This year, seeking new fields for new adventures and encounters, we decided to hold RIDEALIVE 2017 four times a year.
The first was in Mie, “Bike to Hike and Bike,” and the second was in Hamamatsu, “Waterside Summer Vacation.”
Then last week, the "Toe to Top" event held in Yatsugatake also miraculously enjoyed perfect weather and came to a successful close. I, TAKA, also participated in "Toe to Top," and it was a fleeting three days where I felt a sense of the extraordinary and was reminded of the wisdom gained from play; it was filled with memorable scenery and experiences. I will be sharing a report on "Toe to Top" later, so please look forward to it.
And finally, next month on October 21st and 22nd, we head to Gifu for the final chapter of this year.
We are proposing a Japanese-style bike packing trip where we ride old roads, visit post towns, and touch upon history and culture.
Let’s experience the charm of Gifu—a field we have yet to see—together with RAL!
The trio guiding you through this final chapter, the Gifu edition, will be EDIT’s Motonobu Nakamura (Kantoku), who handles the RAL logo design; our familiar friend WELLDONE’s Takashi Inoue (Inocchi); and myself, Takahide Kato (TAKA) from Circles, who is originally from Gifu.
“An ancient pond, / A frog jumps in, / The sound of water.”
I'm sure you all know this haiku by Matsuo Basho, famous for "The Narrow Road to the Deep North" (Oku no Hosomichi). The Nakasendo trail, which Basho himself used on his travels, will be the stage for our first day.
There are about three post towns on the Nakasendo between Ena and Mitake, and once you step onto the road connecting them, you can feel as if you’ve traveled back in time. We will be staying at Yamananya, a mountain cabin cafe, located near the legendary "Gobotaki Falls," where the master swordsman Miyamoto Musashi is said to have trained. *Please note this is not a tent stay, so even camping beginners can rest easy. After we arrive, it’s party time! We’re planning to liven things up with a barbecue, a drum-can bath, and a campfire, with DJ sets by Kantoku and Inocchi.
Photo: Yamananya
The setting for the second day will be Yaotsu town, located in the north of Kani City and Mitake town.
Yaotsu town, blessed with vast nature, has many sights to see.
Trails, a dam, a rice cracker factory tour, the Chiune Sugihara Memorial Hall, and so much more...
We will distribute a RAL map featuring these attractions in Yaotsu, so let’s complete your own original “BOKU NO HOSOMICHI” (My Narrow Road).
Once you’ve completed your BOKU NO HOSOMICHI, you should find yourself at the famous Kani establishment “Engiya.”
A fun banquet awaits, using our shared memories of the two days as the perfect accompaniment.
This is the final chapter of RIDEALIVE/BOKU NO HOSOMICHI, which we three have planned to get you out to places you wouldn't normally ride and to have a truly fun time with Gifu as our stage. Please look forward to it!
For event details, please check here.
on the special RIDEALIVE website,
so don't miss it!!