Day 24: Sunday, August 8, 2010. Shinshimashima to Okuhida Onsengu Hirayu
11:15 am. At Sawando on Route 158 east of Kamikochi Iriguchi.
Arrived here at 10:45 worn out more by tension than by physical exertion. A cup of coffee - the first in many days - and a hirakatsu-kare (beef tenderloin curry) lunch have largely revived me.
I left my bench at Shinshimashima Station at 5:30 after a lousy night's sleep. A number of Kamikochi-bound buses had already left. Although I did walk the bicycle a number of times my progress was okay. Then came the tunnels. I think the first one was a teaser as it had a one-meter wide walk space on one side. The tunnels degenerated from that point until here in Sawando. Let me describe grades of tunnels. Grade 1: the best for laden bicycles. They generally have a walk space as wide as a traffic lane. I do not hesitate to ride through such tunnels. Grade 2: provides adequate space to safely walk a bike through. Grade 3: substandard but safe enough to walk a bike through with caution. This grade is characterized by a "walkway" 60 cm wide and raised 10-15 cm above the roadway. By "with caution" I mean it is necessary to halt when traffic approaches and step off the roadway and stand next to the bicycle. Grade 4: inadequate and dangerous. This type has a narrow elevated ledge about 25 cm wide which is often wet, muddy or slimy. There is no space to remove the bike from the road and the rider must stand on the ledge partly bent over. Grade 5: extremely dangerous. This kind often has no elevated ledge whatsoever and the distance between the inside of the traffic lane white line marker and the tunnel wall is less than the length of my handlebars.
The tunnels up to Kamikochi Iriguchi are mostly Grades 4 and 5.
I'm writing this now because there are few tunnels left and they are relatively short.
Imagine yourself trying to pass through a Grade 4 or 5 tunnel 1 km long with "convoys" of cars, vans, light trucks and motor coaches passing through every minute or so. You stop walking the bike when you see headlights or the reflection of headlights on the opposite wall on curves. You pull the bike over as far as you can then start waving traffic away from you. Needless to say, the first driver is the key, but as incredible as it sounds, some of the following drivers don't catch on to the altered course of drivers to their front. This has led me to conclude that some Japanese should be allowed to work in auto factories but otherwise not be allowed to get behind the wheel.
Yes, that coffee and this long rest has reduced the tension. Also, the smile and friendly greeting of the proprietress of the Higuchi Restaurant helped considerably.
Next from up the road. Check out my Facebook site for a picture of a Grade 4 tunnel I had just exited.
Evening in Okuhida Onsengu Hirayu, Gifu Prefecture:
I did make it through the last tunnel in one piece and celebrated with a "banzai" photo.
After passing Kamikochi Iriguchi I turned right onto "old" Route 158 and started pushing the bike up the steep grade 2.2 km to Naka-no-yu ryokan and onsen. When the proprietor saw me he immediately asked if I wanted to use the onsen, which is a common request of people who aren't going to actually stay. I, in turn, asked if he had rooms, which he didn't. I asked how many kilometers it was up to the Abo Pass. He paused and said it was about 1,780 m which I knew to be the elevation. Straightening things out, he said the pass was about 2.5 km. My estimation was 7.5 km so I reckoned he was just another driver who has no sense of distance. Off I set, mostly pushing but occasionally riding. It was already after 3 so I wanted to check out camping conditions at the pass, but, should I find them unacceptable, I could still try for accommodation on the western or Gifu Prefecture side.Arrived at the pass at 4 and found it pretty ordinary, i.e. no exceptional views.
However, there was a couple at the pass who were quite friendly. He snapped an iphone photo of me in front of the Abo Toge Cha-ya (tea house). A motorcyclist came along as well. As all agreed that the pass was still bear country, I decided to take the rider's advice and try for Hirayu, an onsen village, which was about 50 minutes away by bicycle - ALL downhill he assured me. Right he was when I rolled in about 40 minutes later.
The response to novel situations which requires some boldness and initiative, in other words something which I've tried hard to avoid for nearly 60 years, nearly did not take over. However, not having slept much on the station bench last night and feeling especially gritty from the tunnel tour, I determined to find a comfortable place to stay. Having money in your pocket helps a lot. As I stopped before the first inn I encountered a man, a guest apparently, who cheerfully asked me if I was looking for a place to stay. I said yes, put the kickstand down and strode up the stairs and into the lobby. When I asked the clerk of "Eitaro" if they had any rooms she placed a piece of paper on the counter and wrote the figure ¥11,700. If that was meant to discourage me, it didn't because I knew it included a pretty substantial dinner and breakfast the following morning. A few minutes later she was leading me up to the room, we entered and I caught the fresh grassy scent of the tatami flooring. By 7 I had finished a bath in the ofuro - there was a small rotenburo attached - and dinner as well. I walked around the village later. It seemed to consist entirely of inns and Japanese style restaurants. A quiet, pleasant place for a long-distance bicyclist to catch his breath.
A more detailed time line:
5:05 a.m., bought food at 7-11 at Shinshimashima Station
5:30, left Shinshimashima Station
7:30, near tunnel junction of Rte. 158 and Rte. 26
10:45, arrived at Sawando on Rte. 158
12:15 p.m., left Sawando
1:55, exited second-to-last tunnel on Rte. 158, 1.4 km from Kamikochi Iriguchi
2:10, arrived at Kamikochi Iriguchi
4:15, arrived at Abo Pass on Rte. 158
about 5:15, arrived at Hirayu Hot Spring on Rte. 158
May 10, 2011. Above I wrote that"I did make it through the last tunnel in one piece and celebrated with a "banzai" photo." However, there was actually one more tunnel so I didn't have the last laugh. I had taken several photos at the same spot all with a different pose, mostly ones demonstrating my contempt for the designers of the tunnels. I chose to post the least offensive of the photos.
The road between Kamikochi Iriguchi and the Abo Pass begins with a series of switchbacks, hence my incorrect estimate of the distance from the "cave" onsen to the pass. You can see what I mean if you consult a map.
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