With RIDEALIVE having visited Mie and Shizuoka already this year, it looks like everyone is having a great time in the good weather. It brings back memories of the heavy rain we had last year...
Now, before we head to Gifu, it’s time for the special edition I’ll be hosting here at SimWorks: Yatsugatake. As the name "Special Edition" suggests, it’s a setup that’s difficult to join to begin with—unlike our other rounds—but there are certain ways to play that require that level of effort to truly enjoy.
At Circles, we have a corner on the first floor stocked with outdoor gear that you wouldn’t typically expect in a bike shop, and I love browsing it. Playing in nature—be it in the mountains or by the sea—really makes you realize how many things protect you and how comfortable the environment is in your everyday life at home or in the city. Outdoor gear is like a collection of wisdom for surviving in harsh environments, and because these products are born from a clear intent to solve specific problems, I find it fascinating to decipher the reasoning behind them.
Bikepacking, a long-touring style that involves carefully selecting necessary gear and finding creative ways to load it so you can travel further and faster, is currently gaining attention. But this concept originated from the movement known as Ultralight (U.L.) hiking. With U.L., it is even more critical to have a deep understanding of your equipment, identify what is truly necessary, and adapt to your environment through ingenuity and resourcefulness. That spark of insight, born from experience and careful consideration, is the very theme of this trip as we explore the mountains from the foothills to the summit.
For this mountain tour, I’ve asked Natsume-san from "Yamatomichi" to be our hiking guide. Since priorities in the mountains vary from person to person, U.L. has developed in a more personal direction, with people often creating their own gear rather than relying on mass-produced items. Among the many garage brands that have emerged, I believe Yamatomichi continues to garner such strong support because they have genuinely spent years walking, thinking, and repeating the process of trial and error in the mountains. This is summarized in the "Production Notes" on their product pages, which make for a very interesting read.
Their 5-POCKETS SHORTS, another iconic product alongside their backpacks, are fantastic for cycling, and I’ve worn them on every long ride lately. I was deeply intrigued by how Yamatomichi intentionally turned shorts—often considered a "no-go" for the mountains—into a product. When I visited their atelier in Kamakura, I was thrilled that we could bond over the idea that going into the mountains is directly connected to our daily lives and society. Even though our methods and formats differ, it felt very close to the things I think about through Circles and cycling.
This year, as part of their "HIKE / LIFE / COMMUNITY" project, Yamatomichi is holding a tour across Japan. They finished the Eastern Japan leg in July, and it looks like the Western Japan leg will kick off after our TOE to TOP event.
The other day, as a warm-up for Yatsugatake, I participated in their session held at book&cafe nabo. in Ueda. It was about 86km with 2000m of climbing from Matsumoto, over the Utsukushigahara Plateau, to the streets of Ueda. Unfortunately, Utsukushigahara was blanketed in fog, so visibility was poor, but we rode our bikes as far as we could and pushed them along the trail. Along the way, I was even able to stop by a friend’s house in Bessho Onsen—it was an interesting route that allowed us to leverage both bikes and hiking.
RIDEALIVE 2017 TOE to TOP will be held over three weekdays. The challenge starts with simply making the time for it at work. You’ll need to be capable of riding a bike a fair distance and hiking in the mountains. This might not be a "hard-core" adventure like going from the sea to the mountains, nor is it a race that will bring you great glory, but I want to prioritize the circumstances necessary to face the mountains on our own human scale.
Honestly, I never even imagined I would climb Yatsugatake—that mountain I looked up at during Nobeyama CX and whose vast foothills amazed me during the Hakushu Forest Bikerally—so this will be quite a challenge for me as well. Cyclists, let’s see what lies beyond where the roads end. Hikers, let’s enjoy an entire mountain from top to bottom. I look forward to welcoming those who are ready to share in the experience that awaits us.
Event OverviewRIDEALIVE 2017 SP
TOE to TOP
September 13-15, 2017 (Wed-Fri) – Event held rain or shine
Meeting: September 13 (Wed) 12:00 at Kobuchizawa Station
Dismissal: September 15 (Fri) around 20:00 at Kobuchizawa StationRoute:
13th (Wed): Kobuchizawa → BIKE → Takizawa Bokujo (Campsite)
14th (Thu): Takizawa Bokujo → BIKE → Inago-yu → HIKE → Oren Hut (Campsite)
15th (Fri): Oren Hut → HIKE → Inago-yu → BIKE → KiyosatoEntry Requirements
Must be able to ride 100km+ on a bike loaded with most of your camping gear.
Must be able to maintain 7 hours of activity per day during a 2-night tent stay.※I’ll be doing a test ride soon, so I expect there may be some changes.
For event details & registration, click here:
http://ral.life/ridealive2017
It seems Natsume-san is starting by waking up a bicycle he hasn’t used in years.
