Yabitsu Toge & Kiyokawa Mura

[Mike]

I went up to Yabitsu Toge via R64 and through a gated forest road over Kiyokawa Mura yesterday. Actually it was the second time in two days I did the same ride as I wanted to enjoy the leaves before they all fall to the ground.
It is a great ride, with some really good climbing, especially through Kiyokawa Mura on a 13km road with no traffic. I almost went again today, that's how beautiful it is up there.
With the weather getting colder I suppose it won't be long before the mountains are off limits for me. Yes I am a whimp, but even with such as nice day it was already around 7 degrees up there yesterday.
I've attached a few pics. Hope you like them,

Mike

p.s. Thomas, by the sounds of your ride on R76 you should have come with me yesterday! Let's go riding soon.

 

[cinelli]

hello mike

i always thought that i know yabitsu pretty good - but from where is the 64 coming to yabits pass?
but anyhow your pic's are really great! and i really would enjoyed going out today instead of spending a day in front of my pc and onl watching out....
how long is the trip in overall?

cheers
christoph

I went up to Yabitsu Toge via R64 and through a gated forest road over Kiyokawa Mura yesterday. Actually it was the second time in two days I did the same ride as I wanted to enjoy the leaves before they all fall to the ground.
It is a great ride, with some really good climbing, especially through Kiyokawa Mura on a 13km road with no traffic. I almost went again today, that's how beautiful it is up there.
With the weather getting colder I suppose it won't be long before the mountains are off limits for me. Yes I am a whimp, but even with such as nice day it was already around 7 degrees up there yesterday.
I've attached a few pics. Hope you like them,

Mike

p.s. Thomas, by the sounds of your ride on R76 you should have come with me yesterday! Let's go riding soon.

 

[thomas]

p.s. Thomas, by the sounds of your ride on R76 you should have come with me yesterday! Let's go riding soon.

Thanks for the report, Mike! I have to agree with Christoph, your pics look fabulous. Paved roads, what a luxury!

I am always available on Saturdays, so any time. :bike:

 

[Mike]

I'm not sure how to operate that Google Map everyone seems to use so I'll try to explain it Christoph.

If you're coming from Atsugi toward Miyagase Dam on R64, there's a service road on the left just before the short climb up to the dam. That's the one I used and it connects to R70.

If you want to add more climbing it's possible to head up the Nakatsu River from Atsugi to Hanbara, over Aikawa machi by a very steep climb, then cross R64 and get onto the road I used yesterday. From My place, Yamato, it's about a 100km trip. So I guess from 246 near Hon Atsugi it would be around 80km round trip. If you went the Hanbara way I guess about 100km.

So Thomas and Christoph and anyone else that is interested, if the weather is fine let's do it next weekend!

What do you think?
Mike

 

[WhiteGiant]

The missing link...!

Hey Mike, Christoph...
I looked at the map, and I think I found the road that mike was talking about.
Check it out here!
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/japan/tokyo/129119023

Indeed, there is a service road that cuts across. The elevation from one side to the other is not so different, but it looks like there are a lot of up & downs.
On my "Super Mapple" map, the road is complete, but on "Google Maps", it looks like two dead-end roads that never join - I did the best I could to fill in the gaps as accurately as possible.

By the way, if anyone's interested, I'm thinking of a ride out that way this Saturday that will hopefully take in Mike's new scenic route AND Philip's "Tanzawa-ko" ride, with the return course along Rte.413.

It will be slightly daring, in that there will be roads that none of us have ever been on before (maybe Pucci in his dafter days), so it may include some "cyclo-cross" action - It may even be the route that Thomas got lost on last weekend ???

I'll endeavour to get a map of the course happening in the near future.
In the meantime... Is anyone interested?
Travis

 

[Mike]

Thanks for the map Travis. That's the road I was talking about. The first 4kms are pretty steep then it basically rolls up and down.

That sounds like a huge day and I am definitely keen to join you and take you over my new route and then continue exploring.

I know a really nice route all the way up the Nakatsu river（中津川） from HonAtsugi, away from traffic and mostly through rice fields and along the river bank. What do you reckon? head up the river and then go over the climb from R412 to 清川遠寿病院　that connects to R64. Can you see where I mean? It's almost opposite the start of the route you mapped for me. It makes some really nice climbing through thick forests. If your happy with this, then once we come onto R70 near Yabitsu Toge, we'll turn right and head toward R76 and more adventure! Of course we'll be hitting it from the opposite direction than Thomas and Christoph. How does this sound?

If we do this then the best meeting point would be on 246 (129) at the traffic light 病院前。

Here's my effort at mapping it out, at least the first half.
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/japan/tokyo/446737545