Just as riding a bicycle through a town you're visiting for the first time allows you to understand it more deeply, the same should be true for mountains: rather than just descending at the trailhead, approaching them from the foothills or the towns below by bike or hike should help you grasp the full picture.
This time, I drove six hours to Minakami in northern Gunma Prefecture, loaded up with my bike, snowboard, and mountaineering gear. Along with me—"Monja"—was a large group: hiker trash Iwashi-kun, the YouTube-popular Raychell, the married couple of former Circles staff member Shiga-chan, and Kyon-chan, also formerly of Circles. Once there, we were hosted by Minami, who handles various designs for Circles, and the Chaya couple.
Weather Forecasts and Scheduling
For mountain weather, wind forecasts are apparently just as important; even if it's sunny, walking the ridgeline becomes difficult if wind speeds exceed 25m/h. We check mountain weather forecasts using specialized apps like Yamaten or Tenkura, but predicting the weather is notoriously difficult, and even paid apps are often wrong.
We decided Monday (a holiday) looked better than Sunday, so we swapped our snowboarding and hiking days at the last minute. The result? A total jackpot! It was an exceptionally beautiful day, rare for the dead of winter.
CCJP and Happy Hour
For our first day, we made a sudden change to snowboarding and skiing. When I put out the word that we were going riding, Rirukichi from Happy Hour and members of the cycling crew CCJP, who organize events like Maebashi CX, immediately joined in. Since winter is cold and windy, they apparently go skiing every week. I'm envious of how close they are to the mountains!
Kagura Ski Resort, with its vast expanse of connected mountains and a lake, has a classic atmosphere with many skiers. Even the cute girls on skis were incredibly skilled and looked cool once they hit the slopes.
The Appeal of Minakami, Where New Energy is Gathering
Minakami Station is where you get off and transfer when traveling from the Kanto region to the Sea of Japan side by JR. My impression used to be that it was a rather desolate hot spring town, but nowadays, the younger generation seems to be starting all sorts of interesting initiatives.
We were taken to two shops that symbolize this new Minakami: OctOne Brewing for craft beer, and "Oyama no Shokudo Tantokuwassai," which serves wild game mountain cuisine and wine.
The many dishes prepared by the chef, who is also a hunter, using fresh mountain ingredients were truly wonderful—I highly recommend you go check them out.
Is Mt. Tanigawa Scary? Or Easy?
Mt. Tanigawa stands at 1,977m on the border between Gunma and Niigata Prefectures. What makes this mountain famous beyond its elevation isn't just its stunning scenery; it's also listed in the Guinness World Records as the mountain with the most fatalities in the world, and it appears in countless mountaineering novels and manga.
Most accidents occur on the rock walls, which are some of the most prominent in Japan. The route we took—ascending from Tenjindaira via the ropeway—is an easy route for beginners. That said, it is a watershed between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, meaning the weather changes rapidly, so you must always be well-equipped and prepared before climbing.
The Bicycle Approach
It’s about 10km from Minakami to the Mt. Tanigawa Ropeway. The road was cleared well for most of the way, but near Doai Station, there was a light layer of snow and ice. My tires weren't specifically for snow; I was using 2.8-inch WTB Trail Blazers. While it felt a little slippery when applying torque or leaning the bike, it was perfectly fine for riding on a snow-covered street.
We enjoyed a short ride while taking photos of snow-buried bus stops and massive snowplows. Doai Station, which we passed along the way, is a photogenic "mole station"—the deepest in Japan—where you have to climb 462 steps to reach the platform 70m underground. With a new station café, it's quite lively.
I've experienced the joy of approaching a mountain by bike many times, even though the common sense response is, "Why not just drive?" But if you want to take detours to interesting spots and stop at beautiful viewpoints to enjoy the entire journey, BIKE-to is the way to go. Just look at this.
Beautiful Snowy Mountain Scenery
It feels like we've already had our fill, but this was the main event. Getting the gear together and the approach are tough, but when you see views like this, all that effort just melts away.
The Chaya family in Minakami always welcomes us with perfect hospitality. Thank you so much. Minakami is a great place; I'll definitely come back to visit again.
Main Equipment Used
BIKE : SimWorks DOPPO MTB (Details)
Cap : Welldone
Tops : Nanga / AERIAL DOWN , Yamatomichi / UL Rain Hoody
Middle layer : Norrona
Pants : mont-bell / Cycle Rain Pants
Shoes : Scarpa / MANTA TECH GTX
Backpack : Yamatomichi Mini
Eye wear : Smith / Wildcat