Day 31: Nara to Sakai

October 25, 2024

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The Japan Cycling Navigator route clearly makes short side trips to Nara Park, Toshodai-ji, and Horyu-ji. I hadn't noticed this until I recently zoomed in on the map. We managed to visit two out of three, and that ain't bad. I said before that we aimed to "stop and smell the roses". It turns out that the best we can do is slow down and smell the roses, which isn't an expression at all, and for good reason. In our defense, we took our time at both Horyu-ji and at the bicycle museum, feeling fully satisfied with our sightseeing and riding for the day.

The very effective shutters in our hotel room allowed us to sleep in. We had a long day ahead of us, so the extra rest really helped.

Hotel staff suggested that we could take the bikes into our room, but with no elevator, we opted for the covered parking lot. Good decision!

The ride from Nara to Ikaruga, where the temple Horyu-ji lies, was pleasant and varied. People were out and about on foot and bicycle, but auto traffic was still light. A highlight of this section was watching families congregate at a local elementary school for a sporting event.

This is Uwanabe Kofun, an ancient burial mound, which was visible from our hotel window

Arriving at Horyu-ji around 9am, we were pleased to see no crowds. We hit that sweet spot where it wasn't a ghost town, but it was peaceful. Walking the grounds in one of these temples isn't exactly quiet, with the gravel under one's feet constantly crunching. I suppose it's all part of the experience.

The entry fee is a bit steep at 1500 yen. It's well worth it, in our opinion. The grounds are beautiful, and the museum is filled with amazing ancient relics. No photographs, please! So you'll have to take my word for it. With almost 1400 years of history, this is one of the oldest Buddhist sites in Japan.

We had a quick lunch before starting the long journey to Sakai. Not so long in distance, but a lot of stop-and-go urban riding. Because of this, I wanted to savor the beginning section through a hilly area that separates Nara from the sprawl of Osaka. Two blips on the elevation chart appeared to be fun little escapades. They turned out to be steeper and sketchier than predicted. We both hiked our bikes up the final push to the first crest. A beautiful shrine greeted us. Nice!

The second hill was easier, but the steep, narrow, overgrown descent was more challenging.

Back in civilization, we cranked out more than ten kilometers of city riding, a straight shot down a busy road. We often had a painted lane. Almost as often, drivers ignored it and blocked us. Was it better than nothing? Maybe.

Once in downtown Sakai, Komoot found a way for us to avoid a busy bridge, leading us straight to the bicycle museum.

Here are a few photos from the museum. The building itself is shiny, new, and expansive. For an avid cyclist, the exhibits come in three flavors. One: dumbed-down videos glossing through bicycle history and culture. Two: amazing examples of advancements and experiments in cycling technology. Three: a small showcase of the Dura-Ace groupset from every iteration of its design since it was introduced in 1973.

We briefly spoke with a volunteer, who was a professional cyclist back in the seventies, and from what we can gather, then worked for Shimano after his racing career ended. A super nice guy. I think the volunteers are only there on Saturdays, but perhaps on Sundays too.

I have to hand it to them. Most corporate-funded museums wouldn't be able to resist tooting their own horn, seizing every opportunity for free marketing to what is essentially a captive audience once you've purchased your ticket. Shimano's approach was more than tasteful, and to be honest, I would've enjoyed learning more about how they became so dominant in the industry. This coming from a guy who enjoys riding bikes way more than tinkering with them.

The museum closes at 4:30, which was perfect timing for us to turn around and hustle to the home of Emi and Koji, our Warmshowers hosts for the next two evenings. Dusk threatened to make the task of locating their house more difficult, and we even bothered a neighbor who happened to share their last name, before we turned a corner and found them. We've been chatting up a storm ever since.

Today's ride: 52 km (32 miles)
Total: 1,936 km (1,202 miles)

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