Cycling Central Japan Part 2: Shirakawa-go, Takayama, Kaida Kogen, Kiso Fukushima
This is part 2 of a cycling journey across central Japan, home to the vast Japanese Alps and some of the country’s highest mountains including Mt. Fuji. Also known as the Chubu region, the widest part of Honshu or the main island of Japan rewards pass hunting cyclists with magnificent vistas of the alpine landscape.
If you’ve just landed on this page, consider heading to Cycling Central Japan Part 1: Kanazawa, Johana, Shirakawa-go to start the journey from the beginning. You can also go to Cycling Central Japan Part 3: Kiso Fukushima, Matsumoto, Nirasaki, Lake Kawaguchi.
STAGE 3: Shirakawa-go to Takayama
Start Shirakawa-go
Finish Takayama
Distance 80km
Climbing 1,400m
Grade Medium/Hard
After yet another restless night of insufficient sleep, we stumbled into the dining room that morning still only half awake for another fairly large kaiseki meal. The previous night’s dinner had been followed up with an equally splendid breakfast, the highlight of which would be the sizzling miso eaten with rice and seasonal vegetable condiments, all of which were homegrown and homemade. We had another day of climbing ahead of us, crossing several mountain passes before we could descend into Takayama, so a full meal was necessary to replenish some (if not all) of the deficit from the day before.
But before we went on our way, we couldn’t leave Shirakawa-go without doing a bit of documentation of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. First up was a return to the lookout point we arrived at by bus back in 2016 when we did our tour of the Noto Peninsula. A short climb from Minshuku Otaya, the lookout point gives you a lovely view of the village nestled in a valley surrounded by towering mountain peaks. It was still somewhat early in the autumn season, so there were mostly varying shades of green dominating the scenery, peppered with some fall colours. After a bit of a wander around, we had a small mid morning snack of hida milk ice cream before heading out of town.
Rolling terrain greeted us not too long after pushing off, though the gradients were thankfully gentler at the start of the route. We continued south along the Sho River, crossing many bridges and enjoying the riverside views until we reached the Hida Hakusan roadside station for a lunch of hida beef with rice. A big climb to Miboro Dam was followed by more climbing to the Sakura-no-sato Showa roadside station for some hida beef potato croquettes and some pastries, accompanied by a hot drink. By dusk the colours of the leaves gave us the first warning sign of dropping temperatures as we climbed higher, being the oranges and browns of the traditional momijigari season.
Darkness settled in at 5pm when we had our biggest ascents to grind through, namely two mountain passes on remote roads with barely anything along the way. Bonked and hangry, I somehow soldiered on, the third day of incessant climbing and insufficient sleep clearly taking a toll on me. At one point we were unable to access a fenced off rest stop toilet off a big highway, and resorted to relieving ourselves in express fashion to ensure we didn’t freeze, under a dark and deserted highway flyover. Being higher up in elevation, the temperatures had dropped to 3 degrees celsius by then, and we were bundled up in all our layers to ensure we stayed warm throughout the climbs.
By the time the Halloween moon was high in the sky we were forced to keep moving perpetually to stay warm, eventually finding some hot drinks from a vending machine in front of a liquor shop in the middle of nowhere after a short descent. A quick break to warm ourselves up was followed by an even longer descent in pitch black conditions with only the occasional street lamps to illuminate the winding road. Dinner was a steaming plate of hambagu rice at a roadside Joyfull Cafe in a mountain village, before another hour of rolling terrain into Takayama and checking into our guesthouse for the next two days.
Takayama
Takayama City is one of the crown jewels of Japan’s mountainous Gifu Prefecture, known for its biannual Takayama Festival to celebrate spring and fall, dating back to the mid-1600s. The city’s Sanmachi Suji historic district are lined with wooden merchants’ houses from the Edo Period, along with many small museums. Also known as Little Kyoto, Takayama is the place we first chanced upon Hida beef, and hands down the most mind blowing beef ramen I have ever tasted in my entire life. The memory of that first bowl of steaming broth with juicy strips of alpine cow beef remained fresh in our minds even after many years, and it was high time we refreshed that memory from that frigid evening we arrived starving and exhausted via train with our folding bikes at the end of our tour.
First winning the Wagyu Olympics in 2002, Hida beef comes from a black-haired Japanese cattle breed that has been raised in Gifu Prefecture. This is where you will find the high mountains of Japan’s North Alps, such as 3,000-meter Norikuradake and Ontake. Here, the cattle enjoy wide expanses of land, pure water and clean air, producing meat that is of superb flavour and quality. We skipped the long lines at the bigger restaurants, hunting specifically for the small and nondescript entrance to the same ramen shop that was the only place open left that fateful night nearly ten years ago.
As luck would have it, the same ramen shop was still operating even after nearly a full decade, with the same husband and wife running the show. Elated, we got a table upstairs and sat down in full anticipation of the meal we were about to have. Soon enough the hida beef ramen appeared, every strip of meat and every drop of broth proving to be just as extraordinary as the first time we tasted it. The accompanying aburi sushi we ordered as a side fully justified the three days of climbing mountain passes just to get here; the quality of the beef was exactly as we remembered it.
Near ten year cravings satisfied, we had a leisurely cycle around the historical district. Not many people know this, but our last visit to Takayama City was somewhat interrupted mid-stay by Eka getting hit by a car, which involved an ambulance ride, an extensive hospital examination and subsequent police investigation to get to the root of the accident. Just to clarify, Eka was unhurt save for a small bruise and opted not to press charges against the young lady who was at fault (and went white as a sheet, poor thing). Our bus tour to Shirakawa-go was also allowed to be rescheduled to the next day, but we didn’t get much of a chance to explore the city as a result.
Despite its remote location in the Japanese Alps, Takayama prospered during the feudal era as an important source of timber and skilled carpenters, and this is evident in the well preserved homes of the old town. Some of the homes in the wealthy merchant area are actually open to the public and well worth a visit. The streets are perfect for our slow amble on the bikes, but you could also pay a rickshaw to take you on a tour of the town. If you appreciate sake, Takayama is famous for this too thanks to a ready supply of pure mountain water, and several centuries old sake breweries can be found there, easily recognised by sugidama balls of cedar branches hung above their front doors.
Particularly picturesque are the bridges that cross the Miyagawa River, of which there are three - the green Yanagibashi Bridge, the grey Ikadabashi Bridge and the red Nakabashi Bridge. The Nakabashi Bridge is an important landmark of Takayama and is particularly beautiful in autumn, with a background of trees with leaves the colours of the season. There is also the addition of a new bridge lined with Gifu cypress, that has been called the Gyojin Bridge after the Gyojin Festival Float that is stored nearby.
But one day is scant time to take in all that Takayama has to offer, and we had barely scratched the surface of the city. Promising to return for a longer stay (as we always do!) we packed up after an extremely satisfying hida beef yakiniku dinner and prepared to head out the next day. The journey would continue with a massive climb to the ski resort area of Kaida Kogen in the Kaida Highlands, meaning Eka would have to head out bright and early while Maya and myself would have to sort out the delivery of her bike case and find alternative means to get there.
STAGE 4: Takayama to Kaida Kogen
Start Takayama
Finish Kaida Kogen
Distance 63km
Climbing 1,200m
Grade Hard
The morning sun brought the temperatures up to 4c in Takayama, leaving Eka no choice but to brave the chill to make it up to Kaida Kogen before sunset. Being much higher up in elevation than the city, the ski resort town would be even colder once darkness fell, and the owner of our accommodation Pension Kaoru had cautioned that it would be imperative to arrive by 5pm. After waving Eka off, Maya and myself set about figuring out how to send off Maya’s bike case to our final destination of the tour in Yokohama.
Heading to the Tourist Information Centre in town presented the perfect solution; an in-house Sagawa Express counter where we could drop off Maya’s case that we had the presence of mind to bring along. Sagawa Express is another company similar to Yamato ta-q-bin, a major transportation company you can use to send your bike cases or luggage around at a low cost. We also identified a taxi as the best means to get to Kaida Kogen with our bikes, which also gave us enough time to have another hida beef meal for lunch and a teatime treat of mini caneles before packing up to leave.
Meanwhile, Eka was facing one of the more challenging bike tour routes he had ever experienced, with plenty of long sustained 8-9 percent gradients immediately upon heading out of Takayama. En route he passed through several more dams including the Takane Dam that offered stunning views, with the winding road offering occasional glimpses of distant mountain peaks. Being a public holiday no restaurants were open along the way, with a local sundry shop matron taking pity on Eka and giving him some cooked rice from her kitchen to go with his purchase of instant soba noodles.
Approaching Kuzo Pass the steepness even went into double digit levels as he continued the grind to the peak. Constantly above the 1,000m elevation mark meant the surrounding autumn foliage views were stunning, and the crisp air carried the scent of pine and cedar trees, enhancing the sensory experience and making the climb worthwhile. Maya and myself eventually caught up with Eka at the Kuzo Pass observatory, taking a moment to savour the exhilarating panoramic view of the Kaida Plateau in the golden hour light. We reached our accommodation Pension Kaoru before Eka of course, who arrived just in time before the sun began to set and the highlands were plunged into darkness.
Pension Kaoru being a ski resort primed for the winter ski season was blissfully empty, so we had the run of the resort and the baths all the ourselves. Dinner in the dining hall felt like a private affair with the proprietor, a husband and wife team that had limited off season bookings due to some family medical issues that also needed their attention. The elaborate kaiseki meal was entirely homemade, and - as per Japanese tradition in these quaint remote villages - featured seasonal vegetables only grown on their land. It was a fitting end to an epic climbing adventure for Eka, while Maya and myself joined in the celebratory mood despite not pushing a single pedal the entire day (with the exception of an embarrassingly short ride to our taxi).
STAGE 5: Kaida Kogen to Kiso Fukushima
Start Kaida Kogen
Finish Kiso Fukushima
Distance 17km
Climbing 100m
Grade Easy
A fantastic rest day route meant the day started with a leisurely breakfast, helping to give us a slow morning as we gradually shook off the grogginess from our general lack of sleep after yet another restless night. We tucked into another delicious homemade kaiseki meal eagerly, despite knowing the day’s journey was a short one and mostly downhill from the accommodation. The mood was decidedly relaxed that day, since we had less than 20km to cover the whole day to Kiso Fukushima. We had initially planned to stay in the next post town in Narai, but accommodations were fully booked as it coincided with the national Culture Day holiday in Japan.
The general sense of malaise influenced our pace that day; we deliberately slowed down our freewheeling speed to take in the glorious explosion of autumn colours surrounding us as we descended from Kaida Kogen. The highlands are serenely peaceful in the off season, with barely any cars to invade your sense of remoteness as you enjoy the crisp mountain air there. Approaching Kiso Fukushima we found a karaage teishoku eatery that was one of the few places open for lunch, then had a wander around the picturesque historic district’s streets of Edo-period merchant houses.
Nestled in the center of the Kiso Valley, Kiso Fukushima is one of the dozen well preserved post towns along the old Nakasendo walking highway between Tokyo and Kyoto. It was the most important checkpoint along the route during the Edo period, being the centre of governance for the local magistrate. We missed out on staying a night here during our Nakasendo hike in 2015 due to a marathon that had fully booked out all accommodations in town, and were pleased to find a place to stay there this time around. We found a cafe in an Edo-period traditional house for a tea of canele and miso cheesecake run by a lovely young Japanese couple.
With the light beginning to fade, we made our way to our accommodation for the night, Matari House. A 100 year old home the proprietor inherited from her grandmother, it was warm and cosy with many lingering traces of their long family life there. The home was restored lovingly into its current state with several modern day additions, and is available for short or long term stays. Matari had a kotetsu right besides the kitchen, which was a wonderful spot to sit and relax after a spell in the nearby onsen and an izakaya dinner, as we readied ourselves for bed and mentally prepared for the long ride the next day.
Head to Cycling Central Japan Part 3: Kiso Fukushima, Matsumoto, Nirasaki, Lake Kawaguchi. for the third instalment of this series. If you missed the beginning of the tour, you can go back to the starting point at Part 1: Kanazawa to Shirakawa-go.
