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Ride VeloViewer tiling in Japan

Here are the latest max square and cluster rankings for Japan, as reported by https://rakietowa.org/maxsquare/

If you know of others who are tiling but not in the Ride Every Tile club on Strava, perhaps encourage them to join. I'll drop Andrei a line - his square isn't so big, because he doesn't care to go out of his way to fill the gaps, but he likes to adventure and has a good cluster.


MAXSQUARE
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MAXCLUSTER
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My goal is to just try to make sure HFM doesn't double my max square. 😎 Guess I'd better start working on my max cluster too. It is only a quarter of HFM's. THIS SHALL NOT STAND!! (maybe)
 
So, how kayak-able is Tokyo Bay? :rolleyes:

That might be the only way to challenge @Karl . Past one year, @Karl has been on a tiling rampage.

On a separate topic, does anyone of you use audio turn by turn instructions (I don't have a bike computer).
 
So, how kayak-able is Tokyo Bay? :rolleyes:

That might be the only way to challenge @Karl . Past one year, @Karl has been on a tiling rampage.

On a separate topic, does anyone of you use audio turn by turn instructions (I don't have a bike computer).

I don't use turn by turn. Annoying. I just zoom in on the map if a confusing turn is coming up. Course, I have been known to take the wrong turn with some frequency.:oops:

"Karl has been on a tiling rampage." Not exactly a rampage. More like an extended, crazed, stumble. But it was a fun stumble.
 
Welcome to the world of tiling! It is definitely addictive, but there could be worse things to be addicted to.

If you haven't already done, and you don't mind, could you make your VV stats public?
 
does anyone of you use audio turn by turn instructions (I don't have a bike computer).
You mean on goooglemaps or in Stravr app? I use Garmin Edge, and on that I just follow the line I've etched onto the map rather than turn-by-turn instructions. I must confess that this results in me often missing beautiful scenes of power transmission lines and pachinko parlors, because I spent too much time watching the screen.
there could be worse things to be addicted to
<🎵>
There are worse things I could do
Than go with a boy or two
Even though the neighborhood thinks I'm trashy and no-good
(I suppose it could be true)
But there are worse things I could do

</🎵>
 
So, how kayak-able is Tokyo Bay? :rolleyes:

That might be the only way to challenge @Karl . Past one year, @Karl has been on a tiling rampage.

On a separate topic, does anyone of you use audio turn by turn instructions (I don't have a bike computer).
I use Navitime for bicycles (and自転車NAVITIME) it's terrible (but still better than my navigational skills <for wont of better word>).
 
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I signed up to Veloviewer a little while ago...this looks insanely addictive. Definitely some gaps that I can fill 'on the way' to and from work, for starters :)

Player 3 has entered the game!

Welcome and enjoy your stay. If you haven't already, read all the blog entries at VV blog and let your work productivity go to shit.
 
You mean on goooglemaps or in Stravr app? I use Garmin Edge, and on that I just follow the line I've etched onto the map rather than turn-by-turn instructions. I must confess that this results in me often missing beautiful scenes of power transmission lines and pachinko parlors, because I spent too much time watching the screen.

Well, my predicament is that I don't own a bike computer and use strava to navigate. The cellphone goes in my back pocket. There were time when I used a handlebar cellphone mount but I just find them hideous; can't do it anymore (no offence to anyone). Now I'm thinking of something that gives me turn by turn instructions (via bluetooth earphone) so I don't spend half the day looking at my screen. This becomes a problem especially on Tiling expeditions.
 
So, how kayak-able is Tokyo Bay? :rolleyes:
Scary. I did one (heavily wind-assisted) run through the shallows just north of the anchorage, and that was enough for me. A kayak vs. those huge ships chugging in and out of Chiba... wouldn't even leave a smear.

If it were safe, it would be a good way to complete a few more lines. I don't suppose the traffic changes much even around New Year.


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I will, one day, rent a kayak for Lake Kasumigaura. I was all set to paddle back in September, but they happened to be fully-booked that day.

My first two missing tiles (on the west) could be grabbed with a 300-m swim from shore. The next two wouldn't need much more. Kayak rental place is the marina at Tsuchiura, though. Nothing ventured...

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The weather forecast was too good to resist, so I threw Niner in the van and drove a 270 km round-trip to hit some rindō in Tochigi. I had a couple of rides loaded in Garmin, but could only manage the first one - a grand total of 22 km and I was knackered by the end of it.

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This increased my VV MaxSquare from 48*48 to 49*49. I had hoped to reach 50*50 within 2019, but I found a lot of excuses along the way. The tiles will still be there next year. Driving all that way for such a short ride is not sustainable - about ¥9000 in fuel and tolls. I'll have to plan better and do some multi-day camping in the future, to increase my tiling-to-transit ratio and reduce costs.

Quite foggy on the expenseway. It was starting to burn off by the time I got rolling, and was gone when I reached the foot of the mountains. the rindō were in poor condition - variously swampy, rocky, slippery, or non-existent. That block of four tiles on the map was hard-won.

Spinning around, unlocking the suspension, and letting Niner do her stuff on the downhills made it all worth it. Wheeee...

Only one casualty: Eric the Reflective Reindeer was a present from a friend. I hung him from the drawstring on my saddlebag, and even took a photo of how much filthy fun he was having. Didn't think much more about him until I realized he was gone. My guess is that with the suspension activated the rear wheel travelled enough to knock him off :(. I can only hope that he's happy now, living free in the forest. (If anyone wants to go look for him...)

Looking forward to more new adventures in Twenty-Twenty

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Saw your ride on Strava. Looked like lots of hiking involved, but those are the best tiles... the ones you really have to push to get. And, with the new Niner, I can't imagine how fast you are on the downhills. Looks like a really fun bike.

Congrats on the 49x49 max square. I'm still at 28x28 :( Trying to knock out some city tiles this winter and return to the mountains in the spring and summer...mainly Chichibu area and Fuji. Goal is 500 new tiles in 2020.

@Half-Fast Mike said, "I'll have to plan better and do some multi-day camping in the future,"

Yep. Been thinking the same thing. I'm finding I'm spending more and more time on the trains just to get a handful of tiles. Have done stealth camping only once while in Japan, but thinking I'm gonna have to either start doing it more, or start doing overnights in hotels. Otherwise, the tile to time/cost ratio is too low.

Here's to an injury free, max-square-optimum 2020. 🍾
 
The Minami alps are an area I have oft admired from the other side of Yamanashi. Anyways, some pointers to anyone else bonkers enough to attempt this in winter. Original plan was:

The rt 152 approach from the south is closed to winter according to the toyota site and from streetview looks like the tunnel can be fully locked off. Google maps claims by car one can drive through the pass via Yashajin touge - so this was the original plan (as I found out - this route is absolutely not traversible by car in winter...)

Got up at 3, rode the 40km in the dark to get to Tachikawa, got on the first train to Kofu. Rode from Kofu through the town of Minami-Alps and up to Yashajin Toge around 1500m. Top area had a bunch of cars parked for hiking but bus service is closed for winter, and the gate is closed to cars - but not to hikers / bikes.
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Yashajin touge is an amazingly scenic ridge line especially in winter with no traffic! Really recommend it... with the right tires. It alternated between clear pavement and ice/snow. But around 1400 meters it was rideable - with caution. Made decent time and still had hope of finishing the original route. Some sketchy ice in and around the tunnels.
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The touge intersects the Norogawa Hirokawara Information Center at km 44 in the route (closed for winter). Beyond another closed gate is the hiking trail for Mt. Kita (second highest mountain in Japan - 3193m!) , clear views earlier in the day:
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At this point nobody - car or hiker - had been this trail, just deer and monkey footprints. The road was paved but snow cover kept increasing and I had to push the bike going up after 45km.
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At 1800 meters up (50km in the ride with gps route), time was going to be pretty tight in case there were any other surprises like fully blocked off tunnels. So decided to turn around and head back via Yashajin Touge. Glad I brought a surplus of food. After leaving the main town of Minami-arupusu , all the vending machines were closed for winter.
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Riding down was much more fun. Walking up bike tracks on the left, fishtailing my way down on the right:
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Got back to the touge entrance and it was all clear pavement down from there. Mind blowing mountains out there. Maybe a better ride for spring though!
 
@sean-e Heck of a ride. I've avoided the mountains since mid December due to the fact they are COLD and ICY. You have duly shamed me. Looks beautiful up there. Glad you got back safe and sound.
 
It was surprisingly warm on the ridge yesterday - I brought a lot of extra clothes and some emergency heat packs just in case but got away with no gloves when climbing. Sun was making the snow slushy and hard to climb up around noon.

Last couple of weeks my hands have been freezing on descents, so I got these new overgloves from MontBell that look silly, but worked great - hands were toasty on the way down!
 
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