Part 4 First Real Physical Challenges in the Japanese Alps

by lebaroudeurdelest.com

Once again rejuvenated by a wonderful break in a part of Japanese history, I’m setting off again from Nikko with a new travelling companion. The aim is simple: to discover sumptuous landscapes and villages, while at the same time challenging myself physically in the heights of the country. The prefectures of Gunma and Nagano will be perfect for pushing our limits and admiring the magnificient Japan.

Follow the adventures of the Alsatian stork and the Australian kangaroo in this article:

Before departing with Vincent, we enjoy our last moments at the friendly hostel in Nikko. Mostly conversations about veganism, but also music and other life projects.

We also try Natto that we bought the day before. This famous Japanese breakfast of fermented soybeans, flavored with mustard for taste. Honestly, it’s not very good as expected. The texture is the most disturbing part, with its viscosity combined with the soft beans from fermentation, meh, a solid 3/10 maximum. But I survive and can sense the “healthy” aspect, so it’s okay. 

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Vincent delighted with our great breakfast

We say goodbye to these wonderful people and start a small climb before descending into the Maebashi region (87 km). It’s more or less a collection of cities extending the massive Tokyo area to the first mountains in the North. 

On our route, the climb takes us into some fairly shady and damp areas, which is how our bikes start to slip and Vincent falls… I feel for him, and luckily we’ve got a bit of equipment to treat his open wound. So we can continue after a few minutes’ break to recover from the scare.

The valleys and dams offer beautiful views. We also encounter a swarm of dragonflies, our regular companions since our trips began. 

We arrive together in Kiryu (Gunma prefecture) and decide to split up; Vincent has booked a hotel room, and I have another due to limited double room availability in these cities for tonight. He aims for a vegan restaurant while I want to try the Himokawa Udon specialty. Typically thick and circular like large spaghetti, these specific Udon are flattened like lasagna noodles. My chosen spot is closed… great. I don’t give up and head to the next one despite a downpour that has hit the area for several minutes. I take shelter in the second option I had to eat the udon… I enjoy a hot Udon soup that warms my body, heart, and spirit, motivating me despite the rain and cold. The additionnal tempuras are a real treat. 

I still have a good 15 km left in the dark and rain to reach the hotel, a terrifying experience on these busy roads… but manage to arrive safe and sound. 

I take a nice bath and head straight to bed, hoping my clothes will dry by morning. Good night.

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The intriguing Red Lycoris
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Japanese lasagna : Himokawa Udon

Day 23 Isesaki to Takasaki (37 km)

In the morning, I quickly enjoy the baths before checkout and meet up with Vincent. 

We want to visit Takasaki and its temple with darumas (historical monk figures, turned into symbolic objects for good luck in success). The temple is fantastic, with beautiful gardens and a nice uphill walk on the stairs. We can even ring a bell twice which I will obviously do 😛 

I hesitate to buy one daruma but prefer to save space and weight to find one in Tokyo.

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Stairs that hurt quads
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Hello the Giant Daruma
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A compilation of papier-mâché monks
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The temple to show your luck

The weather is good again, and I even buy a pastry at a French bakery called Puchiru (with sometimes questionable translations haha). It was delicious regardless, so I forgive the translation errors. 

Eventually, the downpour returns to trouble us. Based on our respective goals Vincent and I decide to take different routes. However, we still plan to head together towards Kusatsu Onsen tomorrow, marking the first real challenge in terms of continuous elevation gain in a day. I’m excited and scared at the same time haha. It will be a good training for the next two weeks, which will be tough with climbs in the Japanese Alps. 

I wanted to continue for several more kilometers, but the rain forces me to find shelter before nightfall under a bridge staircase. I hope I’m hidden enough not to be bothered. 

Go to sleep!

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With my delicious pastry from Puchiru
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Cosmos and the mountain to climb tomorrow
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Tonight's spot, what a palace to pitch my tent in!

Day 24 Takasaki to Kusatsu Onsen (51 km)

My little camping spot sheltered from the rain proved useful, with the nearby stream adding a charming Japanese village ambiance. A lady named Reiko chats with me, offering some advice. I babble my Japanese and manage as best I can. She is very sweet and nice.

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Right next to my tent
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My friend the ladybug with reversed colours
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Never seen the flag in a place of worship
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Rice paddies ready for another round of regrowth

I then set off to climb this tough mountain; the beginning is okay until a dam with some activities, food stands; I have a bacon and cabbage sandwich and a corn ice cream, which isn’t bad. I’m completely full, making the rest of the climb tough during digestion.

The end of the ascent is harder, and my legs demand breaks. To think tomorrow might be even harder makes me smiling.

I arrive around 16:00 at Kusatsu Onsen, not too late for once. I then catch a Yumomi show with Vincent joining, a dance/choreography used in the past to cool the water with wooden boards. With the singing, it has a very nice ambiance.

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Yumomi Time
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Training for the next show
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Yubatake during the day
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A specific bacteria gives this colour

I quickly head to my hostel where I meet two Frenchmen, Titouan and his friend. We might meet again tomorrow. I see Vincent again briefly, who is staying in a real Ryokan to enjoy there. 

Being in an Onsen village, I need to recharge my batteries by soaking my worn-out body in the hot springs. I go to Ohtaki Onsen. The facility is very nice to spend 1-2 hours with different indoor and outdoor baths. The bonus is the Awase no Yu, a bath in four stages from the “coldest” (already damn hot) to the hottest. I barely last 10 seconds in the third stage and only dipped my feet in the fourth, it’s absolutely devilish in terms of heat.

After the aquatic warrior’s rest, I return to the center to see the Yubatake at night with the lights (the stream arranged in the center of the town to admire the water passing through wooden structures). It’s really beautiful, I love it!

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Yubatake by night
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Beautiful bells on the covered passageway
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The colours are radiant

Before bed, I need to find food, and since restaurants in these towns close early, I settle for a Chinese restaurant run by a family. The son and father cook, and the mother serves. A small fried rice with ham and spring rolls plus sake for about fifteen euros, not bad. 

The call of the night then takes over for a nice day tomorrow.

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A nice break after the hotspring session
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Feeling like in a manga story

Day 25 Kusatsu Onsen to Suzaka (Nagano) (53 km)

With Titouan, we meet at Sainokawara Koen (park with Ashiyu, foot baths) and its Onsen. I plan to enjoy it again before leaving. The bath is outdoors with trees around, the atmosphere is very pleasant. 

I say goodbye to him as he needs to catch his bus, and I join my buddy Vincent for our tough ascent of the day to 2000m altitude.

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The naughty owners of the shop
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A walk through Sainokawara Park and its foot baths
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Hot water flows

Departure at 11:00, byebye Kusatsu: the climb is really tough, but the views make us forget all possible pains. It’s truly magnificent to see the northern mountains we’ve traversed in the past days.

The sulfur smells remind us that Japan is volcanic, and it’s no surprise there are Onsen villages around.

The road laces make themselves more and more noticeable, offering magnificent sceneries at every turn. When we reach the top, unable to visit the beautiful lake by a small but closed hike, we are lucky to have Vincent’s drone. It’s really amazing; I’m envious not to see it up close with my own eyes.

We make two more stops to enjoy more viewpoints and relish the nice weather and cool heights compared to the heat below.

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Yumomi-themed sweet gift from Vincent
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The climb to the summit with my sidekick
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At the peak ... of our sorrows

However, reaching the summit also means descending if we want to stay in a hostel in Nagano prefecture. 

I can tell you that this descent will be memorable for both of us. Real steep switchbacks, we were glad we climbed in the other direction. But it also means higher braking and fall risks with maximum speeds reached. I managed to hit 63 km/h, and I must say, with the panniers, I wasn’t confident, nor were my brakes, which seem to wear out visibly. I’ll need to buy new ones before the next ascent (my trauma from the last days of the first bike trip reminds me to be serious about it, cf Day 69 Balkans Trips). 

Regardless, we can say we’ve seen one of the most beautiful sunsets of our lives, with the rays reflecting on Nagano city, the colors, and the feeling of solitude were just incredible. This nearly 1500m descent in less than an hour also leaves us feeling a bit mentally shaken; the altitude transition for the brain is a bit tricky to manage, so we decide to take it easy to our hostel in Suzaka.

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IT'S A THING OF BEAUTY !!!

The Kura Hostel is very nice, and Yuki, the girl managing the reservations, is very welcoming and gives us culinary recommendations for the area, and honestly, for such a small town, there are quite a few, I like it a lot. 

We go to Matsuya to taste their delicious Soba specialty. Vincent asks for a sauce without Bonito (Katsuo Boshi) as it’s dried fish, not for him, of course. We then return full to our futons. 

Conclusion: the last two days have been the biggest challenges of the trip, tackled and concluded successfully. It boosts our confidence for the future as we have at least one more ascent more complicated than this one on our route. Mentally, we’re in great shape, and I must say, this week is really the first where I’m fully enjoying Japan, despite the difficulties. The adaptation took 2-3 weeks, but now everything’s going smoothly.

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The cycling warriors' meal

Day 26 Suzaka to Omi (44 km)

Depart from Suzaka in the morning to reach Nagano.

Tasting different Oyaki (stuffed dumplings, sweet or savory), my favorite being the Kabocha, the Japanese pumpkin and Tayaki (a sweet fish-shaped delicacy usually filled with red bean paste or custard).

Visiting Zenko-ji Temple, Nagano’s main attraction, with a large Buddha in its main building, its pretty beautiful and worth it to visit. I really appreciated the little buddha sculptures wall, it looked very nice and a high dedication to build it.

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What a building!
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My succulent Tayaki
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Thousands of statuettes
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One of the Buddhas
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The lotuses and the temple
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Turtles in their little pond

The city is pleasant with its Shotengai, but we want to move on to reach Matsumoto tomorrow. 

We aim for a campsite in the heights as no quick path would easily lead us to Matsumoto without passing through a bike-prohibited road (the rumor of an American who died taking a tunnel in the previous days cooled us off from this kind of risk).

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A snake as a roof
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The covered shopping alley: the Shotengai
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Statue

So we have to tackle the steep slopes (15%) of the terraced rice fields. It’s tough, especially when unprepared… We arrive in the dead of night with strange noises in the forest, we also start shouting out of fear and accelerate to settle down “safely”. The place is deserted, and we find no one to set us up at the campsite. We’ll do without. 

There seems to be an airplanes museum here, pretty interesting in such a lost place.

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View of the Nagano plain from the harvested rice fields
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The Triathlon Club at KFC : Kentucky fried chicken

Day 27 Omi to Matsumoto (45 km)

Bingo, today we reach Matsumoto within 2 hours, and we plan to rest tomorrow before our biggest ascent of the trip, the highest public road in Japan, the Norikura Skyline! 

We quickly visit the castle during the day, one of the last authentic ones in the country (not completely rebuilt after a war). All in black, surrounded by moats, it really gives the impression of a formidable Japanese castle 😀 At the heart of the building, you can see the different defence strategies used, the weapons and armour and the dark, wooded architecture. It’s all very interesting! 
The panoramic view from its heights, to admire the Matsumoto region plateau surrounded by mountains, is worth it!

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View of the castle from the moat
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The entrance to the castle
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View to the east from the castle
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View to the West
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Let's enjoy the beautiful tiles
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The NINJA cyclists

Then, Vincent and I worry about our brakes and want to get good pads for the rest of the journey in case we lack grip during descents. With his Shimano brakes (a Japanese brand), he finds some fairly quickly, but of course, I don’t (mine are Promax) and it’s more complicated. I go around the entire city, and Vincent returns to a shop he found earlier in the morning. By luck, Vincent finds the right model for me (another brand but compatible, BBB or Ashmill for reference), what a stroke of luck! I definitely owe him one!

We then head to our hostel run by an American-Japanese couple. We book two nights for our warriors’ rest. 

We visit the city at night, Vincent finds a nice partially vegetarian spot for himself, I join him and have a good Sanzoku Yaki (fried chicken), a plump and juicy omelet, and an Umeshu (plum wine) to go with it. I feel that any alcohol on such a trip goes straight to my head, which is nice and cheaper 😛

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A plump, drooling omelette
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Sanzoku-style fried chicken

We then see the illuminated castle at night with its reflection on the moats, it’s truly poetic, I’m a fan

We head to bed early because we want to leave on time to take the train to Lake Suwa nearby.

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Batrachians like in Naruto
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The magnificent castle by night

Day 28 Matsumoto & Suwa Ko Pause

Heading to Suwa-ko to admire the lake view from above, like in the animated movie Your Name (which I loved, and Vincent knows it too, so it’s cool we both get the reference). 

We first enjoy the surroundings before climbing. A little footbath, a chat with a surgeon, but also an observation that Japan isn’t always 100% clean when you see the lakeshore full of plastic :’)

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Not everything in Japan is clean and pollution-free either
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I like the picture
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Even Christian churches in the area

Then, during the climb, we act like kids by playing the film’s music and pretending to be the characters looking for each other. From the outside, we probably look like lunatics, but who cares, it’s nice to have a bit of craziness on our (partially) solo trip. We almost imagine the film’s meteorite could appear at any moment (no spoilers, I promise).

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Suwa-Ko, the meteorite from Your Name arrives?
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A very fine house, you don't need to get fat here

Well, enough of that, we need to return to visit other things in Matsumoto. I quickly head to the City Museum of Art. There are two exhibits, one permanent and one that changes regularly. I choose the permanent one based on the local famous artist Yayoi Kusama. Having hallucinations since childhood, you can feel her slightly crazy side in her artistic approach with lots of dots and disturbing but super interesting concepts. The light, visual, and shape effects are really nice, and of course, there’s her famous spotted pumpkin, it looks like the Marsupilami, some cartoon from my childhood. The entry fee of just 400 yen (2.5 euros) is totally worth it. The exterior is also nice with beautiful structures created by Kusama (you could imagine the creator of Mario’s world being inspired by these).

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Flowers reminiscent of Mario's world
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Yayoi's passion for dots
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... and her pumpkin

I then head off to a Korean restaurant to fill my belly with clam soup and spicy tteokbokki.

Before going to bed, Vinc and I discuss the rest of the trip and do some shopping before the next day’s big challenge.

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Craftsmen's street in Matsumoto
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Delicious Korean meal
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Another frog in the night

Day 29 Matsumoto to Norikura (64 km)

We depart around 8:30 for the intriguing and scary Norikura Skyline

I’m both anxious and excited. I didn’t know about this place before meeting Vincent, and now I just want to tackle the challenge of reaching 2700m altitude by bicycle for the first time of my life. 

The beginning is okay; the first 500 m elevation gain is gradual. We pass a dam with mud and surprising fumaroles. I also see my first  Japanese macaque, my first one, swinging on branches. 

That’s when you see the summit you have to reach today, and you feel tiny in the face of this obstacle.

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The mischievous macaque
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The muddy river
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The summit of the day is just around the corner

The climb gets tougher as we see some trees turning autumn colors with the lower temperatures of higher altitudes. Seeing more yellow, orange, and red during the ascent was both pleasant and synonymous with more muscle pain, a curious feeling of joy and sorrow, haha, but we grit our teeth. 

Vincent stays cheerful and constantly positive. #ItsJustAboutGrowth as he would say. While I, being French, complain a bit more. I even have to dismount and walk a few meters to avoid cramps on really steep inclines. We encounter many cyclists since the road is closed to motor vehicles except for tourist buses. Some come speeding around the bends (buses or cyclists), which can be scary at times. Several breaks are necessary; I struggle for 4 hours without kidding.

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What the hell, struggling so hard ...
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Small waterfall on the way

But when we reach the top… WHAT A FEELING! At 16:45, we can enjoy both daylight and a sublime beginning of sunset with a pleasant temperature and not too much wind. Vincent takes out the drone, and I meet a guard. I get quite scared when he tells me they are closing the road soon, and it’s either we sleep here or have to quickly descend. The day’s hardship convinces us to do everything to stay up here and admire the sunrise tomorrow.

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With the brother: WE DID IT, DAMN IT!
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Photo of the photo

The refuges are full, but a Japanese cyclist (Tatsuki) who sees us downhearted suggests his place for the night, the summit hotel. The 10,000 yen night stings a bit, but we go for it; it prevents us from freezing and stressing over another solution. We’ll eat our leftovers and refill once down. There’s even a little onsen where the three of us relax before going to bed early to admire the sunrise tomorrow! 

Stay tuned for the next article about Gifu and Shiga as we leave Norikura to enter these new prefectures. Pics of the sunrise are breathtaking so see you for Part 5 !

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