Day 13: Takayama to Shirakawa: Cold rain, switchbacks and drainage ditches: freezing our way down Hotoge Pass

October 20, 2007

After our day off, we awoke to wet streets and a grey sky that was just breaking open. Within about an hour or so after breakfast, we were cycling under partly sunny skies that held until the final hour of the day's ride. This was another mountain day - after following the river north to stroll around Hida Furukawa (another attractive preserved town, but much smaller - they call themselves 'Little Takayama'), we headed west into the mountains and over Hotoge Pass, before dropping down into Shirakawa. This was the coldest day's ride of the tour, with temperatures dropping into the mid-forties near the summit. Also at the summit, the rains returned, chilling and soaking us as we descended steeply out of the pass through a long series of switchbacks for about 5 miles or so, before arriving, shivering, at Shirakawa.

Before describing Shirakawa, a comment about Japanese roads - many of them have open stream or drainage channels immediately at the side of the road. These were at places very unnerving for cycling, because they made a significant road hazard. There is typically no barrier at all - the edge of the pavement just drops straight down 90 degrees into a channel that may be one or more feet wide and one or six feet deep. A lapse in concentration on the bike at the wrong time would be enough to end a bike trip or a biking career. Envision this, and then envision that the ride down from Hotoge pass was narrow, winding, wet with a steady rain, and lined with an open channel much of the way, and you've about got the picture.

Shirakawa is an amazing spot, and one of the most scenic spots we visited on this tour. It's another world heritage site, because it's the home to most of the remaining gassho-zukuri: traditional wooden mountain homes having a roof built of a thick layer of grass. There are only a few hundred of these left around, and a valley filled with them is a striking and colorful sight. It's a famous spot, and the tiny town was packed with tourists when we arrived, with traffic police trying to keep order. It was much more attractive in the morning when it was very quiet, the sun was out, and steam rose from the warming rooftops.

Our home for the night was a minshuku (essentially, a small B&B), in one of these gassho-zukuris. It was wonderful to arrive, shivering, and be ushered immediately to our rooms and the shower area; and it made a very romantic setting for a night's stay.

Furukawa is divided by the Seto River, confined to a small channel and filled with carp.

Feeding the Koi in the Seto River, Hida Furukawa

Fried fish and heated toilets! An oasis near Hotoge Pass.

Our minshuku in Ogimachi, one of the villages in Shirakawa.

Steam rising from the rooftops in the morning sun.

Today's ride: 40 miles (64 km)
Total: 475 miles (764 km)

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