Tsuru Toge on a Beautiful Fall Day

I enjoyed a lovely 202km ride on Friday, Oct 29, out over Tsuru Toge via Otarumi, back via Okutama-ko and Oume, with Jerome and Peter J.  Wahoo failed to upload the recording of the ride (though the 202kms was showing in my weekly distance -- from now I am starting up my Wahoo Element app on my iphone BEFORE I click to "end" the ride on the Wahoo unit, which seems foolproof. So I do not have a GPS map of the precise route taken.  But it is a familiar one -- out Route 20 via Takao to Uenohara, then Route 33 and then Route 18 to the NW. Indeed, it is #8 of the Positivo Espresso recommended rides near Tokyo. Route 18 is one of the loveliest, lowest traffic real roads within 100kms of Tokyo, and highly recommended. And this really is the best riding season of the year. Every ride seems precious!

Mt. Fuji visible as we head up the Asagawa toward Takao

View from Daily Yamazaki in Uenohara - more Fuji, barely

On Route 18

We took the local road around Tawa Pass. The hillside field where the little old lady once
farmed -- endlessly weeding and tilling, it seemed -- is now fully overgrown. Sad.

Back on Route 18 and heading for the climb to Tsuru Pass! 

The traditional rest stop on the flat area half way up the Tsuru climb.
Gateball field, picnic table under roof, water faucet, public restroom.

Peter J. (whose start makes it a 23km shorter round trip than for me), wanted to get to 200km, and wanted to get up Matsuhime Pass for the first time on his carbon frame Scott bike. So I went ahead to Okutama-ko for lunch at Watanabe-san's cafeteria, Yakyu-tei, while Peter and Jerome headed up Matsuhime. 

The new town hall at Kosuge has nice exposed wood.

I was tempted by a cafe 3-4 kms up the road toward Kosuge ...
... but went on to our old standby, Yakyu-tei.

Quiet on a Friday. Watanabe-san and Watanabe-san are going strong!

Oyako donburi

About an hour after I left them, I got a text from Jerome that they were at the top of Matsuhime. Let's see ... 35-40 minutes to get down the hill and over here to Okutama-ko, another 20-30 minutes for lunch ... and I realized I would not get back home in time for an evening commitment. 

So I headed out and back down the Tamagawa to Oume, Tachikawa, Fuchu, and Komae, then in Setagaya-Dori and back to Takanawa. Home on time.

On Sunday, Jerome and I joined a Tokyo Cranks ride and got to show off the Seattle Randonneurs high viz kit that I picked up on my U.S. trip in late September.

Now we just need to remember to suck in our guts for photos.

Quite a collection outside the TREX Cafe across from Haneda.

Matsuhime Pass, ahead of the heat

View from near the top of the climb to Matsuhime Pass, looking back down the valley toward Saruhashi

Today Jerome and I wanted to ride, but the heat has been awful. I decided that I would be on a 613AM train from Musashi Mizunoguchi, arriving at Saruhashi at 746AM, meaning I would need to leave home before 545AM.  Jerome wanted to join, but was planning to go later ... but take an express from Shinjuku to Otsuki. I told him he could catch me on the climb. I missed the 613AM train, and ended up at Saruhashi around 815AM. ... and Jerome only 15 minutes or so behind when he started from Otsuki.

The strategy worked really nicely. We met at the top, and enjoyed the last 2/3 of the ride together. The heat was bearable, much more shaded roadway on the South side of Matsuhime than I remembered, a slight breeze, and little traffic (and no traffic at all on the "old road" to Matsuhime Pass, now that Matsuhime Tunnel is open and the old road is closed off on the South approach to the Pass--but still accessible for ingenious cyclists).

Leaving Saruhashi ... but this is not the famous bridge.

Beautiful empty road! Route 139.

Many types of flowers along Route 139

One of the stretches of Route 139 that has not yet been widened. Eventually it should all be 2 lanes, as most of it is.

Approaching Fukashiro Dam.

Hydrangea at the dam in the small rest area.

The reservoir is almost empty. Only generating 124kWs!
(I checked online and my Hiroshima solar project was over 450kWs at the same time Saturday morning 

Turn left just before the LONG Matsuhime Tunnel ... Then go around the locked fence and through several shorter, completely unlighted tunnels.

On the climb. Much more shade than I remember. I took it slow and easy ...

We came from down there. Up, Up, Up!

The bus driver must have been asleep somewhere in the back of this bus. No sign of activity... 

At Matsuhime Pass

Jerome arrives. Wonder why the included English on this one? ... if only they had done so where we entered below, we would have been on notice ...

On Yamanashi Rte 18 after Tsuru Pass, traditional stop for water/rest on the left.

No one is taking care of the gateball court this year. The elderly are now too few and old for gateball!

More hydrangea!

A cold beer and cold udon for recovery at a place in Uenohara complete with bike bar/rack

At Uenohara for the trip back to town. Girls in yukata for summer festivals?

The ride was only 60kms, with around 1700 meters of climbing. Plus another 10kms or so in town getting to/from the trains (and with a stop at C Speed to chat with Hiroshi). I feel as if I have "acclimated" a bit to the heat and humidity for this year, but also as if over the next month my rides will involve early starts and rinko transits to skip the miserably hot slog from and back to town and start nearer climbs that will take me to pleasantly cooler elevation.
Maybe I have reached the point MOB did, where I will no longer have the patience for a slog along the Tamagawa and through the sprawl of Tokyo suburbs? Maybe I will be a regular rinko bag user? Okay, I WILL be a regular rinko bag user, especially after I complete a planned move closer to the middle of Tokyo for the Fall.

Road Construction Ahead!

In my tenth consecutive year as a Tokyo resident road cyclist, Spring in Japan brings many familiar scenes.  Of course, the fur tree pollen arrives in February, causing misery for many hay fever suffers.  The amount of pollen varies widely from year to year.  But even for those of us who are not particularly susceptible, a ride in March often ends with one's face caked in a film of pollen dust.

On the positive side, March and April bring great riding weather and spectacular flowering trees, first the plum trees we pass near Oume, and transitioning to the cherry (sakura) trees along many rivers, then finally mountain sakura and sakura in northeast Japan that peak up to a month or more later.  Indeed, this weekend the sakura have started to come out in many places -- the coming week will see them reach their peak in and near Tokyo.

Mt. Fuji still white, from Otarumi Pass

Another ritual relates to the March 31 fiscal year end of most Japanese companies and all governmental bodies.  Budgets are set by fiscal year and most funds are on a "use it or lose it" basis.  This leads to an annual acceleration of spending the last 6 weeks or so of the fiscal year, most obvious in local road construction projects.  Since much construction takes place on nights and weekends, this is when we see road crews out, lane closures and the inevitable traffic jams that result.

This year, the fur tree pollen seems no worse than average.  The road construction, on the other hand, and resulting traffic snarls, seem epic.  At least they did on the ride Jerome and I took yesterday, Saturday March 29.  Why were they so much worse than usual?  First, Saturday was a beautiful day, while rain and wind was forecast for Sunday.  Second, the March 31 FY end pump priming seems to have reverted to the level of the "good old days" with the return of LDP-led governments.  Third, this year March 31 has added significance, as Japanese consumption tax will rise from 5% to 8% on April 1.  The consumption tax increase means that just about every Japanese consumer is out this weekend stocking up provisions, accelerating any anticipated purchases, filling up the gas tank, etc.  And just about every dump truck in the Kanto region seemed to be on the move Saturday.  The government's macro experts are worried about the impact of this activity -- pulling forward purchases from Q2 into Q1, with a resulting swing way up then way down for GDP and other figures.  This is what happened when the consumption tax was last increased over a decade ago, from 3% to 5%.  No doubt construction work done in late March will be paid for in April, and the resulting paychecks will be spent soon thereafter, helping a bit to offset any downturn.

After seeing reports of the rides that Tom and Laurent ("the Russian") took last week, Jerome and I decided to head out toward Matsuhime Pass, go over it from the South side and then come back into town via Okutama and Oume or, perhaps, Kazahari Pass.  But we were overwhelmed by the road construction and seemingly endless lines of cars and dump trucks on National Route 20 around Sagamiko and Uenohara.  After a stop at the rebuilt 7-11 in Uenohara, we decided to change our plan and instead to head for Tsuru Pass and approach Matsuhime from the North.  This was a brilliant choice as we quickly found ourselves on near-deserted roads.

We took Manfred's preferred alternative to Pref. Route 33, along the east side of the river that runs NW/SE to Uenohara.  We then started up Pref. Route 18, then took Steve T.'s route around Tawa pass. No traffic at all.

On Steve T's route around Tawa Pass, the old lady is nowhere to be seen ... but the steep field has been planted!

After Tsuru Pass we rested at the base of Matsuhime -- briefly joining a well-traveled dump truck route for construction of the "new" route 139 around/through instead of over Matsuhime Pass.  As we headed up the climb, through 950 meters elevation, who should we meet but the Russian!  He was doing a repeat of last weekend's ride, this time solo.  He was on his Neil Pryde bike painted in Soc Gen colors, of course with Lightweight wheels.  Very nice!

Still snowbanks near the N entrance to the Matsuhime climb (and on the way up), but too warm for any badass cred.

After a brief chat, we climbed the last 300 meters elevation to the top.  Then it was down the North side again (away from Route 20 and its congestion), and back to Okutama-ko.  We were able to stop for a late lunch at Yakyu-tei, the P.E.-approved restaurant at the west end of the lake.  Mrs. Watanabe looked well.  She told us they had had 120 cms of snow accumulation in the big February storm, roads closed completely for 10 days, and food delivered via Japan Self Defense Force helicopters!  Five or six weeks later, all that was left were snowbanks along the north side of hills.  And some twisted pieces of steel showing where the weight of snow had pushed over a barrier fence along the roadside.

Jerome, who now has 3 consulting gigs and more coming down the pike, attends to business from the Pass.

We slogged home in a swirling wind, which fortunately pushed us the last few kilometers.  In the end, a ride of 194 kms and 2100 meters elevation gain.  My longest ride, with most climbing, since the New Year.  Jerome must have ridden an even 200 kms -- a full Brevet -- with the added distance to and from my house.

The view from Matsuhime Pass, on the signboard.

The view from Matsuhime Pass, behind the signboard.

A few more rides like this, plus the Fleche and 300km Brevet in April, and I should be back into riding shape!

Matsuhime!

Another great ride this weekend.

We had lots of interest, but James and Shane decided to head out a bit later than our 7AM Kaminoge start, and Gunnar somehow just missed us at the start.  So Jerome (France), Alexander (Germany) and I (USA) headed out and met Steve T. (UK) in Takao.  And with just 3 of us heading out from Tokyo to Takao, it was a bit easier to navigate intersections as lights changed from red to green and vice versa ...   And we had just as good geographic coverage as we would have had we had managed to coordinate the ride with James (UK), Shane (USA) and Gunnar (Germany).

It was Alexander's first ride with us.  As a young (33 year old) guy whose physique reminded me of many of the Germans who would pass me on the first climb every day during Transalp, I realized we would need to take maximum advantage of the fact that he had not been on the bike much since he moved to Japan last year.  He noted that he only wanted to ride 50-60 kms, and would take the train home.  We assured him that by heading out west from Takao, we would almost always be within 5 km of a train station, so he could hop the Chuo Line home at any time.

Our ultimate goal was to climb the south approach to Matsuhime Pass, but we knew Alexander would head back from Sagamiko, Uenohara, Yanagawa, Torizawa, Sarubashi or one of the other Chuo Line stations.

Steve T. then suggested that instead of boring, heavily traveled Route 20, we take Yamanashi Route 30 from Uenohara to Sarubashi.  Steve discovered Route 30 in the early years of this century, long before Tom S. or Ludwig had ever made it beyond Otarumi Pass.  Steve promised us we would enjoy these "rolling hills" and that he would show us a way to go around the back of Otsuki golf club and on some other local roads to stay off Route 20 until just before Sarubashi.

After our third or fourth climb on Route 30, as we approached 600 meters elevation again, Alexander finally started to trail us on the climbs and asked about the train station.  I pointed down the side of the hill to the left into the distant haze.  "It is somewhere over there, along the river at the bottom of the hill."

As you can see from the photo below, it was a long way down.  And there was not any road headed in that direction.  The only road continued ahead, along and up the hillside.

Yamanashi Route 30 from Uenohara to Sarubashi -- a beautiful road on a beautiful, cold Spring day

We then told Alexander the story of Paul Jason.  He was a good sport about it, and managed to make it over the rest of the "rolling hills", even when the grade was 11, 12 or even 15%.  Alexander thought that Steve must be joking when Steve mentioned that there was a nice restaurant at Katsuragawa Wellness Park ... just like Steve was joking when he said that there was only 40 meters elevation more to the top of the last hill, behind the golf club.  Or joking when he called it the "last hill", which it was not, really.

Alexander, our new rider

In any event, we did not ask Alexander to climb back up the steep hill to the restaurant at Wellness Park, and instead had lunch (and beer) at the traditional soba place in Sarubashi.  Then we bid farewell to Alexander, stopped for ice cream at the 7-11 down the street, and started the climb up Matsuhime.

I was still digesting my ice cream, beer and tempura (tendon) lunch and climbed slowly, quickly losing sight of Steve and Jerome ahead.  At the Otoge turn-off on the Fukashiro reservoir, I pulled into the rest area to take advantage of the clean rest room (with western style toilet and a nice posting on the wall advertising dam tours--just ring the intercom at the dam building entrance and, if someone is available, you can take a guided tour by elevator down into the core of the dam for a 20-30 minute excursion).  And I stretched out my aching right foot.

From there on, at least I could manage the climb from 650 to 1250 meters elevation without a foot down or much suffering, despite strong swirling winds.  At the top, Steve and Jerome were resting, flat on their backs in the sunlight and nearly asleep.

We timed this ride perfectly, since a few weeks earlier we might have found melting snow on the road down the northern slope (there was still plenty of snow and ice along the sides), and in warmer weather the exposed climb up the southern side can be very hot.

Steve and I bundle up for a cold descent down the shaded North slope of Matsuhime.  Jerome ... wears his usual Beeren team shorts and short sleeves, plus his trademark fishnet underlayer.  

It was a quick trip down the hill, along Okutama-ko (waving at Mrs. Watanabe and getting a wave back as we passed Yakyu-tei), and then down another hill to Moegi-no-yu, near Okutama town/station, where we enjoyed  the foot-soaking hot spring.  As usual, the parking lot attendant tried to get officious with us as we dismounted our bikes in a vacant space right near the foot bath.  He quieted down when I responded: "This bike is worth 1 million yen.  If you will guarantee its safety, I will be happy to park it far away.  Otherwise, I want to keep it in my sight."  A slight exaggeration, but he got the point and withdrew.

Steve hopped the train at Okutama Station, I hopped the train at Oume (just missing the express train that Steve had caught up the hill), and Jerome rode all the way home for 200km+.

What's So Funny about Dark, Fog and Rain?

This was a difficult weekend to plan a ride in the Tokyo area.  On Thursday, it looked as if Friday overnight into Saturday early afternoon would be dry, with Typhoon 14 passing off the coast late Saturday into Sunday.  I talked with a colleague about a REALLY early start (5AM?) Saturday to get in a good ride, work permitting.  By Friday, the typhoon's approach had accelerated, with rain to start Saturday morning and landfall possible in Kanagawa/Chiba -- no point trying to beat the rain.

On Saturday morning we got bands of heavy rain and typhoon-like low thick clouds, ahead of the storm, and the predictions were for strong winds and rain -- real typhoon conditions -- in early evening.  I watched the storm from my office, during a lengthy mid-day conference call.

Many people (my wife included) canceled their evening plans.  But not Jerome.  He had arranged a dinner, with Nishibe-san and me, and Senju-san, their friend and Beeren teammate from Kobe, who recently moved to Tokyo for work-related reasons.  The four of us met at Yotsuya San-chome station and wandered the back alleys of Araki-cho, finally locating Tsuruya Vino, the wine bar run by Jerome's long-time friend Serge.  Like Nishibe-san, Senju-san does not only ride, but also runs, and swims.  He is a very strong tri-athlete, and is already commuting by bicycle from Ichikawa, Chiba to his workplace in Tokyo (Odaiba).

After a delicious, very reasonably price meal and numerous glasses of French sparkling, white and red wines, talk turned to the possibility of a Sunday ride. The typhoon had passsed -- another "near miss" as Tokyo escaped with only a few umbrellas turned inside out.  Earlier Saturday afternoon, the forecast had suggested a spell of good weather to follow, even sunny on Sunday until the next weather front would arrive Sunday night.  But a quick check of mobile devices during dinner suggested the break in storms would be very brief, with rain possible any time after Noon on Sunday.  Hmmmm.  How would we ever get in a good, dry ride this weekend?

Inspired by the food and wine, Jerome and I thought, "NIGHT RIDE!"  "If we leave at 1AM, we can ride over Matsuhime or Yanagisawa, ride in dry conditions, return by mid/late morning and sleep at home in a warm, comfortable bed, before the rain starts.  We each had taken a liking to the Brevet night-time stages, and had the necessary equipment.  So why not?  We each were well-enough rested to try this, and we would enjoy the ride, without traffic or interruption, and have the pleasure of a hot bath and a deep sleep, total physical exhaustion, to await us at home in the morning.

Jerome rolled up to my house a few minutes before 1AM.  Max, our poodle, demonstrated his worth as a watch dog, barking as if on queue as Jerome approached, while I completed my preparations.

Glows in the dark ... making pictures/contrast difficult!

We made good time to Oume, stopping at 2:45AM at a 7-11 a few kilometers west of Oume Station -- no point in trying Aurore at this hour.  Jerome tried to rest in front of the convenience store, but I urged him to continue, as I was getting cold while waiting.  There was a chill in the air now, a real change from the shorts/short sleeves weather at our start.  Worse, I realized that I had brought two pairs of arm warmers and no leg warmers.  Fortunately, one pair was big enough fit over my legs and double as "knee warmers", leaving only an inch or two gap at the bottom of my shorts.

Next stop was Watanabe-san's cafeteria at the west end of Okutama-ko.  Here we confirmed our plan for an ascent of Matsuhime Pass. Of course, the cafeteria was closed at 4:45AM.  Our only company were some young hot rodders, whose 3-4 cars were parked on the bridge to the road up to Kazahari -- it seems the signs warning of highway closing on that road until 9AM after a heavy rain -- were accurate.  The gate across the bridge was locked.

That really was a very filling dinner!

"We are here."

We continued on Rte 139, toward Kosuge-mura and Matsuhime.  The air got colder, and a misty rain started.  I stopped in the light of some vending machines to put on my glove liners to cover my fingers in the cold.  At least 3 dogs in the nearby house started to bark, so I moved on quickly.

As we approached Kosuge, we saw many signs for "Kosuge no Yu" onsen.  It looked like a day hot spring bath (hi-gaeri onsen), and we thought "what if it opens early, for the locals?"  If it opened at 6 or 7AM, it would be worth killing some time to get a hot bath.  A slight detour up a side hill brought us to the entrance of an impressive facility, in the middle of nowhere.  The only visible signs listed the CLOSING time ("last entry into facility, 5:45PM", "building closes, 7:00PM").  Nothing about opening time.  We rested on benches under a trellis and grapevines near the entrance -- a good cover ... unless the rain really picked up, as it did at times.  The survival sheets helped and we actually got 30 minutes or so of partial rest -- enough to revitalize me for the climb and plenty of time to take some photos of the scene.

Finally, around 6:20AM, a neighbor came by walking his dog.  We asked him what time the onsen opened.  "10AM."  We quickly packed up and headed for Matsuhime.

As usual, Jerome climbed a bit ahead of me, but I kept close to him, my body telling me it was morning now.  The mist and rain grew thicker as we climbed.  Jerome pulled off to have a snack at the 1000 meter level -- bonking from lack of food.  I kept going and was pleased that the climb seemed easy, easier than I remembered.  I was not sitting in my lowest (34-27) gear, but most of the way had a gear to spare, or 3-4 to spare when out of the saddle, a bit of extra motivation as I looked back to see if Jerome was visible behind me.

As I rounded one corner in the dark, I came across a deer about 30 meters up the road.  Not just any deer, but a big, noble looking buck, with what seemed like huge antlers, longer than my arms, and dark brown, heavy wet coat of fur.  He was more startled than I, and took off, his hooves clattering as he went further around the corner.  By the time I could get up the road and see the next stretch, he was gone, I assume down into the trees on the hillside below.  I thought, I might be the first person -- on bicycle or in car -- to come up the North side of Matsuhime today.

On top, as I waited for Jerome, I was joined by one car that came up the South side and parked, a man getting out and heading out on a walk or hike.  Otherwise, all was quiet, no view in the clouds, as I waited for Jerome to emerge from the mist.

That pass on the right shoulder of the next mountain is O-Toge.

Here comes the refueled Jerome!

The rain picked up and I started to get really cold as we started down the South side, going very slowly because of the wet, leaf covered surface.  But eventually we made it to the wider, clear road, the tunnels and reservoirs and picked up the pace, getting a chance to show Jerome how my nice new HED wheels can slice through the air, given a straight-away and downward slope.

After a stop along Route 20 to refuel, a nice fast ride back in toward town, zooming on the many flat and slight downward stretches), and a quick breakfast at the "Gust" at Sagami-ko, just below the Sagami-ko train station (the "Jonathan's" has closed since a group of us sought shelter there back in 2008), we parted.  I hopped the train home, ready to rest after 150 kms of night riding (and managed to doze off, if briefly, on each stretch of the train ride: Sagamiko-Takao, Takao-Tachikawa, Tachikawa-Musashi Mizunoguchi, and even Mizunoguchi-Kaminoge).  Jerome continued home by bike as is his tradition -- passing Tom and his daughter as they climbed Otarumi on their morning ride in the "mizzling" rain.

Mission Accomplished.  Really!

I slept very soundly Sunday afternoon, evening and night.