Cycling Central Japan Part 3: Kiso Fukushima, Matsumoto, Nirasaki
This is part 3 of a cycling journey across central Japan, the widest part of Honshu or the main island of the country. Also known as the Chubu region, it rewards pass hunting cyclists with magnificent vistas of the alpine landscape, including the sacred Mount Fuji itself.
You can also head back to the second instalment of our Cycling Central Japan series Part 2: Shirakawa-go to Kiso Fukushima, or start from the beginning in Kanazawa in Cycling Central Japan Part 1: Kanazawa to Shirakawa-go.
STAGE 6: Kiso Fukushima to Matsumoto
Start Kiso Fukushima
Finish Matsumoto
Distance 58km
Climbing 393m
Grade Medium/Hard
A quick coffee in the kitchen of the rustic home we spent the night marked the beginning of our day, as we set up the bikes in the cold mountain air of Kiso Fukushima. Every breath came out as steam, so the climbs at the start of the ride were a welcome warm up after reluctantly leaving the comfort of our accommodation. We said goodbye to the friend of the homeowner Natsuki who had joined us for an Izakaya dinner the night before, setting northeast towards our beef stew breakfast pitstop, a quaint diner less than 10km away. Autumn coloured the mountainside around us as we rode to Yabuhara, tracing the twists and turns of the Kiso River and through many tunnels that punch a route through the mountains. A narrow bike lane kept us mostly safe from the traffic, but we were often forced to ride on the road too.
Along the way we passed by the Kiso Town Sumo Ring, stopping briefly to photograph the venue since we could get a pretty nice view from our roadside vantage point. We could see clearly the raised clay platform with bales of straw half buried in the clay to outline the circular ring, and the canopy modelled after the roof of a Shinto shrine, indicating that the ring itself is a holy place. Approaching lunchtime we reached Yabuhara town, one of the sixty-nine post towns along the centuries-old Nakasendo highway, one of the two Edo Era routes connecting Kyoto with Tokyo. While not as popular as the other post towns like Tsumago and Magome, Yabuhara actually functions as a gateway to a part of the Nakasendo hike that goes over Torii Pass, the highest point along the entire 534-kilometer route and down to the underrated post town of Narai-juku. The town would be our lunch stop for the day, after more climbing and a long tunnel descent into the heritage location.
Being a fairly well known Nakasendo post town due to its wonderfully preserved Edo architecture, Narai-juku was fairly packed with tourists at midday, with most eateries full for lunch by the time we’d finished a bit of wandering along the street. We managed to find a small cafe that served chimaki, a traditional Japanese dumpling and a celebratory dish usually eaten on Children’s Day to bring good fortune and well-being to kids. Chimaki can be either savoury or sweet, but ours were made of savoury ingredients mixed into the glutinous rice and steamed in leaf packets. We topped it off with some local flavoured desserts and tea before continuing on our way northeast.
Crossing the railway tracks, we left town, heading downhill to the Hiraide archeological ruins of Shiojiri City. Thankfully we arrived before sunset just as the light began to fade, but it was enough to see around the settlements that span the Jomon to Heian time periods. Nearly 300 habitation sites and building ruins have been uncovered there so far, as well as a great number of pottery and stoneware artefacts. Structures from different periods have been restored, while burial mounds can also be found there. After a quick toilet break at the information centre, we continued downhill into Matsumoto, where we would spend another day of rest.
Matsumoto
The second largest city in the Nagano Prefecture, Matsumoto needs no introduction owing to the famous Matsumoto Castle, as well as being the birthplace of avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama. Also known as the Crow Castle, Matsumoto Castle is one of the most complete and beautiful castles to have survived Japan’s feudal era. Built on the plains rather than on a hill or mountain, Matsumoto Castle is unique for having both a secondary donjon and a turret adjoined to its main keep, and has a characteristic black wainscoting. In 1635, during the Tokugawa or Edo Period in which military threats had ceased, two turrets were added, including one for moon viewing.
If you time your visit with one of the castle's seasonal events it will change your entire experience, the highlight of which would be the spring hanami season when hundreds of cherry trees that flank the castle moat are in full bloom. There are also the world renowned Japanese taiko drumming and Noh theatre performances to enjoy in the summer, a soba noodle event in the fall, and an ice sculpture festival in the winter. There is also the Ameichi Festival at the start of the year, one of Matsumoto’s largest festivals during the Edo Period – along with the Tenjin Festival at Fukashi Shrine – there are records of candy and salt being sold there since 1615.
Also not to be missed (though we did miss it this time around lol) is the Asama Onsen, which used to be reserved for Japanese nobles only. Asama Onsen’s long history dates back at least 1,300-odd years, and still has a part of the original bathhouse built by the feudal lord during the construction of Matsumoto Castle. However we instead opted for a public bath nearby our accommodation after a day filled with cafe hopping and a visit to the castle. We’d been here before on a multi-day hiking trip when we walked the Nakasendo trail, so we skipped going inside the castle itself or doing anything too complicated. This would make it easy for us to head back and prep for the next day’s ride, which would be another long and tiring one that we hoped to start early and finish at a decent time.
STAGE 7: Matsumoto to Nirasaki
Start Matsumoto
Finish Nirasaki
Distance 88km
Climbing 840m
Grade Medium/Hard
From Matsumoto breakfast was a home affair, featuring some snacks that we had packed from a convenience store run the night before after our bath. It was a blustery morning, the first warning sign that the day’s ride would not be an easy one. Riding through farmland a kind farmer gifted us with some gigantic Fuji apples, while headwinds and crosswinds buffeted us as we climbed south east to our first peak of the day, just past the 20km mark. Right before the peak, lunch presented itself in the form of wood fired pizza at an Italian pizza attached to a local winery that overlooked views of the Japanese Alps. The pizza was fantastic and the owner spoke English, appearing to relish the chance to practice with a group of foreigners. Conscious of the journey ahead, we did not linger for long once our plates were cleared.
After lunch it was a bit more of a climb to the peak, before a spectacular descent down into Lake Suwa. Nagano Prefecture’s largest lake sits at the center of Japan’s main Honshu island, in the basin reaching from the Yatsugatake Mountains. Unfortunately we didn’t have the time to enjoy sunset from the Kamisuwa's foot onsen or visit any onsens or anything else, since this was meant to be merely a brief spot along our route to catch our breaths and savour a quick snack. We did enjoy the beautifully smooth 16km bike and pedestrian path that flanks the lake, but the lakeside scenery along the western shoreline didn’t quite make up for the intense winds that persisted throughout the day.
Soon enough we began climbing again, and we were forced to navigate the mountain roads with much trepidation due to the constant rumbling of heavy trucks and trailers that were plying the same route. By this time it was also pitch black, but we soldiered on after a quick convenience store stop to grab a small bite and recharge some devices. The last 20km were mostly downhill with some rolling terrain, but we managed to persevere all the way past Hokuto and onwards to Nirasaki, arriving at our accommodation just before it started raining. We checked in gratefully as the first few tiny raindrops started to say hello, a prelude to a much heavier shower that would ultimately persist until the next morning.
We spent the night comfortably safe and dry at Hike Nirasaki - an 80 year old private villa, a renovated farmhouse originally built out of earth, straw, bamboo and wood and had an amazing view of Mt. Fuji and the Southern Alps. The villa sleeps a total of 6 people, and is a popular spot for travellers on an extended road trip or cycling groups like ours because it is within cycling distance of several mountain peaks as well as the Fuji Five Lakes, including Lake Kawaguchi. Our host had obtained a sushi spread for our dinner, and after filling our bellies, we all went to bed warily contemplating the forecast for a whole night and morning of rain.
STAGE 8: Nirasaki to Lake Kawaguchi
Start Nirasaki
Finish Lake Kawaguchi
Distance 58km (NIL)
Climbing 393m (NIL)
Grade Medium/Hard
Morning reminded us that not all tours will go as planned, and this day was definitely going to be proof that we needed to be prepared for sudden curveballs in life. In Japan the weather forecast often holds true, and we woke up to a steady rain that would have left us drenched within minutes of our first pedal stroke. The route was a climb up to Lake Kawaguchi, and although it was along a proper paved road with a wide shoulder and sidewalks, it would be a climb nonetheless. We ate yesterday’s apples gifted by a farmer as an appetiser to our breakfast-homemade onigiri that the host had kindly taken away for us from a local shop, since he knew we had no food on us or any other means to get them besides our bicycles. We ate and lounged in the living room, where the windows would have framed Mt. Fuji in a postcard worthy scene had it been a clear day. Unfortunately, it was clear that the clouds had no intention of giving us a glimpse before we left.
As we ate, an impromptu discussion debated the merits of different methods to get to our destination for the night - ride anyway or rinko our bikes for the train or simply call a vehicle transfer i.e. take an XL taxi. Braving the rain with our bikes was taken off the table almost immediately; no one particularly wanted to ride in the rain and it did not make sense to wait for the weather to clear as we had no indication when this would happen. The decision was made to take a taxi since we didn’t all have rinko bags - Maya had accidentally left hers behind at home despite making a mental note to pack it before leaving for Japan. It was the most expensive option, but the safest for all of us while ensuring we would reach Lake Kawaguchi in time for lunch rather than late at night and too exhausted to do anything. The rain finally stopped close to 11am, and we enjoyed a quick ride outside in the unseasonably warm autumn morning after days of frigid temperatures.
Packing our bikes into the van and starting the journey to Lake Kawaguchi, we all agreed that taking a copout vehicle was the best decision of the tour while enjoying the mountain scenery. The drive wasn’t a short one, and for us cyclists the climb would have been long and arduous, especially for loaded tourers regardless of how much we had pared down our luggage. We arrived in time for a slightly late lunch after depositing our luggage at our villa, since it was a tad early to check in. We found lunch in the form of a teishoku meal of delicately fried fish, rice, miso soup and pickled vegetables. The cool mountain air made for great weather for exploring by bike, and Lake Kawaguchi was breathtakingly beautiful framed by autumn colours all around.
Being a popular camping area there were a number of outdoor goods shops within cycling distance, and we snuck in some shopping at the camping goods stores before enjoying a pasta dinner and a Moss Burger supper before tucking in for the night. Stay tuned for part 4 of our tour report, where we spent a lovely day of rest at Lake Kawaguchi before continuing our journey to Kamakura and finally Yokohama. If you missed the beginning of the tour, you can go back to the starting point at Part 1: Kanazawa to Shirakawa-go, or read Part 2: Shirakawa-go to Kiso Fukushima.
