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This summer, I went to temple No.12: Syosan-ji temple. This part has the steepest slope of the Shikoku pilgrimage. The distance of uphill slope was 4.5Km and the slant was 10%. The distance was shorter than that of the Syosan-ji temple, but the slant was a bit steeper. I got a backache from cycling on the slant. The slope became level road when I went up for a ridge line, but it came back to more than 10% for an immediately, and I could not take a break. Though I am not a Buddhist, I felt I might achieve enlightenment from enduring this struggle!

There was a big temple that had a three-story pagoda built in the Edo era. Because it was the off-season, nobody was there. A strong north wind shook the trees. 58.66km/Total 6h

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Miura Peninsula, being only 50km south of Tokyo, can be easily reached. I started from Zushi Station and cycled around the peninsula, it was about 80km to Enoshima Station. The east side of the peninsula had many good harbors in a Ria coast(drowned valley). There was the Yokosuka base of US Navy which is the home port of nuclear-powered carrier "George Washington" here. Natural scenery gradually increased when I passed over Yokosuka. Japanese radish cultivated prosperously here because there was little water and cannot make rice. At the shore, a farmer was airing lots of Japanese radishes. These are processed into pickled radish.

In Kurihama there was a landing monument of Perry, who forcibly opened the "closed country" of Japan to the world. He was a younger brother of Oliver Perry. Oliver commanded at the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. I cycled heading north on the ridge of the peninsula from the cape, and turned westward at Kamakura. I saw Enoshima and Mt. Fuji in the front, I photographed it while cycling instinctively.

83.4Km/Total 6h

130 years ago, Yokohama, where I live, was a small port town and farmland. But it also has an older history.
In the Nara era 1200 years ago, Tachibana county was founded and the government office was built on the hill near my home. The site was excavated in 1998 and built into the park, and I visited it by bicycle. I pedaled with Tokyo time travel map on the iPhone. Because I was not having fun while watching the current map, I displayed a map of 130 years ago and cycled on the old way. I displayed the present location with a GPS for an ancient map. It was a strange feeling.

There was an alley of residential areas now, but a stone signpost and a small shrine are left.

The remains were mere open spaces. The foundation stones were backfilled, Japanese buildings were made by wood and there was no trace.

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Late fall has finally come to the mountains and suburbs of Tokyo. I cycled to Ooyama to see the colored leaves today. When I turned north to the mountain from national highway 246, the number of cars full of sight-seers there to see the leaves increased. It was congested today because it was Sunday and there was good weather. Because of the gentle slope, I overtook many cars steadily. There was a cable car platform halfway up the mountain. It was crowded there, too.

Passengers had to wait an hour to take it. Because the cable car rises 278m at 800m, the slant is 35%. The vehicle is slanted to adjust to the rise.

From the Edo era, it has been a beautiful spot for the enjoyment of the common people. Souvenir shops line both sides of the mountain trail. That asides, "The visiting Ooyama" is a famous title of the rakugo. Rakugo is a form of Japanese traditional verbal entertainment. The lone storyteller sits on the stage and talks. Traditionally, the story is accompanied only by the storyteller's gestures. 84.87Km/Total 7h

In the developed nations which Europe and Taiwan, you can carry a bicycle on the train, as it is. However, Japan is a developing country, and you must to separate your bicycle and put it in a bag. When it is a common bicycle, you have to take off the wheels and the steering stick to pack it. So in Japan, folding bicycles are widespread.
It has small tires, and can double over a steering post and frame, you can pack it in three minutes.

In the Japanese language you can express 'A trip where you bring a bicycle in a bag on the train and cycle from the station' single word. It is: "Rinkoh".

I was cycling in Yoshino district of Nara which is 100 kilometers south from Kyoto.

Getting a new cycling friend is one of the charms of bicycle touring. I caught up with a old man who rode a classic bicycle and I talked "Where are you going ?" when riding side by side. He led me cycling as a local guide. I saw the monument of revolt of "Tenchugumi", the non-authorized force of the Revering the emperor and expelling the barbarians party. The Tenchugumi was defeated completely by Shogunate forces in 1863 but this battle became the flash point of Meiji Restoration. 101.81Km /Total 7h

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Because I was going to cross over the mountains today, I wanted to depart early, but decided to participate in a guided early morning worship in the Naiku-Shrine. Shinto is difficult to understand, like other religions. I thought maybe I could get some idea of what it was about. God is in the place of nothingness, is not a shrine building

Because I avoided the city and cycled on the old road, neither convenience stores nor the fast food shops were around. I finally found the quiet Ise-noodle dining room. It's said "famous food is generally not good" in Japan. However, the white noodles of this dining room were very delicious. It lived up to its famous name as the Ise-udon. The upper part: a bad noodle shop in the sightseeing spot. I ate here yesterday. The lower part: a delicious noodle shop in the country.I ate here today. 99.24Km/Total 10h

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I went over to Toba by ferry, after cycling through flat Atsumi Peninsula. I then went to Ise-jingu Grand Shrine. I cycled on the Atsumi Toyohashi cycling road for a little while, it did not live up to its name as a "cycling road." Though The Romance Beach was a stupid name, it had a good view.

It took 60 minutes to get to Toba on the Isewan Ferry. The fare was 1,500 yen, and there was a 1,000 yen charge for my bicycle. The islands of Isewan had beautiful scenery. Regardless of a weak economy, "Oharai-machi"(purify town) was crowded. I stayed at the Ise Grand Shrine Kaikan Foundation without a reservation. It seemed to be a venerable hotel with a long history, but the building had new steel-reinforced concrete. 76.19Km/Total 8h

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The Tomioka Silk Mill was the Japan's first instrument spinning factory, and started operation in 1872. The building was wooden frame in brick. At that time in Japan, spinning raw silk from a cocoon was performed by human power, and was inferior to France and Italy in quality. The Meiji government imported steam engines and built a spinning mill under the guidance of the French engineer 'Paul Brunat'. The Tomioka Silk Mill was the beginning of the Japanese industrialization. Afterwards, it was privatized and continue operating until 1987, and designated an important cultural property now.

When I passed pretty wooden Shimonita Station hill climbing began. It is only 1104m in height, but was impressive when I looked up close. 64.7Km/Total 7h

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I brought my bicycle in a bag with me on the train to Komagawa station, past the Yokohama line and Hachiko line, which were a transit route when the main Japanese export was raw silk. In Komagawa, you can find the Koma Shrine, which was founded in the eighth century. This Shinto shrine is dedicated to the imperial family of the Kokuryo which was in the northern part of the Korean Peninsura. The Kokuryo was ruined by Tang Dynasty and Silla, and many exiles moved to Japan.

Subsequently, across the Shomaru mountain pass, I entered Chichibu Basin. From the mountain pass, I was able to look over Tokyo in the distance.

There is an Ongaku Temple on the hill which crosses Arakawa.The bell in the temple became the signal gun of the Chichibu destitute pauper party armed uprising in 1884. This was an example that the movement for democratic rights was intensifying.

There is Wado open-air mining trace in Kuroya. In 708, copper ore was discovered here and this changed the name of the era to "Wado". 「和同開珎 "Wadokaichin"」 was cast and issued, which was Japan's first currency. 120.18Km/Total 9h

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By the request of an Australian cyclist Gus ,who will go back to his country next week, we did a round trip of the downtown area with a rented bicycle. The bicycle was very cheap but it was a Mama Chari. Mama Chari is the name of a bicycle for shopping housewives. At first we borrowed bicycles in the underground station. There was a mini-escalator for bicycles in the stairs to the ground from the basement. In Japan, sometimes we happen to misunderstand the meaning of the word "progress".(LOL)

We went to Asakusa, which was well introduced in a Japanese tourist guide book, and then we cycled along Sumida River.

Kiyosu Bridge; built in 1928.

Kachidoki Bridge; built in 1940,"movable bridge".

We usually ride a road bicycle in forward-bent posture. Because we did not need to bend forward today, the Mama Chari was most suitable for a pleasure cycling. There was little holiday traffic, and the downtown area was comfortable. 23.6 Km