日本夏2025年

June 23, 2025

日本夏2025年 - Day 3

May 30, 2025

Nikkō to Aizuwakamatsu - 123 Km

Start 8:37 AM

Finish 4:38 PM

Total Duration 8:01

Moving Time 6:10

Stopped Time 1:51

Ascent 954 m

Descent 1,271 m

Tour Total 325 Km

Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/289039353

I slept well in room 502 at the Nikko Station Hotel 2. When I woke up, it was raining. After heading downstairs for breakfast, I packed up and began riding out of town. I was layered up in shorts, a cycling jersey, a gilet, rain pants, a poncho, regular socks, and waterproof socks—ready for a wet day.

I followed the main road out of Nikko, which soon veered off onto smaller local roads and trails. For most of the day, I paralleled Japan National Route 121, also known as the Aizu Highway. I first followed the Daiya River downstream, then turned to follow the Kinu River upstream. The route cleverly avoided the highway whenever possible, favoring quiet backroads and trails, only rejoining the highway when necessary.

I passed through a ski town nestled in a valley surrounded by steep hills. The road twisted upward, and I began climbing. The first tunnel of the day was short, followed soon after by a longer one that fortunately had a decent sidewalk.

Eventually, the route dropped me at a dead end. I realized I was meant to follow a narrow hiking trail through thick forest. It was steep, muddy, and crisscrossed with exposed, gnarled tree roots—a real challenge on a bike. Of the four possible routes along the river—the JR train line, a high freeway on massive concrete pylons, the old switchback highway, and this rugged walking path—I had definitely picked the hardest.

The rain continued, but the dense canopy offered some protection. I watched raindrops splash into the emerald-green river below. The trail turned into slick boardwalk planks about two feet wide. I tried to ride them, but the surface was too slippery, and a fall seemed inevitable.

With tires unsuited for this kind of terrain, I resorted to walking. After a long stretch of pushing, pulling, and carrying my bike, I reached an arched pedestrian suspension bridge that crossed the river. On the other side, I met a kind couple just as I rejoined pavement and began climbing again. That’s when I noticed my right reflective Velcro strap had disappeared from my rain pants cuff.

I passed through a few short tunnels and caught sight of the Ikari Dam in the distance. Now I was following the Ojika River. I crossed the impressive steel-arched Umijiri Bridge. Though the rain had eased, I kept my poncho and rain pants on to stay warm.

Around noon, hunger set in. In the small town of Nakamiyori, I passed a soba shop but decided to keep going to the Tajima Road Station. Still climbing along the Ojika River, I eventually reached Sanno Pass. At the summit, I crossed from the Kanto region into the Tohoku region—specifically Fukushima Prefecture. The first three days of my journey had all been within Kanto.

I briefly left the route to visit the road station, but it was a bit of a letdown—no kitchen, and I couldn’t make sense of the packaged food. Luckily, there was a soba stand out front where I finally got some warm nourishment. As I ate, the rain started again.

From there, I followed the Aga River downstream through Minamiaizu, passing many timber operations. The road grew busier with traffic as it twisted through the hills toward Aizuwakamatsu.

I passed through a series of tunnels: first the 1,643-meter Shimogo Tunnel, which transitioned into a bridge enclosed in a translucent tube before dipping underground again. The sidewalk was too narrow, so I had to ride on the road. Then came the 700-meter Onumazaki Tunnel, followed by a shorter 335-meter one.

As I approached Aizuwakamatsu, I used Apple Maps to navigate off the main highway. The route took me through rice paddies where farmers were planting young saplings. Off to the northwest, I could see a vast snow-covered mountain range—likely the Bandai Asahi National Park. It marks the spine of Honshu. I'll be staying on the eastern side of it, slowly making my way toward the Pacific.

Closer to the city, the rice fields gave way to suburban sprawl. The highway widened to four lanes, and I began passing fast food joints and grocery stores. I arrived at the Hotel Route-Inn and checked into room 609—a smoking room, unfortunately. Hungry and tired, I walked to a supermarket for some sashimi and grabbed a burger from MOS Burger. I was starving.

Tomorrow’s forecast calls for 100% rain.