Do you remember the first time you went on a long bike ride?
I believe I was in the third grade of elementary school. In my childhood, I used to go fishing with my dad every weekend, and one time, when my father had his license suspended, we rode our bikes to go fishing at Iruka Pond in Inuyama City. I stuffed my fishing rod into my backpack, woke up early in the morning, and set off on my first cycling adventure. In the end, we returned home without catching any fish, but I still remember how I didn't care about the catch at all because of the sense of accomplishment I felt from having cycled a distance I had never traveled before.
Putting my personal story aside, I actually participated in Tour de Nippon in Nagoya over the past two days.
This time, I was entrusted with the role of a local guide. I helped with route planning and ride support for a two-day cycling trip covering about 77km, based in Nagoya and traveling through Nagakute, Toyota, Seto, and Inuyama, allowing participants to deepen their understanding of the regions visited by interacting with the local people, food, and culture.
For those who don't own a bike or are riding a sports bike for the first time, rental bikes are also available for these ride tours. This time, Circles also contributed with BIKEFRIDAY rental bikes. The Pocket Companion, in particular, is very easy for beginners to handle and can be folded for easy transport on trains, making it a very useful bike for the method of travel advocated by everyone at Papersky.
At the start of the first day at Linimo Yakusa Station, there were not only participants from Nagoya and the surrounding areas who traveled by train with their bikes but also those who came from the Kanto and Kansai regions.
While passing through Sanage in Toyota City, we experienced wood chopping with a master of the forest. The mountain forests in this area, which I myself ride through often, are maintained by the hands of such people, and it was a great opportunity to think deeply about what we as cyclists can do. And waiting at the end of this day's route was the Togoshi Pass, a familiar challenge for the locals. It was a somewhat tough route, but everyone somehow made it to Seto safely.
After crossing Togoshi Pass, we spent the first night at a ryokan in the precincts of Fukagawa Shrine in Seto City to recover from the day's fatigue, and on the morning of the second day, we started our ride after a prayer for traffic safety at the shrine.
Throughout the two days, we enjoyed hearty "Nagoya-meshi" (Nagoya cuisine) at our rest points, such as Konparu’s fried shrimp sandwiches and Ten-musu (tempura rice balls). Such wonderful hospitality warms the heart. When you work hard at riding, you get hungry, so everyone polished them off.
When you share the ups and downs on a saddle for two days, you naturally become good friends. Many participants came from outside the prefecture rather than from the local area, and some have even participated in Tour de Nippon multiple times. I think this sight of deepening friendships and meeting again in different places is something unique to this event.
Blessed with clear weather for two days, we arrived at Hoshizukiyo below Inuyama Castle while savoring the journey.
The restaurant specializes in grain-based vegetarian cuisine using plenty of seasonal ingredients from the surrounding areas where you can see the faces of the producers, and they prepared a special bento box for this day. It is easy to access by bike from Nagoya, so I highly recommend going there by bike.
Finally, we had the opportunity to be guided around the castle by Junko Naruse, a descendant of the Naruse family who has protected Inuyama Castle, which has the oldest existing castle tower, and we were able to see the Upper Chamber and the "Musha-kakushi" (warrior hiding room) that one cannot usually see. As a guide this time, I drew lines on maps, actually rode through those places again, and by interacting with the local people and culture, I was able to learn things even I, a local, did not know. It was two days full of discoveries.
Riding a bicycle is a very simple thing.
You are your own engine. You won't move if you don't pedal, and you can just rest if you get tired.
If you pedal hard, the world you can travel to by bike expands significantly, and there are things you can only see, and new discoveries you can only make, at the speed of a bicycle. Just like that adventure I had in elementary school, I hope this helps everyone find excitement in their daily lives and provides an opportunity for the bicycle to become a part of your life.
This course might have been a little challenging for some participants, but I hope the fatigue still lingering in your body comes with a sense of accomplishment and becomes a good memory. Thank you to all the participants for your hard work over the two days!
And to the masterminds of this wonderful tour, Lucas, Kao-san, Hori-san, and all the staff, thank you for this precious opportunity!