Day 15 to 17: Gujo Hachiman to Kyoto: Skirting Lake Biwa: fishnets and manhole covers

October 22, 2007

From Gujo Hachiman, we continued to drop down the Nagaragawa to our next stop, Gifu. Until we neared the large urban expanse surrounding Gifu, the ride was quite enjoyable - mostly downhill, of course, which was a welcome relief after crossing 10 passes in as many days - but also very bucolic, mostly following quiet roads along or near the Nagaragawa through countryside filled with small-scale agriculture, rice fields, and frequent sightings of fisherfolk perched on walls, in small watercraft, or walking in the current. Increasingly, as we dropped elevation, riverbanks were lined by lovely, lacey forests of bamboo.

Gifu is another castle town, and in its past was one of the historical post towns. It has long since lost most of its historical character though to the population explosion in the lowlands and it is now essentially a suburb of nearby Nagoya. While we were here though, we took the time to take in its primary tourist attraction - a tram to the top of the nearby mountain to Gifu castle, for a fine view of the surrounding countryside.

Leaving Gifu the next morning, we headed northwest through the lowlands, spending the night in Hikone, another castle town on the shore of Lake Biwa; and rode most of the following day along the southern shore of Lake Biwa before circling its southwest end to Otsu and crossing over the ridge in front of Kyoto. Biwa itself was quite attractive, and an impressive expanse of water - it is the largest lake in Japan, There is a bicycle path along much of it, often making the cycling quiet and pleasant; and there is abundant birdlife, with many herons, egrets and ducks in the shallows and kites gliding overhead. It is also heavily fished. At one point, we were startled to find our bicycle path disappear under a vast expanse of fishermen's nets - they were laid out in the sun for drying and repair work. No worries though - the net menders just gestured to us to roll on across, and so we did.

Somewhere along the way, I started becoming fixated on manhole covers. I don't recall biking through any other area that does what Japan does with them - many towns along the way have them custom designed to represent their special qualities - cormorants in Gujo Hachiman, ducks and crayfish at Lake Biwa, fish at Gifu, and so on. Later in the tour we would find towns that took this idea one step further, and painted them. They would make great collectors items for someone with a stout wall to display them on.

Overlooking Gifu and the Nagara river from the castle.

Giving homage at the shrine for sufferers of nose bleeds, Hikone.

Cycle path, Lake Biwa - the first dedicated path since we left the Edogawa.

Tending to the nets on the Lake Biwa cycle path. We just pedaled over the top of them.

Today's ride: 148 miles (238 km)
Total: 766 miles (1,233 km)

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