Miyama Cycling Tour with Joshua and Manseki, Part 2

Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/1250 sec, f/4, ISO 320 —
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The Road Ahead

may it forever be more interesting than the one behind
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Continuing from “Miyama Cycling Tour with Joshua and Manseki, Part 1”, this
post picks up after we (Joshua Levine, Manseki Kanemitsu, and I) had left
the main road to take an old road over a mountain instead of a new, flat, boring
tunnel through it.

Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/1250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 5000 —
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Pleasant Mountain Path

offically a “road”








Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/1250 sec, f/5, ISO 3200 —
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Nice Lighting

12:29pm - taken while riding at 13 kph (8 mph)








Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/1250 sec, f/11, ISO 2200 —
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Solitude

is not quite as nice as a good riding companion
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When we turned a corner and were presented with this vista, I jokingly asked Josh to return so I
could have some “human interest” in my photo, and even
though I was obviously joking, being the mensch
he is, he hesitated only long enough to flash a big grin, and bolted down. Just as quickly, and without
words, Manseki followed.

I enjoyed a rest while they headed back down, then snapped some photos as they came back up.

Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/1250 sec, f/4, ISO 500 —
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Photo Finish

So they both get an extra 30m (100') of vertical climb added to their trip
over mine.

The road got considerably more strewn with debris once we crossed the pass at the top and headed down...

Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/1000 sec, f/4, ISO 6400 —
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Debris-Filled Road

requires considerable care

1:00pm - taken while riding at 15 kph (9 mph)








Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/1250 sec, f/4, ISO 4500 —
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Depressing Reality

A common sight in rural Japan

1:03pm - taken while riding at 12 kph (8 mph)

I don't know what's so attractive about the beauty of Japanese nature
that makes a small but highly-impactful segment of society want to so
incessantly dump garbage at every conceivable spot of beauty. Trash
disposal depends on the municipality, but is generally really cheap, so
this makes no sense aside from “some people are just monumentally selfish”
angle.

Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/1250 sec, f/4, ISO 450 —
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Tucked-Away Village








Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/1250 sec, f/4.5, ISO 1250 —
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Riding on the Edge

cut into the mountain

1:18pm - taken while riding at 19 kph (12 mph)








Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/1250 sec, f/4.5, ISO 640 —
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View from the Edge

1:18pm - taken while riding at 20 kph (12 mph)








Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/1250 sec, f/4.5, ISO 200 —
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Big Wooden Building

of a forestry company

1:28pm - taken while riding at 27 kph (17 mph)








Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/2500 sec, f/4.5, ISO 200 —
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“Kura” Fire-Proof Storage Building

I love the ornate windows

1:29pm - taken while riding at 29 kph (18 mph)








Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/1600 sec, f/4.5, ISO 200 —
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Impressive Property

1:29pm - taken while riding at 30 kph (19 mph)

I didn't get much chance to check out the property (the same one with
the kura seen above) as I flew by, but it was impressive. It was probably just an old farmstead, but it certainly caught my eye. I'd like to
revisit at a slower pace some day.

Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/2000 sec, f/4.5, ISO 200 —
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Opportunity Missed

checking out the map makes the road at right look inviting

1:31pm - taken while riding at 22 kph (14 mph)

Toward the end I was quite tired, so I'm actually happy we didn't do too
many more little highly-vertical side trips, but now, after the fact, I can lament a bit.

Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/4000 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 —
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Sales Pitch

“Active Charge Miu”

Its light grapefruit flavor was quite tasty.

Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/1250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 —
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More Friendly Folk

this was a common scene along the route

1:43pm - taken while riding at 13 kph (8 mph)








Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/2500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 —
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The 100km Point

heart rate 106 bpm, speed 20.6 kph, elapsed time 6:04:57

1:44pm - taken while riding at 21 kph (13 mph)








Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 —
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Tunnel #1

this one was uphill; Manseki is in front of me pulling away

1:58pm - taken while riding at 14 kph (8 mph)
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Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/2000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 —
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“I've Got a Little Something For You, My Pretty”

2:00pm - taken while riding at 19 kph (12 mph)








Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/4000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 —
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Masked Rider

I saw a couple of highly sun-averse ladies like this

2:03pm - taken while riding at 23 kph (14 mph)








Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/1250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 —
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Stupidity on Display

our tax yen at work

2:09pm - taken while riding at 22 kph (14 mph)

A short segment of main city road in the eastern part of Kyoto city proper is
currently under construction to cut the number of lanes in half, and
double the level of inconvenience.
Someone in city government deems it worthy to spend the money (and
the diverted attention of every driver going by) to note that fact on this
sign in the far northwest mountains an hour's drive away. The changing messages on the sign asks people to stay away from the half-mile
stretch of road that they are unlikely to come anywhere near in the
first place.

To get there, you would literally have to drive for an hour, snaking
your way through the mountains into the completely opposite side of the
city nowhere near the road in question.

Just stupid. There was another electronic sign like this five minutes later,
imploring the same thing.

Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 —
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Tunnel #2

so very pleasantly downhill; Manseki is a smudge in the distance

2:10pm - taken while riding at 44 kph (27 mph)
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Just after exiting the tunnel, we passed by the Ochiba Shrine
(“Fallen-leaf Shrine”), which has a gorgeous carpet of
yellow in the fall. I'd first heard of this place years ago when a
friend had bicycled here, and it seemed to me at the time impossibly
far away for a bicycle... even on the scooter it took an hour. Never would
I have believed I'd be riding a bicycle out here myself, much less after
having ridden 100+km first.

Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 —
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Word of Warning

“Frequent Cycle Accidents; Be Wary of Oncoming Traffic”

2:17pm - taken while riding (carefully) at 31 kph (19 mph)

We eventually got onto a smaller more up-and-downy road that brought us by
the “Yama no Ie Hasegawa” restaurant that I visit
a few times a year. Josh had business to attend to so continued straight home, while Manseki and I paused
for coffee and cheesecake...

Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 800 —
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The Pause that Refreshes

Yama no Ie Hasegawa (山の家はせがわ)








Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 1250 —
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Mine

Cheesecake and Coffee

From there it's almost all downhill until home...

Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/1250 sec, f/2.2, ISO 500 —
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Fast and Fun

3:24pm - taken while riding at 30 kph (19 mph)

It's mostly downhill unless you go out of your way for some hills,
such as the ridiculous 22% grade that I wrote about before.

Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM — 1/1250 sec, f/3.5, ISO 900 —
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Less Fast, Less Fun

photo by Manseki Kanemitsu

Back in the city, Manseki showed me a really interesting temple I'd not heard about... its story to get its own post at a later date..

iPhone 6 Plus + iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at an effective 29mm — 1/290 sec, f/2.2, ISO 32 —
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Interesting Temple

not your normal Buddhist paraphernalia

Later that evening, I got to finally meet Manseki's wife when we all got together for dinner...

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Interesting Company

Manseki and his wife, Mariko

Saikontan Restaurant (菜根譚)

photo by Manseki Kanemitsu

Like Manseki, she's smart and easy going, and so the conversation flowed. I had a great time.

All in all, a good day.