Jeffrey E.F. Friedl's Blog, page 8

My Cycling is All “Fasted” Recently, and I Don’t Know Why (But I’m Not Complaining)

It's not been a good year for me so far, having been beset by all manner of colds, injuries, and other things that have made a
big dent in my fitness. As I mentioned earlier in “The Silliness of
Japanese Medicine-Dosage Rules” a couple of weeks ago, I topped things off with a horrible cold that put me out of commission
for the better part of two weeks. The third course of antibiotics seemed to have finally done the trick, and now I'm looking to
reclaim my life.

When in good form last year, I was about 86kg (190lbs) with little fat and a lot of upper-body muscle. But this bad year had
taken its toll, and as I emerged from the bad cold a week ago, I found myself over 90kg (~200lbs) and without muscle. Ugh. Enough.
Gotta get rid of the fat and start to rebuild muscle.

The upper-body muscle will be a challenge, since some nerve damage to my left triceps leaves them very weak. They're slowly
coming back and have doubled in strength to about 30% of normal capacity, so at long last I can finally do a pushup, but it's a
far cry from last year when I could do 50 pushups in as many seconds. I just have to wait.

On the other hand, loosing the fat is looking to be easier than I expected. Something about the recent bad cold changed my
metabolism, and I was left without much apparent need to eat. I'd spend the day working, and suddenly realize in the evening that
I'd not had a thing to eat all day, and even then wasn't particularly hungry.

In cycling, there's the idea of a short morning “fasted” ride, which means a ride done before anything's been eaten that day. The thought is that getting a good hour or so of exercise in the morning before taking in food will force your body to dip
into its fat reserves.

Last Tuesday my metabolism was no different, and by noon when I decided to make my first short ride since the cold, I still hadn't had anything to eat. I did bring calories with me, expecting that the exercise would demand it, but I never felt the need
during the 2½ hour, 40km (24mi) ride, and ended up not eating
anything until dinner.

Well, that was fortuitous for my weight-loss hopes. I didn't expect it to continue for longer rides, but so far is has, over two
more rides of 76 and 121 kilometers (47 and 75 miles). This post is about those two longer rides.

The first of those two was really interesting, as I explored a bunch of things that may or may not have turned out to be actual
roads, which did indeed turn out to be very lovely roads. Here it is: @ Strava

It was a hot day, and it got even hotter as I passed through the city of Otsu:

iPhone 7 Plus iPhone 7 Plus back camera 6.6mm f/2.8 at an effective 57mm — 1/125
sec, f/2.8, ISO 20 — map & image data — nearby photos

About 108°F

I wasn't eating anything (I brought food in case I needed it, but it turns out I never did), but I was certainly drinking a lot.
Over the ride, I drank 6.4L (1.7gal)!

iPhone 7 Plus iPhone 7 Plus front camera 2.87mm f/2.2 at an effective 32mm — 1/30 sec, f/2.2, ISO 64 —
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Relative Cool

of a forest path

Having gained so much weight, I had no illusions of being fast, so I was happy to be in exploration mode. In poking around a small village tucked into the crease of a mountain, I found a short but steep climb that ended at
a quiet shrine...

iPhone 7 Plus iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/120 sec, f/1.8, ISO 32 —
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Namiho Shrine

Otsu City, Shiga

It's the step climb up to it that made it a nice find for me. There was a second approach, by stairs:

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iPhone 7 Plus iPhone 7 Plus back camera 6.6mm f/2.8 at an effective 57mm — 1/120 sec, f/2.8, ISO 32 —
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Sense of Steepness

rest of the path from the top of the stairs

( the road itself was steeper than this )

Neither the shine nor most of the roads in the area we even on the maps that Strava uses, so as I often do, I spent considerable time carefully adding them later.

I then made my way farther east, where I wanted to investigate what looked on Google Earth to perhaps be roads.
Usually these are either off-limit construction-access roads, or unpaved paths that I wouldn't want to take on my road bike,
so I didn't hold out much hope, but the first road I found was lovely, in excellent condition, and devoid of
people and cars.

I made a Strava segment for it, and surprisingly, it seems that I'm the first to ever ride it: Kamitanakami Shinmeishin Tunnel Climb.

The road ends at another road that emerges from under an expressway:

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Welcome Respite from the Heat








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Slightly Creepy Sign

giving the name of the expressway that the tunnel goes under

I don't know who this sign is intended for, since the roads in this area are closed to motor vehicles. Hikers?

These roads were in the middle of nowhere, and not connecting anything. In fact, one of them just unceremoniously ends
at nothing.

iPhone 7 Plus iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/3000 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20 —
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Pristine Road

not used for anything

There was a little plaque saying “Management-road End / Otsu Forestry Office”, so I guess that's less unceremonious than
this road from a couple of years ago.

Descending back toward civilization, I came across what seemed to be a small campground, along with the entrance to
a mountain hiking road:

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Sign For the Hiking Road

The satellite view makes it look like a normally-paved road, and it probably is, but it's closed off to cars, motorcycles, and
even bicycles. (Wheelchairs, however, are explicitly allowed, and the ramps I saw leading away from the parking lot suggests that
they're serious about that, which is nice.)

For my part, I continued exploring...

iPhone 7 Plus iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/200 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20 —
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Par for the Day

great-quality pavement, no cars, lots of nature







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Beckoning You For a Dip

the water looked to be perhaps shin deep, just inviting you to come in and cool down

The river had a lot of these pseudo-dams, and at one downstream I came across some people fishing...

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Father and Sons

quality time







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Civilization Emerges

The little boy told me that there's a campground a bit farther down







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Campground







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Ford







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J. de Rijke

According to a little plaque nearby, Johannis de Rijke
oversaw construction of a little dam nearby. I didn't realize it at the time, but according to
his Wikipedia page, he's the guy responsible for
the canal from Lake Biwa to Kyoto, running right in front of my house.

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Johannis and Me

we both need a shave

It was a lovely day of discovery, and of energy that seemed to materialize from nowhere. I even made a PR on a
five-minute climb that I wasn't even trying on. It was just a great day.

I had a protein drink when I got home, but otherwise didn't eat anything between dinner the night before and dinner much later
on after I got home.

Two days later (yesterday) I did another fasted ride, not feeling the need to eat in the morning before heading out.
This one was much longer: @Strava

iPhone 7 Plus iPhone 7 Plus back camera 6.6mm f/2.8 at an effective 57mm — 1/400 sec, f/2.8, ISO 20 —
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Rice Field

in western Kyoto







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Vestiges of a Festival

it looks like they had an evening light-up event







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Morning-After Deconstruction







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Much Cooler

it got down to 22° (72F) on the slow climb up Mt. Atago







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Still

need a shave







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Rice-Farming Village

As a cyclist it's convenient to use my phone to take pictures, but as a photographer it's painful. The iPhone 7 's camera is no
match for an old Nikon SLR, as evidenced by a this shot from the same
location five years ago.

Not long after this spot is a short fast descent that's pretty
safe to go full power all-out on. I wasn't planning on giving anything much power this day, but once I got there I had a hard time
holding back, so I went for it.

The nature of the road makes it safe at full power if you have the confidence to handle that much power in
the mild curves. Unlike most descents, the limit is not in the safety of needing to be able to stop within your sight lines,
or of worrying about oncoming traffic popping around a blind corner. Here, only a lack of power or a lack of raw bike-handling skills
limits you. I've got a long way to go in the bike-handling department, and lost my nerve on a couple of the curves, so I was
all the more pleasantly surprised when Strava Live on my phone told me that I'd made a new KOM (fastest time ever recorded).

Sadly, when I got home and uploaded the real track from my Garmin Edge 820, the calculations had changed and I had
merely tied my previous record (which itself is the current KOM).

After a while was another fast descent,
but about double the length. I've done my best (2 min 5 sec) on three separate occasions,
and hoped to finally break that barrier, but no, my time was exactly the same. Four times. I guess I've at least
got consistency going for me.

iPhone 7 Plus iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/320 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20 —
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Notice The Reflections

so that you don't notice I cut off the top of the monument







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Low Water Level

Later on I came across the dam that seemed to be controlling the height in the lake...

iPhone 7 Plus iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/670 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20 —
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Adjustable-Height Dam







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Gates All The Way Down

Farther downstream is the huge Hiyoshi Dam, which has a circular walkway over its spillway:

iPhone 7 Plus iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/700 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20 —
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Some time ago I'd made a Strava segment representing four laps around the walkway, jokingly calling it the Hiyoshi Velodrome. But somehow on this ride today, I had it in my mind that
the segment was just three laps, so I gave full gas for three and then coasted. Still, I missed my previous record by just a few
seconds, so next time I'll make a PR (so long, at least, as I can successfully count to four).

iPhone 7 Plus iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/2300 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20 —
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On The Velodrome

This “velodrome” has appeared on my blog before, here and
here. I actually visited the dam once long ago on a family
trip, chronicled here.

Anyway, I then moved on to the destination for the day, a waterfall I'd seen on a friend's ride last week. From the map it
looked like there were two approaches, and I took what turned out to be a 10%
climb to a reservoir above the waterfall.

I guess everyone else actually followed the plentiful signs down below, because Strava tells me I'm the first to ride up here. But I like exploring, and I like steep climbs, so I'm happy to be here.

There was a sign for the waterfall pointing down some rough steps, so I made my way



iPhone 7 Plus iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/120 sec, f/1.8, ISO 25 —
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Above the Waterfall







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Just Above

Leaning over, I could see some people waaaay below. It's a tall waterfall.

Once I realized that I was above the waterfall and that it was very tall, I opted against hiking down,
so hiked back up the short distance to the road, and coasted down.

iPhone 7 Plus iPhone 7 Plus back camera 6.6mm f/2.8 at an effective 57mm — 1/60 sec, f/2.8, ISO 40 —
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Steep but Beautiful

it doesn't look like it, but it's a 10% grade







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Finally There

Kotodaki Waterfall (琴滝)

water drops about 40m







iPhone 7 Plus iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/120 sec, f/1.8, ISO 25 —
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Relaxed Atmosphere

Then I high-tailed the 50km home, still drinking a lot but not feeling the need to eat any of the food I'd brought.

I made good time, so threw in a little bonus climb at the end, just before home:

iPhone 7 Plus iPhone 7 Plus back camera 6.6mm f/2.8 at an effective 57mm — 1/120 sec, f/2.8, ISO 20 —
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Flip-Side View

The cemetery is something I normally see from above, such as in this view,
but on the Rt. 1 climb out of Kyoto, for a moment you have this view, at least if you poke the camera through a hole in a chain-link fence. (The orange building at the top is part of the Kiyomizu Temple, seen in the first picture on
this post).

I ended up drinking 7.2L (1.9gal)! That equates to 7.2kg (16 pounds!) of drink. Yet, despite all that, I lost almost 2kg during
the ride. Most of it was water loss that came back by this morning, but not all of it.

An Unforgettable Dinner at AIC Akitsushima Kyoto

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Setting Out the Hors d'Oeuvres

Chef Koji Ueshima at AIC Akitsushima Kyoto

Earlier this summer I got the chance to visit — and eat a fabulous dinner at — AIC Akitsushima Kyoto
(AIC秋津洲京都), and though I didn't
get a chance to take any proper pictures, I did snap some as I went. It's a shame, because the entire small property was absolutely stunning,
both in design and in execution.

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Entrance Lobby

To be frank, I'm not entirely clear about what this place is, but I do know that part of it is a restaurant open to the public
(restaurant web site). It's related to a college in Auckland, so in addition to
the 8% tax that's added to your bill, an additional 10% is added as a “scholarship fee” that presumably goes directly to the college.

Other than the small area that's open to the public, I got the impression that the rest of it was
used as a club, for members. I joined the evening as a
guest of my masseur friend Kentaro Kataoka. The president of the
organization that owns this place is also a massage client, so he hosted us for the evening.

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Unassuming Entrance








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Lobby-side Bar

with an original Chagall hanging nearby










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Pre-Dinner Mingling








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The site is quite small, but the place is designed very well, so it feels much bigger. I got a quick tour.

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Little Patio










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Relaxation Room

with both a nice fireplace, and a garden view








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Mini Teppanyaki Counter

for intimate dinners

( but wow, the art on the wall gives me the creeps )








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Entrance

to the restaurant








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Small Restaurant








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Kitchen









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Passageway









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Up to the Second Level









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Lovely Bedroom

I'm not exactly sure why








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Bath

overlooking the garden









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Dining Room

where our group would eat








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Lots of Cutlery

I'm not sure what to do with four forks, four knives, a spoon, and a pair of chopsticks








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Cheers!

The dinner was fantastic...

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Sashimi on Radish








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Pasta with Caviar








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Group Shot








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Fish with Peppers








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Beef








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The Most Amazing Cheese Plate Ever

I'm not the biggest fan of cheese, but this plate of small bits of cheese was by far the highlight
of an evening of highlights. Each one was amazing, and I took the smallest possible little nibbles,
to prolong the experience. Each little nibble came with an explosion of taste that I can hardly
describe.

I dragged out the plate as long as I could, then spent the next while suppressing the urge to steal from
others who had been slowed down by conversation.

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Dessert








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More Dessert








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Coffee








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Yet More Dessert








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Hot Tea

What a memorable evening. I definitely hope to get back sometime with my camera, for dinner, or for both.

Taran and Kate at the Heian Shrine, Part 3

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The Garden All to Themselves

Heian Shrine (平安神宮), Kyoto Japan

Today's post is the final installment of the story started in
“Taran and Kate at the Heian Shrine”.
The previous installment ended with our having to wait
for a massive crowd to clear. After all three of them

The Silliness of Japanese Medicine-Dosage Rules

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1250 —
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Drip Drip Drip

kusaridoi rain chain at the Eigenji Temple (永源寺)

I'm currently on the recovering end of a very bad cold that stole a week of my life. The photo above (that actually has no
dripping in it) is from a photogenic outing last fall, first seen in “Anatomy of a
Selfie”.

Here's a less-photogenic photo from yesterday, with an actual drip in it (two, if you count the I.V.):

iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus front camera 2.87mm f/2.2 at an effective 32mm — 1/30 sec, f/2.2, ISO 125 —
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Getting a Gram of Antibiotic Goodness

1g of Rocephin,
along with 20mg of Prednisolone for good measure

I noticed the cold coming on when I woke up last Tuesday, and it seemed to be mild at first, so I thought it might be like a one-day
cold I had a couple of weeks ago, but I still had it the next day, so after the
photoshoot with Taran and Kate (where I kept my distance so as not to give it to them)
I went to the doctor. He said it was bacterial and not viral, so prescribed antibiotics.

Antibiotics normally make me feel better almost immediately, almost back to 100% by the next day, but this time, the 250mg of
Levofloxacin twice a day didn't seem to do a thing, and I descended into
a hazy world of misery.

I would have liked to have gone back to the doc on Friday, but it was a holiday, so I went back yesterday. He said that perhaps
the dosage was low for my weight. I'm 90kg (200lbs), double the weight of some of the more petite adults in Japanese society.

I'd expressed some worry about the Levofloxacin, due to reports of tendon issues among athletes, so he moved me to something
else, hopefully at a dosage appropriate to my weight. He was also going to jump-start things with an I.V. of antibiotics, but
since there was a short wait for that, I went and got my prescription filled first.

At the pharmacy, I asked whether the prescription, 100mg of Cefditoren
thrice a day, was appropriate for my weight, and I was stunned at the deer-in-the-headlights response. They said that
medicine dosage for adults was something set by law, so a patient's weight was never part of the dosage consideration,
except for children.

Now, if they said that this medicine's dosage was set that way, I'd not have been surprised, as I suppose it depends on
the specific medicine whether it's best dosed by weight, but it was clear
that they had never even considered dosing adults based on weight.

I asked “So, a ballerina and a sumo wrestler always get the same dosage?”. A big sumo wrestler can easily weigh six times that of a petite adult. The look on their faces told the story, being a mix
of “wow, I never thought of that” combined with a kid having got caught with the hand in the cookie jar. It was now
clearly apparent to them how stupid the situation was, but at the same time, it had never occurred to them, nor could they do
anything about it because the law was the law.

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1400 —
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Asshole

one does not walk on the delicate moss at a temple, unless you're a selfish asshole

(don't mind me, I'm just being grumpy)

Anyway, these meds are definitely better and I finally feel the cold receding.

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Happy Photo to End With

Zensuiji Temple (善水寺)

Taran and Kate at the Heian Shrine, Part 2

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Ritual Cleansing

before entering the shrine

— at the Heian Shrine, Kyoto Japan —

Today's post follows “Taran and Kate
at the Heian Shrine”, where I posted a few
shots (and a wigglegram!) from a photoshoot the other day. Recent MBA-graduates Taran and Kate were looking to have some
photos taken while on vacation in Japan, and got put in touch with me. I haven't done much real
photography in a long while, except last month's mini
session at Kyoto Tea Ceremony Camellia GARDEN, so I wasn't sure what to expect from myself.

We first met to get to know each other a bit over coffee, and I found them to be a fun couple with super-photogenic smiles,
so I knew I'd have an easy time of it.

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First Photo

of the day

We started with the typical “in front of the gate” shots...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 48mm — 1/1250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 —
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The little orange fence thing is there to stop people from driving in, because the front area can certainly look like a parking lot. At first it wasn't quite centered to the gate, which drives me insane, so I moved it over. I should have expected how heavy it was... it's solid wood. Ugh! But so worth it to have things centered.

(Now that I think about it, it's probably good that it's no longer blocking the path that the yellow dimple bricks
lead a sight-impaired person on. Prior to my moving it, they would have run right into it.)

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 102mm — 1/1250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 —
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Such Easy Smiles

Before heading in, they did the “ritual cleansing” one's supposed
to do before entering a Shinto shrine. Taran used to live in Japan so he knows the ropes, including
tipping the ladle up at the end to let the last bit of water drain down the handle, cleansing it from your touch....

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 250 —
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Final Step







Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 31mm — 1/1000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 —
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Heading In







Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 40mm — 1/500 sec, f/9, ISO 1000 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/500 sec, f/8, ISO 720 —
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Posed Shot

The Heian Shrine is a photogenic place, so there are lots of opportunities for nice posed shots, made all the better by there
being so few visitors at the moment. I tried to also let them move about to enjoy at their own pace, to
get more candid-ish shots.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/500 sec, f/8, ISO 200 —
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Guided Tour

Taran has been here before, so he showed Kate around







Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 130mm — 1/640 sec, f/8, ISO 100 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 125mm — 1/2500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 —
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“Hey!”

I'd interrupt their stroll occasionally by grabbing their attention







Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 80mm — 1/3200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 —
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... and posing them for a nice shot







Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 125 —
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Walking by the tree filled with omikuji (which I explain on this
post almost a decade ago), I noticed one had fallen down, so I asked them to put it back onto the tree for the camera.

Eventually we went into the gardens...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 34mm — 1/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2500 —
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“Pretend”

that you're relaxing. Relax harder!

(Saying silly things sometimes garners a nice smile)







Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 26mm — 1/500 sec, f/3.2, ISO 640 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 50mm — 1/500 sec, f/3.2, ISO 450 —
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of course I had to pull them back for a shot on the bridge







Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 50mm — 1/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 900 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 150mm — 1/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 4000 —
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exposed for the very dark area under a tree







Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 56mm — 1/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 720 —
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Teeming Crowds

we had to wait a full minute to have the lake to ourselves

To be continued...

Taran and Kate at the Heian Shrine

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.

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 560 —
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Kate and Taran

at the Heian Shrine (平安神宮), Kyoto Japan

I did a little photoshoot today with recent MBA graduates Taran and Kate, doing some traveling before
heading into the workforce.

I'm out of practice of late, but they had such nice smiles and an easy-going nature, so it was a breeze. I've a bazillion photos
to get through... for the moment, here are a few.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 102mm — 1/1250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 90mm — 1/1000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 48mm — 1/500 sec, f/6.3, ISO 640 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 27mm — 1/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1100 —
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“Artistic” Processing

to make something from an overexposed, throw-away shot








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Touring the Grounds









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Relaxing in the Garden








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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 150mm — 1/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 4000 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 29mm — 1/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 135mm — 1/500 sec, f/8, ISO 2000 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 130mm — 1/500 sec, f/8, ISO 2200 —
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Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/1000 sec, f/2.5, ISO 100 —
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“Beware”, the sign says,

“of hairy caterpillars”

I'll post more later, but for today, I'll end with this wigglegram:

div#dNcmQLPHnPHnYcA img { width:690px; height:458px; visibility:hidden; position:absolute; top:0; left:0; border: solid 10px #311}

















Animatable Wigglegram (16 frames) — slowly sweep mouse from side to side to view 3D effect
写真の上をマウスで左右にゆっくり動かすと「３D」な感じが出ます。

=i.length)return 0;else return which;}else{if(which=i.length)return i.length-1;else return which}};t=function(event){if(m>0&&((new Date().getTime())-m)R&&s0){f(c(s-1));console.log(s+":delta is "+delta);L=0.05;R=0.2;T=tilt;}}};d.ontouchmove=d.onmousemove=function(e){if(e.touches&&e.touches.length>1)return true;var x=Math.floor((e.clientX||e.pageX)/BW);var which=c(x>l?s+(x-l):s-(l-x));l=x;if(which!=s){m=new Date().getTime();f(which);}return false;};window.addEventListener('devicemotion',t,false)}

To be continued...

Revisiting That Mountain Roller Slide From Years Ago

iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/680 sec, f/1.8, ISO 40 —
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Watch Out for Kids!

Sorry for not posting anything recently. I've felt remarkably unmotivated in all things lately, but found some
inspiration in an email from someone asking about this mountain roller slide
that I'd posted about some years ago. Now that I'm into cycling (though currently generally unmotivated about it), I thought I'd
ride to the location to see whether it's still there.

Here's the ride:

Along the way I came across a lovely lotus field in the middle of the suburbs.

iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/950 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20 —
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iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 6.6mm f/2.8 at an effective 57mm — 1/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 20 —
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Best I Could Do

with the iPhone camera









iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/190 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20 —
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Lovely Road








iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 6.6mm f/2.8 at an effective 57mm — 1/60 sec, f/2.8, ISO 64 —
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Side Road Explored on a Whim

steep but pretty









iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/120 sec, f/1.8, ISO 32 —
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Becomes Less Lovely

the explored-on-a-whim road becomes extremely steep and broken

Next was to explore a short but steep (and nicely-paved) climb I'd seen
here. It starts under a new expressway bridge...

iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/1500 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20 —
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Looking Back

to the start of the short service road where it meets the main road











iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/2500 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20 —
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Goes Way Above the Expressway








iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/30 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20 —
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Ends In a Bamboo Grove

my iPhone seems to often be focus-challenged, and I can't tell

at the time on the small screen )-:

Next was the main climb of the day, the full Yoshimine-dera Temple
climb, ostensibly 3.6km (2.3 mi) at 10.2%, but the first kilometer is relatively mild, then it ramps up quickly.

Halfway through is a section of 450m at 17% that ends at the parking-lot
entrance to the temple, but the actual road continues to wind up almost two dozen switchbacks:

iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/60 sec, f/1.8, ISO 32 —
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Start of the Second Half

near the Yoshiminedera Temple (善峯寺)

I made a PR on the first half by a wide margin,
but had to stop before plodding on to slowly finish the climb.

The temple itself, which I didn't visit on this trip, is quite nice, especially in the fall. It's been on my blog many times
over the years, such as in “The Whole Gamut of My Blog In One Spectacular Visit to the Yoshiminedera Temple”

Anyway, I eventually made my way the remaining 12km to the location of the slide, which is in a small
entertainment complex that includes the ability to pick your own mushrooms
that you can have cooked there, or bring home. I opted to just stop in the cafe for curry:

iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/30 sec, f/1.8, ISO 25 —
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Lunch

The section with the slide is an area called “山びこの森”...

iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/1100 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20 —
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Entrance to the Playground Area

Yamabiko no Mori (山びこの森)

Cost is 210 yen (~$2) per person, though elementary-school aged and below are free. The photo above is taken pretty much at
the little kiosk where you pay. A ticket is good for all day, in and out as you like.

iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/3400 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20 —
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Enter This Way

Frankly, without a bazillion kids enjoying the area, it's sort of pathetic. There are a couple of teeter-totters,
the slide, and the “Tarzan rope” mentioned here, and that's about it.

To ride the slide, first grab one of the pads lying around or in the shed near the bottom....

iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/950 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20 —
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Climb the path to the top of the slide. It affords nice views of the slide as you go...

iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/120 sec, f/1.8, ISO 32 —
map & image data — nearby photos








iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/30 sec, f/1.8, ISO 40 —
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Top of the Slide









map & image data — nearby photos

Heading Down

It takes some balance on the pad to get up any speed. Going slowly, it took me 30 seconds to get to the bottom,
but with some seating adjustments it could go much more quickly, I think.

iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/500 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20 —
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“Tarzan Rope”

I'm not sure how much effort it's worth to try to visit this place, but it can be reached via bus
from JR Takatsuki Station, though there are less than a dozen buses a day:

iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 6.6mm f/2.8 at an effective 57mm — 1/60 sec, f/2.8, ISO 320 —
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Minimal Schedule

The left three columns show the schedule from the train station to the area, for (left to right) weekdays, Saturdays, and
Sundays/holidays. The row number shows the hour of the day; a number within a box indicates the minute (in that hour) when
the bus leaves, and in parenthesis, the bus's destination. For example, on weekdays, a bus leaves the train station
at 1:15pm, headed toward 杉生. The bus before that is at 11:37, and the one after is 3:55.

There's a bus stop right at the complex, called “森林センター前”. It takes about 40 minutes in the bus.

The right-side three columns show the return buses to the train station. The last one on a weekday is 7:38pm

After leaving, I went to explore some new roads, and found some lovely ones, as well as one that
had seen better days...

iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/40 sec, f/1.8, ISO 25 —
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Horrible-Quality Road

The first new road I tried, a long and lovely climb followed by a descent with many questionable sections of road, as seen above,
joined civilization at a spot I'd ridden by in the past:

iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/850 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20 —
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Weird Place

seen on my blog two years ago here

The rest of the ride was fairly uneventful. I was disappointed to find that a 10km section during the return trip,
which had looked like a lovely descent on a big sweeping road, turned out to be quite unlovely because it cut through
miles and miles of strip mining, and so the road surface had become horribly pitted from the thousands of dump trucks
over the years, so it was decidedly unfun. To make it worse, there was a strong headwind filled with sand and gravel
from the mining operations, so it was an uncomfortable struggle even going downhill.

This satellite view gives some sense of it. It's not a road I'll be trying again
any time soon.

iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/750 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20 —
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iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 6.6mm f/2.8 at an effective 57mm — 1/250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 25 —
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Closer to home, there's a lot of construction of some sort along the river... there were dozens of dump trucks
visible at once. Here's where they were rejoining the road...

iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/2000 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20 —
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Lots of Dump Trucks








iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/30 sec, f/1.8, ISO 50 —
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Well-Earned Treat

Coffee and Crepes at Cafe Morning Glory








iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 6.6mm f/2.8 at an effective 57mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 20 —
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Kids Cooling Off in the River

a few minutes from home

Pleasant Boat Ride on a Pleasant Arashiyama Evening

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/640 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 —
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Boatride at Dusk

Arashiyama area of Kyoto, Japan

I had a pleasant evening yesterday, with a relaxing boat ride on the Katsura River, in the Arashiyama area of Kyoto. An
elementary-school friend of Manseki was in town and invited Manseki, who in turn invited some friends, which included me.

I took the subway and tram across town. At the final station, there's a “Kimono Forest”, a small but well-done art installation...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/320 sec, f/4, ISO 140 —
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“Kimono Forest”

Randen Arashiyama Station








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 38mm — 1/200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 —
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 45mm — 1/400 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 —
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I then met up with others at the boat dock for the two-hour ride...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 —
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Piling In








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 —
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Our Gondolier

for lack of a better name

(the real name is sendo, 船頭, “boatman”)








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1000 —
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“Cheers”








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/320 sec, f/2.8, ISO 180 —
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Togetsukyo

Arashiyama's famous Togetsukyo bridge has been seen on my blog many times, including

here
here and here,
but never quite from this angle. It's sort of out of focus in the background, with the haphazard posts in focus in the foreground
lying in front of a small waterfall, to stop the errant boat from going over. Luckily, this was as close as we got.

A few years ago, this river flooded so high that the posts were submerged... five times over. The water crested the bridge. I blogged about it, and you can see a news video at the bottom of “A Bit
More Rain in Kyoto Than Normal”

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/250 sec, f/4, ISO 6400 —
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Another Boat

among the very few still out this evening








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 38mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2200 —
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Misty

it had been raining on and off much of the afternoon








SC-02H at an effective 26mm — 1/10 sec, f/1.7, ISO 250 —
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Me

photo by Manseki Kanemitsu








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 3200 —
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Relaxing Time








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Friends for 50+ Years








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/50 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 —
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Manseki's Mock “Displeased” Face

I'd just exclaimed how beautiful the small building in the background was

(it's public toilets)








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 —
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Duskier








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/30 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 —
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Duskiest








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 35mm — 1/10 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 —
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Not Bad

for 1/10th of a second hand-held on a moving boat

(it's no Atta Terrace, but still not bad)








SC-02H at an effective 26mm — 1/4 sec, f/1.7, ISO 1250 —
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Me

around about the same time

photo by Manseki Kanemitsu








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/6 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 —
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Heading Back








SC-02H at an effective 26mm — 1/10 sec, f/1.7, ISO 500 —
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Disemboating

photo by Manseki Kanemitsu








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/320 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2800 —
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Back at the Kimono Forest








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 52mm — 1/200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2000 —
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Lion Dog

This man had a vibe that implied he took this path

with the express intent of spoiling others' photos,

so I made him and his little rat dog my photo.








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/1000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 —
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Desktop-Background Versions

1280×800  ·  1680×1050  ·  1920×1200  ·  2560×1600  ·  2880×1800

For the “shot” above I took a hand-held high-speed exposure-bracketed burst so that I could feed it to Lightroom's automatic HDR
processing (via Library's “Photo > Photo Merge > HDR” command). It never ceases to amazing me what it can
do with low-quality ingredients like this. I then took a heavy hand at some further processing, correcting the perspective distortion,
removing the utility wires and such in the background, and removing a few manhole-cover like things that had been placed
incongruously in the path.

For the most part I'm not a fan of HDR, because it's usually used too
heavily, creating an unnatural result. It's effective here, though, to show the richness of the various kimono fabrics. It seems that I've used this technique for only one other blog post, on some shots in “Discovering Kyoto’s Wonderful Toji-in Temple on a Tour with NORU” a couple of years ago.
(On the other hand, I sort of did some poor-man's HDR in “Exposing for Single-Shot HDR”.)

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/320 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 —
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Wife of Manseki's Friend








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 36mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 —
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Odd Fabric for a Kimono

perhaps for Obon?








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 34mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 5000 —
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Meeting Minnie

this man was much nicer, and his dog more beautiful








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Minnie and Yifen








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Back Toward Home








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1100 —
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A Car To Ourselves

because everyone else was at the Gion Matsuri festival

The Sagan/Cavendish Crash Aftermath: Irresponsible Journalism

Yesterday there was a big crash at the end of Stage Four of the Tour de France, involving Peter Sagan and Mark Cavendish.
Sagan was blamed, and then ejected from the rest of the three-week race.

My gripe is that half of the news articles I've seen today are just wildly inflammatory, using phrases that make for excellent
click bait, but are devoid of fact.

First, let's look at what happened. Here's a view from the front. Peter Sagan has a green helmet and a white jersey with rainbow stripes on the
sleeves. Mark Cavendish has the green bike and is the first to crash:

The video includes views from the front and from above.

What I saw when I watched it live is the same thing I see when I download it and carefully inspect it frame by frame: there was
contact between the two (likely Sagan's hips and Cavendish's handlebars), upon which Cavendish started to go down. Sagan's elbow
then made a seemingly-instinctual reaction, jutting out as if to dislodge a fly that had landed on it. Anyone actually looking at
the video carefully can't possibly refute that the crash was already underway and a foregone conclusion before there was
any movement from Sagan's elbow.

Furthermore, it seems clear to me that the arm/elbow didn't even touch Cavendish.

Despite the elbow having nothing to do with it, I do think it was Sagan's fault. I believe him when he says that he didn't know
Mark was there, but it's his responsibility to know the space is clear before taking it. As much as I like Peter Sagan (he's my
favorite pro cyclist by far), I think he was negligent in this case.

Anyway, major news outlets are reporting that “Sagan elbowed Cavendish”, which besides being factually incorrect,
makes it sound intentional and malicious. For example, CBS Sports:

Cavendish, booted from Tour De France


"Sagan's elbow set off a nasty crash that left Cavendish bloody and Sagan disqualified"

How can one trust anything in the article when the headline and the lead are factually incorrect? There are a lot of
articles like this.

There's misinformation on both sides. The 2nd video embedded just above purports to illustrate that Sagan wasn't at fault,
totally ignoring the very-relevant seconds before the video starts. Cavendish was at least partially parallel with Sagan for a
couple of seconds prior to contact, so he had a right to be there. He was holing a steady line as he accelerated and was in the
process of passing Sagan when Sagan's drift with the bulk of the group brought him into the space that Cavendish already
occupied.

It seems factual that nobody elbowed anyone, and reasonably clear that Sagan was negligent. What's not clear to me is what
the punishment should be.

I would assume that punishment for this kind of infraction would be spelled out in the rules, applied within the context
of what has traditionally been allowed and what has traditionally been considered “over the line”. Personally, I have little
experience with this stuff so I'm not in a position to say what the punishment should be, but as much as I like Peter Sagan,
I can't find myself too upset at his being ejected for a crash that ended the season of one of the sport's top talents.

Quick Test Photoshoot at Kyoto Tea Ceremony Camellia GARDEN

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.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/200 sec, f/1.4, ISO 2200 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Your Tea








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 16mm — 1/30 sec, f/2.8, ISO 360 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Welcome

A friend in Kyoto that I've known for years has recently opened a second location for her shop, Tea Ceremony Camellia, which offers tea-ceremony experiences in English. Her new location,
Camellia GARDEN, is quite picturesque, and after many missed tries to
get our schedules to converge, I was able to stop by for an hour the other day to try for some photos.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 14mm — 1/30 sec, f/6.3, ISO 1100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

First Photo of the Day

We didn't have any plan for any specific photos, and didn't have much time, so I just went for some of the low-hanging
fruit, to help build ideas for a real photoshoot some day.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/200 sec, f/2, ISO 200 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Test Shot

with owner Atsuko Mori








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/100 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos







Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/50 sec, f/4, ISO 320 —
map & image data — nearby photos







Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/200 sec, f/1.4, ISO 220 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Tools of the Trade

spoon and whisk








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/200 sec, f/1.4, ISO 180 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Whisk

made from a single piece of bamboo








Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/80 sec, f/1.4, ISO 110 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Sweets

Here's a hastily-made wigglegram of the room:

div#dByOALVUyVUyddA img { width:690px; height:440px; visibility:hidden; position:absolute; top:0; left:0; border: solid 10px #311}













Animatable Wigglegram (13 frames) — slowly sweep mouse from side to side to view 3D effect
写真の上をマウスで左右にゆっくり動かすと「３D」な感じが出ます。

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I've become rusty with the camera so it was good to put it to use. With a bit more time and preparation I should be able
to do much better than these, but that'll have to be another day...