See you soon in London

BWC, Brompton World Championship 2015, will be a week away.

Yesterday I took a ride on the Imperial Palace Front Avenue in Tokyo.

Confirmed perfect settings!

I am ready to run.

Dear all the Brompton lovers who will run for the race, see you at Buckingham Palace.

Peach and Hot Spring

Day before yesterday five Bromptons gathered at JR Katsunuma Station to go for a peach and hot spring.

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Route JR Katsunuma Budokyo Station→Local Noodle Restarant→Nezu Memorial Museum→Kanoiwa Peach Shipping Yard→Kasugai Farm Product Shop→Iwashita Hot Spring→JR Yamanashi-shi Station (returning to Tokyo by train)
Distance　20km ( ascent：3.1km / descent：6.6km ) 

We arrived at Katsunuma Station under such wonderful blue sky.

We started a Brompton ride for riped peaches and the most historic hot spring in Yamanashi Prefecture to dip ourselves in at the end of today's trip.

My friends and their Bromptons followed me to seek the first peach supply point for us.

(photo by Aokihige)

Along the roads there were a lot of peach trees and riped peaches hunging.

We arrived at our first peach supply point, FRESH PEACH HOUSE MOMO ICHIBAN.

After free peach treatment (and purchasing), we restarted toward the restaurant FUNARI.

Soon we arrived at the Funari noodle restaurant to have lunch. Funari is famous for being rewarded the first prize at the HOTO noodle Championship in three consecutive years.

It tastes very good!

After lunch,we moved onto the next place, Nezu Memorial, to take a picture of the five Bromptons in a row.

We proceeded to the Kanoiwa peach shipment yard where farmers directly sell fresh and riped peachs for visitors.

We purchased a lot of peaches here and all the Bromptons were now fully loaded like this.

It took another 15 minutes. Here we go. We were in front of the Iwashita Hot Spring, today's final stop.

It is said that the Iwashita Hot Spring is about 1700 years old. The two-story building is relatively new but already 100-year old. 

 

The spring has continued to gush out here for more than 1700 years.

Then let's go back to Tokyo with a lot of peaches by train. What a wonderful (but very hot) day it is!

A hot spring experience deep in the mountain

Last Saturday Brompton and I went to Akayu Onsen, one of the most secluded hot springs located deep in the Kiyotsu River.

[data]
Distance: 27.1km (round trip)
Max difference in elevation: 293m
Acquired elevation: 812m

 



I got onto Shinkansen with brompton early in the morning. It took only 80 minutes from Tokyo to Echigo Yuzawa Station, 160km northwest of the Tokyo metropolitan area.

At Echigo Yuzawa Station I changed to the bus bound for the Naeba Ski Resort. It took just 30 minutes. The bus was full of the mountain-climbers.

Started riding in front of Naeba Prince Hotel.

In the mid July a wild hydrangea still bloomed in the high mountain.

After 5km ride on the unpaved hilly mountain road, there was a sign of road being closed but a bike.

Proceeded. Just after crossing the bridge, Brompton and I were surprised at a stunning mountain and river view.

The next 3km was relatively wild and hilly road but Brompton was still able to go.

Crossing one of the mountain streams, Bosawa. Water is shining and green is beautiful.

I left Brompton at the foot of the bridge and started to walk because the wild mountain path was waiting after Bosawa. I need to go over Takanosu Pass with an elevation of 1184m.

After an hour, a bridge suddenly appreared in my sight down there. The destination was close!

I caught up and talked to these climbers. They also wanted to dip themselves in the hot spring here.

I finally arrived at Akayu Onsen Hot Spring Yamaguchi Lodge. Yamaguchi family has managed this remote cottage deep in the mountain for the past hundred years. Many mountain climbers and hikers are familier with the hot spring and stay here to attack Naeba Mountain where is a holy place for the people from the anciant age.

What a beautiful day! It was a wonderful daytrip with Brompton in summer.