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Ride VeloViewer tiling in Japan

Wednesday: took a day off from work and went for a ride. This is becoming quite a regular thing for me, as I have an embarrassment of accumulated paid days. I like it. Left home at 05:30 and drove my van to the depths of Chiba's Bōsō Peninsula, parking-up on a convenient patch of gravel I spotted on StreetView.

I expected this ride to have steep bits, gravelly bits, and to generally be tough. A job for the Niner, then. My Niner hadn't been ridden since October, except for a very brief post-maintenance check last weekend.

Embarking on my voyage, almost the first thing that happened was that the front derailleur stopped shifting. Fortunately it stuck in the small ring. I was thus effectively on a 1x for the rest of the day. Not a problem, given the terrain. I can get by with the free hub not engaging while plummeting.

After an initial paved downhill, things immediately went steeply up and rather muddy. I'd missed this kind of riding - blood pumping in my ears, wondering where the next can of coffee is coming from. ["Mustn't knacker my knees... mustn't knacker my knees"] That first climb felt like it would go on forever, but of course it didn't - 155 m over 1.7 km was average 10.8%, max 18.6%. But on gravel/mud the intensity is much greater than on smooth tarmac.

Most times when I got up to the top of a hill I found myself in drizzle/cloud. It didn't explicitly rain on me, but many roads that I rode had clearly experienced recent showers. I was mostly lucky with the weather.

20210630-083417-Exploring-Kanaya-Lumpy-Loop.jpg
What goes up must come down! For the first time in a long time I engaged mountain bike mode: standing on the pedals, knees bent, backside stuck out over the back wheel. Wheeeee.....

20210630-085844-Exploring-Kanaya-Lumpy-Loop.jpg
I saw a lot of these drive-in wildlife traps. I guess they are to catch deer. I saw deer too, but they were skittish and ran away before I could get any photographs of them. I must say the bait, which looks like sawdust, doesn't look terribly appetizing. Well... I'm not a deer, but I didn't see any sprung traps with deer in either.

20210630-100318-Exploring-Kanaya-Lumpy-Loop.jpg
Random rindō tōge = more fun downhill for Mike.

20210630-110054-Exploring-Kanaya-Lumpy-Loop.jpg
Another frequent sight was exposed strata in the cliffs. This area of Bōsō is part of the North Awa Mountains, which developed on strongly folded and faulted marine Ogliocene and Mesozoic ricks: principally sandstone and mudstone. This is @hat and beard's former stomping ground, and I fondly remember the 'Chiba Off-Road Death March' ride he led for a few fearless fellows... gosh Josh nearly six years ago. [Perhaps @bloaker remembers, too?]

20210630-124603-Exploring-Kanaya-Lumpy-Loop.jpg
Made a little detour to cross a bridge over a lake. Was not disappointed.

20210630-131045-Exploring-Kanaya-Lumpy-Loop.jpg
One tile I needed would require a short hike on a marked trail. The trail involved a lot of sandstone steps. It was drizzling here, as I parked the bike and started climbing stairs. The spot pictured above was particularly narrow, damp and overgrown. Turns out this is a classic Leech Alley.

20210630-131523-Exploring-Kanaya-Lumpy-Loop.jpg
Yup. Amazingly, this was my first [knowing] encounter with actual leeches, rather than the metaphorical kind, i.e., real estate agents or my own adult children. Now I have to burn those shoes. Yuk. I might not have noticed until later, except one of them was a bit rough while trying to suck on me through my sock. FWIW, they taste like chicken.

20210630-153129-Exploring-Kanaya-Lumpy-Loop.jpg
After the hike, I rode 17 km more to my van, and then drove to Iwai beach. A further 12 km on the bike to collect three stray tiles, and I was done. I took a quick dip in the sea to sluice off the worst of the sweat, changed clothes discretely, and headed home. Satisfied with a well-planned and well-executed pair of rides, collecting 23 and 3 new tiles, respectively.

waterwheel.gif
Random things seen away from the beaten track, #1.

And the progress GIF you've all been waiting for. Chiba Total Invasion is within reach...
kanaya lumpy.gif

Stravr:
https://www.strava.com/activities/5551286655 (Kanaya Lumpy Loop)
https://www.strava.com/activities/5551466479 (Iwai Beach Recovery Loop)

Notes to self: (1) Check FD and cable; (2) incinerate shoes.
 
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View attachment 31891
I saw a lot of these drive-in wildlife traps. I guess they are to catch deer.
Based on the height of that steel trap I suspect it's meant for イノシシ (wild boar), not deer. Or it could be for monkeys. It wouldn't be tall enough for all deer. If you google for boar traps, you will find very similar looking models - less sophisticated versions of what's described here (notice the sawdust like feed in the picture in the linked article).
 
Jürgen Knupe has completed his cluster corridor from the Mediterranean to the Baltic Sea.

Pacific to Japan Sea anyone? ;)
 
Pacific to Japan Sea anyone?
Dammit, Joe. You're setting Mike traps! It wouldn't take too much. There's only one tile I can see that requires a hike out of Karuizawa - and that's a nice day trip from GS Astuto. Otherwise rideable. A few days of flitting up and down the sides of river valleys. Dammit.
 
Dammit, Joe. You're setting Mike traps! It wouldn't take too much. There's only one tile I can see that requires a hike out of Karuizawa - and that's a nice day trip from GS Astuto. Otherwise rideable. A few days of flitting up and down the sides of river valleys. Dammit.
Seeing that you're almost done with Chiba... ;)

I have only done one coast to coast ride so far, so just a single row of tiles after about Kumagaya. For me that covers less than half the needed distance. Widening the single track to three tiles wide for the rest of the distance would take at least 300-500 km I reckon.
 
Seeing that you're almost done with Chiba... ;)
Yes, it is an intriguing idea. Fun to plan, anyway.

Three nice rides out of Annaka would create a nice sturdy corridor to Karuizawa. On the other side I've plotted a 300 km, +5400 m route that would complete the job; three or four days of riding, I guess.

1625195125928.png
 
Jürgen Knupe has completed his cluster corridor
> several times I thought: "Jürgen, WTF are you doing here? This is now getting really stupid and dangerous!"
> But after checking the maps you notice, there is only this one crazy way to get into this tile – so you HAVE to do it! 😉


I identify with this so much.
 
> several times I thought: "Jürgen, WTF are you doing here? This is now getting really stupid and dangerous!"
> But after checking the maps you notice, there is only this one crazy way to get into this tile – so you HAVE to do it! 😉


I identify with this so much.
Tiling has become a fun pastime obsession over the past couple years. So many plans, so little time. But my most memorable and dangerous tile was this one. To get he extra 100 meters I would have had to walk on a narrow ridgeline with nearly vertical drop offs on both sides. Signs warning of the danger. No ropes. It was about the only time I've turned around with only 100 meters to go. (Bagged the tile from the south on a later ride.)

I hesitate to think about how many hours or how much money I've spent on tiling since I started. (I know it must pale in comparison to @Half-Fast Mike ) But it has been well worth it.

Screen Shot 2021-07-03 at 8.28.40.png


 
FWIW, I spent yesterday working on tiling in the NE area of Tokyo. Started the day under cloud cover, so "Who needs sunscreen or arm protection?" But by 8:00 suddenly it was bright sunshine that lasted all day (contrary to weather reports). Didn't wear sun protection. Good news....88 brand spanking new tiles. Bad news, I can probably be featured in an advert for Red Lobster.

This area of Tokyo is mostly urban sprawl. Did not inspire even one picture. Hats off to Half-Fast Mike who has managed to tile all of the sprawl. Better man than I am.
 
This area of Tokyo is mostly urban sprawl. Did not inspire even one picture.
My rule of thumb is, if I didn't take at least one picture in 50 km then something has gone seriously wrong with the ride or it's night time!

Once you move further from the completely builtup areas of eastern Tokyo / urban Saitama it gets better again, but even the urban areas have interesting details, such as some old shōtengai (shopping street) or local shrines.

I have not explored the industrial parts of Chiba near Tokyo bay yet, only crossed them by car on the way to or from Narita airport. My expectations there are pretty low I have to admit, but I also found the ugly industrial parts of Kawasaki extremely interesting.

But my most memorable and dangerous tile was this one. To get he extra 100 meters I would have had to walk on a narrow ridgeline with nearly vertical drop offs on both sides. Signs warning of the danger. No ropes. It was about the only time I've turned around with only 100 meters to go. (Bagged the tile from the south on a later ride.)
I have not done anything stupidly risky yet to bag a tile. About the worst was pushing my bike on a washed out, collapsed road past several "road closed" signs or gates. In that sort of place, if you were to break a leg it could be weeks before a hiker might find what's left of you.
 
"My rule of thumb is, if I didn't take at least one picture in 50 km then something has gone seriously wrong with the ride or it's night time!"

The mountains have spoiled me. Always seems to be something surprising and beautiful up there. I could take pictures about every 10 feet. Just not inspired by city, but yesterday was especially uninspiring. Might have been partially because I was pushing to get the ride over and get out of the sun and heat.
 
Kasukabe, Saitama is not without some interesting spots - I found two worth a panorama photo. Maybe they've since been torn down for disrupting the 'wa of bleh'.
Yes. Those two spots would certainly have been the highlights of yesterday's ride. (But I'm not going back to find them.)
 
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Wednesday: took a day off from work and went for a ride. This is becoming quite a regular thing for me, as I have an embarrassment of accumulated paid days. I like it. Left home at 05:30 and drove my van to the depths of Chiba's Bōsō Peninsula, parking-up on a convenient patch of gravel I spotted on StreetView.

I expected this ride to have steep bits, gravelly bits, and to generally be tough. A job for the Niner, then. My Niner hadn't been ridden since October, except for a very brief post-maintenance check last weekend.

Embarking on my voyage, almost the first thing that happened was that the front derailleur stopped shifting. Fortunately it stuck in the small ring. I was thus effectively on a 1x for the rest of the day. Not a problem, given the terrain. I can get by with the free hub not engaging while plummeting.

After an initial paved downhill, things immediately went steeply up and rather muddy. I'd missed this kind of riding - blood pumping in my ears, wondering where the next can of coffee is coming from. ["Mustn't knacker my knees... mustn't knacker my knees"] That first climb felt like it would go on forever, but of course it didn't - 155 m over 1.7 km was average 10.8%, max 18.6%. But on gravel/mud the intensity is much greater than on smooth tarmac.

Most times when I got up to the top of a hill I found myself in drizzle/cloud. It didn't explicitly rain on me, but many roads that I rode had clearly experienced recent showers. I was mostly lucky with the weather.

View attachment 31890
What goes up must come down! For the first time in a long time I engaged mountain bike mode: standing on the pedals, knees bent, backside stuck out over the back wheel. Wheeeee.....

View attachment 31891
I saw a lot of these drive-in wildlife traps. I guess they are to catch deer. I saw deer too, but they were skittish and ran away before I could get any photographs of them. I must say the bait, which looks like sawdust, doesn't look terribly appetizing. Well... I'm not a deer, but I didn't see any sprung traps with deer in either.

View attachment 31892
Random rindō tōge = more fun downhill for Mike.

View attachment 31893
Another frequent sight was exposed strata in the cliffs. This area of Bōsō is part of the North Awa Mountains, which developed on strongly folded and faulted marine Ogliocene and Mesozoic ricks: principally sandstone and mudstone. This is @hat and beard's former stomping ground, and I fondly remember the 'Chiba Off-Road Death March' ride he led for a few fearless fellows... gosh Josh nearly six years ago. [Perhaps @bloaker remembers, too?]

View attachment 31894
Made a little detour to cross a bridge over a lake. Was not disappointed.

View attachment 31895
One tile I needed would require a short hike on a marked trail. The trail involved a lot of sandstone steps. It was drizzling here, as I parked the bike and started climbing stairs. The spot pictured above was particularly narrow, damp and overgrown. Turns out this is a classic Leech Alley.

View attachment 31896
Yup. Amazingly, this was my first [knowing] encounter with actual leeches, rather than the metaphorical kind, i.e., real estate agents or my own adult children. Now I have to burn those shoes. Yuk. I might not have noticed until later, except one of them was a bit rough while trying to suck on me through my sock. FWIW, they taste like chicken.

View attachment 31897
After the hike, I rode 17 km more to my van, and then drove to Iwai beach. A further 12 km on the bike to collect three stray tiles, and I was done. I took a quick dip in the sea to sluice off the worst of the sweat, changed clothes discretely, and headed home. Satisfied with a well-planned and well-executed pair of rides, collecting 23 and 3 new tiles, respectively.

View attachment 31898
Random things seen away from the beaten track, #1.

And the progress GIF you've all been waiting for. Chiba Total Invasion is within reach...
View attachment 31899

Stravr:
https://www.strava.com/activities/5551286655 (Kanaya Lumpy Loop)
https://www.strava.com/activities/5551466479 (Iwai Beach Recovery Loop)

Notes to self: (1) Check FD and cable; (2) incinerate shoes.
Have to be careful when out in the wilderness. Not sure if you have wild boars there, but when I went trout fishing with a guide in Tottori, the guide pointed out a wild board trap just in time before I was stepping into it. I took a picture of it and posted it on the blog here, I guess you might have seen it.
 
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