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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