From my desk on the tenth floor of my office in Atsugi, Japan I can see the mountains in western Kanagawa Prefecture. I find looking at the mountains to be soothing. When work gets a bit stressful I walk over to the window and look at the mountains for a minute or two. In addition to being soothing, looking at the mountains makes me feel a little restless. The nearest mountain to my window view is Mt. Oyama. (It is kind of redundant to say Mt. Oyama as “yama” means mountain in Japanese. It is like saying Mt. O Mountain, or maybe mountain, oh, mountain.) The optical illusion caused by big objects make it look like Oyama is just an arm’s reach away. In reality it is about 10 plus kilometer away. There is campground called Fureainomori Hinata Camping Ground midway up its eastern slope. For months I have been wanting to ride from the office to Oyama. Being about 10k from the office it should be an easy thing to ride there after work and pitch my tent. 

Despite its nearness I wasn’t able to make the trip during the warmer months because of my busy schedule at work. But in October, under pressure from HR to take some time off, I made a plan to load up the Surly Blue Beast with my gear and ride from home to the office in the morning then ride from the office to camp ground after work. The idea was that I would spend the night at the campground on Oyama then on the next day ride to Atami and stealth camp on the beach. Then ride home on the third day. The third day would be about 100 kilometers. That was the plan. As you will see, plans change

Day 1 A Late Start (20 Oct.)
I had a meeting at 10:30 in the morning but I got off to a late start. I realized about 10 or so kilometers into the ride that I might not be able to get the office in time for the meeting. So discretion being the better part of valor I decided to ride to Machida and hop on the train from there. I left my fully loaded bicycle at the public lot near the station and rode the Odakyu line to Hon-Atsugi. From Hon-Atsugi Station I did as usual and rode Baby Blue, my mini-velo which I keep at Hon-Atsugi, the 2 plus kilometers to the office. I worked a full day as planned, actually I didn’t leave the office until at least 8 p.m. Another late start. I rode Baby Blue back to Hon-Atsugi, took the train back to Machida Station. I ate dinner (curry rice) near the station and returned to where Mad Max, the Surly Blue Beast, was parked to continue my trip. By the time I left Machida it was about 11 p.m. I didn’t get to the campground until 2:30 a.m.

Normally, I wouldn’t want to arrive at a campground I am not familiar with after dark but in this case it was unavoidable. I had no idea what Fureainomori Hinata Campground was going to be like. I didn’t even know if it would be open or not. There was no contact number. It seems like the only way to make a reservation was by contacting the Isehara City Office. I didn’t do that. I suspected it wouldn’t be open and I was correct. I had the entire campground to myself. The downside to this was that the gate at the base of driveway leading up to the campground was locked and I had to push my bike around it through the weeds. The other downside is that the toilets were locked and the water was turned off.

In the dark I couldn’t find any flat places to pitch a tent. All I could see were bungalows built on the steep slope leading further up the mountain. It was a lot of work pushing the bike up the very steep driveway to the camp area. I was quite warm from the hard ride/push up the mountain and the push up the driveway. I thought I could do without putting up the tent. I blew up my air mattress and spread it and my sleeping bag out on a low picnic table. It was a chilly night once I cooled down from my efforts. I probably should have put up the tent but I survived well enough without it.

Day 2 From the Sky to the Sea (21 Oct.)
In the light of morning I could take better stock of my situation. It is clear the campground was closed for the season. It was in obvious need of some annual clean up and repair. While I ate my breakfast I decided that it would be a shame to come this far and not do some hiking so I scrapped my plan to go to Atami and decided to hike up to the observation point higher up Oyama. The sign said it was only 2 km to the observation point (not the summit, that was still farther up). It was a rough hike following a trail that switched back and forth up the steep slope. It seems like it is a popular place to hike, probably due to the campground, because the trail was well maintained. It wasn’t so steep that I had to use my hands to climb but it still took me over an hour and a half to reach my goal. As I neared my destination I met other hikers coming down. I expected the observation point to be like the campground, mostly, if not completely, empty of people, but to my surprise there was a small crowd sitting at a dozen or so picnic tables. The hikers ranged in age from elementary school aged children to grandmas and grandpas. I regretted not bringing some food with me to eat a picnic lunch overlooking the city of Isehara far below. In fact, I came up the mountain empty-handed. I didn’t even bring water. Fortunately, it was late fall and I wasn’t sweating much at all.

Part way up I caught a beautiful view of the ocean to the south and decided that even though I had scrapped my plan for Atami that I would still try to go to the ocean. The hike down the mountain was much quicker but harder on the knees. I was happy to reach the campsite and found that my gear which I had packed up but left out on the picnic table and my bicycle were undisturbed. After loading up my bicycle I ate lunch and planned the rest of the day. I found a campground right on the shoreline in Chigasaki at the mouth of the Sagami River. It was only about 25 km away which was good because I used up half the day hiking on the mountain and it would begin getting dark around 5:30 p.m.

I flew down the mountain road that I had to push my bike up the night before. I was seeing it all for the first time. Indeed, without any street lighting I only saw the narrow tunnel illuminated by my headlight. I couldn’t really give the Blue Beast his head because the road was narrow and very winding. I braked frequently to keep my speed at a safe level. Still, it was an invigorating ride. Perhaps the highlight of the day was after I crossed the Sagami River at Ichinomiya and was treated to a view of Mt. Fuji at sunset. The mountain rose above the city of Hiratsuka against an orange sky with its middle heights shrouded in clouds.

I rolled into Yanagishima Camping Ground around 4:30 p.m. The difference between the campground on Oyama and Yanagishima was like night and day. For one, Yanagishima was open for business and business was booming. When I checked in there were only a few camping spaces available. Second, I checked in proper and paid the 3,800 yen fee to put up my tent. Yanagishima is like a nice hotel where you have to bring your own room but everything else is provided. It is very strictly managed. I was assigned a picnic table in the picnic area and was advised that no open flames or fireworks were allowed in the camping areas and lights out was at 9 p.m. The nice thing about this campground is that it had a very nice shower facility with hot water. I was happy to take advantage of the shower. I was surprised that no one else was using the showers. I suppose, since most people were “car” camping for only one night there isn’t that much demand for showers. Well, I sure appreciated washing off the sweat of two days of riding and hiking.

Day 3 Homeward Bound (22 Oct.)
Since I completely changed my plans the day before I had to make a new plan for my third and final day of riding. I suppose, I could have taken another day as the following day was a national holiday but I promised that I would be back home by Sunday evening. My thought was to follow the Sagami River upstream to Sagamiko Park on the shores of Lake Sagami where I could eat lunch but first I wanted to actually see the ocean. It turns out that I was camped only a few hundred meters from the beach. Just far enough to be out of earshot of the sound of the surf. In fact, if the campground had been full I could have camped on the beach. I found a bicycle path that paralleled the beach for a little bit and enjoyed the ocean vistas as I pedaled for the mouth of the river. In the future, I think would be nice to return here and spend more time on the beach and in the park nearby.

I headed up the Sagami River through the city of Chigasaki. Chigasaki is not, in my opinion, a pretty city. It seems to be a manufacturing town but I did see some very interesting sights along the way. I spent a few minutes to watch a marching band practice in a riverside park. But before that, the most unusual sight was a pair of engine-powered paragliders that were circling back and forth over the river. It was quite windy but fortunately for me the wind was to my back for most of the trip. The paragliders would push very slowly against the wind then turn around and soar at speed with the wind to their backs then turn around and repeat. I didn’t expect to see paragliders in the middle of the city.

The other interesting site, though not rare, was a man sitting on the back of his car playing the saxophone. As many people live in apartments and must live quietly out respect and politeness to their neighbors residents with a musical bend are forced to find other places to practice. It is not unusual to see someone practice the trumpet, saxophone or other hearty instrument in some out of the way corner of a park. Some people get annoyed by it and instruments are prohibited in some city parks but I don’t mind at all.

As I said, the plan was to go to Sagamiko but it became clear I would run out of time. I didn’t really map out the route. The general idea was to follow the river as much as I could. I was hoping that would keep me in the lowlands. At some point, my route diverged from the river bank. Partly because I wanted to avoid major roads and partly because I was looking for a more direct route. I found myself riding through some foothills south and southeast of Sagamiko. Lake Sagami (Sagamiko) was formed by damming the Sagami River so the water backs up behind the dam and files the valley which is formed by low but very steep mountains. The major roads try to find the lowest passes over the mountains and keep the grade under 8% but the lesser traveled roads don’t feel any obligation to follow such rules. Though not marked I found myself climbing slopes of 10% or more. I was certain that I would have to push my bicycle as I had on the first night. To my surprise, I managed, with frequent rest stops, to pedal all the way. 

At one point I checked the map and I was shocked to see that the red line that represented my track had separated significantly from the blue line of my intended route. I didn’t see any turnoffs along the way so I don’t know how I got off course. It was a bit discouraging because I had just finished a particularly steep section of road. The map didn’t even show a road. I decided to continue on and not go back. Hopefully, the road I was on would rejoin my intended route. In the end, I got where I needed to go. Maybe it was just a bad GPS signal.

Lost and Found
Unfortunately, somewhere on those hilly roads I dropped the iPhone 5c that I use as a camera. (Believe it or not, most of the video I use for my YouTube features are taken with a 5c.) I noticed it near the top with most of the climbing behind me. For a number of reasons, I was very upset when I realized the phone was missing. First and foremost, is the loss of memories that are represented by the photos and videos that I had taken. Another reason is that backtracking to look for the phone meant retracing my steps and going up again the steep inclines I had just conquered. I thought about just writing off the loss but the idea of returning home without any pictures or videos was too much to bear. There was nothing for it. I turned my bike around and headed back up the hills I just come down. When I went well past where I remembered taking the last photo and not seeing any sign of it I started to berate myself for not attaching any kind of ID onto the phone. I turned around and headed back up climb again. I got nearly to the point where I noticed the phone was missing without finding the phone. I refused to give up. I turned around a second time and headed back down the road. When had almost reached the bottom of the climb I gave up hope of finding the phone. By this time, I had wasted at least an hour or more looking for it and I was getting tired of this stretch of road and tired of climbing. I figured, I properly pedaled up the incline the first time there is no reason I have to do it again so in the particularly steep parts I got off and pushed my bike. It turns out this was a good choice. Taking the route at a walking speed without my attention being divided between keeping the cranks turning and keeping my balance I had more time to look for the phone. And I found it! In fact, it wasn’t too far from where I noticed it was missing. Before my next trip I am going to make some changes to make losing my camera phone more difficult and easier to find.

The remainder of the climb was as pleasant as steep roads can be, but like I said before, I was nearly at the end of the climb. Near the top I spotted two hunters. The first told me that he was hunting deer. This is the first time I have ever met any hunters on my travels in Japan. Owning a firearm is very rare and tightly regulated in Japan. My conversation with the hunter probably scared off the deer. In the U.S. where deer populations are out of control in many places I would feel a little bad about ruining a hunter’s stakeout but not in Japan. Deer are rarely spotted in Japan and not a problem so I don’t see as much need to control their population. Anyway, I’m glad the hunters didn’t mistake me and the Blue Beast for Bamboo and take a shot at me.

I lost a lot of time with all of this back and forth, up and down. It became clear that I wasn’t going to make it to Sagamiko before night fall. I don’t mind riding at night, particularly when I am riding on familiar roads but I didn’t want to get home too late. It seemed prudent to cut Sagamiko out of my route. When I came out of the steep hills (there were still lesser hills ahead) I turned my wheels toward home.

Lessons Learned
1. Make sure your camera/phone is securely in your pocket or bike bag.
2. Write your name and contact information on all your valuable gear to improve the chances of it returning to you if you should happen to lose it.
3. If you are going take a wrong turn or don’t know which way to go at a fork in the road, error on the uphill side. At least, that way, if you have to retrace your route you get to go downhill.
4. Be flexible. Things happen and plans can and will fall apart. If you are willing to go with the flow you can still have a great tour even if things don’t go as planned.
5. If you are going to ride at night, buy a good headlight and taillight.

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I just had to break out, bust loose, escape. I started a new job in January and my bicycling habit changed drastically. My new office was too far to commute to by bicycle and even if wasn’t I was putting in too much overtime. Then COVID19 hit. I followed government guidelines and stayed home. Working from home 5 days a week just made it easier to work more. I thought I could take a little time off during Golden Week in the beginning of May but it didn’t happen. Too busy. Then June brought an unusually long and wet rainy season that went all the way into July. August didn’t get any better but I was ready for a break. I had been working from January without taking any time off, not even for national holidays. In the immortal words of Popeye, “I can takes it no more.”

I packed up my gear and headed to the river for a bit of cycling and stealth camping. The city or maybe it was the prefectural government fenced off the river bank by Kyodo no Mori Park but I found a place upriver from where I usually camp. It was only about 8 km from home but it was far enough away to feel like a trip. Just far enough into nature to feel like I was out of the city even though it was usually just out of sight. This little trip offered a welcome respite from the cabin fever I was feeling.

During April and May we were encouraged and, in some cases, required to work from home. But from around June it was acceptable to return to the office up to 50% of the time. I still do part of my commute by bicycle but it is too far to go all the way by bicycle.

When I ride, I don’t wear a mask for a number of reasons. 1) In very hot weather, like a Japanese summer, it is very uncomfortable and potentially dangerous. Especially if you are exercising in any way. There is a risk of heat stroke or heat exhaustion. 2) In cold weather, it makes my glasses fog up and that, too, is dangerous when you are riding a bicycle. On the other hand, a mask keeps your face warm like a scarf or ski mask would. I have never a big fan of either of those pieces of cold weather gear. 3) And finally, I just don’t like wearing a mask. I feel more tensed up when I wear a mask. I find myself clenching my jaw more often. I don’t see that not wearing a mask when I ride is a problem. When you are riding a bicycle you naturally social distance from others. If you are not, it probably means you just had a collision with a pedestrian or vehicle. I hear that bicycles colliding with other road users is a bad thing so I try to avoid them. They can mess you up just as much as a virus infection. I do try to maintain my distance from other road users when I stop at intersections.

Hopefully, next year will be a better year for bicycle touring. I still want to take a trip around Mt. Fuji along the Olympic road race course.

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I bet that headline got your attention. It’s not as salacious as it sounds. Stick with me for another paragraph or two to see what I mean. Early in November I took an overnight tour to Makuhari in Chiba with my friend, Mario. 

Every year there is a huge bicycle convention called Cycle Mode in Makuhari Messe, a very slick convention center in Makuhari Chiba, about a half hour ride or so from Tokyo Disneyland. Hundreds of bicycle and bicycle adjacent companies gather to pimp their wares on the hapless bicycle freds of Japan. If you don’t know what I mean by fred check out the now retired Fredcast podcast. Anyway, there were lots of gratuitous carbon fiber and brightly colored bicycle gadgets. There are quite a few events that occur in conjunction with Cycle Mode. One of those events is a cyclocross race at the nearby mountain bike and BMX park. 

Mario and I struck out Sunday morning after kitting out his bike with my spare rack and panniers.  We made great time rolling through the Musashino area of Tokyo Prefecture. The second worst thing about riding to Makuhari in Chiba is that you have to cross the breadth and width of central Tokyo. Both Mario and I are veteran Tokyo road warriors so we know all the least worst roads in Tokyo to cycle on. At least, when it comes to the western half of the city. There is a fairly large gray area on our mental maps once we get past the center of the circle formed by the Yamanote Line. I have ridden east of the Yamanote circle only twice before. And there is where we find the worst part of riding to Makuhari. A little section of road that passes through a suburb called Ichikawa. I’m sure (at least I think I am sure) that there are nice places in Ichikawa but the most direct route from my house to Makuhari doesn’t take me through those parts. Instead, it takes through the industrial part where there are factories, malls and bad traffic. 

Once Mario and I got out of the snarl that is Ichikawa and Funabashi the ride got more pleasant. Unfortunately, by that time we were almost to our destination. Makuhari Messe is a world class convention center with its modern design, surrounding hotels, upscale restaurants, sports stadium and mid sized train station but you wouldn’t know it from the bike path a few kilometers away. The hotels and office buildings grew in stature above the trees as we drew bearer. 

Despite telling Mario the plan for the weekend. he was still pleasantly surprised when we got to the mountain bike park. I should mention that Mario is Italian. I guess that much could be guessed by the name. His mamma and papa didn’t call their baby boy Mario because they met at a Donkey Kong arcade. Mario swears that he neither speaks nor understands English. However, he is a capable speaker of Japanese, albeit with a Kansai accent with occasional relapse into Italian. So, all our communication is in Japanese. No doubt, Japanese who hear us talking find it entertaining; two foreigners speaking Japanese. What’s wrong with them. Why aren’t they speaking English? Anyway, this lack of a common native tongue between us may contribute to Mario’s not fully grasping the full scope of our adventure until it happened. That is it’s own sort of fun. 

The races had been going on all day but we only got there just in time to enjoy some exotic beer and watch the final race. A short word about cyclocross for the uninitiated. Cyclocross is not as we’ll known as road racing or even mountain bike racing. It is like the love child of passionate moment between road racing, BMX, mountain bike racing and a parade at Disneyland while parkour ate popcorn and watching on the sidelines. The racers follow a course tha includes pavement, some offroad tracks, up hills and dismounting occasionally to life their bicycle over obstacles.

My plan for camping was to set up our tents in the mountain bike park. The sun set as the winners we’re making their speeches on the podium stage. It was a bit too crowded to set up our camp so we got back on our steel steeds to search for a convenience store to get some food for breakfast and a beer or two to wash down our pasta. By the time we got back to the park it was good and a dark. The race organizers were winding down their clean up activities. We found an out of the way place to cook our pasta. By the time we were done eating we had the park to ourselves. We set up our tents and I enjoyed a bit of hot chocolate (appropriately seasoned with crime de menthe). We talked until about 9 when the rain that was threatening all day told us it was time to retreat to our tents. 

Day 2

It rained steadily until about midnight. I hunkered down to watch a video or two on my iPad. Sometime during the night my head started to hurt and I was feeling a bit queasy. This happens to me sometimes while camping. I took some Ibuprofen and donned my raincoat for a stroll around the park. I eventually felt better and got a few hours sleep. 

I discovered during my midnight perambulation that we were camped a few hundred yards from the ocean. It was just out of sight beyond some trees and thick brush.

Mario and I ate our breakfast and broke camp while the race organizers showed up to do one more sweep of the grounds to pick up trash.

A visit to Bicycle Mode was on the agenda for the day. But before going to Makuhari Messe we took a ride along the beach bike path to find a geocache. 

Cycle Mode is a yearly bike convention that is held in Tokyo and Osaka. Bicycle manufacturers, bicycle accessory sellers and other of purveyors of cycling adjacent goods and services congregate to peddle their wares to the unsuspecting bicycle geeks of Japan. The vendors come from around Japan and even overseas. There is also an indoor demo course where visitors can borrow the latest bikes for a test ride. There is also a bike school for kids where they can get free lesson on two-wheeling and try out a variety of different types of bicycles. I think one of the most interesting displays were by various regions in Japanese promoting their prefecture as a cycling destination. The free cycle maps and brochures prodded my inner desire to travel farther afield looking for adventure.

Mario is an outgoing type and is quick to strike up a conversation with strangers. As we passed a booth displaying bicycles from an Italian brand he suddenly starts chattering with a Japanese salesman in Italian. It turns out, the fellow used to be Mario’s boss a few years ago. What struck me was that Mario was not at all surprised that he would meet someone he knew in a strange city 60 kilometers from home.

Here’s where we come to the not-really salacious part of the trip. Bicycle manufacturers brought their best to the show. I am a sucker for bicycles that are somewhere on the path less pedaled. I didn’t notice any wooden bicycles this year but I saw a bicycle with a frame made from bamboo that was absolutely intriguing. I also saw a bicycle that had a very steam punk-like vibe to it. Looking at it made me image riders with long black coats, aviator goggles and a Victorian London accent. I thought the longbox cargo bike was fascinating. There was a section dedicated to vintage and handmade bicycles too. I will ride almost anything at least once. Unfortunately, the most unusual and unique bicycles were for display only. One brand that both Mario and I found very fetching was Bruno. This European company makes a very attracting small wheel bicycle. This type of bicycle is called a mini velo. In most cases the frame is a regular road bike-like configuration. Perhaps, slightly smaller that average with small 20 inch wheels. The company makes a very a sexy versatile, mobile bicycle. Finally, I would guess that at least a quarter of the bicycle vendors offered electric assist bicycles in their catalog.

Many of the bicycles were priced way out any normal person’s bicycle budget. Most of us can only fantasize and lust over such bicycles from a distance. The show seemed a lot smaller in scope and a good deal less crowded than previous years. It feels like cycling has been booming the last few years but maybe the boom hasn’t translated into more bicycle sales.

We stayed a couple hours at Cycle Mode, ate some lunch in the food court and then hit the road to return. The ride home was uneventful with the exception of a detour to visit Funabashi Shrine. Mario has a hobby similar to geocaching. He visits Shinto shrines to get a goshuin stamp. Many of the larger shrines offer visitors to put their official stamp (goshuin) into a book specifically intended for the purpose. These books are just a fancy cover enclosing blank white pages. The stamps are the official seal of the temple. The shrine priest, caretaker or other shrine official will sign the books in very pretty calligraphy. The stamp and the signature  only costs a few hundred yen. After the shrine we hid the road again. We took a break somewhere in central Tokyo at Mini-stop convenience store. Other than those two short stops we pedalled straight home.

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I returned to Ome hard on the heels of my trip the previous weekend. This time with my daughter, Pearl. We left late in the afternoon and arrived in Ome well after dark. Having been to Ome the previous weekend the route was fresh in my mind and we found our way to Kami no Fuchi Park on a peninsula jutting into the river in the midst of Ome City with no trouble at all.

Day 1
We both had prior appointments barring us from an early start. The plan was that we were going to meet where Tamagawa Josui Canal crosses Tachikawa Dori. I was busy during the day and forgot to attach the rack to her bike. She had to do it on her own. It is a hassle because a rack and her kickstand can co-exist on her bicycle. In order to remove the kickstand you have to remove the rear axle. Despite this, she handled the task on her own. When we finally met up I did have to tight her quick release axle but other than that she did the job.

We rode along Tamagawa Josui until we got to Haejima. It used be there was a traffic light on highway 16. That was the only safe way to cross the road. But some time in the last few years they replaced the traffic light with a bicycle and pedestrian tunnel under the highway. On the west side of the road the trail becomes very narrow. Basically single track going through a wooded greenway. It was my first time on this path. After dark is probably not the best time to go down a unlit path for the first time. But it wasn’t far and we didn’t have any problems.

Serendipitously, I found Kumagawa Gocho-Bashi Dori, the road that cuts over to Okutama Kaido and eventually the Tama River. It was my first time riding the western end of the Tamagawa Cycling Road at night. It is not lit at all. Fortunately, it is not heavily used after dark. We took a brief rest in Hamura where water is diverted from the Tama River to make Tamagawa Josui Canal. It was too dark to see the Tama Brothers statue. From Hamura it was less than an hour to Kami no Fuchi Koen where we made camp.

One of our camping neighbors had a dog with a nervous disposition. The slightest disturbance set it to barking its head off. I got up in the middle of the night to go the bathroom and had to walk past barking mutt’s tent. It had finally stopped barking for a while but when it heard me walk past the tent it starting yakking again. Somewhere on the other side of our tent there was another family with a dog. At times bother were barking like they were have a long distance gossip session or were trading smack talk. It was a noisy night.

Day 2
I tried to sleep in but between nervous mutts and early day campers I couldn’t sleep much. We hung out in the park for a while and Pearl waded into the river. The river bed is rocky and not easy to walk barefoot on. I forgot to bring flip flops so I stayed out of the water for the most part.

We didn’t have a fixed plan for our second day. Maybe we would go to Okutama and Ogochi Dam, maybe not. In the end we decided not to go to Okutama. Instead of going home directly we detoured due east to take a loop around Lake Tama on the Tama Cycling Road. That was really nice and going clockwise around the lake is a rare experience for me.

Lessons Learned
Don’t forget flip flops or some kind of shoes to wear in camp. Something that will dry quickly or it doesn’t matter so much if they get wet.

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In mid-August I took the opportunity to go for a weekend bike tour. I had 2 nights of stealth camping. After work on Friday I rode about 50 km to Ome. This time I was rolling without a plan for the most part. At best it was very vague. Ride to Ome, spend the night. The next day, ride to Okutama and Ogochi Dam. Either stay the night there or continue on around Okutama Lake or return to Ome or go home. See? A very nebulous plan.

Day 1
There is a campground outside of town up in the foothills surrounding Ome. Before leaving I noticed I noticed on a park inside the bend of the river right in the center of town. The park looked like it might be a good place to do some stealth camping. The campgroundin the hills is called Kaze no Ko, Taiyo no Ko campground. (The name doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.) I stayed here once a couple of years ago when I participated in the Lake Okutama century ride. It only costs 300 yen a night. Like most other campgrounds in Japan you need to make a reservation. This particular campground only has a few camping spots. I called city office which manages the campground to make a reservation. There were openings the problem was that you have to check in by 4 pm. That wasn’t going to happen as I was leaving after work. I decided to take my chances and go anyway. In the worst case scenario where all the official camping spots were taken I could probably still find a place to pitch my tent. As it turned out I needn’t have worried. There was only one other family in the campground when I rolled in around 9 o’clockish. I pushed my bike up the steps to the spot farthest from the family so that we could both have a modicum of privacy. They were curious and probably a bit worried at first about my late arrival but after talking the father a for a minute they seemed to be reassured that I wasn’t some crazy criminal (just a crazy foreigner). When I packed up and left about 7:30 in the morning the camp administrator still hadn’t come by to check so I stealth camped in an official campground for free. I would have gladly paid 300 yen if asked but nobody asked.

It was very humid. I noticed that the humidity went up as the temperature dropped during the night. When I finally tucked in for bed around 11:30 there was a 85% humidity. The humidity made it hard to sleep. I’m glad I didn’t bring a sleeping bag on this trip. It was not needed at all. Trying to sleep inside a sleeping bag when all sweaty would have just stunk the whole thing up. I just laid out on top of my air mattress. It took me a long while to sleep.

Day 2
Before starting for Okutama I decided to checkout the park nestled within the bend of the river in the center of town. The park is called Kami no Fuchi Koen. It wasn’t that far from the campground and it was mostly downhill to get there. It turns out the park is quite nice. The river makes a large u-turn which creates a peninsula shaped feature that is surround by the river on three sides. The park is accessed by two footbridges and a path from the fourth side. There is a grassy area up on the banks of the river under the shade of trees and rocky beach along the waterline. I thought I could stealth camp in the wooded area but it turns out that camping is allowed – for free – on the beach. 

At Kami no Fuchi Park there are two huge wooden barrels on display for making shoyu (soy sauce). They are turned on their side so you can see inside them. I can’t image how and when people would need so much shoyu. It is unquestionable that Japanese people use a lot of shoyu but these barrels would make enough for everyone in the town of Ome to put shoyu in their cooking for a year. How often are these barrels used? I don’t know. There wasn’t any explanation displayed with the barrels.

I hung out at the park a few hours and then decided to head further upriver to Ogochi Dam and Lake Okutama. There was a possibility of rain in the afternoon but I went anyway in the hope of getting somewhere before it started. I thought that maybe I could camp somewhere near the dam.

It was a gradual but steady uphill climb to the village of Okutama. Okutama is the last station on the Ome Line and is a well-known starting point for hiking into the nearby Okutama mountain range and Mt. Kumotori in particular. The day I arrived the village was preparing for a festival so it was more lively than usual. The street vendors were still setting up when I arrived. I took a break at the bus stop and information center across from Okutama Station. It was there that I noticed the beware of bears sign. I was hoping/not hoping for a friendly encounter with a bear. It was highly unlikely since I wouldn’t be leaving the road or developed areas.

I continued the last 7 or 8 kilometers up to the dam. From Okutama the road gets significantly steeper, especially near the dam, and there are several tunnels. One of the tunnels is nearly 2 km in length. Some people don’t like going through tunnels. I can understand why that might be. Often they don’t have any shoulder or sidewalk and they are usually dark and damp. I appreciated that the temperature was significantly lower in the tunnel as it was quite hot and humid by the time I reached the tunnels.

The dam, might seem like an uninteresting destination, but it has more to offer than you might expect. There is a large rest area behind the dam where you can picnic and get out from under the sun. In my case I was staying out of the rain as the raindrops started to fall just as I started to climb the last steep slope before the dam. Fortunately, it didn’t rain long at all. ¥Visitors can walk along the top of the dam and there is a little 3 story observation tower in the middle of the dam. On the second story there is a little museum, in this case “shiryokan” is an appropriate description, showing how the dam was made about 65 years ago. The real treat for me was the map room on the third floor and, of course, the view. The  map room is unique. The entire floor is a map of the lake and the surrounding area. Along the edge of the map are numbered vignettes of points of interest in the area. You can walk on the map floor and find the numbers and get a feel for the lay of the land. Combined with the great view from the windows you can get a unique perspective of the area.

It was about 1 o’clock when I reached the dam and despite cycling for about 25 km uphill I was surprisingly not very hungry. I had planned to have some pasta for lunch. I briefly toyed with the idea of eating at the ramen restaurant across the street but didn’t really feel like eating very much. Maybe it was the heat. Instead, I ate the fruit I had with me and some GORP trail mix. I realized that it probably wasn’t a good idea to camp near the dam as it was clearly monitored by the police. I hung out about an hour or so and then decided to go back to Ome. I didn’t even look for a campground near Okutama. I decided to try my luck at Kami no Fuchi Koen.

The descent from Ogochi Dam to Okutama seemed to last no time at all. I covered the 7 K in what seemed like 20 minutes or so. It was probably longer than that but the effortlessness of the descent made it seem quicker. When I got to Okutama the festival was underway and the street leading to the station was lined with food vendors and sellers of other festive goods. I found a kakigori (shaved ice) vendor in no time a had a very refreshing cola flavored sno-cone. Thus refreshed, I continued on my way to Ome.

I remembered a pizza place just outside of Ome and got it into my head that I would like some pizza for lunch. Unfortunately, when I got there there weren’t open yet and they wouldn’t be open for a couple of hours. The restaurant was good 4 or 5 km from town. Too far to return after setting up park. I decided to find something nearer to the park.

When I finally rolled into Ome it was about 5 o’clock. I found sandiest place on the beach to set up my tent. There were still many people with tents set and barbecue sets on the beach. I assumed most of them would be going home before it got dark. 

I found a restaurant and a convenience store about a 10 minute ride from the park. Despite being sweaty and probably a little stinky I had a wonderful dinner of tonkatsu, shredded cabbage and miso soup. On the way back to the park I picked up some breakfast essentials at the convenience store. 

By the time I got back to the park the sun had set but too my surprise there were still many people there. They didn’t show any signs of leaving either. Also, unexpectedly, there were many foreigners around. I didn’t recognize the language they were speaking but somehow I got the impression they were Mediterranean. I have absolutely nothing reliable to based the assumption on. It is just a wild guess. There was a large group right behind my tent and it seems there was a large group of Japanese revelers on either side.

I have to say that none of the groups were rowdy or ill behaved but when you have large groups of people relaxing, talking and laughing they can get a little noisy. I assumed they would eventually settle down for the night. And they did settle down but it was later rather than earlier. I can’t say that I blame them. I would be laughing and talking too if I were with a group of friends and family camped on a river bank. So for the second night I didn’t get as much sleep as I would have liked.

Day 3
I slept in as late as I could manage but ultimately was back on the road by 9:30 or so. I plotted a course that would keep me as close to the river as possible with the intent of going to Hamura then following the generally very quiet route along the Tamagawa Josui Canal which passes just a kilometer or so from my house. My other goal was to, as much as possible, to stay of the very busy roads of Shin-Ome Kaido, Ome Kaido and Itsukaichi Kaido. The 30 KM ride back home was uneventful but I found a route from the headwaters of Tamagawa Josui Canal in Hamura and the town of Ome that has good roads and less traffic than other major roads.

Lessons Learned

I learned on this trip that I do not need a sleeping bag in the summer. I might want to consider getting a light camping blanket but a sleeping bag is unnecessary for the Kanto area in summer.

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Thanks to the abdication of the Heisei Emperor and the coronation of his son, the Reiwa Emperor we had a 10 day holiday in Japan. I should have planned a longer trip but we had out-of-town guests for the beginning part of the holiday and other events schedule through the middle of the holiday. On top of that, I wasn’t sure if I would get Mad Max, the Surly Blue Beast, back from Blue Lug Bicycle Shop where it was being overhauled and repaired in time for the holiday. As it turns out, I did get Max back the week before the holiday began. Anyway, by mid-week, watching YouTube videos of other peoples tours kindled in me a yearning to be on the road.

Day 1
After eating lunch, doing the dishes and taking a late shower, I began packing my gear. The weather forecast was for a storm from 3 pm to 6 pm. With a little luck I might make it the 8 km to the Tama River and get my camp set up before the rain began. I had no such luck. I don’t think I was even halfway before the rain started coming down. It was only about 3:30 and the sky got dark. I pulled into a convenience store to unpack my 100 yen poncho and turn on my lights. The chinsy poncho broke right away and was too small to cover my body thoroughly. It was too light and even though it was wet the wind caught it and blew it around. It was next to worthless.

I was only about 4 km or so from the river; a short ride in even poor conditions. I knew I could take refuge in the parking structure next to the river when I got there. It was raining pretty heavy but since I was already wet thanks to my worthless poncho I thought  “how much worse can it get?” The answer came to me like the flash of lighting that lit up the sky and the crash of thunder that rumbled behind me; much worse. As I turned onto Koshu Kaido the wind whipped up and the rain came down even heavier making it very difficult to see. I got off the road and onto Shinden Ryokudo. Without cars it felt a bit safer but that was where the rain started to turn into a slushy kind of hale. I glad it wasn’t quite solid but it still stung a little when it hit me in the ear.

I wasn’t too worried about lightning because I was in the city where the tall buildings were a more likely target for Zeus’s wrath. But when I heard the thunder behind me it was still startling.

I finally made it to the parking structures but I found it offered scant protection from the rain because the ceiling of the structure was the metal plates and i-beams that made up the deck of the second story. There were so many gaps and the beams seemed to concentrate the water. Under the largest sections of the metal plates of the upper deck it was possible to get out of the rain somewhat but there was still water everywhere. I wasn’t alone under the car park. Many picnickers that didn’t read the sky well or didn’t have proper shelter were scrambling back to the parking garage and their cars with their soaked picnic gear and sodden children.

Despite the rain the atmosphere under the parking garage was festive and everyone seemed to be taking the rain in stride.

The rain let up sooner than I expected and I was making my soggy way over the levee and the bike trail to the picnic area on the banks of the river where I could set up my tent. When I got to the top of the levee I was surprised by several things. First, many picnickers were still in the picnic area and didn’t show any signs of leaving and, second, the river wasn’t in danger of flooding but there were so many puddles in flat area between the levee and the river. I headed upstream where there were more trees in the hope of finding fewer puddles. I eventually found a place that was slightly less soggy than the others.

By the time I finished setting up my camp the rain had completely stopped and the sky was starting to brighten. I changed into dry clothes and made dinner. I brought a choice of two rice dishes. Keema curry or dry curry. I went for the keema curry. I tried a new way of cooking rice. Instead of leaving the rice on the flame until all the water boils out I brought the water and rice to a boil for about a minute then put the lid on and turned off the heat. I let the rice sit for about 15 minutes. It turned out good. It was sticky and fluffy but didn’t stick to the pan. I probably could have steamed it a little longer but it wasn’t bad. I went for the keema curry this time.

Day 2
The day dawned clear and warm. I hung out at the park until about 9 am in the hope that my tent and my clothes from the day before would dry out. My shorts almost got dry, I didn’t need the shirt but the shoes were definitely still soggy. I decided there was no point in wearing dry socks with wet shoes so I put my still damp socks on from the day before and set off. By 9 the park was already beginning to fill up. I had to weave my way through the forest of tents. It gave me just a small inkling of what refugee tent cities might be like.

I headed west following the Tama River upstream. I took a brief break in Akishima at the site of the tragic Hachiko Line train wreck because I saw a sign with a big whale on it. The English text was brief but informative. I didn’t take the time to read the Japanese. The sign was just erected a month ago. It is located near Kujira Koen. Kujira means whale in Japanese and I always thought that was a funny name for a park that was no where near the ocean. Now I know why it is called Kujira Park. Because of the whale fossil found there!

As I pedaled through Fussa Park I passed a kite flying event. There, groups of men were preparing very large kites. The kites were made of paper and sticks and had colorful pictures that looked like traditional ukiyoe pictures. I estimate that the kites were about three and a half meters tall.

I rolled onto Hamura where I had my lunch at the headwaters of Tamagawa Josui, the historical canal that has its source in the Tama River. My shoes were nearly dry by then so I changed into a fresh pair of socks.

I really had no specific destination in mind. After lunch I decided to cross the river on the footbridge and try to find my way downstream on the Kanagawa Prefecture side. That didn’t last long. There is no trail or cycling road on the Kanagawa side across from Hamura. I followed the river as close as possible on the streets but I soon found myself at Nagata Bridge and crossing back over to the Tokyo side of the river. From the bluff above the river on the Kanagawa side I caught a glimpse of four of the kites flying high above the Tama River valley.

By the time I got back to Fussa Park, there were seven huge kites aloft. I got there just in time to see them reel them back in. They are impressive and majestic creatures in the air but need about 6 people to carry them on land. It was a good day to fly a kite because the wind was very strong (and in my face on the way home). From Fussa Park I was riding straight into the teeth of the wind most of the time. It felt like there was a hand on the back of my bike pulling me back.

After the park, I caught up to a man riding a bicycle with a prosthetic leg. After my experience on Oshima with only one pedal I have a new appreciation for the difficulties of riding with a handicap. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was training for the Tokyo Special Olympics next summer as he was kitted out like a racer. The Tama Cycling Road is a popular place for road racing teams to train.

Lessons Learned:
I learned quite a few lessons on this short trip. The first being that the best way to stay dry while riding in the rain is to not ride in the rain. I know that sounds fairly obvious but if there is no pressing need to ride in the rain, don’t. The second lesson is that having good rain gear is important. For ongoing comfort it is important to try to keep your feet dry. Clothes will dry out fairly quickly once the sun comes out but shoes take time to dry.

As you can see from the video (if you have already watched it) that I brought the old orange tent. Now there was no reason I couldn’t have brought my usual green nylon tent but I made some alterations to the old orange, canvas tent and I wanted to try them out. I sewed in snaps along the bottom to help close the gap between the floor and walls. My theory is that will help keep rain from seeping in under the wall. I also put some velcro on the door and window to make them close better. All-in-all, it was an improvement but still not very good. Tent technology, if that is a thing, has come a long way since my castoff canvas tent was new. I really like having the extra space of a two-person tent. I have no excuse to buy a new tent, but maybe I will just window shop for a cheap one. One thing that became clear is that regardless of which tent I use I need a ground cloth to help keep the tent floor dry and clean.

The final thing I can think of is that I need to find the leak in my air mattress. When it is properly inflated it is comfortable enough to get a good night’s rest but when it’s not it is no better than sleeping on the hard ground. I think the leak must be around the valve or maybe the seams. I checked it once before but I couldn’t find it. I don’t think it leaks until I lay down on it.

Akishima Whale.
In August 1961, a whale fossil was discovered here in Tama River. The fossil was about 13.5 m long, (44′ 3″ for the metrically challenged. I’m looking at you, fellow Americans) and is related to the species of Eschrichtiidae or the gray whale. The whale is thought to have lived approximately 1.77-1.95 million years ago, based on the stratum where the fossil was found. The fossil was an almost complete skeleton and featured in the press at the time. The discovery was an epoch-making event that put “Akishima City” on the map. Since then, the fossil has been popular among citizens as the “Akishima Whale”.

The finding of the fossil indicates that this area was a shallow sea about 2 million years ago. The fossils of shark teeth and shellfish have also been discovered from this area. In addition, Stegadon Aurorae and Elaphurus Davidianus fossils have been found from the upper course of the Tama River.

In January 2018, the research of the whale fossil revealed that the Akishima Whale was a new species. The official scientific name “Eschrichtius Akishimaensis” was given to the fossil. Eschrichtiidae or the gray whale is in the family of baleen whales with a single extant species, the gray whale, which inhabits the North Pacific. Studies of the fossil indicates that the Akishima Whale is a different species from the existing gray whale.

Rail Disaster
On August 24, 1945, just 9 days before the end of World War II, two passenger trains collided with each other on the bridge that crosses the Tama River. 105 people died from the collision or from falling into the river while another 67 were injured. It is still considered one of the worst rail disasters in Japan’s history. The official cause is heavy rain and flooding. There is a memorial along the bike path to commemorate the disaster. Two sets of steel train wheels are exhibited with a plaque (in Japanese) that tells of the accident.

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2019/03/29 – 2019/03/31

This trip had a very inauspicious start. For various reasons, some of our own doing and some not, Andy and I got off to a late start. I was very excited to begin this trip. While it wasn’t Andy’s first time riding a long ways on his bike it was the first time tent camping for him. When he was about 7 we went with his friend and his friend’s father a trip around Lake Tamako. All in all, on that day we covered 40 plus kilometers. Being 7 years old there were many stops for candy breaks and what-not but he did the ride like a champ. It was on that day that I realized that children have the ability to accomplish a lot more than parents give them credit for. If a 7 year old boy can ride 40 K almost everyone can.

Day 1
I was so excited about this trip and things were so hectic before we left that Andy and I forgot to put our helmets on before we left. At least I forgot, and for Andy’s part he probably never intended to wear a helmet in the first place. By the time I remembered we were well on our way and I didn’t want to go back for them. My wife had forgotten her wallet and called me from the station to ask me to bring it to her. So we made a short detour to Kokubunji Station to deliver her wallet. By the time we rolled out of Kokubunji it was well after noon. I didn’t want to delay any further so we postponed having lunch until we were well on the road. Because of the detour to Kokubunji I threw out the first half of the route I planned to take to Sagamiko. Instead we rode west along the Tama River cycling path until we got to Tachikawa. I tried to map out the most pleasant route I could so even though it was longer we  connected up with a multi-use path that goes along the Asa River. This is only my second time riding the Asa River trail and I really don’t remember most of the first time that I did it. It was a very pleasant surprise.

I appreciate how Japan treats its rivers. There is a tendency to not build in the flood plains and instead use that land for non-permanent uses such as biking and walking paths and sports fields. Low cost infrastructure that can be easily rebuilt after a flood. That means that most of the rivers are not walled in with concrete banks. There are exceptions to this of course. The Meguro River and Kanda River as they flow through Tokyo come to mind. But out in the countryside the Asa and Tama Rivers are mostly given free rein to flow where they will within their historical flood plains. A lot of work has been done to reduce flooding but it doesn’t include restricting the river to a concrete river bed.

From the Asa River we eventually connected with Koshu Kaido. Now it is possible to take Koshu Kaido all the way from not too far from our house to Sagamiko. But Koshu Kaido as it runs through the Kokubunji/Fuchu area is a very busy and unpleasant 4 lane road. Once you get beyond Hachijoji traffic lightens up and it becomes a very pleasant ride. It feels like there is a line drawn at Takaosanguchi Station where you leave the urban area and enter the countryside. From Takao there is a steady uphill climb as you go over the foothills surrounding Lake Sagamiko. Andy handled the 4+ K climb without any problems. I don’t think he climbed as fast as Pearl did but he didn’t stop for any breaks either.

We got to the top of the climb in good time and began the descent. 4 K up and 4 K down. The road is winding as is typical when it gets steep so you can’t just let the bike go at it’s own pace. You need to brake around curves. I may not be as fast on the climbs as my fit progeny but I descend a lot faster than they do. It’s like the old Jethro Tull song goes “roll us both down the mountain and the fat man wins”. Of course, I do have a little more experience descending than they do. In any case, it wasn’t long before I got far ahead of Andy. I started to worry about him. I could image him getting in an accident because he couldn’t control his bike or getting hit by a car. I pulled over to the side in a less steep part of the hill and waited for him. And waited for him. It seemed like I was waiting too long when he finally came cruising around the corner just as happy as can be. Undoubtedly, I only waited a few minutes but it seemed much longer. 

The majority of the descent was behind us and we soon reached the place on the map where we were supposed to turn off. I wanted to map a route that took us through as much rural areas as possible to avoid the little town around Lake Sagamiko as possible. We turned off Koshu Kaido onto a back road that went down a very steep slope. It was fun to descend but we missed a turn off and had to backtrack back up the hill. We got off our bikes and pushed them back up when realized our mistake. When we got to the turn off it appeared as if the mapped route was on a private road which I decided to not go down. We returned to Koshu Kaido and in 2 or 3 KM we were at the Family Mart in front of Sagamiko Park,. We stocked up on food for the next 3 meals then went over to the park.

From the park we called the campground to request a boat. The only access to the park is by boat. We waited about 10 or 15 minutes and a large skiff came motoring up to the dock. It was not what I expected when I was told we would need a boat ride to the campground. At first, I assumed that we would have to leave our bicycles at the park but when the campground staff told me we could take the bikes on the boat I expected something like a large charter fishing boat. So when something like an oversized rowboat showed up I was surprised and skeptical. But it turned out that there was plenty of room to get the bikes on the boat with room to spare. The boatman was friendly and we got to the other side of the lake in no time.

The fact that you can’t get to the camp except by boat made it feel very isolated. It is perhaps the nicest camp I have stayed in within Japan. It didn’t have warm showers or Wi-Fi but it was otherwise adequately equipped and the campground staff were very nice and generous. It seemed like we had the camp to ourselves. There were many bungalows but none of them seemed to be in use. When we woke up the next morning we noticed one other tent.

Our first night in camp was cold. We re-used the emergency blankets that Pearl and I used the weekend before. Fortunately, it wasn’t as windy so the night was tolerable. 

Day 2
After breakfast, we took a short hike up the trail to the waterfall that the campground is named after. It was a steep hike that warmed us up. It was sad that there was so much trash along the trail. I grabbed a handful and brought it back with me to our campsite. I later learned from the boatman that 4 or 5 years earlier a truck carrying good toppled over on the road that goes on the road that goes around the mountain, above the campground. Camp staff are still clearing out trash from that accident.

We rented a rowboat and rowed out onto the lake a ways to do some fishing. We were only supposed to have the boat for an hour but since the camp wasn’t busy we were allowed to keep the boat as long as we wanted. We fished during the morning with very little luck. Andy hooked one, large nigoi. It looked like a carp to me. He brought it up along side the boat to unhook it. He was having a bit of trouble with it so he let go of the fish to reach for his pliers and that is when the fish broke his line and escaped. Somewhere in Lake Sagamiko there is a largish fish with a hook in its mouth trailing a meter or so of fishing line.

While we were fishing we saw the boatman go out several times and return with loads of campers. When we finally returned to camp we have a group of college-age students as neighbors and what looked like a group of junior high school students running around the campground. The campground had become more lively.

It still felt cold so we got permission to build a fire and warmed ourselves up. I bought a bag of marshmallows at the camp office and we roasted marshmallows over the fire. We did what our mothers always warn us not to do for fear of ruining our appetite. We ate our dessert before the meal. I didn’t notice any measurable impact on my appetite and Andy cleaned his plate of every forkful of pasta. So how do you like them beans, Mom!.

There was rain in the forecast for the evening so I was hoping to keep warm until the rain came. It started falling earlier that predicted and we took shelter in the pavilion area under the nearby bungalow. We cooked our dinner as the rain doused our fire. This would be my first time camping in heavy rain since I was a little kid. I wasn’t at all sure how our tents would hold up in the rain. It turns out my ancient canvas tent held up better than I expected and only the foot of my sleeping bag where it stuck out of the door a little bit got wet. The newer tent that Andy was using had more problems than mine did. I don’t know how exactly but Andy’s sleeping bag was wetter than mine was. It didn’t get soaked through so it was not a threat to life and limb. Perhaps it was the rain but I found the night was warmer and I slept reasonably well.

Day 3
By the time we crawled out of our sleeping bags on the second morning the rain had stopped and the skies had cleared. We lit a smoky fire from the soaked wood and warmed ourselves up and Andy dried his socks and shoes. We hung up our tents and sleeping bags to dry as best as we could before we had to pack them away. We hung out at the campground until about 9:30 or 10 then paid our bill. The boatman took us back across the lake to Sagamiko Park. We decided to fish a little bit more before we ate lunch at a nearby restaurant. The boatman gave us permission to fish from the boat dock which is normally reserved for private use. The restaurant along the shore apparently owns the pier and the campground has some kind of relationship with the restaurant. The owner of the restaurant unlocked the gate for us and we fished off the pier. Again, I didn’t have any luck but Andy landed another nigoi. This one smaller that the one that got away. To me, nigoi look like underfed carp. They have the same general body shape but they look undernourished.

Since the restaurant owners were kind enough to let us fish off their pier we decided to eat lunch at their establishment. The food was good. A mix of chuka and Japanese dishes.

Around 1:00 we rolled out of the park and headed for home. The ride home was mostly uneventful. We climbed the road out of Sagamiko without incident. We pulled off the road just shy of the top to take some photos of the valley below and the monkey-crossing sign. We came down the slope so fast I missed the turn off and we ended up on a very busy street. It was manageable so I decided not to backtrack. When we got to the Tama River I told Andy we had a choice. We could follow the river east to the place where we often picnic and fish which would be a detour or we could stay on the main road a follow it through Kunitachi to home. He elected to follow the river. I guess I neglected to mention how much of a detour following the river was. Andy was annoyed when he realized that the detour had added an extra 7 or 8 km to our route effectively doubling the remaining distance from the point of detour. I didn’t mind. I enjoyed the ride.

Lessons Learned:
Remember to wear my helmet. The efficacy of bicycle helmets is a controversial subject. It is clear that they are nearly worthless at preventing concussions and can make some types of injuries worse. But there are some situations where having a helmet is beneficial. Personally, I don’t believe we were in those kind of situations. However, wearing a helmet gives certain son’s parents a measure of reassurance.

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Oshima Again
My squirrelly girlie and I will take advantage of a national holiday to make a 4 day weekend of it. We will leave on a Thursday to ride from our home to the Takeshiba Ferry Terminal on the Tokyo waterfront. Since the ferry doesn’t leave until 10 pm there is no hurry to get there. We only need to be their about a half hour before departure to beat the cut off for loading our bikes onto the ferry. I plan to check in about an hour in advance just to be on the safe side. We will lounge about on the ferry all night and arrive at Oshima earrrrrly in the morning. I reserved second class tickets. There are two types, the first is for a 10 person cabin style ticket which means just a big carpeted room. The other kind is reclining seats. I went for the seats. There is probably less cameraderie in the seats but I have to say that they are much more like flying business class on an airplane than economy class even though they are the cheap seats.

There are two campgrounds on the island, a free campground on the southern tip and a paid, luxury campground on the west coast. I tried to get a reservation at the nice campground but It was already booked full up. So it is the free place for us. Since we don’t need reservations for Toshiki campground. If we were so inspired I think we could find many places to stealth camp as well. The available activities on Oshima are limited. We plan to visit the zoo and climb Mt. Mihara to visit the volcano crater. Gojinka Onsen is definitely on the itinerary. I think I will bring a mini kite too.

Sagamiko or Bust
The second trip will be the last week in March. When I came back from my trip to Motosuko last October I promised I would take him fishing in the spring. As time went by, I convinced him to make it a biking and fishing trip. Lake Sagamiko is only about 2 hours, give or take, from home and since fishing is the main purpose of the trip and not biking Lake Sagamiko seemed like the perfect destination. It is only about 35 km from the house. A little more than my usual morning commute. I noted there was a campground right on the southeastern tip of the lake. Mino-Ishidake Campground is unique in that it is only accessible by boat from Sagamiko Park on the opposite side of the Lake. We will take off on a Friday. Settle can settle in and do a little fishing before night fall. There are rental boats so I think that on the next day we will rent a boat and do some deep water fishing. There will probably be time for some fishing on Sunday before we return home. There is no place to buy food near the campground so we will have to stock up before we get on the boat. My boy thinks we are going to catch enough fish eat and maybe we will but just to be on the safe side I think I will pack some instant meals to be on the safe side.

Our Gear
Besides having a common theme of needing a boat to get to our final destination (which, was not intentional, really) we will be traveling with two tents. My kids will use the lightweight one-person tent that I usually travel with. I will carry a bulky, old canvas Boy Scout tent that I scavenged from the gomi about a year ago. This will be the first trip that I take with it. I will check it out and try to weatherproof it a bit before we leave. It is bulky, heavy and difficult to set up. I have put it up in my back yard and I took it on a day trip to Tama River once but I have never spent the night in it. It will be a new experience for me. It’s all part of the adventure. I bought a couple of those emergency space blankets just in case.

I plan to do cooking on both trips. My cooking gear is sufficient for one person. I bought an additional camping cook set for 800 yen at a local second hand shop a few months ago. When I say it is used I mean barely used. It was still in its original box and I didn’t see any signs that the pan and been put over a flame. The kit even came with tin plates and cups which I will probably leave at home. It will be the first time I take the used gear out on a trip. I only have one small stove so we will have to take turns cooking our meals, whatever they may be.

Since the goal of the second trip is to go fishing we will be carrying fishing gear. I am leaving this entirely up to my son. From time to time he takes trips with his friends to the Tama River by bike so I am assuming he knows how to lash his fishing poles to his frame. I have some velcro straps that will suit the purpose. I am also leaving the provisioning of bait up to him as well.

I have an extra rack from a retired mama-chari to put on my daughter’s bike and my son’s bike already has a rack on it. I purchased a set of rear panniers from Amazon for this trip. To be honest, I just wanted new panniers. The Konnig panniers that I bought over a year ago are wearing a bit thin on the bottom. Mind you, it’s nothing a bit of canvas or vinyl and some heavy duty thread can’t patch up. They aren’t very waterproof and they tend rub against my wheel or spokes when they are empty. They are dingy gray panniers that are in all of my videos up to now. This time I tried to do a little more research before I purchased. I bought a set of Pellor panniers that will hold up to 70 liters. It is a three piece set. Two side bags and a top bag that can double as a backpack. I got the blue ones to match my bike. I am contemplating returning them as I noticed that the stitching coming out near the zipper on both side bags. If I file a claim now I may not  get replacement before the start of the first trip. I could fix it with some thread and needlework of my own but why should I. The bags will last through two short trips so maybe I will hold off until April before complaining.

First Timers
This is the first time for both of my kids to go on an extended bike trip. Both kids ride their bikes every day during their daily commutes to soccer practice or their studies. I feel very confident that both of them can handle the distance over flat ground. My daughter, Pearl, just turned 19, rides a Giant hybrid commuter with skinny tires. Not ideal for touring but we aren’t going thousands of kilometers. We will probably won’t even cover 150 km on this trip. There are a few steep (around 8-9%) but relatively short climbs lasting no more than a couple of kilometer. As I recall there is about a 1000 meters of elevation change all together. It all depends on how many times we go around. Though her bike isn’t exactly geared for climbs and she isn’t used to riding with a full load I think she will be okay. She is strong and generally fit though perhaps a bit out of shape from the past year of concentrating on studying. Her tires are of the skinny, Ricky Racer, type. I am a little worried about how her bike will handle the load. She gets flats a fairly regular basis during her plus/minus 8 km commute to her studies. I will stock up on spare tubes for her bike. Fortunately, the roads on Oshima are in top condition.

My son, Andy, is 14 soon to be 15. I know he can do the distance because when he was only 7 or 8 we went on a 40 km, unloaded bike ride around Lake Tamako when he was still riding  a cheap, too heavy kids mountain bike with only 6 gears. He did it just fine with lots of breaks for candy and snacks. He now has an off-brand 12-speed commuter hybrid. No granny gear on it but his tires have some width to them so I don’t have any worries about his bike handling the load. He is a big boy now and shouldn’t need as many snack breaks to keep him turning the cranks. There is much less climbing on the route to and from the Lake. There is one big climb of about 8% grade and 350 meters of elevation change.

I am really looking forward to these two tripsNeither kid has a granny gear so I am keen to see if their youth and glowing health will offset their equipment shortcomings and inexperience. And how it will compare to this fat, over 50 but experienced dude on a touring bike with more appropriate gearing.. Hopefully, they won’t make their old Da look too bad.

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2018/10/19 – 2018/10/22

My trip to Motosu-ko was maybe my best trip yet. It rained, the nights were cold, I had brake troubles, I lost my favorite flashlight, broke two tripod mounts and I gashed my leg yet still it was a wonderful trip. I spent a day and night with acquaintances old and new, I saw some fabulous scenery and felt real good about my performance during the trip. Heaps of Type II fun but even more fun of the first type. This was my longest trip ever in terms of days out on the road. Four days of riding three nights camping, 261 km traveled and over 3,000 meters of climbing.

I had originally planned to take a 3 to 4 day trip to Niigata that would include skirting the edge of the Japan Alps and over 200 km of riding. One of the advantages of this route is that I would have had a guaranteed place to stay in Niigata. Well, for reasons I won’t get into I changed my plan. There is a annual geocaching camping event at Lake Motosu at the same time so I changed my plan. I am glad I did. My overall goal is to build up my experience and skill for longer and longer trips. My trip to Boso was about distance and the goal for this trip was about climbing. On the way home I purposely picked a route that looked like it would have some very steep climbs. I wanted to challenge myself. I did not have a good experience with the few steep climbs I encountered in Boso due to the heat. This time I wanted to seriously test myself in the mountains.

Day 1: Home to Yanagawa
The first day out took me around Lake Sagamiko. Sagamiko is in the western part of Tokyo Prefecture in the valley below Mt. Takao. I stopped at a convenience store across from a park on the shore of the lake and ate my lunch in the park. Because it is so close to Tokyo, Sagamiko is popular place for day trips. There are several camp grounds nearby and it is only about 30 km from home so I can see myself taking some overnighters to Sagamiko in the future. When I left in the morning there was a forecast for rain shortly after noon. My intent was to get to my campsite before the rain started but I got off to a late start and I always underestimate how much time I fitter away taking videos and photos. As I realized I was getting behind schedule I checked the weather. Each time I checked it showed that the rain forecast kept being pushed back. That was good for me. Finally, when I was about 4 kms from the campground near the Shiotsu station the rain began to fall. Fortunately, it wasn’t a heavy downpour. I found the campground easily enough but there was a chain across the road leading into the campground. It was already around 3 pm, it was raining and the next closest campground was too far away. The way I saw it, I didn’t have any other options. I rode past the chain into the campground. It was completely deserted. There were many downed trees which showed some attempts to clear them away. There was white tape to show where the driveway had been redirected around a huge fallen tree. It had the feel of a place that had been shutdown for the season. I set up my tent under a roofed picnic area that was just large enough for the tent and my bike after pushing aside a wheelbarrow and some rotten chairs. It was stroke of luck because it kept my tent and gear mostly dry. Just a stone’s throw from my tent was a small pond with a pipe dropping runoff from the mountain into it. It burbled all night and the sound was almost indistinguishable from the sound of the rain. When I awoke in the middle of the night I couldn’t tell if it was still raining or not. The rain did stop sometime in the night.

Day 2: Yanagawa to Motosuko
The second day was definitely the most exciting and a perhaps the most dangerous. It started out fairly normal. I awoke early as it seems to be my habit when camping. As I was starting to get ready to pack up the kanri-nin, camp manager, came by. He looked at me, he looked at my tent and my bike, held out his hand and said, “1000 en wo itadakimasu.” He wanted me to pay the fee for camping. I was okay with that as I had intended to pay anyway. Of course, if he hadn’t showed up I would have been happy to camp for free. After handing over the money he told me that the water was delicious. I had already tried the water and agreed with him. I thanked him and he went about his business. I think the only reason he showed up is because a young couple rolled in with their car and started setting up their tent. I suppose they had made a proper reservation. Unlike me who just showed up. Just showing up at a campground doesn’t seem to be the proper way to do camping in Japan.

I rolled out of the campgroung around 7:30. This is when I saw my first interesting wildlife. A pair of what I think were quail waddled into the brush at the sound of my bicycle. At least, I think they were quail. When it comes to birds there are a lot of species I don’t recognize. The route was a steady climb for most of the trip. Even so, it was a nice ride. Like the day before there was rain forecast for the afternoon so once again I intended to get to the next campground before it started and once again I underestimated how much time I would waste taking video and photos. But again, like the day before, as the morning wore on the forecast for rain was pushed back to later in the day. I wanted to get to the campsite by noon because I was going to attend a geocaching camping event that was scheduled to begin at noon. It was potluck style. Since I couldn’t pack a lot in my panniers I wanted to stop at a grocery store about 10k from the campground to pick up some meat to barbecue. I realized that I had somehow missed the store altogether when I got to the edge of the national forest that surrounds Mt. Fuji. I stopped to set up my camera to take some video. As I was walking back to my bike I heard some rustling in the trees. I caught a glimpse of a deer running through the brush. It wasn’t one of the those shaggy, grey kamojika that are tough as an old leather boot and about as ugly. It was a sleek Nihonjika. I couldn’t see it well enough to tell if it was a buck or doe. I tried to take a video but all I got was a fleeting glimpse of it running through the underbrush. That was the second wildlife of the day.

The sky was getting grayer and grayer as I rolled through the afternoon and up the last big long slope before rolling down in the valley where Lake Motosuko is located. I entered the Fuji Panorama Line which is really scenic road that is wide, only moderately busy and recently re-paved. I came to a greengrocer slash restaurant and stopped to pick up 4 ears of corn. They didn’t fit in my panniers so I dangled the bag from my handle bars.

A little further ahead at the 102 km mark I expected the route to descend at a side road that appeared to be a shortcut. From there it would only be about 4 or 5 more kilometers to the campground. I need to say something about the mapping application I was using. Ride With GPS is a very capable route mapping app which choses routes with cycling in mind. It uses OpenStreets Cycling maps and USG topographical maps. It tends to favor less heavily trafficked routes and shorter routes which is great if you are cycling. However…..it sometimes routes you onto less than ideal tracks as in the aforementioned side road. The side road turned out to be a very rough hiking trail which had been severely damaged by the typhoon. Under good conditions it might have been barely passible on mountain bike. It was a bad place to take a fully loaded touring bike. I was expecting a nice 2-lane rode so I missed the turn off at first. I doubled back and couldn’t believe that the trail was actually the rode but it was where the map said there should be a road. I decided to take it anyway. Sometimes, the trails that Ride With GPS leads me to are real gems. This was not the case. I was hoping it would get better. It didn’t. By the time I realized this was a bad idea I was so far along it was easier to continue than to go back. In several places over the next 3 km I had to get off the bike and push it. The way was littered with fist sized, sharp volcanic rocks and downed trees. It would have been a bad place to get a flat tire. Additionally, my brakes were in real bad need of adjusting. They had almost no stopping power. I was using my feet to slow me down in places were I could still ride. Finally, to make matters worse I started to hear thunder off in the distance. With each rumble of thunder “Not yet. Not yet. Please wait just a bit longer. Please don’t rain yet.” It would have been very unpleasant to get caught in a downpour. I gashed my shin somewhere along the way. I didn’t realize it until much later.

Fortunately, bad paths don’t last forever and the rain held off long enough for me to get out of the woods. I went to the campground on the shore of Lake Motosuko that I had mapped out and to my surprise it was closed. I checked my geocaching app for the camping event information and found that I had mapped my route to the wrong campground. I had a brieft feeling of disappointerment. It was good thing the right campground was just a couple of kilometers back the way I came. I did find my friends, set up my tent and patched up my leg. And then it began to rain but I didn’t care. I had made it to my destination with 4 ears of corn dangling from my handlebars.

I ate very delicious and varied campfire delicacies and dried my wet clothes and saddle cover by the fire. I talked about geocaches and other geeky topics with my friends. I came to the conclusion that geocachers are just people who like to spend time outside and use geocaching as an excuse to get off the couch.

Thus ended my second day of riding.

Day 3: Motosu to Seseragiso
The third day was a smorgasbord of beautiful scenery. I had breakfast with the Pork Queen of Japan (She even went to America to “meat” the Pork Queen of Iowa) and her husband Bun-san. I warmed myself by the fire for a little bit and then headed out. The rain had cleared up during the night and the morning dawned clear and crisp. Some of my fellow geo-campers took off by car to catch a glimpse of Diamond Fuji. As far as I could ascertain Diamond Fuji is a phenomenon you get when the sun rises directly behind Mt. Fuji giving you the typical sun flare that occurs when the sun is partially blocked by something. I did not join them.

I packed up my gear and left about 7:30. I made brief stop to tighten up my brakes which I should have done before leaving the campground. I planned to ride about 60 km. I was expecting this day to be the hardest day of the trip because my return route would take me up a very steep climb. After a brief ascent out of the Motosuko Lake valley I would descend quite a bit before ascending again to my campsite at the end of the day. Ride With GPS told me the ascent would max out at 22%. I was fully expecting to walk up the steepest parts. More about that in a bit.

The route followed the northern shoreline of Lake Saiko and Lake Kawaguchiko. The scenery was magnificent. From many places along the road I got amazing views of Mt. Fuji rising above the lakes beyond the southern shore. The sky was blue and clear as a bell after the previous day’s rain had washed the air clean. The 15km along the lake fronts was flat and easy riding. I made good time. The area is dedicated to tourism so there were many rustic and delicious looking restaurants and cafes but it was still too early to stop for a meal. I wish I had taken time for some touristy activities. The area around Kawaguchiko is particularly oriented around tourism. There was even a bicycle path along the lake and I saw people with rental bicycles. I thought I might stop at the east end of Kawaguchiko for lunch. It was still before noon. Despite that I stopped at a cafe that promised German sausages but they weren’t open yet. I decided to keep going until I found a convenience store where I could sit down for a bit. The ride from Kawaguchiko was a fast 20km roll downhill. I feel like I barely pedaled for most of the way. My speed frequently topped 30+ kph. I picked a Family Mart that happened to be at the corner where I would have to leave the main road and start the 7km climb up to the campground.

What I didn’t realize was that I was headed to the wrong campground…again. By “wrong” campground I don’t mean that I was going to miss a campground that I had a reservation at. I didn’t have a reservation. It just wasn’t the campground I had originally planned to stay at. It turns out that campground was still 15 km further down the road and up the expected 22% climb. Don’t get me wrong. I still had a steep climb ahead of me. It just wasn’t the climb I expected. I arrived at Seseragiso Auto Camp without much trouble despite the steepest ascent of the trip so far. The camp seemed to be run by an administrator that lived on site. There was a pen for a couple of goats and there were futons airing out in front of the big house. There were small one room bungalows that could be rented as well as barbecue areas. And no one was around. The main house was dark and looked empty and the goats were kind of smelly.

Since it was still early I back tracked about a kilometer to an onsen and enjoyed a hot bath and a grape ice cream cone. While I was looking for a place to charge my phone and batteries in the main rest area an old lady invited me over to sit next to her. So I did. She seemed to be a local resident and regular patron of the hot spring because she talked on familiar terms with the staff. She wanted to tell me that she had family in America and asked my the usual questions. I told her about my trip and showed her my photos of Mt. Fuji that I had taken from earlier in the day. She showed her appreciation then left me to my thoughts and battery charging.

After the bath I returned to the campground but still saw no signs of anyone around. There were no campers and no staff. I picked a spot near the noisy stream as far away from the big house as possible. If nobody noticed me I would get a night of free camping. Nobody noticed me. The stream was pleasant but camping so close to it may have been a mistake because it was very noisy, especially in the still of the night. It kept me awake later than I would have liked. With the added elevation the night turned cold making it hard to sleep. I had forgotten to bring a long sleeved shirt and a jacket so I put on my rain poncho and hunkered down in my sleeping bag. It was tolerable…just.

This is how the third day of cycling ended.

Day 4: Long ride home.
The cold and the hard ground got me up early. The temperature had dropped to 5 degrees Celsius during the night and it was still cold when I woke up. I decided not to linger for breakfast. I had can of pineapple, packed up my gear and left. The steep slope I had sweated up the day before nearly turned me into and icicle on wheels on the way down. The wind chill factor caused by the 35+ kph wind from my rapid descent numbed my hands and the exposed skin on my legs and face. I couldn’t wait to get to the bottom. I was still wrapped in my rain poncho for warmth but it wasn’t entirely successful in holding back the cold. At the corner where I stopped for lunch the previous day there was also a Mickey D’s steakhouse. I pulled in there for breakfast. A McDonalds breakfast is one my favorite culinary delights. The hamburgers I can take or leave but I am a push over for a Sausage Egg McMuffin. My electronic devices were still low in juice so I plugged in while I ate and waited for the day to warm up a bit before I continued my journey home.

When I got back on the road the temperature had risen enough to shuck my pancho. The ride started out swift as I continued to descend but I soon began the climb I was expecting the previous day. It was certainly steep. I kept turning the cranks all the while expecting it to get worse and telling myself that it was okay to get off and walk if I had to. I didn’t. Though quite steep, it turns out that I was offered a cheat right where I expected the climb to be its steepest in the form a tunnel that cut through upper part of the mountain. From their the descent was fast but because the road had many sharp turns I found myself braking a lot. As the day wore on so did my brakes. At the top of one the last steep descents I felt my brakes give out. I was already going to fast too stop but luckily there was a side road ahead thayt climbed up the draw that I was barreling down. I pulled in fast and let the incline slow me down. Whew! That was a close one! By chance, a custom roadster convertible that had passed me a few kilometers back had also pulled into this side street and the driver was doing something, I don’t know what. When he passed me earlier I thought to myself that I wish I could have gotten a picture of the car but there was no time to get the camera ready before he was out of site around the next curve. I knew I would never see him again. But here he was on the same side street that save my caboose from a serious wipeout. I had a second chance to get a photo and even talk to the driver. I didn’t take it. I concentrated on fixing my brakes. When I was ready to go he drove off just as I was pulling out me camera. Alas, a lost opportunity.

All along this descent there were little villages. They didn’t seem to have much to offer. There were a few shops but it was mostly houses. I wondered what the people who lived in them did for a living. For the most part, the land was too steep for farming. The area had a very isolated feel even though it was only a few kilometers from the main road. I passed the campground I had originally planned to stay at. I came to the conclusion that I would not have wanted to make the steep climb then sharp descent at the end of the previous day. It was more enjoyable to do it in the morning. The rest of the trip from their to Lake Sagamiko was pleasant. I bought lunch at the same convenience store that I had on the way out and ate it in the park across the street. The sun had come out and the day was warming up nicely. After lunch I lay down on a grassy slope facing the lake and took a short nap.

The rest of trip home from Sagamiko was urban riding and something of a let down after the beautiful scenery of the previous 2 days. It was a very dull and uneventful.

Home again. Jigetty jig.

Lessons Learned or Re-remembered.
Fact One: The mountains get cold at night. Remember to bring a jacket. Gloves might be a good idea too. The mornings are cold and it appears that I am an early riser when I camp. Maybe my sleeping bag is not adequate for really cold weather. There is a significant temperature difference between the Tokyo Bay Area and inland. Even just a 100 km away.

Fact Two: The map is not the land. As good as a route looks on the map you still don’t know what lies ahead until you go there. Sometimes a shortcut takes longer.

Fact Three: My air mattress seems to have a slow leak. It starts out fine but in a hour or two I find myself on the hard ground. I don’t sleep well on the ground.

Fact Four: Rivers are noisy.

I am glad I had a rain poncho and first aid kit along on this trip. I used both for the first time. Besides my shin the other casualties of this trip were my flashlight which I lost at the second campsite and 2 iPhone tripod mounts which rattled apart from vibration and fell apart while riding. They are littering the road somewhere between my home and Lake Saiko. My tripod with the phone mount was bungeed to my bike rack so I could take it out quickly. I didn’t notice when the first one fell off. The second one I kind of noticed. I thought I had heard something drop onto the road while going downhill. I made a cursory check of my bike from the saddle but nothing seemed amiss so I continued on. I didn’t want to lose my momentum so I kept going. That was a mistake, I should have stopped and went back to the place where I heard the noise. The other and most serious casualty of the trip were my brakes. After a day or so of intense use they go out of adjustment. Plus, my cables are fraying at the place near the brake housing where they bend. I should have them replaced at the bike shop but in the meantime a turn of the adjuster screw brings they back into working order again. Mad Max the Surly Blue Beast Road Warrior has disk brakes. When they are in working order they are fantastic. Even in the rain. When they go out of adjustment they are no better that ordinary caliper brakes.

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​This was a fun trip. While I didn’t do as much cycling I did see a lot of great sites including the cute little Lesser Panda pictured above. Combining cycling with a ferry was a unique experience. Oshima Island is a cycling paradise. I recommend it for anyone who wants a pleasant weekend cycling in a unique environment.

Day 1
The ferry to Oshima Island doesn’t leave Takeshiba Ferry Terminal until 10 pm so I did my usual commute to work in Omotesando. This time I made the journey fully loaded with all my gear. I had time to kill so I toodled around Tennouzu Isle before going to Hamamatsucho for some dinner. I still got to the ferry terminal with time to kill. The passenger ferry allows bicycles to be checked as cargo without put your bike in a rinko bukuro (bike bag). I costs 1500 yen but it is worth. Other, Ricky Racer types, bagged their bikes a brought them on the ferry as carry on luggage. I waited too long to make my reservation on the ferry so I was not able to get a seat or space in the tatami area. So I had to spend the trip on the deck. It was a bit chilly but the night view of the shoreline along Tokyo Bay is great. I got a seat at one of the few tables on the deck by sharing it with some Russians who were going further on to Nijima Island. We had an interesting conversation until they went below decks to their reserved seats.

The ferry was filled to capacity so I wasn’t the only person spending the night on the deck. There was plenty of space and many people rolled out their sleeping bags or pitched their tent. I didn’t want to hassle with the tent but I did unroll my sleeping bag and slept for a few hours until the ferry reached Oshima Island around 5 am.

Day 2
The ferry arrived at Okada Harbor. There are two ferry terminals on Oshima, one at Okada and one at Motomachi. The terminal used depends on the weather.

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