Highly-Visible Cycle Ride Though the Mountains of Northern Kyoto

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/2500 sec, f/2.2, ISO 100 —
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Sure, A Bit Vibrant

but safety first

photo by Manseki Kanemitsu







Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/3200 sec, f/2.2, ISO 100 —
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YIKES MY EYES... MAKE IT STOP!

maybe safety is not that important!

For my first “real” cycling ride after my USA vacation, I had a
lot of Under Armour clothes to
choose from. I've been enamored with the
brand for a while, so took the opportunity while in The States of
actually being able to find my size to buy about a thousand dollars worth
of the stuff, from sportswear to casual wear to jackets.

With sportsware I'm partial to loud vibrant colors, especially for
visibility when road cycling. But perhaps in retrospect I shouldn't have
quite gone so full throttle. Still, with this getup I bet I could always
get a job as a rodeo clown.

By the way, the man I'm talking to above is Chris Rowthorn, who just happened
to be walking by when I was meeting others for the start of the ride. He's the author of the Lonely Planet Japan
guidebook, among many others. He used a few of my
photos in his latest edition.

Anyway, I was joined for the ride by
Manseki Kanemitsu, whom I met last month
for this ride,
and Kumiko Naka, whom I met on my first short cycling outing in January.

We decided to ride off to see “the 100-year-old cherry tree”, a well-known tree off in the northern mountains. I mentioned it on my blog in 2007, here.

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/800 sec, f/9, ISO 640 —
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Leaving the City

taken while riding at 20 kph







Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/800 sec, f/9, ISO 1100 —
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Holding Traffic for Us

The road from Kyoto city proper to Kibune and Kurama is often too narrow
to allow a bus and a car to pass each other, so in order to allow bus
service several times a day, traffic is stopped until the bus passes
through. Except during those brief moments of utility, the guy has to sit
in the little hut seen at right in the photo above, being bored. Every time
I pass them I think it must be the world's most boring job. (I've never
seen them reading or the like.) This was the first time I'd actually seen
them performing their task.

We were taking an exceedingly-lazy pace, so didn't mind stopping in front of the
Kurama-dera Temple (鞍馬寺) for photos....

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/8000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 —
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Manseki







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

photo by Manseki







Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/5000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 —
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Kumiko

The road then dives into the mountain almost 800m (2,500 feet) up towards Hanase Pass (花背峠). This would be my second attempt,
the first having been in February chronicled in
“Attempting a 100km Bikeride in the Mountains of Kyoto, Part 1: Hanase Pass”.

This time I wasn't alone, so was happy to have a photo of me while riding...

DMC-SZ9 at an effective 26mm — 1/320 sec, f/3.1, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Plodding Up

photo by Manseki Kanemitsu

I've got my camera slung to my back, and my bike is sporting a new rear
bag that holds 2L of sports drink (that I ended up not using), a light windbreaker, my phone and GPS
unit, among other little things. The design of the cheap rear bag is pretty bad,
though, in how it attaches — just two Velcro straps that can let the
bag roll sideways — so I'll have to see what I can rig up to hold it
more firmly. But everything adds weight, which I already have more than
enough of.

It's a gut-wrenching never-ending steep road, but I felt better than last time.
I didn't need to drop into the easiest gear until 10 minutes in, rather than right away.

DMC-SZ9 at an effective 26mm — 1/400 sec, f/3.1, ISO 100 —
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Having My Priorities Straight

photo by Manseki Kanemitsu







Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/800 sec, f/7.1, ISO 1800 —
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Manseki Photographing Me

taken while riding at 15 kph

I stuck with Manseki (or he held back for me) until I got to the place I stopped
for a rest the first time, and because I have no willpower, I stopped for a rest this time as well. But to my surprise, I didn't stop again until the top.

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/320 sec, f/8, ISO 6400 —
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No Snow

unlike last time, where a photo of here was captioned Slushy Road

The main part of the climb, from the Kurama Onsen until the pass, has
a 492m (1,600 ft) elevation gain over less than
6km of road. The first time it took me 47:44, and
this time 43:02. I thought I'd done better than
3½ minutes faster, so I was a bit disappointed. (The best time
registered on Strava for the segment is less than half my time, a blistering 20:26 by Ryo
Inoue last year.)

Kumiko's leg was giving her trouble, so we decided to abandon the long
hilly ride to the cherry tree, and instead return down the mountain a bit and then cut over to the village of Ohara via
Route 477. This would entail a short but
ridiculously-steep section of road that with Kumiko's iffy leg we ended up
walking.

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/800 sec, f/10, ISO 5000 —
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Branching Off To Rt477







DMC-SZ9 at an effective 26mm — 1/250 sec, f/3.1, ISO 640 —
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Takin' it Easy

photo by Manseki Kanemitsu

The tiny village of Momoi has no services that I noticed, except a phone.

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/800 sec, f/10, ISO 4500 —
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Old Phone/Telegraph Booth







Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/800 sec, f/10, ISO 1000 —
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Helping Another Passerby

with directions to Ohara, where we were going ourselves







Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/2500 sec, f/1.6, ISO 100 —
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Not Yet Purple

but it will be next month; I remember this field from May 2007







Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/800 sec, f/1.6, ISO 560 —
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Heading Down

much easier than going up







Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/800 sec, f/2.8, ISO 160 —
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Long Sweeping Road

even though I was holding back because I wasn't familiar with the road, I got up to 56kph (35mph)







Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 —
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I Remember This Field Too

from when it was being planted in May 2007

taken while riding at 27 kph







Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/2500 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 —
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Nearing Ohara

taken while riding at 20 kph







Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/2000 sec, f/2.5, ISO 100 —
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Missed Opportunity

taken while riding at 27 kph

The out-of-focus farmer is holding a tray of rice seedlings, moving them
from his truck to his greenhouse. I thought a nice photo of this scene
would make a good introduction to the rice-planting season that starts in a
couple of weeks. But when shooting one-handed with little reaction time, I
couldn't get the shot. Oh well.

We stopped by the front garden of a tucked-away temple. (To visit the temple would require an hour's hike, I was told,
so we opted against that.)...

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/800 sec, f/2.2, ISO 110 —
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entrance to the Amida Temple (阿弥陀寺)







Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/800 sec, f/3.5, ISO 125 —
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Manseki

We then arrived in the village of Ohara, and stopped by a restaurant that Manseki knew,
Ohara Riverside Cafe KIRIN...

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/800 sec, f/4.5, ISO 720 —
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Stop for Lunch

Riverside Cafe KIRIN







Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/250 sec, f/16, ISO 6400 —
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Lunch Plate

includes the plate, plus rice, soup, and a huge salad

— It was very good —








Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/800 sec, f/4.5, ISO 125 —
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Riding Through Ohara

a village in the mountains of Northern Kyoto

taken while riding at 24 kph

We swung around and up to behind the Sanzen'in Temple...

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/800 sec, f/7.1, ISO 2000 —
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Passing By

an unused gate of the Sanzen'in Temple

三千院の裏門

I timed the photo to include the gate, knowing that it had been on my blog before.

We continued back into the mountain, past the end of the road...

Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/800 sec, f/2.2, ISO 2000 —
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Precarious Steps

on slippery rocks in riding shoes with soles that clip onto bike petals







Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/800 sec, f/2.2, ISO 720 —
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Being Silly

in front of the Otonashi Waterfall (音無の滝)







Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/800 sec, f/3.2, ISO 1000 —
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Peter Pan Flys

so fast he's out of focus







DMC-SZ9 at an effective 26mm — 1/60 sec, f/3.1, ISO 200 —
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Shooting Peter Pan

photo by Manseki Kanemitsu







Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/800 sec, f/2.2, ISO 250 —
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Passing By on the Way Home

Raigo-in Temple (来迎院)







Nikon D4 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/800 sec, f/3.5, ISO 160 —
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Less-Rural Ohara

taken while riding at 25 kph

According to Strava, my ride was about
60km (37 miles) over a lazy seven hours. Strava's numbers for distance (and
hence speed) and moving time are pretty suspect; I've done my own tracklog analysis
and I believe that they simply calculate incorrectly. But until I create my own
web service and make it available for free, perhaps I shouldn't complain.