
Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/400 sec, f/1.7, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Manseki and his New Friend
at the Ishiyama-dera Temple (石山寺)
Otsu, Japan
this past January / 今年の一月
今年の一月(八ヶ月前)、万石さんと万石さんの知り合い樋口さんとサイクリングをしました。 やっと記事をアップします。遠いの山田舎の息障寺まで行きました。
I'm finally getting around to post about a great day of cycling last January (8 months ago), with Manseki and an acquaintance of his, Higuchi-san, to a far-flung temple I knew of in the middle of nowhere.
We met up in front of the Ishiyama Temple in Otsu.

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/3.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Front Gate of the Ishiyama-dera Temple
石山寺の正門
It's a lovely, photogenic temple that I first visited four years ago, and now ride by fairly often.
It's perhaps difficult to see in the photo above, but just flanking either side of the entrance are huge bamboo New Year displays, the one on the right in the process of being dismantled. The main part of each display are three thick sections of bamboo, cut at a sharp angle...
The mascot was there to meet a bus load of tourists who pulled up soon after this shot.
This front gate is next to the cafe we stopped by on one of my first long cycle rides the previous year. The owner is an avid cyclist, and through the owner, one of the waitresses got into cycling and today was our riding partner:

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 38mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Mrs. Higuchi
I've come across Higuchi-san in the mountains while cycling a couple of times, the first time noted here. This would be my first ride with her.

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 28mm — 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Ready to Head Out

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/500 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Typical “Manseki Attack” Shot
similar to this shot
taken while cycling at 26 kph (16 mph)

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/500 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
taken while cycling at 28 kph (17 mph)

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 33mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Cresting a Hill

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/4.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Impromptu Race
taken while cycling at 27 kph (17 mph)

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 33mm — 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Impromptu Photo Op
The pause above was 45km into the ride, just before the first big climb, the lovely but unpopular (because it's so far from populated areas, I suppose) Iwaosan Western Climb.

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Black Ice
岩尾山へ登りはブラックアイスでした
It was cold enough in the mountains for ice to form on the roads, so any patch that looked wet was suspect. Occasionally the ice was obvious, where it formed on large puddles and broke as we rode through...

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 75mm — 1/160 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Easily-Visible Ice

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Side Road to Explore Some Day
closed to motor vehicles, but fine by foot or bike

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
After the Climb
feeling in better shape than that old sign

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 35mm — 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Scary (but Beautiful) Descent
taken while cycling at 16 kph (10 mph)

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 35mm — 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 2000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Looks Icy
taken while cycling at 31 kph (19 mph)

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
taken while cycling at 45 kph (28 mph)

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Photo Op
taken by Manseki while I rode by

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 35mm — 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Arrived at the Temple
we arrived to the turn off to the temple, at least
Sokushoji Temple (息障寺)
From the “main” road (if it can be called that), the temple is a further 820m @ 9.2%.

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 50mm — 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Powering Up
Few folks have done this by bicycle; Mrs. Higuchi and I got the QOM/KOM.

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/3.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Arrival at the Parking Lot
This is the temple that appeared on my blog five years previous (has it been that long?!), in “Short Family Visit to the Middle-of-Nowhere Sokushouji Temple”, whose opening shot is taken from this parking log.
There's much to explore at this small temple, and one climb a huge flight of stairs to a wonderful viewpoint, but on this trip we just looked around at the base.

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/4.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Buddies
photo by Yoshino Higuchi

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/320 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Heading Back Down
We thought we'd try to take some “action” shots on the way down, but I'm still pretty bad at this kind of photography. I had Mrs. Higuchi ride up past me on the steepest hairpin, but you get no sense of the steepness nor the effort in the result....

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/1.7, ISO 250 — map & image data — nearby photos
Super Steep
take my word for it
We also tried some downhill shots. Manseki has a good sense for action shots, having done his share of photo shoots as a professional skier.

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
photo by Manseki Kanemitsu
I tried to mimic his technique.

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/8, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Bland
but somehow still lovely

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 35mm — 1/250 sec, f/8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Heading Home
only about 65km (40mi) to go
We came across a road that looked quite inviting on the satellite view, but it turns out to be a private road up to an equestrian farm. (Manseki is apparently an accomplished rider, and knew of the property, but had never been there.)

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 35mm — 1/160 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
In Front of a Lovely-Looking Road
that we couldn't take
We also came across a cafe that he had been to before, one in the middle of nowhere that routinely has hours-long lines form to get in, apparently. Luckily, we happened across it when almost no one was there.

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Mori Cafe (森のCafe)

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Pleasant
at least if you don't have to wait an hour

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 46mm — 1/160 sec, f/8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Why You Can't Always Trust Maps
short section of no-longer-maintained old road

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 27mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Downhill
taken while cycling at 39 kph (24 mph)

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/1.7, ISO 1000 — map & image data — nearby photos
taken while cycling at 35 kph (22 mph)
All in all, it was a great time. I'd like to try the first half of the route again when it's warmer. Maybe I'll put that at the top of my list once my injured calf heals.