I recently went on a whirlwind trip to Matsumoto. I had various reasons for going, but this time I’ll briefly touch upon my cycling adventures, accompanied by some beautiful photos.
I parked my car near Asama Onsen, which is about 10 minutes from downtown Matsumoto. From there, I hopped on my bike and headed toward the Utsukushigahara Highlands. Utsukushigahara is a plateau located in the northwestern part of the Yatsugatake-Chushin Kogen Quasi-National Park, spanning across the cities of Matsumoto and Ueda, and the town of Nagawa in Nagano Prefecture. It is one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains.
I knew from looking at the map that it would be a decent climb, but just between us, I wanted to turn back immediately once I started and realized it was a relentless, soul-crushing ascent.
After conquering the endless uphill climb, we were rewarded with stunning scenery. The pain of the ascent quickly vanished, and everyone was all smiles. I only have fond memories of even the journey itself, encouraging one another with close friends.
Looking back, we climbed for over 20 km, reached an altitude of 2,000 meters, and were surrounded by vast, open grasslands. We all looked down at the city, realizing how far we’d come. After a quick refuel, we descended in about 30 minutes the same road we had taken nearly three hours to crawl up. My ears were ringing a bit, and insects were pinging off my sunglasses. If I’d opened my mouth while riding, I probably would have swallowed a hundred bugs.
On the way there, we met many other cyclists. They were all climbing at unbelievable speeds. We were all wearing T-shirts and shorts, but I like riding in such a laid-back style.
Needless to say, once we got back down to the city, we hit a public bath and spent the rest of the night drinking deep into the night in Matsumoto...
Once again, I was keenly reminded of what a great city Matsumoto is.
I want to go back.
