Getting up to the sound of my alarm in the darkness I pack
up my gear, get dressed and head downstairs. Its 630 and breakfast is at 7 but
they’re already serving luckily. They gate opens at 8 so I have time to have
breakfast with chopsticks (omelette and sausage is a new challenge) scull back
some coffee and get going. Right as I get to the doorway to take off the
heavens open up and the torrential rains resumes. I shouldn’t have expected
anything else really.
I climb up out of Kusatsu which is entirely shut up, nothing
opens before 9am at the absolute earliest in Japan and back onto the main road.
I consider stashing my saddle bag somewhere as it’s an up and back climb but
decide it’s a bit risky and a pain to rejig my tracker so go with it on.
Getting back to the gate the road is open and I push up
through the rain and into the fog. The air has a taste to it to go with the
sulfur smell that comes and goes. I ride past barren streams with steam coming
off them and prominent warning signs around the road about getting to close or
touching the water. The road is smooth and well maintained with an easy 5ish
percent gradient all the way up. Great to sit and spin and look around and try
catch glimpses of the surroundings through the fog and rain.
Summiting My Kusatsu the rain hasn’t let up at all and I
seek shelter inside a giant concrete pipe segment on the side of the road that’s
tall enough for me to stand up in. Trying to gather myself a bit a man appears
from nowhere and says “No Stop!” I’d been seeing no stopping signs the whole
way up but apparently that extends to the summit as well. I indicate I’ll just
be a minute and he leaves me be. Another rider David B joins me as I’m scoffing
down my 2nd last Carmen’s bar and we have a chat about the climb,
the rain and his plans. The warden returns and repeats his message to us to
which David responds in Japanese and the warden leaves. David is a translator
which must be helpful! Wishing each other well we go our separate ways.
Descending is a tedious affair, the roads are slick and the
rain stings my face. There are roadworks and gravel washed across the road at
places to boot and slick steel drainage grates across the road. Glasses become
useless as they fog and bead over so I pull my cap low to my eyes and grit my
teeth. My brakes howl and screech when I take switchback after switchback through
the mist, occasionally I get a view below to the road and mountainside underneath
me and think, this is what switchback doping is! Except for all the things
working against me it was enjoyable. I pass a few riders making their way up to
the summit an exchange a smile and a wave with them.
By the time I get to the bottom and back to where I started
climbing I’m keen for something hot and a bit of food, naturally there are no
conbinis or even vending machines so I keep going knowing I’ll eventually come
across something. A bakery appears! Perfect for a wet rider seeking respite. I
pull up and stuff my face with pastries and chug down two hot black coffees and
exchange a bit of Japanese and English with the staff. Smiling at the rain
which continues to pour (this will be a recurring thing…) I press on to CP3
Okawara Pass.
Not so much a particular mountain, more a series of roads
leading to an abandoned building on the side of a mountain this climb was going
to be interesting as it wasn’t fed by any major roads with plenty of small
roads to pick from to make your way up. I chose the road that was visible on
Google streetview and hoped that is was still passable.
There are no straight lines through the mountains and so I
zig and zag my way along various roads, some busy, some completely deserted,
over hills that I kept thinking “must be nearly done” but then enjoying zipping
down the other side. The roads turn into waterfalls with inches of water
running over them. Looking down while riding creates an optical illusion of
going backwards with the water running downhill under the bike.
I get to the start of the climb up the pass and have a brief
stop while the rain is very light and take in the valley I’ve just crossed. The
yellow rice fields and green spaces carved with streams and rivers between.
Cursing my stupidity at wrecking my phone in the rain I try and soak it in, let
it burn into my memory so I can remember it clearly which seems to have worked
as I can still see it in my minds eye.
Back on the bike I start the climb. The roads are narrow and
there is no traffic, tree debris and litter are all over the road providing
little obstacles to dodge around and avoid. I get half way up and I’m gagging
for water, for some reason I filled one bidon with coke and ice and the other
with straight sweet sports drink. There are streams and overflow all around me
and it starts tempting me. Maybe its ok to drink? Whats the worst that could
happen? Knowing there is absolutely nothing at the top of this pass I take a
punt and fill up and bidon with runoff from a large leaf. It’s cold and
refreshing and doesn’t taste like death so I assume it’s OK and continue up.
Somewhere near what must be the summit (its coming right?) I
meet the Far Ride team in their car coming down the mountain. They tell me of
the trio (Gypsy, Tyler, Nick) getting lost in the rubble of a broken road and
having to hike a bike for kilometres and that the road ahead is impassable, at
least by car. Saying something along the lines of “I didn’t come this far to
turn around and I’ll make it work” I press on.
The landslide never eventuates, nor does the impassable
road. I do find some brutal 20+% 100m stretches though whilst chopping off some
switchbacks, thankyou 36t cassette! Finally I get to the top and find the
suffering trio there about to take off for the descent. The summit is
everything I’ve seen on streetview and in photos, desolate, run down and the
vending machine is empty. The wind is atrocious and we shout to talk I tell
them I’ll catch them up on the descent and put my buff and overgloves on before
heading down.
Strava link: https://www.strava.com/activities/717601802
Summary, 115km 2900vm
The descent is worse than Kusatsu, the roads narrower and
not in the smoothest condition, all the switchbacks have steel grates across
the centre of them for extra slippery death traps making leaning into the
corners a very dangerous move. I catch the trio and have a chat for a while,
they’re taking it easy as their brakes are all worn out. Eventually I decide to
drop down at my own pace and meet them at the bottom.
The rain is non stop heavy and I come up with a new game,
how much water can I drink by having my mouth wide open whilst riding downhill?
The answer is a lot! At the base there are some hotels and a small shop, I wait
for the guys and we have a chat, they’re going to stop for a rest here so I say
farewell and continue riding down the mountain into the next valley. The roads
are wider and more open here and I can carry some speed, tucking right down on
the top tube in the drops, water flying up over my legs and in my face I laugh
at the speed and the wind before finally reaching the valley floor.
CP4 Mt Nyukasa wasn’t far away and even though it was
getting on in the afternoon I thought it was worth a crack to try and get it
done today. Following my route it became clear that I was thinking I’d have
restocked somewhere earlier because I was staying on backroads with no services
and was running out of water and was already out of food. Rookie mistake!
Finally after it got proper dark and I couldn’t see any lights on the horizon looking
like a town I decided it would be unwise to attempt a climb and needed to find
a stop for the night. I knew there was big-ish town nearby but with my phone
still washed out I couldn’t search google or booking.com. I remembered the
Garmin has points of interest so I looked for accommodation, saw “Chino Hotel”
perfect! Take me there Garmin!
Following the purple line I rapidly made my way into Chino,
found the hotel and checked in. Bike must remain outside! Well its Japan but I
locked it up anyway and dragged all my bags inside. Routine in place and
completed I went to get dinner at the hotel restaurant. My phone had come back
to life luckily now and I could use Google translate to order “whatever the
chef cooks best”. A delightful meal of crumbed fish, rice, salad and miso soup
arrived. Perfect.
I went to a conbini and stocked up for an early departure
breakfast, canned coffee and packaged pastries and road food. They also had a
washer drier which I took full advantage and laundered my kit. Writing this now
I realise how “luxurious” I made this for myself! The rain continues…
Goal for tomorrow is CP4 Nyukasa and CP5 Norikura, the 2600m
beast.
Strava Link: https://www.strava.com/activities/717602213
47km 273m
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