Green Goodness on Ogusuyama

It has been raining almost solid for the previous two days which will basically make the trails way to slick her in Japan until early next week.   When I say slick, I mean like butter on a tile floor slick.   While my playtime this weekend is going to be off the trails, earlier this week I got out to one the “local” loops,  Ogusuyama (aka Mt Ogusu).  Like most of the riding I have done over here there is a bit of street riding involved to get there.  I enjoy these street rides as I always see something culturally interesting.  

On this cruise to the trails while on one of the many tiny side streets, I passed by an onion stand that caught my eye.  This stand was totally unattended and there was not even a window of a home within sight.  It was totally on the honor system.  There was not even a one-way coin box.  Just pick out your onion and drop your 100 yen (About $1) in the box. If you need to, make change.  I think this one little stand says a lot about the values and culture of rural Japan.

The last little bit of pavement passes by a really thick and sizable patch of bamboo that always real cool to look into.  The canopy is so thick that I have never seen direct sunlight on the ground here. 

Once on the trail, the light drizzle from the day before had left some slippery spots on the trail.

 

I rode this area back in Decemember, but did not hit up all of the trails. I made a point to hit up the trails I had missed last time.  Ogusuyama is the highest peak on the Muira Pennisula and the trail I took drops down to far side of the pennisula from Yokosuka.  

I have no idea what actual name of the trail I took is but most of my friends have just referred to it as Trail 3.   This trail was really fun as it had great flow and cashed out the elevation in a way that allowed you to carry plenty of speed in most sections. 

This is one really cool trail marker.

Once down the on the other side of the pennisula I did a bit of riding along the streets before picking a dirt access/fire road to head back up the mountain.  While there were some steep pitches on the climb overall it was not brutal.  I have certainly climbed plenty of uglier fireroads.

 

Once back up on the top of the mountain, I decided to a take a path less traveled.  While I noticed this faint trail heading off in the bush before, I had never ventured onto it.  Today I gave it a shot as I had a decent idea of where it should go.   I was riding solo in foriegn country on a lightly used and new to me trail.  Throw in the fact I have an extremely rudimentry knowlege of the language at best and you should see why I felt so alive with healthy dose of excitement coupled with just a dash of anxiety. 

The trail ended up coming out pretty close to where I expected it and I enjoyed the stroll back to the apartment.   It was another good day to ride a bike.

Single Tracking in Zushi, Japan

I arrived in Japan last Saturday for a handfull of weeks worth of work in Yokosuka.   The travel schedule to get here is a tough one as your internal clock is totally thrown out of wack.   I spent most of the week just stuggling through the day and having a tough time sleeping at night.   It took until Thursday for my “body clock” to get adjusted.   Finally getting some rest was a good thing as I was looking forward to getting onto some single track this weekend.  I shipped my 6.6 here vice putting it on the plane so I would not have lug the cumbersome box on the trains to get to Yokosuka from the Tokyo airport.  

     

 My bike had not arrived on Friday so I rented a hardtail.  One of my friends and his wife had just purchased a new home and invited me over to check it out.  I declined on having them pick me up at my hotel.  Instead I opted to have a nice cruise along the streets which I had nearly forgotten what a cultural experience you can have along the streets of a foreign country.  I had a nice time visiting and catching up on things with my friends.   Afterwards, I had a really cool late night cruise back to the hotel. 

The following morning it was time to get onto some dirt.   I had not been on the trails between Zushi and Kamakura since 2004 and I was looking forward to it.  It takes a quite a bit of riding along the streets from Yokosuka to get to the trailhead, but like last night riding along the streets is an experience all to it’s own.   I had barely started on my way when there was a bunch of of activity going on over the roses at Verny Park.

It had been a long enough since I was last here that there were spots where I was unsure if I was going the right way or not.  Every time I would start to get concerned about my route I would see something that would jog my memory.   I love riding when you are route finding or someplace new as your senses seem to elevate just a little.  While this route was more about rediscovery, it was extremely fun just getting to the trailhead.

Once I got to the trailhead, it was time to get some hike-a-bike on.  Like many of the trails in this area, there are some steepness to be dealt with.   The opening trail up onto the ridgelines was every bit as steep as I had remembered.  I did not count them but I’m guessing there are at least 100 wood log steps that got the calves burning in no time flat.

Once up onto the ridge the trails flowed and swooped gracefully through the trees.  Most times there were fairly buff in nature but there were numerous section of roots and rocks to test your skills.  I rode here many times in 2004 and this ride was like catching up with an old friend.  

I forget the Japanese name for this section of trail but I believe it loosely translates to “Roots of Death”

I like the way this signs bridges the language barrier. 🙂

Visually this is one of my favorite sections of trail out here as it passes by one of the numerous temples in the area.   Nearby Kamakura is steeped in deep history and many of the trails are centuries old.  I played on the trails here until I late in the afternoon and then enjoyed the street cruising back to Yokosuka.  I finished the evening off with a tasty plate of curry from a tiny mom-and-pop resturant that I was turned onto during my last visit here.   It was not a bad day to have a bike 🙂