're headed back down:

Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/800 sec, f/2.2, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos

Sections were so steep that my front tire would come up with every downstroke of the pedal, threatening to have me fall backwards off the face of the road. Luckily this section was short.

Back In Rural Western Kyoto 12:36pm - taken while moving at 12 km/h -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/2000 sec, f/2.2, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Back In Rural Western Kyoto
12:36pm - taken while moving at 12 km/h

Picking Up Some Tofu on the Way Home -- Iriyama Tofu (入山豆腐) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — ¹/320 sec, f/2.2, ISO 1100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Picking Up Some Tofu on the Way Home

Even though they're not a Yuba shop, I thought they might have some as a natural byproduct of making tofu, and I scored some that they were willing to sell me. We had it with dinner tonight and it was fantastic. Next is to try the tofu, perhaps for breakfast prior to tomorrow's tougher ride...

August	13th,	2012	Cooling Down at the Kuuya-taki Waterfall
January	25th,	2015	Exploring The Mountains of Northern Kyoto by Bicycle
February	9th,	2015	Attempting a 100km Bike Ride in the Mountains of Kyoto, Part 1: Hanase Pass
March	5th,	2015	Another Nice (Tough!) Bicycle Ride in the Mountains Around Kyoto
April	19th,	2015	Highly-Visible Cycle Ride Though the Mountains of Northern Kyoto
May	2nd,	2015	Awesome Cycle Outing: Revisiting My First Real Mountain Ride
May	9th,	2015	The Voodoo of Elevation Gain and Strava (and How I Get Around It)
June	25th,	2015	Manseki on the Attack: Serendipitous Camera Mistake
January	4th,	2016	Lazy New-Year Break and Reflections on Last Year's Cycling
October	17th,	2016	A Visit (or Four) to Kyoto's Ushio Kannon Temple
September	26th,	2017	Joshua's Eclectic Birthday Ride

You can submit a comment below | Posted under: Cycling, General, Japan, Temples and Shrines | Comments via RSS | Trackback

All 6 comments so far, oldest first...

More good looking bicycling roads.

— comment by RBMann on March 4th, 2015 at 4:07am JST (9 years, 2 months ago) — comment permalink

Interesting looking tunnel. Is it just for bicycle traffic? How long is it?

There’s a map link under the photo, but anyway, it’s 500m. It’s for two-way traffic, though long signals on either end keep traffic one way at a time. Big city busses use it as well, which would make for fun for pedestrians because there’s not much width for a bus and a person. At least they have lights on inside… I’ve been in before when the lights weren’t working! —Jeffrey

— comment by Tom in SF on March 4th, 2015 at 7:47am JST (9 years, 2 months ago) — comment permalink

Welcome to cycling.

That ride looks great. Maybe I’ll get to ride properly around Kyoto one day. (Back in 2001 Julia and I hired bikes at Arashiyama and rode along the path next to the river, but that doesn’t count.)

It’d be a really unfun ride on a mamachari! Arrange a visit and I’ll somehow arrange bikes for you… —Jeffrey

— comment by Jim Breen on March 4th, 2015 at 8:00am JST (9 years, 2 months ago) — comment permalink

Seem you have to train some more, that guy is in front of you in almost all the pictures !

I certainly do need to train more, but I prefer to be in the back because I prefer having someone in the shot. Manseki and I went out the next day as well (yesterday), in a group of 7 on a much tougher ride. A few times I thought I’d try to see how it went not being in the back, but my photographer subconscious apparently won because I always found myself quickly alone at the back. 🙂 —Jeffrey

— comment by Alain on March 4th, 2015 at 7:36pm JST (9 years, 2 months ago) — comment permalink

Looks like some really beautiful trails!

— comment by David K. on March 6th, 2015 at 6:46am JST (9 years, 2 months ago) — comment permalink

huhu, that was not a first degree comment on my side, obviously you did the ride together so “being the first is meaningless”. But I note in the new post you have many pictures of riders coming toward you and they do look great, that is a good mix with people’s back. Anyway it seems you’re having tons of fun, my daily cycle trip to work is not as spectacular !

I knew you were joking… I did the same kind of thing as we arrived at the end of the trip… I happened to be the first one to roll to a stop, so I thrust my arms in the air yelling “I won! I won!”. 😉 Where I didn’t win are the riders coming towards me… I missed focus often. I need to practice with fast-approaching targets, and bring a 70-200 with me next time. —Jeffrey

— comment by Alain on March 6th, 2015 at 8:09pm JST (9 years, 2 months ago) — comment permalink