Jeffrey E.F. Friedl's Blog, page 12

Insanity!? Shopping Trip to Costco by Bicycle

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I Must Be Nuts

shopping trip to Costco by bicycle

On a recent bicycle ride I was surprised to find myself passing
the nearest Costco to Kyoto, about 25km (15mi) away. I was a member years ago, and mentally, it was a long way away, taking
45 minutes to drive there through traffic, with $15 of tolls along the way. Unfun. My driving geographic knowledge often never
connects to my cycling geographic knowledge, so I'm surprised in this way often.

Anyway, I made a ride to Costco yesterday, explicitly to sign up for
a membership and do some shopping. Manseki was going to be heading in the general direction, so we met up and rode with each other
for the first while.

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/640 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 —
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Meeting Up with Manseki

he's the black smudge on the ramp at left








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Heading South

taken while riding at 27 kph (17 mph)








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Photo Op

with some of his cold-weather gear, before the warm weather comes








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Other Direction








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photo by Manseki Kanemitsu

Not long after these photo ops, we went our separate ways, and I continued on for 15 more minutes to Costco.

As you can see in the shot above, I was wearing full cycling kit, which look really strange to those not accustomed to it, so
to advertise that I was a cyclist (and hence explain the strange clothes), I kept my helmet on inside.

Inside looks like every other Costco on the planet.

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Generic Costco








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Same Evil Products









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Testing my Will Power








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Wall of “Happy Turn”

I never really paid attention to the name beyond “Happy”, but

it turns out to mean “turn back to happy times”








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I'd Get a Couple of These

but I don't quite have enough space in my backpack

Costco is both a blessing and a curse. If you need a 78-roll pack of toilet paper, it's great. If you don't need 78 rolls right
this moment, it can be a curse because the low price in dollars (or yen) can blind you to the price in storage and logistics.

Shopping at Costco by bicycle means that I'm limited to what I can consume on site or carry home. I have to really think about
each item. So no gazebo or fire pit for me today.

Some things can be consumed on site...

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/60 sec, f/1.7, ISO 200 —
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Standard Costco Cafe

Hot dog and unlimited soad: $1.60








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I Know I'm Going To Regret This

(it actually wasn't so bad... a few burps on the ride home, and that was it)








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My Purchases

The main thing I wanted was the nuts, which I think is a better evening snack than more-junky things like popcorn and potato chips.
(Omitting them altogether would be better still, but I'm mortal.)

I was surprised that I could fit ten of the big tubs of nuts into my backpack. 10! Each is 2,198 yen. I could get them delivered via Amazon Prime for 2,732
yen, meaning I'd save 534 yen each, or 5,340 yen ($47) just on this trip alone. That's more than enough to pay for the
4,400-yen yearly membership fee. Plus, I get a cycling ride out of it.

Unfortunately, I didn't quite save that much because I made a rookie Costco mistake: I didn't have quite enough cash. So I ended up having to leave one of the tubs of nuts at the register. Doh!

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 —
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Ready To Return Home

at 16.2kg (36lb), the backpack weights more than 2× the bike

Since I wasn't pressed for time, I wandered around a bit in the area...

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Oddly-Named Horse

A this nearby horse-riding school, the stalls are marked with the horse's name;

the nearest one, according to the sign, is named “Shoeing Station”

Winning the Kyoto Marathon 2017 (Papa Division)

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Accepting His Award

Winner, Papa Division, Kyoto Marathon 2017

京都マラソン2017、パパ部の1位

Today was the 2017 Kyoto Marathon. As in some years past
(2012,
2014,
2015) I went out for a few photos of the 16,000 runners.

This little scene unfolded before me at a corner 500m (⅓ mile) before the finish...

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Wider Scene








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Off to Wrap Up Loose Ends

a few more minutes' run to actually finish the race

According to his bib-number stats, this guy (木村剛 / Goh
Kimura) finished in 3:55:21, which includes the unusually-long 9:44 it took him to get to the starting line
(and, of course, includes the time needed for the event above).

I was able to find in the shots I took earlier, as well... can you find him in this shot from about the 32km (20mi) mark?

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Enjoying Delicious Nankotsu at Torikizoku

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Tasty Skewer of Chicken and Scallion

at a local Torikizoku (鳥貴族) restaurant

I've recently been taking a fancy to yakitori (grilled skewered chicken),
and especially the crunchy nankotsu variety.

“Torikizoku” is a chain of yakitori restaurants whose thing is that everything on
the menu is 280 yen (plus tax, making each item currently about US$2.60), so the menu is just a list of items.

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Two Items to Start With

Any drink is “one item”, and this includes a normal serving of Suntory Premium Malts beer (seen on my blog in “A Visit to Suntory’s Kyoto Beer Brewery”), making the price comparable
to the cost of a can in a convenience store, instead of the about-double price a restaurant normally charges. It's a wonderful
value for a tasty beer, but even better is the Octoberfest-class jug of Kinmugi
(金麦) seen above. It seems to be about a liter, and is the same $2.60 price as the Premium Malts despite being about twice
the size, because the relative proportions of the ingredients falls outside Japan's legal definition of “beer”, so it's taxed much
less than “beer”. Just as tasty.

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/320 sec, f/2.5, ISO 6400 —
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Indeed

“Enjoy Rich Taste in Relaxing Time”

The bowl of cabbage to nibble on with your chicken is also $2.60, which is perhaps steep for a bowl of cabbage, but
unlike other items, this one is bottomless so you have it refilled as often as you like.

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Wave Two

a salad and some chicken sausages

All the meat items come in pairs, on skewers, so the two sausages above are $2.60 for the pair.

As you are done with each skewer, you put it in a bamboo receptacle on the table...

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One Down








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More










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Chicken and Scallion

Three servings (6 skewers)








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Nankotsu

Four servings (8 skewers)

These patterns repeat, with the occasional other item thrown in. I tend to stop eating nankotsu when they run out.

“Nankotsu” is cartilage, and in this case, they're chicken knees. Sounds yucky, but sooo tasty.

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 5000 —
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End of the Meal

Snowy Cycleversary Mountain-Ride Challenge, Part 2

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Absolutely Gorgeous

snowy world somewhere between Hanase Pass and Nomi Pass, Kyoto Japan

(this is a full-color photograph)
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This post picks up from part one on my two-year-cycleversary ride
though the snowy mountains north of Kyoto. I'd suffered a spell of frozen fingers, but was now mostly warm again and in good spirits.

The area is fantastically beautiful in the snow.

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Small Village

with blessedly-clear tracks to ride in, mostly








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Turnoff

I took the right, leading to the Kuta area and its Nomi Pass








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Obscured Warnings

various warnings about snow, partially obscured by snow








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Snowy Road Paralleling the Clear River








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Very Steep

and very difficult for me to ride

As I mentioned in Part One, riding through the semi-compact snow with thin (28mm) road-bike tires often felt like my tires had
to work like ice breakers, shoving through a semi-frozen slushiness of evil-Goldilocks consistency (it's not strong enough to
support the weight of the bike, nor weak enough to be easily shoved out of the way).

It was particularly bad on the super-steep initial climb toward Nomi Pass, and the added power needed to push through the
ice required more traction than my tires could afford, so I ended up walking the worst parts of it.

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Nomi Pass

能見峠








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Relatively Clear








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End of “Relatively Clear”









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Exiting the Forest








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Gunk

Sometimes so much frozen gunk would get caught up in the mechanisms, the rear tire would lock up until I gave things a few good
kicks to jar things loose.

Over time, I also lost the outer range of my gears, also due to frozen gunk, first losing the easiest “granny gear” up front,
then the higher gears in the rear. I didn't miss the latter until I got to the fast, snow-free downhills later in the ride.

I'd stopped at the spot above because the farmhouse scene is quite picturesque...

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Snowy Farmstead
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Farm + Boxing Ring

thin electric-fence wires made thick by snow








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Roadside Temple








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Oh Deer!

a well-camouflaged white-butt deer in the river watches a man and his dog

右側に川の中で鹿いる。








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Frosty








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Nasty

road-wise








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Picturesque

moreso in reality than in the photo, sadly








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Icy Mountain Bike Stand








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Nearing Route 367

for the 32km (20mi) ride home

Having reached Route 367 (the same road as covered in
this silly-cycling article),
the road was mostly clear for the undulating return to Kyoto.

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Mostly-Clear Road








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Scenery Still Pretty








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Still Frosty








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Bypass Road

around a tunnel








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I'll Take the Tunnel Today








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Superfrosty








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Getting a bit Slushy








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Super-Fast Descent

I'll often hit 70kph just before this curve, but not today








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Last Photo of the Day

because I noticed the lens had become splattered with muddy water

All in all it was a great ride, though next year I'll take a bit more care with my gloves. I should also get more knobby tires for the snow, but I don't know whether one ride a year is worth the hassle.

Here's the ride at Strava:

Can't wait to see what the next two years brings...

Snowy Cycleversary Mountain-Ride Challenge, Part 1

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Typical Japanese-Cycling “Impromptu Portrait”

from my two-year cycleversary ride the other day

I started cycling two years ago when I naïvely went on this ride, joining only because I had no clue about
what was intended. We ended up doing 55km (34 miles), which was probably 10× what I had ever ridden before. I was invigorated to have done so easily what I would have imagined would be impossible, so I decided to set out on a “real” ride, a longer, hillier one done with
intention.

So a week later, on Feb 7 2015, I did another ride — what I now
consider my first “real” bicycle ride — a 91km (57mi) course
through snowy mountains. I blogged about it in “Attempting a 100km Bike Ride in the Mountains of
Kyoto” and its followup. The long mountainous course went through the middle of nowhere, far from any kind of services; I could consider such a ride, particularly
in the middle of winter, only because I was woefully, stupendously, sumptuously ignorant of
everything involved.

Earlier this week, on the two-year anniversary of that “first real ride”, I repeated it. This time, I headed into it with
15,000km (9,300mi) of cycling experience.

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Ready To Head Out

bundled up against the cold









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Mountains North of Kyoto

mountains I'll be entering look a bit frosty








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A Bit Blustery

though I'll remain to one side of this particular mountain








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Getting Closer

to the snow








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Beautiful Frosty Look








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Just Gorgeous

though, sadly, I'm not able to capture it in the photo

On the initial ride two years ago, a photo of this exact spot shows
no trace of snow. Despite the snow this time, the road surface was still fine.

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Kurama Temple

鞍馬寺








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Snowy Kurama

compare to this snowless shot two years ago








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Start of the First Big Climb

Kurama Onsen (Kurama Hot Spring)

By the time the first big climb started at the Kurama Hot Spring, the road had some slush on it but it was easily ridable,
but I didn't have to go much farther for the road surface to become much more difficult:

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Slush Continues to Encroach

this was the last of the “easy” riding for a long time








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Memorable Spot

from my first ride

A particular curve on the road holds special memory for me, as the first place I actually stopped for a rest on that first
climb (mentioned here). As I rode the same mountain again over
subsequent months, riding past this point without stopping became somewhat symbolic for me, until I was finally able to do the
whole thing without stopping.

Today was different, though. By this time the road surface had become difficult to ride on. The
difficulty was not because there was too much snow, but because of its nature: it was hard-packed “almost ice” that sometimes the bike could ride on, and sometimes
not. When the bike could ride on the surface of this stuff, it was a bit slippery, but easy
going. But more often, the weight of the bike caused each tire to break through the surface, and the
tire would have to shove through this hard thick layer like an ice breaker struggling against thick ice (which uses its
power to push the bow up onto the ice until enough weight is over the ice to break through).

It was like riding with two brakes on; it was very slow going.

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Road-Clearing Backhoe








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Post-Backhoe Road

actually worse than before; still as much ice, but now more slippery








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Turnoff to Momoi

and a city bus with chains on the rear tires








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Pretty

but slow going









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Hairpin

the same one seen in the opening photo










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Another Hairpin

there are eight of them on this climb, all beautiful in their own way








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Final Climb








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Hanase Pass

花背峠








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Arrival Selfie

I wasn't kidding when I said that the road surface made for slow going. It's not that I was trying for speed in the first
place, but it took ridiculously long to get here from the hot spring.

On that initial ride two years ago it took 48 minutes, and I was much faster on subsequent attempts, eventually reaching my
current PR (personal record) of just under 29 minutes. But on this two-year anniversary ride, my 29th
climb up this hill, it took more than 58 minutes! I knew I was slow, but this was shocking.

As slow as the climb was, the descent down the other side was even worse, taking more than 4× as long as typical. On the way up I had to contend with the “ice
breaker” effect of the road surface, but on the descent I also had to
worry that when in “ice breaker” mode, the front tire would get a mind of its own as far as direction.

Also, just like an icebreaker that rises over the ice until heavy enough to break through, repeating this sequence over and
over, sometimes the tires would do this as well, making it feel like I was riding a jackhammer instead of a bicycle.

It was dicey at times, and combine with the
general slippery nature of things, I went very slowly, far more slowly than even climbing the same road.
Instead of my best-ever time of 11:24 for the descent, it took 47:20. My best time to make the same
climb is 28:54

It was slow going, but beautiful.

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Descent into a Snowy Village








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Cowbell

closed for the winter








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Gorgeous Scenery








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I dressed well, and was warm for the whole ride, except during the descent my fingers became bitterly cold. It seemed sudden, the change from “warm and toasty” to “so freain' painful I can't stop crying”.

There's some kind of park-related cafe on the route... the only business/services of any kind for the bulk of the ride,
and I was hoping to make it there for coffee and noodles before having to do something about my fingers.
But I just couldn't
stand it, and had to stop to put in little hand-warmer heater packs I'd brought along. Trying to first warm up my fingers by
shoving them under my armpits did indeed warm them up, but it was exquisitely painful. I should have stopped sooner
to put in the hand warmers; it was a miscalculation to think the two pair of gloves I had would be sufficient.

My toes were getting a bit chilly, and I had extra warmers to put in, but I'd wait until I got to the cafe.

By the time I got to the cafe, I was so ready for a hot cup of coffee and a warm space heater.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/7.1, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Doh!

“Park closed today”

To be continued...

Heian Shrine Setsubun Burn, 2017: Lackluster Photos of a Visually-Exciting Event

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 100 —
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Chucking Another Onto the Fire

Heian Shrine (平安神宮)

Today was the Setsubun festival at the Heian Shrine (and many shrines around Japan).
I've written about the overall festival earlier, such as
“Setsubun and Mamemaki: Driving out the Demons”
nine years ago, and
“Attack (and Repulsion) of the Evil Spirits” five years ago.

Today I went only to watch the final bonfire event. I explain it in some detail in
“Intense Burn: Shinto Rite at the Heian Shrine” from nine years ago,
and so like this post from five years ago, this time are just some photos.

I wandered over to the shrine about half an hour before the fires were to start, only to find that they were almost done already! )-:

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/800 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 —
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Scene When I Arrived

That was a bummer.

I broke out my Nikkor 300mm f/2 and started shooting as best I could without having done the prep I should have (camera settings, etc.). My photography mojo has gone downhill since cycling has taken my attention.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 100 —
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Grabbing Some Stacks









Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1000 sec, f/2, ISO 100 —
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One By One Into the Fire

(Again, what's going on during this festival is explained in this blog post.)

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 100 —
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Chanting








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 100 —
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I'm having the hardest time with the white balance for these shots. The scenes include any number of things that are
ostensibly “white”, such as parts of the red/white striped banners in the background, and the shirts/collars of the chanting priests,
but using them with Lightroom's white-balance tool yields wildly crazy results that are just all over the map.

On top of that, they feel washed out and dull, and the focus is off. I dunno. Gotta get my mojo back.

300mm seems to be a bit tight for this event. I used Lightroom to stitch together a few shots to make this:

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1600 sec, f/2, ISO 100 —
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Multi-Shot Stitch

not very “panorama” like when the source is 300mm

Check out the ripples in the upper-right corner:

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 100 —
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(close up from the previous shot)










Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1600 sec, f/2, ISO 100 —
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Chanters








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Hot








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 100 —
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From a Safe Distance









Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 100 —
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Ripply








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 100 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 100 —
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(close up from previous shot)

It was over pretty quickly, and that was that. I've got to use this lens more than once a year to get used to it.

While things were winding down, I chatted with a group of students on summer break from their university in Australia.
They posed for a photo:

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/1250 sec, f/3.5, ISO 200 —
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Kyoto for the Summer

(this chilly place is where they spend their summer?

Snowy Ride With Lots of New-Expressway Construction

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 31mm — 1/200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 —
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A Little Snowy

on a ride two weeks ago

二週間まえの雪の後

Two weeks ago we had a fair bit of snow in Kyoto (a rarity, since many years we have none), so that probably meant that the
mountains in the north (which get lots of snow) were impassable, so I took a bicycle ride south-west towards Kobe. I still found snow.

Here's the 100km ride:

The first climb was the eastern Yanagidani
climb, which I had descended before but never ridden up. I took my time, stopping for photos like the above when I ascended above
the snow line, and at one point to help a group of elderly hikers find their way.

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 49mm — 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 —
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Local Peak

60m below the pass








Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 —
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More Snow








Panasonic LX100 at an effective 47mm — 1/125 sec, f/4.5, ISO 200 —
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Blacktop Harder to Find








Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 —
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Nope

I had planned to take this road, but bailed due to snow and ice

Just after I took this photo, a station wagon came by with writing on the side along the lines of “City of Ibaraiki Bicycling
Support”, which piqued my interest. I have no idea what the two guys in city-worker uniforms intended, but they apparently didn't
have snow tires and their trip stopped when they hit this road and their wheels just spun on the ice. I asked whether they needed
a push, but they waved me off, so I took a less-snowy road down the mountain into the city.

Along the way I came across construction for the “Shin-Meishin Expressway” (“New Kobe-Nagoya Expressway”), which is slicing through
sparsely-habited mountains, and redrawing maps with construction closures and reroutings.

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 41mm — 1/320 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 —
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Massive Construction Project

one little bridge out of hundreds of bridges and tunnels

The cost of leveling mountains and filling in valleys, of making huge concrete bridges and boring long tunnels, must be huge. The cost of just the one massive bridge above is inconceivable to me, but it's just one small piece of the whole thing,
slated to be done in another six years.

The social and economic benefit to the first trans-national expressway is pretty easy to understand, but since this “new”
expressway more or less parallels the current one (+/- 20km), the benefits seem marginal at best... is it really worth the
cost in money and in displaced people (and displaced serenity)? Eminent domain is a very big hammer best used exceedingly sparingly
and with specific purpose. I realize that I'm utterly ignorant on this project, but at first blush my mind boggles.

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 38mm — 1/125 sec, f/4.5, ISO 200 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Some Undisturbed Serenity

Working my way through the suburbia and back up into the mountains, I took the next old mountain road I could find.

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/60 sec, f/1.7, ISO 1000 —
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Pleasant

a bit messy, but pleasant








Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/1.7, ISO 800 —
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Panasonic LX100 at an effective 49mm — 1/100 sec, f/2.7, ISO 1250 —
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Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/80 sec, f/1.7, ISO 200 —
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Where's My Road?

The road I take dives down to the left, out of sight








Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 —
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Discovering More Construction








Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/5, ISO 200 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Old Bridge

as the map is redrawn around it

I wanted to go down to look at the obviously-old bridge, but there was no access to it anymore. Looking at Historical Imagery in
Google Earth, I could see that even just 15 years ago, it led to a couple of farmsteads (that had been on the flat areas to the left
in the photo above), but then about 10 years ago the big bridge I took the photo from was built, obliterating the farms.

Now, the road along the right side of the river has been taken over by construction for an exchange for the new highway,
so the little old bridge looks like it will be forever cut off.

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 50mm — 1/125 sec, f/5, ISO 200 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Old Little Bridge

with remnants just beyond of a temporary construction-use bridge









Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 —
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Another New Road

new, but still steep








Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/1.8, ISO 200 —
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Quaint Pass








Panasonic LX100 at an effective 28mm — 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 —
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“Watch Out for Kids”








Panasonic LX100 at an effective 40mm — 1/320 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 —
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Square Tunnel

under the new expressway, in what used to be the middle of nowhere








Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/9, ISO 2500 —
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Hidden Thatched Roof

caught my eye from the road above,

so I went back to look...








Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/3.5, ISO 200 —
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Looks Fun

Madama Mura Cafe (まだま村カフェ)








Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/4, ISO 200 —
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Dodged a Bullet

the new-expressway construction slices through a few bus-lengths behind me








Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.2, ISO 200 —
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Small Roadside Shrine

also spared the eminent-domain hammer








Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/320 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 —
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Not So Lucky

When I got to a local pass, I noticed a road heading up to the side, so I gave it a try, and found a short but pleasant area
that I bet would be wonderfully cool in during a hot summer...

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/1.7, ISO 500 —
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Pleasant Side Road

It led to a little village with a few houses, a restaurant, and this unexpected find:

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 28mm — 1/200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 —
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Ibaraki City Christian Artifact Museum

茨木市立キリシタン遺物史料館

They didn't have all that many artifacts inside, but I was surprised to learn that the first Catholic church
in the area dated to 400 or so years ago.

I gave the small restaurant a try...

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/60 sec, f/1.7, ISO 1250 —
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Gyudon Lunch

It was getting late, so I headed out of the mountains and through the ugly city until I got to the riverside path
presented in the previous post (“Discovering a New Cycling Route from Kyoto to Osaka”), and headed home.

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 60mm — 1/320 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 —
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Lots of Photographers

lined up like this for kilometers

Every time I go by this wetland area I see some photographers lined up with big lenses, standing around looking cold, but this
time there were hundreds stretching as far as the eye could see. I stopped to ask someone what was going on... it seems that
there's some kind of owl that they're trying to photograph. Good luck to'em.

On the way home I stopped by the Morning Glory Cafe for crepes and coffee...

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/4, ISO 200 —
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Crowded Parking








Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/60 sec, f/1.7, ISO 250 —
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End-of-Ride Reward

Discovering a New Cycling Route from Kyoto to Osaka

Note: this article may not appear properly in news readers.

This article contains interactive aspects that are likely removed by most news readers. Please see this particular article directly on Jeffrey's blog for full functionality.

The first time I rode a bicycle from Kyoto to Osaka, a year and a half ago (“Cycling Along the River from Kyoto To Osaka Castle”), the 55-kilometer (34-mile)
route we were lead on followed roads and paths that traced the eastern bank of the Katsura River and then the southern bank of the
Yodo River. For the most part it's a fine route, on nice paths closed to motor vehicles.

The initial paths out of Kyoto are the least developed part of the trip, so I came up with
a less muddy, less bumpy exit from Kyoto, but otherwise I'd take the same route every time I went to or from Osaka
(including rides blogged about
here,
here,
here, and
here).

I got to wondering why we always used only the one side of the river and not the other, and so while I was stuck at home sick over the
New Year break, I spent days inspecting data (satellite photos, Strava ride data, etc.) to figure out what roads and paths
were on the other side of the river, and updated OpenStreetMaps accordingly. It looked very promising.

Finally, on Jan 7th, I put it to use and gave it a try, resulting in a 101-mile ride down one side of the river and up the other
(view at Strava),
with various excursions in Osaka, including an all-out assault of the notorious Tenpozan (Mt. Tenpo) climb.

I started out at about 8:40am. I took my standard route south out of Kyoto, but then made my way over
to the Katsura River, and at the 11km mark of the ride, crossed the bridge to start exploring areas I'd never ridden in.

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/320 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Crossing the River

into no-man's land

Initially there's only a road (not a cycle path) hugging the river, but it has little traffic, and it gives way to a cycle path
after a mile or so:

Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1/160 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Cycling Road

(sort of)

This entrance has the first of what turns out to be many of these infuriating gates. Ostensibly they are designed to keep
scooters and motorcycles out, but practically speaking, they bang your bike and ankles and cause blood pressure to rise.

The “(sort of)” caption relates to the little sign to the right of the entrance, which says "this is not exclusive to bicycles;
if you ride, share the road with pedestrians and mind your manners". Common sense that must be sufficiently uncommon to have
prompted the sign.

Revisiting Kyoto’s Big Snow from Early 2015

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 32mm — 1.6 sec, f/14, ISO 1600 —
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Kyoto in the Snow

from a big snowfall two years ago

今回の写真は二年前の大雪の時の写真です。

Kyoto recently had a fairly big snow, but I didn't get out for photos, so I thought I'd post some additional
photos from a pair of big-snow days that Kyoto had two years ago.
First there was “Kyoto’s Biggest Snow in 58 Years”
and its followup, about the big snow that started on New Year's day (2015).
Then, two days later, there was an even bigger snow that garnered
“Kyoto At Night During a Heavy Snow” posted in three parts
(parts one,
two, and
three).

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/320 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1100 —
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City Bus








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 120mm — 1/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 560 —
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Heian Shrine

平安神宮








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 78mm — 1/320 sec, f/2.8, ISO 720 —
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Man & Dog








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 160mm — 1/640 sec, f/2.8, ISO 3600 —
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Roof Detail








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 86mm — 1/800 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 150mm — 1/640 sec, f/2.8, ISO 900 —
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Omikuji

(described here)








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 116mm — 1/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 450 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 86mm — 1/400 sec, f/2.8, ISO 220 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 66mm — 1/8 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1600 —
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Evening Long Exposure

which reminds me that I need to

redo “Shutter Speed’s Effect on Falling Snow”








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 55mm — 2 sec, f/13, ISO 1600 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 31mm — 1 sec, f/9, ISO 1600 —
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12:45 am









Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 40mm — 2 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1600 —
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Out of Focus

so given somewhat of a funky/creamy treatment








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1.3 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1600 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1.6 sec, f/8, ISO 1000 —
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Nanzen Temple (南禅寺)








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 45mm — 30 sec, f/11, ISO 2500 —
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Nanzen Temple Main Gate








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 6 sec, f/11, ISO 2500 —
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Shoin'an (正因庵) at the Nanzen Temple (南禅寺)








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 48mm — 6.8 sec, f/11, ISO 2500 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 38mm — 6 sec, f/10, ISO 2500 —
image data








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/8 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2500 —
image data








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 4 sec, f/6.3, ISO 2500 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 34mm — 1/6 sec, f/5, ISO 2500 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1 sec, f/5.6, ISO 2500 —
map & image data — nearby photos








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1 sec, f/8, ISO 2500 —
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The Same Bus Stop

as seen in the 2nd photo

Rest in Peace, Rob Cole

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 3200 —
map & image data — nearby photos

A Pretty Picture

a kusaridoi at the Eigenji Temple (永源寺), in Shiga Japan

Rob Cole used to be one of the more prolific engineers creating plugins for Adobe Lightroom, until two years ago when he seemed
to have fallen off the face of the Internet. His web site vanished, taking with it his valuable trove of
solutions for photographers, and at the same time, his active participation in online forums stopped.

For the past two years no one in this facet of his life knew what had happened, but I've finally learned today that Rob passed
away unexpectedly in January 2015.

This situation brings to mind “On the
Permanence of One’s Online (and Offline) Presence” from seven years ago, but in this case the
online presence disappeared at the same time he did. Judging by the various messages from his users that I've received since Rob
disappeared, I know his work had helped a lot of people. For what it's worth, I've reached out to his family to see whether they'd like to find a
way to make it available again, if they even have access to it.

Anyway, since his disappearance was so unsettling, I'm posting this to provide some closure to those that knew him
online. Rest in peace, Rob, and condolences to your family.