Jeffrey E.F. Friedl's Blog, page 33

An Otherworldly “What am I?” Quiz

Nikon D4 + Venus 60mm Super Macro f/2.8 — 1/60 sec, f/8, ISO 100 —
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What am I?

クイズ！これは何でしょうか？コメントで答えをやってめて下さい

I don't normally have two of my “What am I?” quizzes ongoing at the same time,
but even though I've not yet been able to write up the article that answers the previous
A Dark, Striated “What am I?” Quiz, I wanted to offer this one. I just really love the colors and unearthly mood.

What are the things above?

(As always, I'll keep submitted answers private until I post the answer in a day or two.)

Photo-Development Challenge: Inspire Me and Others With Your Artistic Interpretation

A week ago I posed about a fantastic video of an
experienced photographer giving a quick once-over to
photographs submitted by strangers. The change from unprocessed original to
processed result was often striking and of interest on its own, but the true value of the video was
the running dialog of the what/why/how of his editing decisions. No right or wrong... just
inspiration and ideas.

With that in mind, I think it could be quite interesting to see how
different people interpret the same photo, so I'd like to offer a few unprocessed raw files from my own photo archives,
with an invitation to all to process them in Adobe Lightroom, imbibing your
own personal artistic senses on the photo, and then send the result to me
to share here with everyone.

The result, I hope, will be more ideas and inspiration for all.

The Raw Files:

If the download link is visible, I'm still accepting submissions for that photo.

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download raw file





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The Rules:

There are no “rules”... this is not a contest or anything like that. It's just some fun to see what direction different people take the same
photo.

But here are the guidelines on how to get your result featured here on my blog:

Process the Image

Download the raw file and import it into Adobe Lightroom (any version)
and processes it as you like. Once the pixels and metadata (see below) are
as you like, save the XMP file (“Metadata > Save
Metadata to File”) and then mail that XMP file to
me. You'll find the XMP file will be located next to the raw file,
with an “xmp” extension.

Be sure to mail only the XMP file; I don't need another copy of the original.

Your Name and Other Info

In the “Title” and/or “Caption” metadata fields,
enter anything you'd like to be presented on my blog along with your
result... such as your name, your web site, and your thoughts on the photo and
the approach you took in its processing. (This kind of description is where there can be real value-add for me and others, to see
the thought process behind the result.)

If you provide professional post-processing services, by all means
feel free to mention that.

The “Large Caption” metadata preset may be useful here.

Multiple Versions of the Same Image

If you have different takes from the same original, make a Develop Snapshot of each one, being sure to give the snapshot a descriptive name when creating it.

There's only one Caption for all snapshots, so if you indeed do include multiple versions, please describe them all in your one Caption.

You can also just send multiple XMP files.

Note: it might be convenient to use virtual copies while creating your
different versions, but you still must save each version as its own Develop
Snapshot prior to saving the XMP file. It's sometimes a source of confusion
with Lightroom because snapshot “saved” in a virtual copy is
actually saved in the master. To add to the confusion, metadata like
Title and Caption of a virtual copy are not saved with the master,
nor in the XMP file, so they must all be entered in the master's metadata fields.

Multiple Images

You can participate with as many images as you'd like... the more the merrier! Feel free to zip up the XMP files to make mailing easier.

Other Ways To Share

You can also feel free to process the image however you like, with
whatever tools you like, and post the results on your own blog. Just please
drop me a note via
email or via comment on this blog post, so that your efforts can be
shared with other readers here.

When it comes time to publish, I'll load your XMP into Lightroom and
generate JPEG versions to be published on my blog, along with your Title
and Caption info. Hopefully we'll have all kinds of different results from
a variety of folks, with the differences among them to inspire creativity
and new ideas with our own work.

Filming a TV Segment about Mochi and Shiga

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/9, ISO 500 —
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Making Mochi

for a little TV segment

僕はテレベ出るかもしれない。来週の火曜日（２４日）、関西テレベ放送のスーパーニュース アンカーの中
の短い部分、滋賀県の話題について。放送予定は17:20〜17:45です。よろしく！

I recently had a fun experience to be part of filming a short TV segment
scheduled to be shown next week... it's scheduled to air on Kansai TV on Tuesday the 24th,
during a bigger news
program, sometime between 17:20 and 17:45.

The segment was part of a larger piece on Shiga Prefecture (the “state” next to Kyoto) and what it has to offer,
and why it's not as popular among foreign tourists as Kyoto. The TV station was working with
Tour du Lac Biwa, a tour company that provides day excursions into Shiga,
in English, doing all kinds of really interesting off-the-beaten-path things.

I worked with the tour company prior to their starting business, as a
“test foreigner”, to help them get their tours up to speed. I got to
experience (and photograph) all kinds of fun things, and I was in their
Rolodex when they needed someone at short notice for the TV segment.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/6.3, ISO 180 —
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Presenter in Action

The presenter for the segment is radio/TV personality “Sunny”, a guy
from India fluent in five languages (including English and Japanese). As he explains above, my impeccably-dressed friend Aeron readies himself to
work the mochi mallet.

Later it's Chris' turn...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/6.3, ISO 360 —
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The guy with the white hat is a farmer who's been making mochi for 70
years, and the lady in the white smock is his wife (and the young child
seen in some of the photos is their granddaughter). They host the mochi-making
part of a tour at their home for the aforementioned tour company, and
were gracious hosts for the TV segment on making mochi,
which involves repeated pounding of cooked rice into a heavy, sticky, chewy
paste.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/200 sec, f/3.5, ISO 100 —
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With Gusto

The rice is in an extremely heavy granite bowl. After each mallet blow, either a bit of water is added
to the rice, or the rice is folded over on itself for the next blow.

I took a turn at the non-mallet half of the operation, while the mallet was wielded by a representative of the local government
who was joining in the segment. Sadly, everyone failed to mention that my hair had the general appearance of the unholy joining
of a Brillo pad and Velcro.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/320 sec, f/3.5, ISO 500 —
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Each mallet blow was greeted with a great spray of watery rice, so black was not the best color to wear for the event. The poor guy's suit became speckled with white, but he took it all in stride, as did I in my speckled turtleneck.

Then Sunny stepped in to try again...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 56mm — 1/250 sec, f/3.5, ISO 250 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 56mm — 1/250 sec, f/3.5, ISO 220 —
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Splat!

I then gave it a try with the mallet, though I don't have any photos of
it. The farmer himself took the second position, and with each mallet blow
he kept saying “faster”. I asked how many broken fingers he'd had over his
70 years, because I was worried about adding to the count with an ill-timed
mallet blow. I shouldn't have doubted that he's a master... the answer was
of course zero.

So, we got into a pretty good cadence... maybe two blows every second,
for what seemed like much longer than I'm sure it was. It's heavy work!
That, combined with my visit to the gym later made for a well-earned outing that evening.

Once the pounding was done, final preparations were a simple matter...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 42mm — 1/200 sec, f/3.5, ISO 720 —
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Adding Kinako and Natto








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/320 sec, f/3.5, ISO 250 —
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As is common with mochi, it's coated in kinako powder (crushed dried soybeans) to keep it from sticking to your hands when you hold it.

Mochi can be eaten plain or with various fillings, the most common being a sweet bean, but in this part of Shiga it's common to eat it with natto, fermented soybeans.

Japanese people love to offer natto to foreigners just to see
their reaction to the slimy texture and somewhat pungent aroma. I think the
very presentation often prejudices the recipient against it. Personally I
love natto, and when I offer it to someone for the first time I
don't make any kind of fuss about it, to let them form their own opinion on
its merits. More often than not they like it.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/3.5, ISO 250 —
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We then retired to the farmer's livingroom where we ate for the camera...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 34mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 —
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Itadakimasu!

(“Bon appétit”)

Sunny doesn't care for natto but the rest of us enjoyed it. The
farmer's wife had made it personally, along with the fantastically-tasty
veggies we were given. It was all superb. The farmer himself had grown the
rice the mochi was made from. Everything was fresh and healthful and
exceedingly “local”. It was wonderful.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 40mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 35mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 —
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Interview Continues

while I dip in for seconds on natto








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 32mm — 1/60 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 —
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Post-Filming Refreshment








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 3600 —
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Filled to the Unfortunate Brim

I was a bit too late to catch the farmer offering a drink to Chris, so I
asked them to recreate the moment for my camera, and in doing so Chris' cup
was filled to the brim. I thought it was just simple saké, which has
the mild alcohol content of wine, but it turns out that it was some kind of
70-proof spirit made with a poisonous snake (that you can sort of see in
the jar in the lower left of the shot above). Poor Chris was in a bit of a
pickle with so much of the strong drink. I had driven my scooter to the
event, so could not offer help in finishing it.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/80 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 —
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Photo Op

tour-company folks with the camera and talking to Sunny








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 26mm — 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 —
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Photo Op

TV crew taking care for a mochi shot

We spent two hours for the filming, but it'll probably end up being just
a few seconds on screen, or perhaps even zero if
there's some big news event that day. We'll see next Tuesday. I was interviewed in Japanese... if any of that is
shown, I'm sure I'll cringe at hearing my own
voice, but it was a fun experience.

I think the experience also highlights a wonderful aspect of the Tour du Lac Biwa tours, that they bring
you into people's actual homes and workshops for personal, intimate
experiences not otherwise open to the general public.

Being able to speak Japanese let me get the most out of each experience,
but the tours are designed for non-Japanese-speaking (English-speaking)
tourists, so they have an English-speaking tour conductor.
But, as I'm sure is common around the world, a
warm smile and a welcoming spirit need no translation.

Facebook Engineering Opens a Satellite Office in Kyoto (For a Few Hours)

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/100 sec, f/1.4, ISO 6400 —
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Nadya and Ryan

At Uroko (鱗), Kyoto Japan

Facebook engineer Ryan Mack and
his wife Nadia and their
blissfully-sleeping two-year-old took time from their 10-year-anniversary
Japan trip to join me for dinner at Uroko (鱗) in downtown Kyoto the
other night.

Ryan has sometimes provided help or insight on navigating the
complexities of Facebook's third-party app API, which I must use for my
Export-to-Facebook plugin for Adobe Lightroom, so I was happy to
finally meet him in person. Meeting Nadia was a wonderful bonus, though
I didn't really get to meet his son, who slept the whole time we were together.
(Jetlag sometimes giveth, I guess.)

It's just as well I didn't get to interact with their boy, because I came down with a cold the
next day, and I think you're contagious before
you're symptomatic. I would hate to have given
any of them a cold.

I imagine that Facebook is a huge company with thousands of employees
spread out around the globe, but I was happy to find out that he actually
knew my other friends working there (Paul, Nam, and Arturo). I guess a big
world is smaller in certain circles.

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/160 sec, f/1.4, ISO 5600 —
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Aftermath

with Damien having joined us part way through

Uroko has an amazing (though difficult for me to read) menu, so we had a
wide variety of wonderful things. They were a bit iffy about the somewhat slimy
yamaimo potato, but seemed to enjoy everything else.

I would have liked to host them around Kyoto for a day, but not with a
cold, so perhaps when they visit on their 20-year anniversary...

2015 Kyoto Marathon

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 320 —
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Thrill of Victory

as far as I'm concerned about marathons, any finish is a victory

平成２７の京都マラソンのフィニッシュ

Today was the 2015 Kyoto City Marathon. Just as when I blogged about the 2012 Kyoto City Marathon, I went out with the
Nikkor 300mm f/2, but new this time is that I intended to try to
photograph two acquaintances who had told me their intended pace and sent
photos of what they were wearing.

To help increase my luck in picking out two faces from 16,000 runners, I set up a bit past the halfway point just before a turnaround, so runners
were going both directions in front of me. If I suddenly noticed a friend
going by one way, I'd have a few minutes to properly prepare for
photographing their return.

Unfortunately, I was literally 30 seconds too late to take my intended
route to the spot... I saw the road become closed off right in front of me,
so I ended up having to make a meandering path around traffic cutoffs, and
I arrived to my intended spot 15 minutes later than I planned.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 125 —
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Sea of Faces

マラソンの半分点のちょっと後








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That's Some Hair!

It was hard not to notice this guy's amazing head of hair. He seems to
be a force of nature... I was able to find his web
site, where he identifies himself as a surgeon, musician
(piano/guitar/vocal), and obviously an athlete. He even has his own
custom-designed shirt... he's the “Ricka” of “Team Ricka”.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 250 —
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Fetching

木村 泰徳 · Yasunori Kimura

I was getting dizzy after 20 minutes of trying to pick faces out from the moving crowd, and thought I'd missed them both,
when suddenly one pops into view!

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Elena Nikitinskaya

a friend from my gym








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 180 —
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It was about three minutes to the turnaround and back, so I watched and waited...

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Should Be In Here Somewhere

I wasn't able to pick her out again... that's how crowded it was. On the chance that she'd paused along the way to rest, I lingered for a while and took in the colorful crowd...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 1000 —
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Currently 1st Place

in the “Superhero, Male” category

(his real identity — 井本 恵介 · Keisuke Imoto — must forever remain a secret)








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 720 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 1000 —
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Katherine Runs a Lot

She happened to glance right at me as I snapped a picture, which is why I include it here. A web search for her name
(Katherine Lee Ming Sze) shows her in lots of race results.

A few minutes past when Elena should have returned by, it started to rain, so I packed up to go home.

The rain had stopped by the time I got home, so I left my scooter at home and walked out to the finish to scope out a good place
to spot someone far enough away to take pictures. I find an appropriate spot 360m before the finish, looking down a 140m segment
of road that slopes down to my position.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1600 sec, f/2, ISO 100 —
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A Minute or Two Before the Finish

フィニッシュの直前(〜360m)








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 160 —
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Lots of Energy

for having run a sub-3hr marathon

It was about the 2:56 point when I took the photo, and it'd probably take a minute and a half to reach the finish.

松下 雄太 · Yuudai Matsushita








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 125 —
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Freakishly Relaxed

this guy (Daniel Matson) looked like he was on a fashion runway








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 200 —
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GoPro'ing His Finish

Julien Mentzer








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 560 —
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Needle in a Haystack

there he is, the other person I was trying to pick out

The other person I was looking for, Jeremy White, is a member of the
“Cycling Kyoto” Facebook Group that I've recently joined. I've never met him,
but when he mentioned he was going to run the race, I asked for his pace an a photo of what he was wearing.

There were a bazillion Caucasians with “blue shirt and green number bib”
and especially after not having been able to find him at the first spot, I held little hope finding him here, but I kept scanning far ahead with the
big 300mm lens, and low and behold he appeared.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 560 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 720 —
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The photo above, with proper focus missed, really shows that I don't
have the skill to use this lens in this situation. I love using a
manual-focus lens, but even at these distances, f/2 leaves a pretty thin
depth of field and I'd set up such that the runners are doing their best to
move out of the plane of focus as quickly as possible.

I want to say that this is not the lens for this situation, but I could
make it work better if I had better skill. But I want to use it anyway
because it's such an exceedingly rare kind of lens (there are only a few
hundred in existence), so it has the chance to give me results no one else
could get.

Mostly I feel I failed — none of the results here are
photographically what I had hoped for — but the quality of the
subject matter makes up for it. Folks who see themselves in the pictures
like them, and that's probably the most important measure of success.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 900 —
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On Pace for 3:17

90 seconds hence

(this is the first time we'd ever “met”)








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 640 —
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It would be another hour before I expected Elena to come by, so I looked for fun and interesting folks in the crowd...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 360 —
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Event Staff

huffing and puffing it out








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I've No Idea

関水 学 · Manabu Sekimizu








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 220 —
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Team Ricka Again

on pace for about 3:25








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Victory!

野島 寛 · Hiroshi Nojima








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Sticker Shock

the sticker over her number means she might not get official photos

( but I found her online, so I'll send this one)

小川 陽子 · Yoko Ogawa








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 320 —
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Easy Smile

レール マルク








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More Triumph

笠原 勝 · Masaru? Kasahara








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High Fives

some folks did this with those cheering on; I thought it was nice

三浦 基行 · Motoyuki Miura








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 500 —
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Event Staff

better prepared than the ones seen above








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 320 —
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Baby High Five

山本 剛大 · Yoshi Yamamoto








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 360 —
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“Kyoto Kamogawa (river) Running Club”

At one point I noticed the banner for the running club that Elena is a member of, but I was growing hopeless about being able
to pick her out of the ever-increasing mass of runners. Just look at how the numbers had swelled:

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/320 sec, f/16, ISO 6400 —
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Fast-Flowing River of Folks

I didn't expect Elena for another 20 to 30 minutes, during which the numbers would only swell...

... which makes it all the more shocking that I actually noticed her 25 seconds later:

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 450 —
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Another Haystack, Another Needle








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 450 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 320 —
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Looking For Her First Sub-4h Marathon

she should make it with minutes to spare

Having had success in plucking the two needles, I wandered back towards the finish...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 400 —
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Domo-Kun

NTT (Japanese National Television) Mascot








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 140 —
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I Have No Idea

( actually I do; I ran into my mother-in-law near the finish and she told me this was ZAQ )









Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 200 —
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“Finisher” Towels








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Job Well Done

this worker passing out towels had such a happy high-five for every runner coming through








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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 900 —
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Posing With His Towel

( Sadly, I couldn't unzoom with my feet due to the crowd )








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 1100 —
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Bananas For All!

I ran into a number of folks I knew in the few minutes I was walking
home, including Elena who had thrown street clothes over her running
clothes and was headed to the subway...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 900 —
map & image data — nearby photos

( 300mm was a bit tight for this, too. I should have had another body with me )

Elena looked less tired than I felt. She often does 12-hour 100km
mountain runs, so a little thing like a marathon doesn't work up much of a
sweat, I suppose. Out of my league.

Elena is Russian and I assume she speaks English just fine, as any
Westerner I've ever meet in Japan does, but at the gym we speak only
Japanese to each other. It feels weird because it's such a rare thing
(English is the lingua franca among Westerners and many non-Japanese
Easterners as well), but it's The Right Thing. We're in Japan, after all.

Anyway, おめでとう (congratulations) to Elena, Jeremy, and everyone who finished, or even
attempted, the race. As for myself, I feel like a winner too, for
being able to get up so early on a Sunday. Time
for a well-earned nap!

(But first I'll send photos to all the folks I could track down.)

A Dark, Striated “What am I?” Quiz

Nikon D4 + Venus 60mm Super Macro f/2.8 — 1/125 sec, f/4, ISO 6400 —
map & image data — nearby photos

What am I?

Time for another one of my “What am I?” quizzes. What's the thing above?

As usual, I'll keep answers private until I reveal the answer in a few days...

Fantastic Video for Photographers: Get Inspired From Stu Maschwitz’s Artistic/Lightroom Agility

Screen capture from the video, mid-crop

This is a fantastic video for photographers.

(Note: I couldn't get it to work in Firefox; it worked for me in Safari.)

In it, visual artist Stu Maschwitz
sits down to a blacked-out Lightroom catalog loaded with a couple dozen
photos submitted by strangers, and one by one he unveils and processes them
as the whim strikes him, providing a running commentary about his artistic
reasons for doing things, or technical comments about how to achieve in
Lightroom whatever look he's going for.

There are some amazing transformations, but whether a particular result
is or isn't your cup of tea is not the point. The point is to see that
amazing transformations can be made so easily, and sometimes so subtly. The running commentary on the hows and whys provide ample little seeds that may
germinate ideas when processing your own photos.

Foremost this video is about artistic interpretation. Secondly it's about Lightroom,
because all the “hows” are shown in terms of Lightroom. But let me be clear, it's not an instructional video. It's not a “how-to”
video, and it's not a demonstration of the “right way” to process photos.
(The only time “right way” comes into photo processing is in journalism,
where it's a synonym for “nothing”.)

It's just Stu looking at a stranger's photo and instantly deciding what
that photo's “story” is to him, and then proceeding to crop and adjust the
photo so that as far as he's concerned, it better tells that story.

I found it highly entertaining, and I came away both with new artistic
techniques and new Lightroom techniques.

If you're a photographer, I highly recommend it whether you use Lightroom or not.

Attempting a 100km Bikeride in the Mountains of Kyoto, Part 2: The Last 70km

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/14, ISO 1100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

The Road Ahead

is finally downhill

やっと下り坂です（撮影は運転しながら片手で)

( taken one-handed while cycling at 17 km/h )
Vertical Desktop-Background Versions



1050×1680  ·  1200×1920  ·  1600×2560

In part 1 about
last weekend's cycling into the mountains north of Kyoto, I ended the story 23km
into the journey at the top of the Hanase Pass (花背峠). At 769m it would
be the highest point of the trip (a trip that started and ended at an
elevation of about 60m).

With a nice downhill to look forward to, I didn't linger long at the
pass. After a minute-and-a-half's rest and a selfie, I carried on.

I couldn't let myself build up much speed because the road was quite
snowy/icy, so I dragged on the rear brake most of
the time. Still, the slow speed allowed me to appreciate the scenery a bit. I suppose it's
difficult to see in this next shot, but at times the ground dropped away
from the road at perilous rates...

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/14, ISO 800 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Looking Off to the Side

道の横

10:58am (23.1 km), taken one-handed while cycling at 5.9 km/h








Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/9, ISO 140 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Slick Curves

11:00am - taken one-handed while cycling at 15.7 km/h








Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/9, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Pausing to Look Back

振り返りの一時停止

11:00am (23.8km)

The big tower seen above is not far from Hanase Pass where I'd been a
few minutes earlier. The tower can be seen from Kyoto (in the hazy clouds
in the upper left of this photo), or up
close (here).
When I took those photos five years ago, I was 100kg of out-of-shape
frumpiness, and I'd never in a million years thought I'd bicycle that far.

The turning point for me came 2½ years ago in “Yesterday’s Hike:
The Agony Where Bravado Yields, In Spectacular Fashion, To Painful Reality”, after which I vowed to get in shape. Even just two months
later I was starting to
show progress. I've been at it in various ways for 2½ years, and
now at 48 I'm in by far the best shape of my life. Whoo-hoo!

Anyway, I soon descended into the little village on the other side of the mountain...

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/320 sec, f/9, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Entering a Small Village

11:05am (25.3km), taken one-handed while cycling at 25 km/h








Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/9, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Flyby Shrine Visit

entrance to the Hiyoshi Shrine (日吉神社)

11:05am (25.5km), taken one-handed while cycling at 27 km/h

I'd visited the shrine beyond that gate five years ago and had
thought to do so again on this trip, but didn't. Judging by the amount of undisturbed snow on the path,
(which goes 250m back up into the mountains to the shrine), it's probably just as well that I didn't.

In preparing for the trip I imagined a slow lazy ride, with many stops
to check out hopefully-photogenic mountain temples and shrines. When I
passed this shrine it was only 11am, but I was already starting to worry
about the time: I had to get home and cleaned up in time to make it to 5pm
Mass. According to my original plan, I still have 80km of unknown terrain left to ride.

One stop I would have made was at the cafe “Cowbell” moments later. Unfortunately, they were closed:

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/9, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Cafe Cowbell

喫茶カウベル

11:05am (25.7km)

I would have liked a cup of coffee, but had no choice but to press on.

Fifteen minutes of mostly downhill later, I decided to pause to put on some warmer clothes.
As expected, I'd gotten quite chilly in the half-hour descent. My toes were the worst, but otherwise I was pretty okay... just chilly. But not knowing what to expect going forward, I thought it would be prudent to put on another layer.

So, I broke out some things I'd bought in preparation for the trip:
a Uniqlo Ultra-Light Down Half Coat (it weighs nothing and can roll up into a ball) under my windbreaker,
and Uniqlo Warm Easy Cargo Pants (fleece-lined polyester sporty winter pants) over my Under Armour leggings.

I snapped a photo of my legs just to mark the location on my tracklog.

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/1000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Tracklog-Marking Photo

11:22am (29.9km)

I continued on, and after 20 minutes of ups and downs, I found a place to have that cup of coffee.

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/13, ISO 400 —
map & image data — nearby photos

First Real Break

11:40am (34.2km) - 京都花背山村都市交流の森










Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/3.2, ISO 2500 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Inviting Scene










Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/3.2, ISO 3200 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Fogged Over Lens

it's what happens when you bring a cold lens into a warm room

( the room was actually quite cold until you got near the heaters, which is why I suspect the prior photo came out clear )

My shirts were well soaked, so I took the opportunity to try to dry them by hanging them over chairs near the heater. I was the only customer, yet after a while one of the workers came to ask me to use the heater in the lobby (the cafe being
part of a larger semi-public non-profit recreational area), commenting that the cafe was “for customers only”. I looked at
her incredulously as I pointed to the coffee I was still enjoying. Geez. She and another worker then helped arrange
my stuff for better drying.

This was my first real rest since starting in earnest. I was there for 29 minutes.

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/13, ISO 140 —
map & image data — nearby photos

A Side Road I'll Have To Investigate Some Day

the map shows a temple about 2km in

12:21pm (36.4km), taken one-handed while cycling at 21 km/h








Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/13, ISO 280 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Typical Valley Scene

12:26pm (38.5), taken one-handed while cycling at 18 km/h








Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/11, ISO 160 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Time to Check the Map

12:30pm (39.4km)

A cursory look at a map makes it appear that the road I wanted to take
was the main path that goes straight here, but in reality it's a
90-degree right turn. I knew I wanted to get to Route 367 so I'm sure I
would have been fine without my iPad's map, but I was happy to stop to
confirm.

There had been lots of up and down segments — as mountains are apt to do — but I knew I had another major pass
to eventually ascend to, and the moment I turned onto Route 110 I knew the ascent had started...

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/11, ISO 110 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Start of the Next Major Ascent

the next hour would be brutal

ここから能見峠まではめっちゃひどい

12:31pm (39.4km), taken one-handed while cycling at 26 km/h








Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/11, ISO 500 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Road Getting Nasty

12:33pm (40km), taken one-handed while cycling at 15 km/h








Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/11, ISO 200 —
map & image data — nearby photos

12:36pm (41.1km), taken one-handed while cycling at 18 km/h








Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/11, ISO 720 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Splat!

落雪でピシャ！

12:37pm (41.4km), taken one-handed while cycling at 16 km/h

It was clear weather, but throughout the trip, clumps of snow would fall onto the road from the trees in big splats. My luck in avoiding them was gone with the shot above, as it made a direct hit on me and the camera. I didn't have anything
to clean the ice off the front of the lens, and didn't want to stop anyway, so I just left it.

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/11, ISO 400 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Snowy Lens, Snowy Road

12:39pm (41.7km), taken one-handed while cycling at 16 km/h








Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/11, ISO 180 —
map & image data — nearby photos

12:39pm (41.8km), taken one-handed while cycling at 15 km/h








Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/11, ISO 560 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Tough Riding

12:41pm (42.4km), taken one-handed while cycling at 26 km/h

It was difficult to ride smoothly, as the semi-hard snow/ice/slush was thick and the tire had to cut through it.
Sometimes it would “grab” the tire and force it one way or the other as if in a rut, so I had to spend more effort to
keep control.

Still, it was all really quite pleasant, though that feeling wouldn't last long...

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/10, ISO 200 —
map & image data — nearby photos

This is Just Ridiculous

horrible conditions with a 20%+ slope

12:47pm (43.4km), taken one-handed while cycling at 21 km/h

I'd been stopping much more frequently than on the initial ascent up to Hanase Pass, and
the refreshed feeling from the rest lasted much less. I was getting tired.

It eventually dawned on me that perhaps I should eat something. So far I'd had just a cup of coffee
at home before leaving, and a cup of coffee at the cafe. I normally don't eat breakfast or lunch; unless a social occasion dictates otherwise, I eat when I feel hungry, not when the clock says everyone should eat. For me that means I generally eat just dinner.

I'm quite used to doing a day full of heavy exercise without having
eaten anything, and I don't know that today was any different. I didn't
feel hungry and didn't know whether eating something would impact my level
of energy, but with not knowing what the route held, I thought it prudent
to have a candybar.

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/8000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Breakfast and Lunch

今日の初食事

1:01pm (44.0km)

I didn't bring along anything to drink, and Japan's seemingly-ubiquitous
vending machines were nowhere to be seen in the last few hours, so I ate
some snow along with my frozen Snickers.

It was a picturesque spot for a meal.

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/8000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

I soon felt better, not due to the Snickers, but because I reached Nomi Pass (能見峠) nine minutes later...

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/6400 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Nomi Pass

能見峠 at 653m

1:12pm (44.6km)

It took about 42 minutes to get here from the turnoff, 25 of which were actually riding.
Strava says that I am “KOM” (King of the Mountain) for this segment this year, which
in this case must mean that I'm the first person to do it this year. Others in the Kyoto Cycling group can do it
finish-to-end in under 14 minutes, though I suppose these snowy conditions might slow even them down a bit.

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/5000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Small Village

the white spot in the center of the frame is a small village the road eventually goes through

1:13pm (44.7km)








Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/4000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Steep Descent

not exactly your best cycling conditions

1:15pm (45.1km)








Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/8000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Entering the Village

1:24pm (47.6km), taken one-handed while cycling at 17 km/h








Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/5000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Shikobuchi Shrine (志古淵神社)

1:28pm (49.1km)

I didn't have much interest in shrines or temples at this point, but
looked around for a vending machine. I really wanted something to drink and
I was getting tired of eating snow.

There wasn't one at the shrine, nor at the Kyoto City ward office across the street (yes, officially I've been in Kyoto City the entire trip),
but happily I came across one before leaving the village...

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/250 sec, f/8, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Thumbs Up

for not dying of dehydration

1:34pm (49.2km)

15 minutes of some ups but mostly downs later, I came to Route 367. I was feeling great.

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/200 sec, f/8, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Arriving at Route 367

1:53pm (55.4), taken one-handed while cycling at 27 km/h








Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/500 sec, f/8, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Easy But Unfun

1:56pm (55.6km)

I've driven on this road many times... it gets a lot of traffic,
including buses and lots of dumptrucks, but at times it's fairly narrow, so
I didn't think it'd be all that pleasant on a bicycle, especially
considering that I'd had to share the entire last hour of road with only
three cars and one motorcycle.

But I was feeling great because it's downhill all the way to Kyoto; all the hard work was behind me, and now I just had to coast
home.

Or so I thought.

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/320 sec, f/8, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

“Kyoto 34km”

2:08pm (58.4km)

I don't know why I had it in my mind that it was downhill from here, because it's not at all. It's mostly uphill, though
broken more or less into smaller ups and downs. The ups felt very long, and the downs not very “down”... I could never get up
much of a coast, and even some downhills felt like they were uphill.

The mismatch between expectation and reality is what really wore me out. That, and the saddle of my bike.... my rear was really hurting by now.

Then we had tunnels.

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/9, ISO 1000 —
map & image data — nearby photos

One of Many

2:19pm (61.3km)

Not thinking I'd need them on a daylight trip, I didn't bring my lights.
This turned out to be a mistake, because at times it was so dark inside
that I literally could not see what I was riding on. With all the traffic,
I didn't feel safe to ride on the narrow road without a light (even my
orange jacket became a subdued dull gray in the tunnel lighting), so I
“road” on the sort-of side curb that was perhaps two feet wide.

The lights in the tunnels are spaced for maximum efficiency,
which is perfect if they're all working. If one goes out, it's utterly
pitch black for a short segment of road. During these times, I just kept my
hand on the side of the tunnel and felt my way along. It's not a
particularly fast way to travel, but it has the nice side effect of keeping
me alive.

More ups (always ups) and downs later, finally at about 2:40, I exited yet another tunnel to find a monster twisty descent waiting for me. Here
even coasting I'd pick up considerable speed, but the impressive
hairpin turns made speed dangerous, so I kept it relatively slow... I maxed out at 57kph prior to the first hairpin.

(I did snap a few pictures while in the hairpins, at a relatively-mild 32kph, but they don't really
show anything but the “caution” strips painted across the road, so I'm not bothering to include them here.)

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/9, ISO 140 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Kyoto's “I Fall” Tower

and its flight of 308 steps

2:45pm (68.6km), taken one-handed while cycling at 51 km/h

When I came across this big cell tower and its long stairs, I opted not to pause to climb to the top
as I did once before. Perhaps next time.

My original route called for me to turn at Tochu (途中)... I love that name. It's a village in the middle of nowhere in the mountains,
and the name literally means “on the way” or “in progress”. Every time I drive by I think it's well named... I'm on the way home, or on the way somewhere. I'm never there.

Anyway, I had been planning to cut over to Lake Biwa and return to Kyoto
that way, but that would add 10km to my trip, and some steep ascents. With
5pm Mass looming, I didn't think I had the time, so I continued straight on
Rt 367.

If I wasn't pressed on time I would have done my original route. I was tired, for sure, but that was part of the point. The only real problem I had was my rear end did not like sitting on the seat any more, so when a downhill segment
afforded the opportunity, I'd stand and coast just to get some relief.

My wrists were also quite achy, leaning on the handlebars as I'd been for the last six hours.

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/9, ISO 125 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Feeling Closer to Home

3:07pm (77.1km)

This is the convenience store we always stop at when going through Ohara
with the family, such as on a family outing to the
Sanzen'in Temple, and the one we stopped at two
weeks ago when out with folks from Cycling Kyoto on my first “real” bike
ride.

30 minutes and 14km of mostly (but not all) down-ish later, I was home.

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/11, ISO 220 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Home

3:44pm (91.0km), taken one-handed while cycling at 20 km/h

I parked the bike and my rear end was happy for the relief. I was dead tired, but still shocked at
how difficult it was to walk up one flight of steps... I had to consciously work to lift myself each step. This was unexpected.

I still managed to snap a photo of myself at the end.

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/1.4, ISO 1400 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Tired and Soaked to the Bone

3:49pm

I dumped everything but the shoes, helmet, sunglasses, and camera into the washing machine, and while a bath was
being drawn, ate a bowl of cereal.

The tracklog-analysis software I wrote for Lightroom after the trip gives the following stats:

Distance ridden: 91.3km. (The 90.2km shown at the base of the graph is distance without accounting for elevation changes. To account for how much distance was actually traveled, one must bring in Pythagoras and such, you know.)

Total time: 6.8 hours (4.8 riding, 2 resting, though 20 minutes of the rest was before I really started). It's interesting to note that it took longer to write this one post than it did to do the whole ride.

Elevation climbed: 3,850 meters

Anything with elevation must be taken with a grain of salt, because GPS
(or in my case GPS/GLONASS) receivers are not very accurate in this
respect. It's tempting to look at data like this and take it at face value,
but even a highly-accurate unit set down in an open field will record a
“track” drifting around the local area in three dimensions.

One must also consider how a tracklog is inspected. Considering that
there's that natural small drift even when stationary, one must make a best
guess at what constitutes “movement”?

I uploaded my tracklog to Strava,
and their analysis of the distance and time were completely different from
mine. I've sent them a note to ask about their methods.

Aftermath

My inner thighs really hurt... not the kind of “I had a great workout and now I'm pooped” hurt, but full-on “Mommy make it stop!” pain. A long hot bath helped, but I knew I'd be hurting the next day.

Except I didn't. I was fine on Sunday, with no aches at all. I even went for a bike ride with Anthony.

I was fine on Monday as well for my normal workout, starting with a
warmup of 65 pushups in three minutes, then a group workout in the “hot
studio” where Hot Yoga is normally done. Even during the leg workout...
about 50 squats were not a problem.

But everything changed when we started to do lunges. Wow,
it hurt. We didn't do that many, but I was left in a sniveling pile of
pain. It's been several days since then, and my inner thighs still hurt...
the lunges “awoke” the pain, I guess.

Attempting a 100km Bikeride in the Mountains of Kyoto, Part 1: Hanase Pass

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/2500 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Mountain Bikeride

this past weekend in Kyoto, Japan

花背峠行く途中、この間の土曜日

10:48am (22.1km)

Having had my first “real” bike ride two weeks ago, a 55km ride up into the
mountains and back, and found it to be not challenging at all, I wanted to try something certain to challenge myself, so I put together a plan to
do a 100km loop with intense mountain sequences that far exceeded what I'd
done before.

Since then it's been quite cold with occasional snow, so it
wasn't until this past Saturday that I could give it a try.

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/1.8, ISO 2500 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Ready to Head Out

8:53am

The important parts of my outfit are by
Under Armour, a maker whose products I've liked
more and more as I get to know them, enough so that I eventually bought their stock.
Prior to getting ready for this bike ride all their products I've bought have been in the “Heat Gear” line (to be worn when exercising in the heat),
so I had to buy new products for this winter event:
Gold Gear Compression Long-Sleeve Mock Shirt,
and
Cold Gear Compression Leggings.

Over the leggings I threw some old basketball shorts because I don't
have the guts to go out in painted-on skin-tight pants, and over the shirt
I threw a thick cotton long-sleeve shirt and my ultra-orange “ninja jacket”
windbreaker. The knew that the combination of the cotton shirt and
windbreaker would conspire to accumulate moisture, and I'm sure it would
have been much nicer to have a real workout-use jacket, but it's tough
enough for me to find a size that fits in The States, much less here in
Japan via mail order, so I made do with what I had.

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/5000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Starting Point

near the main gate of the Heian Shrine

( it certainly looks different than it did a month ago )

始まり点、平安神宮の大鳥居。一ヶ月前の景色とかなり違うね

The long thin cardboard box on the back of the bike is something I rigged up just for this trip...

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/2500 sec, f/1.8, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Warning: Geek in Action

オタクのジェフリーのおもちゃ：USB電池＋GPS機器×３

The box holds one GPS unit (a Garmin eTrex Legend HCx that I bought in
2007), two GPS/GLONASS units (a Garmin eTrex 20 that I bought in 2011, and Bad Elf GPS Pro + that I bought a month ago when I thought I'd lost my
eTrex 20). I'm bringing all these units so that later I can compare the tracks from the various units, though mountain cover and
open road, in a similar way to this informal test.
I didn't want to just throw them in the side bag because I wanted to ensure that they each had the same clear view of the sky,
and so hence the makeshift box.

The box also holds a Braven 710 Bluetooth speaker, because it can be used
as a USB charger. The last 30km of my intended route winds through small nameless countryside roads with dozens of turns,
so I wanted to make sure I had juice for my iPad and its mapping software.

Before getting started on my trip, I had one quick stop to make...

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/2500 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 —

map & image data — nearby photos

Bike Upgrade

Anthony was going to have his own ride, about 6km each way, to play with friends, and he wanted a bottle cage on his bike. I thought I might get one as well, so we were at a nearby bikeshop when they opened at 9am.

Both with our new bottle cages, Anthony went on his way and I on mine. I didn't get long before I realized I had a problem.

In talking about my plan on the Cycling Kyoto Facebook page,
the guy who got me into cycling, Salvo Mannino
(seen here) had suggested that I would freeze myself to death
if I made it to the top of the mountain, because all the sweat that I'd accumulated on the way up would freeze me in the
coasting on the way down. So, I prepared with these dire warnings in mind... except my feet.

Cycling seems to be all about bringing as little with you as possible, and reducing the weight of everything you do bring,
including the bike. Given any level of quality, a bike that weighs 10% less than its peer might cost double. Anyway, in thinking of my
shoes, I choose some very light gym shoes that I'd picked up
via Zappos.com the last time I was in The States. I gotten several different styles,
and so had extra around to choose from. They weighed almost nothing.

But even with two pairs of socks, at speed my toes got quickly cold... nothing about the shoes stopped the wind from
ripping through. So almost immediately I stopped by a convenience store and asked for two of their smallest plastic bags. I put these over my socks, then put my feet into the shoes, and hoped that the wind barrier would allow the socks to retain heat.

I had to wait for the traffic light at Marutamachi Higashioji, but when the light turned green for me, I took off for what would
be more than 17km of non-stop cycling... I wouldn't put my foot on the ground until
long past Kurama.

At first I went along the river... no traffic / traffic-light worries...

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/8000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Along the Kamo River

9:26am (2.3km), taken one-handed while riding at 22kph

時速22キロの運転しながらの片手撮影

Me being the geoencoding geek that I am, I built a little plugin for Adobe Lightroom for myself
that told me about the track between two photos. In comparing the photo at the start near the big orange gate,
and the photo above from the river, I see that I'd ridden 2.3km over the course of seven minutes of riding (and 21
minutes of waiting, at the bike shop, the convenience store, and traffic lights)...

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/250 sec, f/10, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Getting Closer to Nature

9:30am (3.9km), taken one-handed while riding at 29kph








Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/13, ISO 180 —
map & image data — nearby photos

End of the Riverside Path

9:43am (8.4km), taken one-handed while riding at 17kph

With the end of the river path I had to ride on city streets, but there wasn't much city this far north, so there was little
traffic and few traffic lights, so I could continue unimpeded up into the mountains. Until now it'd been a continuous slight
upslope toward the mountains, and I'd gained 65m elevation over the course of a leisurely 8.4km of distance... an average slope of
just 0.8% (80cm rise over 100m distance).

5.8km (and 100m of elevation gain) later, I was quite in the mountains...

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/13, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

One Hour In

9:58am (14.3km), taken one-handed while riding at 17kph

スタットから丸一時間、山の中

Prior to really diving into the mountains there had been a steep rise followed by a steep descent, the latter during which I
could rest, but that had been a few minutes prior to the above photo, and the road offered no further rests until the pass 560m
higher up, so if I wanted to rest I had to stop.

But not yet.

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/13, ISO 4000 —
map & image data — nearby photos

First Sight of Snow

10:02am (15.4km), taken one-handed while riding at 20kph

雪を見ました








Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/13, ISO 280 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Entrance to the Kurama Temple

鞍馬寺の入り口

10:04am (16.1km), taken one-handed while riding at 17kph

I thought I saw a deer as I went by, but it could have been a monkey

The village of Kurama is wedged in a narrow valley along a road that rises briskly (5.2% slope) toward the
Kurama Onsen (Kurama Hot Spring) at the far edge of town, with a river in the backyard of those on one side of the road...

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/13, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Backyard River

10:05am (16.4km), taken one-handed while riding at 17kph








Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/13, ISO 560 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Kurama Hot Spring

10:07am (16.8km), taken one-handed while riding at 13kph

鞍馬温泉。今から木と坂ばかり

That was the last civilization I'd see for a while... moments later, the road looks like this:

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/13, ISO 4500 —
map & image data — nearby photos

6km of Increasingly-Steep This

until the pass

10:07am (16.8km), taken one-handed while riding at 11kph

峠まで、坂はだんだんきつくなる６キロです

I continued on the increasingly steep grade for another 15 minutes before I took my first rest.
Luckily, modern technology existed to let me know that it was cold.

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/13, ISO 1000 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Current Temp 1°C (34°F)

10:09am (17.3km), taken one-handed while riding at 11kph

Finally, at a rare wide spot in the road, I put my foot on the ground for the first time in an hour, having gone
non-stop for 17.5km and 435m of elevation gain...

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/13, ISO 2800 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Touchdown

一時間ぶりのペダル休み

10:21am (19.6km)

I was tired. The average for the last 15 minutes was an 8% grade, and I was increasing elevation at a rate of almost 15m/min. Not only was the first time since I owned the bike that I needed to use the lowest of the 27 gears, but that's where I stayed most
of the time. The resulting speed (7mph) was not much faster than a mild jog, but at least I was moving.

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/13, ISO 2200 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Cheap Selfie








Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/13, ISO 800 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Pause that Refreshes

4分間のお休み

I was worried that I would have a hard time getting going again after a break. I used to do a lot of running when I was a teenager,
and found that if I needed to rest I shouldn't stop completely... I should at least keep walking... because if I stopped completely,
it was very hard to get going again.

But a different kind of exercise and three decades later, it turned out that the four-minute rest did wonders, and I hit the
road with renewed vigor.

A few minutes later I stopped again, but not to rest... this time it was to take my first proper photo of the trip...

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/2, ISO 110 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Roadside Stream

10:28am (19.9km), taken two-handed while standing still(!)

ちゃんとの撮影の初めての一枚

The road was getting steeper... the next 5 minutes to the next photo was up an average 11% grade...

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/9, ISO 900 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Steep and Slushy

10:33am (20.5km), taken one-handed while riding at 7kph

ぬかるみの道になりました








Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/13, ISO 1000 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Crazy-Steep Switchback

10:41am (21.4km), taken one-handed while struggling at 5kph

めちゃきつい坂。（この写真でもは運転しながら片手で）








Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/13, ISO 220 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Fly-By Selfie

10:44am (21.8km), taken one-handed while looking fabulous at 5kph

The reflection of the road in the mirror gives a hint at the ridiculous steepness here...

The road curves up from behind the snow behind me on the left, and up again above to the snow behind me on the right.

Continuing around that steep rise, I'm greeted with yet another lovely view of snow-frosted trees..

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/13, ISO 720 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Pretty, Fluffy Trees

10:45am (21.8km), taken one-handed while riding at 11kph

奇麗景色

A few minutes after this, I stopped to take the photo that leads this post.

Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/14, ISO 140 —
map & image data — nearby photos

A Bit of Open Sky

10:50am (22.2km), taken one-handed while “riding” at 2kph








Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/14, ISO 400 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Traffic Jam

10:51am (22.2km), taken one-handed while riding at 10kph

渋滞(笑)








Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/14, ISO 2500 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Slushy Road

10:51am (22.3km), taken one-handed while riding at 7kph

もっとぬかるみ








Nikon D4 + 35mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/14, ISO 320 —
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Hanase Pass

10:55am (22.7km)

やっと花背峠!

I was shocked to see the pass come so soon. I was tired, but not wiped out as I thought I'd be. I thought I still had a long way to go.

I used my iPhone to take a front-camera selfie with the intention to
send it to the Cycling group on Facebook, but I had no cell reception
there. But here it is.

iPhone 4S + iPhone 4S front camera 1.85mm f/2.4 at an effective 35mm — 1/8000 sec, f/2.4, ISO 160 —
map & image data — nearby photos

お疲れ様でした！

All in all it was 22.7km (14.1 miles) from the start. It took 1 hour 27 minutes of cycling plus another 9 minutes of rest
sprinkled throughout the last three kilometers. I'm sure a fit person could have done it in well under half the time. It took me an even 60 minutes from Ichihara
to the top... a run that's been done by someone in the Cycling Kyoto group in 33 minutes.
(I guess I should at least be pleased that my time wasn't double the best. )

(21 minutes of the “Time Resting” was the bike shop,
the convenience store, and a couple of traffic lights before hitting the
river.)

Except for my shoes, which left my toes a constant cold the whole way, my clothes were perfect and I felt neither hot nor cold.

Of course, the real test would be the next half hour as I coasted down the other side of the mountain. The strong breeze from the wind would cool my accumulated sweat considerably, and the lack of effort
to coast down would not allow my body to heat itself back up again, so I'd find out how prepared I really was.

I felt good having done the 23km to get this far, but it was less than ¼ of the total route that I intended to do for
the day, so I still had much before me.

To be continued...

Shopping in Kyoto: Gigi and Eric Buy a Kimono

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/1.4, ISO 2800 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Serious

seriously silly, that is

New (to me) friends Eric and Gigi, seen the other day in
“Unexpectedly Snowy Photoshoot at the Joshokoji Temple”,
wanted to pick up a kimono before returning to San Francisco, and I got to tag along.

A friend brought them to a small shop in central Kyoto named
W'Atelier ENYA (縁家)...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/100 sec, f/2.2, ISO 720 —
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W'Atelier ENYA (縁家)

First was Gigi's turn, and she quickly zeroed in on one to try...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/2.2, ISO 6400 —
map & image data — nearby photos

I don't know why kimono need to be so complex, but even most Japanese don't know how to put one on themselves.

Gigi tried various kimono....

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 6400 —
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Helping Hand(s)









Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/1.4, ISO 3200 —
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Bolts

the variety of stuff they had was amazing for such a small location

Gigi's first instinct was apparently correct, because she had to return to the original green one to try again...

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 6400 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Surprisingly Well

how a black western turtleneck goes with a traditional Japanese kimono








Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 6400 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Photo Op

Gigi peeks out of the front of the store while Eric captures her image in medium-format glory








Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/160 sec, f/2.5, ISO 6400 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Inspecting the Results

She decided to buy that one, so got fitted for all the various accouterments a kimono requires,
starting with an under-robe kind of thing that requires its own myriad of knots to complete...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/100 sec, f/1.4, ISO 320 —
map & image data — nearby photos

In Capable Hands

as opposed to Gigi's incapable hands

(but knowing her even as little as I do, I suspect they won't remain incapable for long)








Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/160 sec, f/1.4, ISO 720 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Picture Perfect

posing for Eric








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/1.4, ISO 2800 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Then it was Eric's turn. Kimono for men are a much more simple affair, and he had one picked out and put on before I knew it.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/1.8, ISO 2500 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Harsh

the fluorescent light just above him made for very harsh light

I believe it was his first time in a kimono, but a combination of
confidence and being Asian made it look natural on him. Whenever I wear a
kimono I feel like a tall white guy
playing dress-up. Lipstick on a pig, and all that, you know.

Anyway, I had Eric move to the better light where Gigi had been posing.
It's tough to get a
real picture of Eric because he's always hamming it up if you point
the camera at him. I suspect deep underlying
insecurities (even worse than mine, if that's possible), which is probably
why, like me, he's a photographer and not a model.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/1.8, ISO 2800 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Lost in Thought

or at least pretending to be

He couldn't even pretend to hold a serious pose for more than a moment...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/1.4, ISO 2000 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Real Eric








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/1.4, ISO 1600 —
map & image data — nearby photos

“Eric, Pretend You're a Tough-Guy Samurai”

I wanted to get a picture of the two together, but stupidly didn't think about the light and put
them back under the harsh fluorescent. The initial result was almost unusably blown out,
but because I shoot raw, I can often recover from exposure mistakes, and eke something out:

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/1.4, ISO 2200 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Gigi and Eric

Eric is wearing a hat that I'd jokingly given him to wear (see the
opening shot). It's made partially of kimono fabric, and seems to be
targeted at a 20-something demographic, but he wore it with gusto and
frankly I was surprised how good it looked on him.

Of course, with the camera on him he couldn't pretend to be serious for long, so as the photographer I needed to direct him.
Having seen the fantastic Peter Hurley headshot video several times, I know the concepts, but I'm really bad at remembering and executing.

Still, I get lucky sometimes. I think I said “Come on, guys, at least pretend you love each other”...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/1.4, ISO 4500 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Apparently No Pretending Necessary