Kōrankei

A small tourist village near a gorge famous for its display of autumn leaves.

Kōrankei Gorge is a popular seasonal tourist destination for its dramatic displays of autumn leaves. In Japan, “popular seasonal” equates to “seasonally overcrowded,” and I confess that I’ve never braved the scrum to walk the gorge in its glory. Nearby, though, there is a live museum Asuke Yashiki along the Tomoe River where visitors can watch traditional goods being made by craftsmen and women.1 At the entrance to the craft museum there is a small restaurant, and in the village a few hundred meters away across a small thoroughfare there is a high street with local restaurants and confectioners.

Above the Tomoe River, on a summit above the craft museum stand the ruins of Asuke Castle, a small mountain stronghold dating from as far back as the Kamakura period, overlooking the Asuke River that flows into the Tomoe.2

I had ridden to Asuke decades back with three other foreigners from the university, hauling our bikes to a parking area midway there and riding about 15 kilometers to take in the village and castle. To keep myself busy after Mieko’s passing, I took the folding bike to Sanage Station, and attempted without success to find a bikeable route from there to the village. Then in March of this year I was invited by Yokoi Toshiaki, owner of the local bike shop Quest, to join a “beginners’ ride” to Asuke. The ride was to be staged from the parking lot of a park about 15 kilometers out (Shōwa no Mori), but I rose early to rendezvous by departure time. And so I at last learned a bikeable route from house to village.

I haven’t any photos from that first ride, but Yokoi-san covered the excursion in a blog post, with photos of the group’s visit to a local sweet shop and of a meal served at the craft village restaurant.

The notes and photos below are from multiple rides over this day-trip course.

Here is an obligatory departure shot. It’s not obvious in the photo, but the bike is still in its 3-speed configuration here. This was taken a few days after the initial ride to Kōrankei with the Quest group, when I retraced the route solo.

A bicycle with rear panniers parked in front of a plain white stucco wall
A bicycle with rear panniers parked in front of a plain white stucco wall

On the Road to Shōwa no Mori

The intersection below is pretty close to the house, and many routes in the general direction of Toyota City to the east pass through it. Shinto is associated with beginnings, and on my New Year’s Day ride to Sasado in 2024, folks were queuing to make the wishing-well prayer for a good one. Not sure if I’ll drop in myself next year, will have to think about that one.

The entrance to a Shinto shrine standing at the end of a tee intersection of a suburban street. Its name (in English translation) is “White Swan Shrine.”
The entrance to a Shinto shrine standing at the end of a tee intersection of a suburban street. Its name (in English translation) is “White Swan Shrine.”

There is a stretch of straight and level between the suburban fringe and the foothills.

A narrow paved road stretches into the distance toward a set of low-lying hills. Two small cars are rolling down the road, away from the camera. A row of telephone poles stands to the left of the road, beyond which there is a ditch and tilled fields, Fields also lie to the right, where some fruit trees pruned to grow out horizontally are visible.
A narrow paved road stretches into the distance toward a set of low-lying hills. Two small cars are rolling down the road, away from the camera. A row of telephone poles stands to the left of the road, beyond which there is a ditch and tilled fields, Fields also lie to the right, where some fruit trees pruned to grow out horizontally are visible.

On the first ride to practice the route after tagging along with the Quest riders, plum trees were in bloom.

A plum tree in full bloom stands at the side of a road, in front of an open pond.
A plum tree in full bloom stands at the side of a road, in front of an open pond.

Century 21 was a familiar real estate franchise when I last lived in California, four decades ago. I was startled when I passed this sign, and it earned itself a snap.

A sign standing in an empty lot reads (in English translation) “Under management / Century 21” above the name of the estate agent and a phone number.
A sign standing in an empty lot reads (in English translation) “Under management / Century 21” above the name of the estate agent and a phone number.

Multiple eastbound routes pass Nagoya Prison (see the prisons tag for other photos).

A bicycle with rear panniers is parked in front of a wire fence running through a row of trees. A complex of concrete buildings perhaps two stories high with a tower in the center is visible in the distance beyond the fence..
A bicycle with rear panniers is parked in front of a wire fence running through a row of trees. A complex of concrete buildings perhaps two stories high with a tower in the center is visible in the distance beyond the fence..

I’ve seen a bunch of derelict vehicles while traipsing around Chūbu by bike. I’m terrible with a camera, but this one was too photogenic to mess up.

A derelict bus overgrown with brambles stands at the side of the road. It is winter, and both the brambles and a tree standing behind the bus are devoid of leaves.
A derelict bus overgrown with brambles stands at the side of the road. It is winter, and both the brambles and a tree standing behind the bus are devoid of leaves.

Speaking of my meagre camera skillz, this scene was more striking than the photo lets on. After ascending through kind of garden-city suburban streets, I arrived at a T junction facing a hillside razed and stripped of its vegetation to install a row of houses that will-ye-nil-ye call forth Little Boxes by Malvina Reynolds. Probably great views from up there though.

A bicycle with rear panniers parked on the near side of a street bounded by a low concrete wall extended to the right by a guard rail. Beyond the street and above a retaining wall in the distance is a row of half-completed flat-roofed prefab houses.
A bicycle with rear panniers parked on the near side of a street bounded by a low concrete wall extended to the right by a guard rail. Beyond the street and above a retaining wall in the distance is a row of half-completed flat-roofed prefab houses.

The gathering spot for the initial ride with the Quest group was the Number 5 Parking Area of the Shōwa no Mori park, which is about halfway between the house and Kōrankei/Asuke.

A bicycle with rear panniers parked in front of a traffic island inside a parking lot. A bush grows in the traffic island, and a sign peeks out of the bush reading (in English translation) “Number Five Parking Lot”. To the left of the traffic island a sign in Japanese asks drivers to turn off their engines when parked.
A bicycle with rear panniers parked in front of a traffic island inside a parking lot. A bush grows in the traffic island, and a sign peeks out of the bush reading (in English translation) “Number Five Parking Lot”. To the left of the traffic island a sign in Japanese asks drivers to turn off their engines when parked.

On the Road to Tomoe River Bridge

Sometimes there are odd little follies in the countryside. I spotted this geodesic dome under construction out of the corner of my eye while riding past, and stopped to take a quick snap.

A geodesic dome is under construction up a hill in the distance, viewed through the gap between two houses.
A geodesic dome is under construction up a hill in the distance, viewed through the gap between two houses.

Not a lot in this photo. I think the contrast between farmland and the wrecking-yard ambience of the derelict vans lined up on the lot were striking.

In a rural mountain valley, a road stretches ahead straight as a string. To the left of the road is an industrial lot with a dozen or so out-of-service vans parked in a row next to a large rubbish tip.
In a rural mountain valley, a road stretches ahead straight as a string. To the left of the road is an industrial lot with a dozen or so out-of-service vans parked in a row next to a large rubbish tip.

This is one of the critical waypoints that I learned from riding with the Quest group: an aging footbridge that cuts out some seriously unpleasant mixed-traffic riding.

A bicycle with rear panniers parked on a steel walking bridge about 1 meter wide with faded red handrails and a concrete floor. The view looks down the bridge in the direction traveled, where a white two-story building with red roof stands across a road running perpendicular to the bridge.
A bicycle with rear panniers parked on a steel walking bridge about 1 meter wide with faded red handrails and a concrete floor. The view looks down the bridge in the direction traveled, where a white two-story building with red roof stands across a road running perpendicular to the bridge.
A bicycle with rear panniers parked on a steel walking bridge about 1 meter wide with faded red handrails and a concrete floor. The view looks down the bridge in the direction to be traveled, where the path disappears into overgrowth to the right, and a road running perpendicular to the bridge is visible much higher up the embankment.
A bicycle with rear panniers parked on a steel walking bridge about 1 meter wide with faded red handrails and a concrete floor. The view looks down the bridge in the direction to be traveled, where the path disappears into overgrowth to the right, and a road running perpendicular to the bridge is visible much higher up the embankment.
View of a river running through hilly terrain, showing some small whitewater caps. The left bank is shielded by a concrete wall, atop which there isa building that may be a residence or a restaurant with a patio area facing onto the river.
View of a river running through hilly terrain, showing some small whitewater caps. The left bank is shielded by a concrete wall, atop which there isa building that may be a residence or a restaurant with a patio area facing onto the river.

The photos below were taken on a return trip from Asuke village. The rail bed parallels a highway, and much of its length has been converted to a walking/biking path. At the point where navigation directed that I leave the path and again mix with traffic, I ignored the guidance and continued on the path to see where it led. By the time I reached the gate shown below, the rail bed was high above the highway, and the only way to return to the highway was via a treacherous informal footpath snaking down the embankment. I met a mother from the neighborhood out for a walk with her children, and she said (if I understood her correctly) that the tracks continued on to a hotel. Out of curiousity I walked on for some distance, but there seemed no end in sight. I returned to the bike and manhandled it down the embankment to continue on my way.

A Japanese sign reads (in English translation): “This gate prevents migration of wild boar / When entering and exiting, close this gate without fail / Thank you for your cooperation”
A Japanese sign reads (in English translation): “This gate prevents migration of wild boar / When entering and exiting, close this gate without fail / Thank you for your cooperation”
Looking down a derelict narrow-gauge railroad track that passes through a closed gate several meters away. A bicycle is parked at the gate.
Looking down a derelict narrow-gauge railroad track that passes through a closed gate several meters away. A bicycle is parked at the gate.
Looking up a derelict narrow-gauge railroad track that disappears into a bamboo forest.
Looking up a derelict narrow-gauge railroad track that disappears into a bamboo forest.

Kōrankei and Asuke

This is the entrance to the Kojaku-ji temple (香積寺), up the hill from the craft museum.

A bicycle with rear panniers parked in front of a paved path lined with banners, leading to a Buddhist temple that is higher up the hill and out of view.
A bicycle with rear panniers parked in front of a paved path lined with banners, leading to a Buddhist temple that is higher up the hill and out of view.

One of the conveniences offered by convenience stores in Japan is ready access to a WC. In countryside villages “conveni” can be scarce, so when the need arises a little more thinking is sometimes required. On one visit to Kōrankei, the need did indeed arise, and I guessed that a commercial parking area near the high street must offer a public toilet. Intuition served me well.

A public squat toilet viewed through an open door. The compartment is very compact, with just enough space for one to do one’s business.
A public squat toilet viewed through an open door. The compartment is very compact, with just enough space for one to do one’s business.
A view up a stream with buildings of a village on either bank, and a makeshift bridge in the distance.
A view up a stream with buildings of a village on either bank, and a makeshift bridge in the distance.
A view down a mountain stream. A bridge, probably an elevated pipeline crossing the stream, is in the distance.
A view down a mountain stream. A bridge, probably an elevated pipeline crossing the stream, is in the distance.

  1. Workshops include makers of straw sandals, umbrellas, rice paper, barrels, charcoal, knives, woven cloth, and dyed fabric. ↩︎

  2. It’s been years since I was last up there. When I have the energy to bike to the summit after reaching Asuke village, I’ll post pics! ↩︎