{"id":2559,"date":"2015-04-19T22:15:47","date_gmt":"2015-04-19T13:15:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2015-04-19\/2559"},"modified":"2015-04-19T22:16:34","modified_gmt":"2015-04-19T13:16:34","slug":"meandering-cycle-ride-though-the-mountains-of-northern-kyoto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2015-04-19\/2559","title":{"rendered":"Highly-Visible Cycle Ride Though the Mountains of Northern Kyoto"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>2500 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nSure, A Bit Vibrant<\/span><\/span>\nbut safety first\nphoto by Manseki Kanemitsu<\/small>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>3200 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nYIKES MY EYES... MAKE IT STOP!<\/span>\nmaybe safety is not that<\/i> important!\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

For my first “<\/span>real”<\/span> cycling ride after my USA vacation<\/a>, I had a<\/span>\nlot of Under Armour<\/a> clothes to\nchoose from. I've been enamored with the\nbrand<\/a> for a while,<\/span> so took the opportunity while in The States of\nactually being able to find my size to buy about a thousand<\/span> dollars worth\nof the stuff, from sportswear to casual wear to jackets.<\/p>\n\n

With sportsware I'm partial to loud vibrant colors, especially for\nvisibility when road cycling. But perhaps<\/span> in retrospect I shouldn't<\/span> have\nquite gone so full throttle. Still, with this getup I bet<\/span> I could<\/span> always\nget a job<\/span> as a rodeo<\/span> clown.<\/p>\n\n

By the way, the man I'm talking to above is Chris Rowthorn<\/a>, who just happened\nto be walking by when I was<\/span> meeting others for the start of the ride. He's the author<\/span> of the Lonely Planet Japan<\/a>\nguidebook, among many others. He used a<\/span> few of my\nphotos in his latest edition.<\/p>\n\n

Anyway, I was joined for the ride by\nManseki Kanemitsu, whom I met<\/span> last month\nfor this ride<\/a>,\nand Kumiko Naka, whom I met<\/span> on my first short cycling outing<\/a> in January.<\/p>\n\n

We decided to ride off to see “<\/span>the 100-year-old cherry tree”<\/span>, a well<\/span>-known tree off in the northern mountains. I mentioned<\/span> it on my blog in 2007, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/9, ISO 640 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nLeaving the City<\/span>\ntaken while riding at 20 kph\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/9, ISO 1100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nHolding Traffic for Us<\/span>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The road from Kyoto city proper to Kibune and Kurama is often too narrow\nto allow a bus<\/span> and a car<\/span> to pass each other, so in order to allow bus\nservice several times a day,<\/span> traffic is stopped until the bus passes\nthrough. Except during those brief moments of utility, the guy has to sit\nin the little hut seen at right in the photo above, being bored. Every time\nI pass<\/span> them I think<\/span> it must be the world's most boring job. (I've never\nseen them reading or the like.) This was the first time I'd actually seen\nthem performing their task.<\/p>\n\n

We were taking an exceedingly-lazy pace, so didn't mind stopping in front of the\nKurama-dera Temple (\u978d\u99ac\u5bfa)<\/span> for photos....<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>8000 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nManseki<\/span>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>6400 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMe<\/span>\nphoto by Manseki<\/small>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>5000 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nKumiko<\/span>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The road then dives into the mountain almost 800m (2,500 feet) up towards Hanase Pass (\u82b1\u80cc\u5ce0).<\/span> This would be my second attempt,\nthe first having been in February chronicled in\n“<\/span>Attempting a 100km<\/span> Bikeride in the Mountains of Kyoto, Part 1: Hanase Pass<\/a>”<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n

This time I wasn't alone, so was happy to have a photo<\/span> of me while riding...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nDMC-SZ9 at an effective 26mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/3.1, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPlodding Up<\/span>\nphoto by Manseki Kanemitsu<\/span>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

I've got my camera slung to my back, and my bike is sporting a new<\/span> rear\nbag that holds 2L of sports drink (that I ended<\/span> up not using), a light<\/span> windbreaker, my phone and GPS\nunit, among other little things. The design<\/span> of the cheap rear bag<\/a> is pretty bad,\nthough, in how it attaches — just two Velcro straps that can let the\nbag roll sideways — so I'll have to see what I can<\/span> rig up to hold it\nmore firmly. But everything<\/span> adds weight, which I already<\/span> have more than\nenough of. \ud83d\ude41<\/p>\n\n

It's a gut-wrenching never-ending steep road, but I felt<\/span> better than last time.\nI didn't<\/span> need to drop into the easiest gear until 10 minutes in, rather than right away.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nDMC-SZ9 at an effective 26mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/3.1, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nHaving My Priorities Straight<\/span>\nphoto by Manseki Kanemitsu<\/span>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/7.1, ISO 1800 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nManseki Photographing Me<\/span>\ntaken while riding at 15 kph\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

I stuck with Manseki (or he held back for me) until I got<\/span> to the place I stopped<\/span>\nfor a rest<\/span> the first time<\/a>, and because I have<\/span> no willpower, I stopped<\/span> for a rest<\/span> this time as well. But to my<\/span> surprise, I didn't<\/span> stop again until the top.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/8, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nNo Snow<\/span>\nunlike last time, where a photo of here was captioned Slushy Road<\/a>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The main part of the climb, from the Kurama Onsen until the pass, has\na 492m<\/span> (1,600 ft) elevation gain over less than\n6km of road. The first<\/span> time it took me 47:44, and\nthis time 43:02. I thought<\/span> I'd done better than\n3½ minutes faster, so I was<\/span> a bit<\/span> disappointed. (The best time\nregistered on Strava for the segment is less than half my time, a blistering<\/span> 20:26 by Ryo\nInoue<\/a> last year.)<\/p>\n\n

Kumiko's leg was giving her trouble, so we decided to abandon the long\nhilly ride to the cherry tree, and instead return down the mountain a bit<\/span> and then cut over to the village of Ohara via\nRoute 477. This would entail a short<\/span> but\nridiculously-steep section of road that with Kumiko's iffy leg we ended up\nwalking.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/10, ISO 5000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nBranching Off To Rt477<\/span>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nDMC-SZ9 at an effective 26mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/3.1, ISO 640 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nTakin' it Easy<\/span>\nphoto by Manseki Kanemitsu<\/small>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The tiny village of Momoi has no services that I noticed,<\/span> except a phone.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/10, ISO 4500 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nOld Phone\/Telegraph Booth<\/span>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/10, ISO 1000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nHelping Another Passerby<\/span>\nwith directions to Ohara, where we were going ourselves\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>2500 sec, f<\/span>\/1.6, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nNot Yet Purple<\/span>\nbut it will be next month; I remember this field from May 2007<\/a>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/1.6, ISO 560 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nHeading Down<\/span>\nmuch easier than going up\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 160 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nLong Sweeping Road<\/span>\neven though I was holding back because I wasn't<\/span> familiar with the road, I got up<\/span> to 56kph (35mph)\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1600 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nI Remember<\/span> This Field Too<\/span>\nfrom when it was being planted<\/a> in May 2007\ntaken while riding at 27 kph\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>2500 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nNearing Ohara<\/span>\ntaken while riding at 20 kph\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>2000 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMissed Opportunity<\/span>\ntaken while riding at 27 kph\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The out-of-focus farmer is holding a tray<\/span> of rice seedlings, moving them\nfrom his truck to his greenhouse. I thought<\/span> a nice<\/span> photo of this scene\nwould make a good<\/span> introduction to the rice-planting season that starts in a\ncouple<\/span> of weeks. But when shooting<\/span> one-handed with little reaction time, I\ncouldn't<\/span> get the shot. Oh well.<\/p>\n\n

We stopped by the front garden of a tucked<\/span>-away temple. (To visit the temple would require an hour's hike, I was told<\/span>,\nso we opted against that.)...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 110 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nentrance to the Amida Temple (\u963f\u5f25\u9640\u5bfa)<\/span>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/3.5, ISO 125 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nManseki<\/span>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

We then arrived in the village of Ohara, and stopped by a restaurant<\/span> that Manseki knew,\nOhara Riverside Cafe KIRIN<\/a>...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/4.5, ISO 720 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nStop for Lunch<\/span>\nRiverside Cafe KIRIN\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/16, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nLunch Plate<\/span>\nincludes the plate, plus rice, soup, and a huge<\/span> salad\n— It was very good —\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/4.5, ISO 125 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nRiding Through Ohara<\/span>\na village in the mountains of Northern Kyoto\ntaken while riding at 24 kph\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

We swung around and up to behind the Sanzen'in Temple<\/a>...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/7.1, ISO 2000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPassing By<\/span>\nan unused gate of the Sanzen'in Temple\n\u4e09\u5343\u9662\u306e\u88cf\u9580\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

I timed the photo to include the gate, knowing that it had been on my blog<\/a> before.<\/p>\n\n

We continued back into the mountain, past the end of the road...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 2000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPrecarious Steps<\/span>\non slippery rocks in riding shoes with soles that clip onto bike pedals\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 720 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nBeing Silly<\/span>\nin front of the Otonashi Waterfall (\u97f3\u7121<\/span>\u306e\u6edd)\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/3.2, ISO 1000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPeter Pan Flys<\/span>\nso fast he's out of focus\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nDMC-SZ9 at an effective 26mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>60 sec, f<\/span>\/3.1, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nShooting Peter Pan<\/span>\nphoto by Manseki Kanemitsu<\/small>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 250 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPassing By on the Way Home<\/span>\nRaigo-in Temple (\u6765\u8fce\u9662)\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/3.5, ISO 160 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nLess-Rural Ohara<\/span>\ntaken while riding at 25 kph\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

According to Strava, my ride<\/a> was about\n60km (37 miles) over a lazy<\/span> seven hours. Strava's numbers for distance (and\nhence speed) and moving time are pretty suspect; I've done my own tracklog analysis\nand I believe<\/span> that they simply calculate incorrectly. But until<\/span> I create<\/span> my own\nweb service and make it available for free, perhaps I shouldn't<\/span> complain.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For my first \"real\" cycling ride after my USA vacation, I had a lot of Under Armour clothes to choose from. I've been enamored with the brand for a while, so took the opportunity while in The States of actually being able to find my size to buy about a thousand dollars worth of the stuff, from sportswear to casual wear to jackets.<\/p>

With sportsware I'm partial to loud vibrant colors, especially for visibility when road cycling. But perhaps in retrospect I shouldn't have quite gone so full throttle. Still, with this getup I bet I could always get a [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,30,2,10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2559"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2559\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}