Since I finished my work at Circles Tokyo last year, the year-end and New Year period was a little more hectic than usual.
Although I had a lot of plans packed in, including drinking parties with friends, visiting both my parents' and my wife's parents' homes, and camping, I really wanted to get out for a ride at least once during the break. So, I headed to Tenryu in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture. I rode with these two, who are simply incredible cyclists.
New Year Tenryu Ride
I was looking forward to it, and since we’ve ridden together many times before, I wasn't worried, but because I hadn't been able to ride as much as usual last year, I did have some lingering anxiety about whether I could keep up without breaking our pace.
Well, such worries turned out to be baseless, and we managed to maintain a good pace throughout. The Tenryu area was warmer than expected, and the route was superb. It felt something like the reverse of last year’s WONDER HOPPER vol.2 route.
I wish we could have ridden longer, but with the holiday season being so busy, we started around 10:30 AM and finished around 1:30 PM—it was a crisp, satisfying ride. When we thought about lunch, considering the time and the fact that it was January 2nd, we ended up at Komeda’s Coffee, which felt quite appropriate for the New Year, so I was happy with that.
By the way, these two who joined me are like monsters from my perspective. Last year, they supposedly broke through the stratosphere and made it to space... with a 2024 cumulative elevation gain exceeding 100,000km—it’s truly absurd.
What’s interesting is that they have completely different riding styles. One is obsessed with nothing but climbing, while the other is a genuine cyclist who constantly seeks out journeys that offer a sense of the extraordinary.
And on top of that, both are SEVEN CYCLES owners who each possess multiple models, switching them out depending on the situation.
I wouldn't say I'm joining their ranks this year, but I will definitely be building a SEVEN CYCLES bike, so stay tuned!
Here is the route for this ride!
🐍Seeking Good Fortune! First Shrine Visit Ride🐍
There was one more New Year ride I organized on the morning of January 4th, before the first business day of the year: a "Hatsumode" (first shrine visit) ride. Since it is the Year of the Snake, the theme was to visit shrines associated with snakes.
I found quite a few shrines linked to snakes, and decided on these two.
Hakuryu Shrine in Meieki, Nakamura Ward
Hakuryu Shrine is located near Nagoya Station, along the Egawa Line.
In the 8th year of Keicho (1603), a fever epidemic broke out in this area. It is said that a divine revelation was received, saying "Worship the Great Deity," so the people built a small shrine under a willow tree by the Egawa River and began to worship. Later, the deity moved to a ginkgo tree, brought further blessings, and came to be known affectionately as "Hakuryu-sama" or "Hakuryu-san."
On the grounds are two auxiliary shrines dedicated to the gods of arts, commerce, health, and wisdom. Also housed there are white snakes, and beside them are two "Omokaru" (heavy-or-light) stones. The legend says that if you lift the stone while thinking of your wish, the wish will come true—or rather, it's not that simple; the wish only comes true if the stone feels lighter than you imagined. It’s a difficult standard of judgment, depending on your state of mind. Unfortunately, for both stones, I felt they were heavier than I expected.
Ryu Shrine in Hebi-ike Park, Nishi Ward
Ryu Shrine was built at Hebi-ike (Snake Pond) in Nishi Ward, Nagoya, and is also affectionately known as the Hebi-ike Shrine. Its auxiliary shrines include the Benzaiten Shrine and the Okunoin.
In the 42nd year of the Meiji era, after a severe drought lasting over 40 days, a monk named Ryudo-osho of Kotsu-ji Temple prayed for rain, and heavy rainfall followed. In gratitude, the villagers built a hall of worship on the pond. The enshrined deity is the Hachidai Ryuo (Eight Great Dragon Kings), worshipped as the Hebi-ike Ryujin (Snake Pond Dragon God). This area is also steeped in legends like Oda Nobunaga’s "Hebikae" and the tales of Soemon-san, and it was considered a sacred site during the Edo period.
My parents' home is along the Shonai River, so I’ve passed this area before and knew of Hebi-ike Park, but I had never actually visited. I didn’t know there was a shrine there, and it was a great opportunity to learn the origin of the name "Hebi-ike."
By the way, while dragons and snakes are worshipped in similar ways, the reason is that there is a legend that snakes eventually turn into dragons, and both are worshipped as deities that control water.
This time the theme was a New Year visit, but rides where you learn about local history like this are quite interesting, aren't they? I'm hoping to plan something else like this, so look forward to it.
As I was writing this blog, I finally realized that Tenryu (Heavenly Dragon) and the Year of the Snake were connected all along.