日本夏2025年

May 30, 2025

日本夏2025年 - Day 25
June 25, 2025
Joetsu to Sakaki - 111 Km
Start 7:45 AM
Finish 5:46 PM
Total Duration 10:01
Moving Time 6:59

Stopped Time 3:03
Ascent 1,079 m
Descent 718 m
Tour Total 2,812 Km
Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/300186654

I slept well beside the large pond at Jouetsushiikoinomori Dai 3 Campground, just outside Joetsu. The frogs croaked loudly through the night, so I wore earplugs. It was warm enough to leave both tent flys open, and I only needed my silk liner. In the morning, I draped my sleeping bag over my eyes to squeeze in a few more hours of sleep, but once the sun hit, the tent quickly grew hot. Around me, other campers were already stirring. The site was actually on an island, and I had to cross a small bridge to return to the road.

Back on my route, I discovered my Wahoo GPS couldn’t load the track—“Route not found.” I’d have to rely on my phone for navigation. It drains power quickly and isn’t ideal, since the screen doesn’t stay on. I continued along a rural two-lane highway with moderate traffic. The sky was overcast, a massive mountain range looming to the southwest. It was muggy and warm—just my shirt today—and I knew I’d be climbing. After all, Nagano is Japan’s highest elevation prefectural capital.

I passed an abundance of shrines and temples, torii gates, and stone lanterns. Gardens, both large and small, spilled out from the homes along the road. This is a nation of growers.

I rode through a strange little town called Inada, with covered sidewalks that looked like they were built in the '50s or '60s. Sterile but oddly compelling. I crossed the Seki River via the broad Inada Bridge.

After missing a turn and riding several blocks off course, I stopped to adjust my Ride with GPS notification settings, hoping to avoid a repeat.

Soon I reached Takada Castle Park, complete with a wide moat and cherry blossom viewing signage. I admired the elegant Gokuraku Bridge and caught a glimpse of the compact, three-turreted castle. A Starbucks sat across the street. I passed the JGSDF Camp Takigahara military base and continued on.

Small villages lined the way, each anchored by a tidy temple with a torii gate and shimenawa rope. The care paid to every home was astonishing—trimmed hedges, flower beds, stone lanterns, miniature shrines, even artful stacks of rocks. Everything looked intentional.

I found myself on a quiet, narrow two-lane road running parallel to a train line, with a river just beyond.

In Myoko, I stopped at a 7-Eleven for a Craft Boss latte and two doughnuts—one sugar-coated, one chocolate-covered. It was sweltering and humid. I was soaked in sweat.

At a T-intersection, I turned right and immediately began climbing. I passed an old, defunct ski lift. It was 10 AM and I’d already ridden 31 km. Jagged snow-covered peaks loomed ahead.

On National Route 18, I spotted a sign: “Nagano – 53 km.” I had ridden 38 km by 10:30 AM. The next town was Myoko, where the clouds thickened and mist drifted across the road. It began to drizzle—a welcome relief in the oppressive humidity. I passed ski resort signs as I climbed.

The day’s first tunnel, the 338-meter Kewaizaka Tunnel, had a ridable sidewalk. Then I crossed the massive Shin-Etsu-Ohashi Bridge over the Seki River valley. The Joshin-Etsu Expressway ran beside me on a separate span, and a smaller green truss bridge sat below. I officially entered Nagano Prefecture—known as the “roof of Japan.”

I passed the shuttered Victoria Love Hotel, then rode through the Nojiri Tunnel, which also had a wide sidewalk. I stopped for a photo with a life-size elephant monument advertising the Nojiri Elephant Museum. From there, I left Route 18.

I rode alongside Lake Nojiri. A “Japan Alps Cycling” sign pointed the way, and blue chevrons were painted on the pavement. Traffic was light. The sun had returned, and at noon I heard the bells toll.

By 12:22 PM I was back on Route 18. I’d ridden 61 km and was 28 km from Nagano. I spotted a Japanese rat snake slithering across the road.

The climb continued on Route 37. I passed apple orchards, rice paddies, and cedar groves in the distance. Then came the 1,400-meter-long Sakanaka Tunnel, and beyond that, the downhill began—I had crossed the pass. Nagano stretched out in the valley below.

Before heading into town, I visited Zenkō-ji, a 1,400-year-old temple. The highlight was the O-Kaidan Tour, a pitch-black tunnel where I guided myself with my right hand along the wall. At one point, the line paused at a metal bar everyone was trying to touch, and we all bumped into each other in the dark.

I also visited the Kyōzō Scripture Hall, home to a complete set of Buddhist texts on a massive revolving bookshelf. The attendant invited me to turn it once for the equivalent spiritual merit of having read the entire five-ton collection. Finally, I climbed the Sanmon Gate for a view over the grounds.

In town, I stopped at Saikōji, a small temple nestled between buildings. Then I made my way to Nobunaga for a bowl of miso ramen noko tsukemen and a beer.

Afterward, I got on busy four-lane Route 17 and crossed the Nagano-Ohashi Bridge over the Saigawa River, surrounded by mountains. I passed apple and peach orchards, where the peaches were wrapped in paper. Grape arbors lined the road.

Following the Chikuma River, I reached the levee, only to find it under construction. I had to keep detouring.

Eventually, I joined the Ueda-Chikuma-Nagano Cycling Path, heading upstream into a headwind. The sprawl faded as the steep valley walls pressed in. I saw people fishing in the river to my left. This was a fine way to cross Honshu.

I’d hit my 100 km goal and began scouting for a place to camp. The next campground was too far. I hoped to find a quiet spot by the river. A nearby park didn’t offer any cover, but I spotted a 7-Eleven and stopped for supplies.

As rain threatened, I pitched my tent on a concrete embankment behind some bushes by the river—just in time. As the first drops began to fall, I crawled inside and began editing this report.