As I have written in previous RIDE LIFE ride reports about the Oto Matsuri (Wakayama) and the Nebuta (Aomori) festivals, I love going to see festivals. For over 15 years, I have made a calendar every year ranking the festivals I want to visit, noting down and researching any interesting ones I see on TV, in newspapers, or online. I keep thinking there can't be any new festivals left to see, but that’s never the case; every year brings surprising new discoveries. Japan is vast and deep. There are still so many unknown festivals out there.
Whenever I talk about this, many people tell me about the festivals in their local areas. The Shimotsuki Matsuri this time was suggested to me by Yamadori Shokudo, which served delicious dishes using local vegetables and game at RIDEALIVE 2018 in Ina. After seeing their photos, I instinctively knew this was the real deal and immediately scheduled it on my calendar.
What kind of festival is it?
It is difficult to describe the Shimotsuki Matsuri in one word. It is a winter solstice festival that celebrates the recovery of the sun's power after the solstice, but it also contains Buddhist and Shinto elements, incorporates traditions meant to appease the curse of the former lord, the Toyama clan, and is deeply rooted in indigenous belief. Throughout the night, they perform the yudate (boiling water) ritual, singing and dancing for the gods, and dedicate these various elements one by one in order.
For more details, please visit the Toyamago homepage.
http://shimotsukimatsuri.com/
Shimotsuki Matsuri is a collective term for several festivals held in the Toyama area, taking place in various locations until mid-December. It appeared that on Thursday, which is SimWorks’ regular holiday, it would be held at the Jugosha Daimyojin shrine in Shimoguri-no-Sato. Shimoguri is an intense place in its own right: a settlement with a population of about 150 people clinging to a steep slope overlooking the Southern Alps. A shrine located at the top of a winding road was a perfect destination to aim for.
Mapping the route while researching history
With the destination decided, it was time for the route.
It is 177km and 4200m of climbing from Nagoya to Shimoguri-no-Sato. That’s within reach for a road bike, but since I would be watching the festival in sub-zero temperatures at night and needed to stay overnight, gear like a tent, sleeping bag, and cold-weather clothing was essential. My bike is a dingle speed, so the distance I could cover would be limited.
Furthermore, because the Shimotsuki Matsuri is deeply connected to the "Akiba Kaido," an old trade and pilgrimage route, I wanted to follow that historical path.
After weighing various factors, I decided to start in Hamamatsu—the starting point of the Akiba Kaido—and head north along Route 152, famous as a "kokudo" (a road so poor it’s essentially impassable for cars).
I took the first train with my bike and set off from Hamamatsu station shortly after 7:00 AM, just as it began to bustle with commuters.
First, I headed north along the Futamata Kaido. This area, where the Takeda and Tokugawa clans once fought fierce battles, is a vital transportation hub on the border of the Shinshu and Enshu regions.
Merging onto Route 152, I stopped at the Akino Fuku Museum, designed by Terunobu Fujimori. The natural material details are fascinating, such as the exterior walls where dynamic mortar patterns embedded with straw emerge, streetlights made from old wooden utility poles, and chestnut wood guardrails held in place by wedges.
Before long, I saw the intersection for the approach to Akiba Shrine, which also serves as a trailhead. While Route 152 continues straight, the old Akiba Kaido obviously leads toward Akiba Shrine.
From the foot of Mt. Akiba to the shrine, it’s 7.1km with a 722m elevation gain and an average gradient of 10.2%. Along the way, the route intersects with old roads and historic trails marked by the stone lanterns shown in the photo above.
If time had allowed, I would have loved to conquer the entire old Akiba Kaido path.
There is detailed information on this page. These kinds of websites are what make the internet so worthwhile.
https://big-bang.at.webry.info/201106/article_1.html
The Road of Salt—The Pilgrimage Road
Akiba-san Hongu Akiba Shrine is the head shrine for all Akiba shrines in the country and is Japan’s most powerful shrine dedicated to the element of fire. Its deities include Kagutsuchi and the hearth god, who is also related to the yudate ritual of the Shimotsuki Matsuri. From the mid-Edo period, it flourished as a pilgrimage destination, much like Ise or Kumano, and remnants of this remain on the old road. Guided by the stone lanterns and information signs, I hiked some of the old trails while carrying my bike.
The shrine was sparsely populated. It was already past noon and I still had a long way to go. I drank some cocoa at the shop and left immediately. Following the Super Forest Road Tenryu line would take me to the southernmost ridge of the Southern Alps, but seeing the sign that it was 30km to Misakubo—where I would merge back onto Route 152—I resigned myself to the task and descended from a junction along the way.
As I descended toward the Tenryu River, passing by forestry heavy machinery and beautiful tea plantations, the sun had already hidden behind the mountains even though it wasn't yet 3:00 PM. In these deep valleys with short daylight hours, it made me reflect on why they celebrate the winter solstice and view fire—a symbol of energy—as particularly sacred. https://player.vimeo.com/video/308424423?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0
I was only a third of the way there. I continued ascending along the Tenryu River on Route 152, a road notorious for being difficult to navigate and often called a classic "kokudo."
I had planned to enter the old Akiba Kaido from the junction with Route 473, but I skipped that too. It was already starting to get dark, and the toughest part of the trip, "Aokuzure Pass," was still ahead.
Route 152: Aokuzure Pass
I arrived in Misakubo just before the pass as the twilight set in, but all the restaurants were closed for their regular holidays.
I found out that the hot spring and restaurant at the road station I planned to visit after crossing the pass were also closed on Thursdays. Along with the last of the light in the sky, my hopes for a bath and dinner vanished.
I had no choice but to stock up on food and water at a supermarket with the great name "Yama-michi Shoten" (Mountain Road Shop).
It was now completely night, and I climbed up a road illuminated weakly by a slender moon.
Route 152, which was built to upgrade the Akiba Kaido, is severed in two places. One of them is this Aokuzure Pass. The ground is too unstable to build a road.
At the foot of the Enshu side, tests for tunnel excavation were being conducted again.
Despite there being signs for Route 152, the road collapse is severe until the junction with the detour, Hyo-e Pass, and there is a risk of sliding off the cliff. I had no choice but to pass through this time, but I wouldn't recommend it, as night travel is extremely dangerous and not particularly fun.
To Shimoguri-no-Sato in the middle of the night
After descending about 600m from Aokuzure Pass, I stuffed my face with cold bread at the road station, which was deserted due to the holiday. The thermometer read 1°C.
From here, I still had to climb another 600m to the shrine in Shimoguri-no-Sato. It had started to snow a little.
It's always like this when going to festivals in the mountains: you feel no festival atmosphere at all until the venue is within sight. With no people around, I started to feel uneasy, wondering if there was actually a festival going on ahead.
I rode toward the trailhead of Mt. Hijiri, gaining elevation.
It was the peak of the Geminid meteor shower, so as I climbed while looking at the sky, I saw the lights of a village just below the starlight. It was the Shimoguri settlement I was aiming for. I really have to climb all the way up there...
Shimoguri during the day seems to look like this.
http://www.shimoguri.com/
I reached the entrance to the village and from there climbed 150m at once through a series of curves.
When I faintly heard the festival music midway through, all the fatigue in my body just blew away.
Jugosha Daimyojin
When I arrived at the shrine at the very top of Shimoguri-no-Sato, a group of people who looked like the fire brigade were sitting around a bonfire in a can. All the shrine doors were closed, and I didn't know where the entrance was.
I opened the heavy sliding door I had been told about, and a powerful, intense space unfolded before me.
Around 3:00 AM, not all the performances had finished yet, but I had to leave to make it to work on the first train.
I headed back to the road station and rode down Route 418 to Hiraoka Station on the JR Iida Line.
While searching for a place to nap with my sleeping bag and bivy, I found a perfect bench under the station and was able to lie down.
The next morning, I had to hurry for my train, but one of the staff members kindly asked if I wanted some miso soup. I was very grateful.
This is where my ride ends for now.
The Akiba Kaido, as a road of salt and a pilgrimage, continues much further to Shiojiri, the end point for salt.
Along the way, there is Oshika Village, where rural Kabuki performances are held, which I've gone to see several times.
Furthermore, it connects to other roads that also carried salt, like the Ina Kaido and Asuke Kaido, and along those routes are festivals like the Hana Matsuri, which also features yudate ritual dances.
It's fascinating to ride while taking side trips through history that is layered multi-dimensionally along old paths.
The fact that the end point is a festival with a format unchanged since the Heian-Kamakura period is symbolic, and I’m patting myself on the back for a well-crafted route as I begin mapping the next one.
Ride Route
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/30271486
Reference Materials
Shinshu Toyamago
http://tohyamago.com/
Toyama Place Name Study
http://www.mis.janis.or.jp/~npowada/timeikou8.html
Takuya Tsukahara Photo Exhibition "The Utopia: Toyama Village - Memories from 60 Years Ago"
https://www.shinmai-mediagarden.jp/event/803.html
TODAY’S RIDER
Monjya【SimWorks】
-BIKE SPECS-
| Frame | Rew10Works | Breakaway CX |
| Wheel |
SURLY Velocity |
Ultra New Hub 135mm Disc/Fixed Aileron Dingle gear: 46-17T (2.7) / 42-21T (2.0) |
| Front Tire | SimWorks by Panaracer | VOLUMMY 700×38c |
| Rear Tire | WTB | Nano 40c |
| Touring Bag | Porcelain Rocket |
Custom FrameBag MCA Nugget Dry bag Mr.Fusion |
-WEAR SPECS-
| First Layer | finetrack | Dry Layer Skin Mesh |
| Second layer | UNDER ARMOUR | ColdGear LS |
| T-shirts | UNIQLO | Mesh Crew Neck T |
| Jacket | Cafe du Cycliste | Heidi Winter Jacket |
| Outer | Nanga | AERIAL DOWN PARKA PACKABLE |
| Cap | Welldone | Winter Cycle Cap |
| Pants | Snow Peak | Flexible Insulation Shorts |
| Socks | mont-bell | Merino Wool Trekking Knicker Socks |
| Shoes | QUOC | GRAN TOURER |
-CAMPING SPECS-
| Tent | OUTDOOR RESEARCH | Helium Bivy |
| Sleeping bag | mont-bell | UL. Super Spiral Down Hugger 800 #3 |
| Pad | Yamatomichi | Minimalist Pad |
| Bike Carry Bag | FAIRWEATHER | Bike carry bag |
| Other | Tool kit, battery, cables, wallet, camera, toothbrush, razor, aid kit |
-GEAR MEMO-
|
Lights for night pass crossing In addition to front and rear lights, a headlamp is essential. The Cateye VOLT400 mounted on the bike illuminates the ground about 5m ahead, and for seeing further out or checking the surrounding environment, I move the headlamp with my gaze. Having two lights is also good for gauging distance. More than brightness, battery life is important. Predict how long you will be riding and prepare an external power source so you don't run out of power. (Note: rechargeable batteries like Eneloops aren't recommended because voltage stability varies.) F: CATEYE VOLT400 R: CATEYE WEARABLE X (attached to saddlebag) H: mont-bell Power Headlamp (I like that it has a warm, incandescent-like light option) Battery: Anker PowerCore II 10000 (same as for iPhone) Clothing for temperatures from 15°C to -5°C The finetrack first layer wicks away sweat, and the UNDER ARMOUR ColdGear provides moisture absorption, dissipation, and insulation. The CAFE DU CYCLISTE Heidi Winter Jacket offers windproofing and warmth. The NANGA down jacket provided warmth during late-night stops and while sleeping. When it got hot, I strapped the jacket to my saddlebag. Snow Peak insulation shorts, wool tights, and mont-bell wool high socks were just right. During hill climbs, I lowered my socks slightly to dissipate heat. Late at night, I put disposable hand warmers in the toes of my shoes. The hat was a winter cap by Welldone. It had ear covers and was warm. I also carried mont-bell Versalite rain gear (top and bottom) as a backup. The gear performed very well and was comfortable. Walkable clipless shoes I wore QUOC Gran Tourer shoes. The balance between ease of riding and walkability is perfect for rides like this one. On dirt roads or paths where you have to hike-a-bike, choosing the right shoes is crucial to minimize the risk of slipping. Packing I used Porcelain Rocket's two-way opening dry bag, the “Nugget.” With this, the MCA evolves from a load supporter into a front bag. I put my sleeping bag, rain gear, and toiletries in it. Access is worse than a saddlebag, so it’s best to put bulky items you don't need to reach often inside. Even with the sleeping bag, bivy, and down jacket packed, there was still room for extras, allowing me to store bread and other food I bought along the way for dinner. |
PHOTO & TEXT by Monjya