Weekly Topics/Archive
March 2014
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I woke up with the alarm I set on my mobile-phone last night.
It's just 7 o'clock.
When I looked out of the window at the dormitory, it was covered with snow
on the
yard as you can see in the picture below.
It seems like just starting to snow but keeps snowing silently.
Snow falling and piling up on the yard of the guest house Muga |
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This is terrible !
Everyone is preparing for departure after changing their clothes in a hurry.
It's about 1.6 kilometers from here to JR Hikone Station.
While we can go by bike, we have to go there.
Especially, three guys from Kanto area have to get home before the Shinkansen
train service is stopped with snow.
We had our commemorative photograph taken in front of the entrance of the
guest
house.
A commemorative photo taken in front of the guest house Muga |
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We headed for JR Hikone Station in the snow after saying “Goodbye !” to
okami-san who sent us off.
The view of a snow-covered rotary in front of JR Hikone Station
(Center in the picture ; The horse-riding statue of the 1st lord of Hikone
Domain Naomasa Ii) |
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We packed our bike in Rinkou bags using the space in front of a cafe at
the station
yard.
As was expected, the folding bike is a lot easier to pack because there is no need
to take off the wheel.
I said goodbye to them here and then packed my bike in the bag slowly.
I had a coffee break at the cafe for a while.
It's snowing continuously.
I took the 8:34 a.m. rapid train to Aboshi to go to Kusatsu.
The JR Hikone Station's platform in the snow |
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[Note] snow silently ; 雪がしんしんと降る, pile up ; 積もる
This is terrible ! ; これは大変だ, in a hurry ; 急いで，train service ; 列車の運行
1st lord of Hikone Domain ; 初代彦根藩主，(lord ; 領主，domain ; 領地，藩 )
station yard ; 駅構内，there is no need to 〜; 〜しなくてもよい，する必要がない
take the ＿ a.m. train to 〜; 午前−時発〜行きの列車に乗る
Japanese Diary / No.592−2014.02.14 / 「初めての輪行(2/2)」
My three yachting buddies from the Kanto area are in Kyoto to enjoy Rinkou
by matching fold-up bicycles, calling it “A sightseeing trip to Kyoto with bicycles
Tern×3”.
They are planning a bike bag trip to Ohmi for two days in the latter half
of it.
I was invited to join in their trip to Ohmi and so decided to do so.
According to their plan, the cycling routes are as follows.
| The route for the first day (Feb 13) |
( We join together at JR Omi-Hachiman Station.)
JR Omi-Hachiman St → ＜pottering around some sightseeing spots in Omi-Hachiman
City＞ →［Sazanami-kaido road along Lake Biwa］ → Hikone Castle → Guest house
Muga in Hikone City
| The route for the second day (Feb 14) |
Guest house → Nagahama City → ＜pottering around Kurokabe Square＞
→ ＜A lunch of Duck dishes＞ → JR Maibara Station (Break-up)
“Rinkou” means that the rider of bicycle carries his or her bike by public
transportation.
It's a measure which a cyclist or a bike traveller uses to omit some legs
of bike trip
without cycling.
Whenever I went on a cycling tour to a distance in the past, I sent my
bike to
a destination by door-to door delivery service.
Since we would join together at JR Omi-Hachiman Station located at a little
distance from Kusatsu this time, I decided to travel with dissembled bike in a bag
for the first time.
I packed my bike in a Rinkou bag the day before.
My bike isn't a folding one.
I took off the wheels of my bike to pack compactly but couldn't pack as
compactly
as a folding bicycle.
I worried about whether people are permitted to take a Ohmi Railway bus
with
the bike in a bag.
Luckily, I could do that and then took a train from Kusatsu to Omi-Hachiman.
I met them there around 9:30 am.
We reassembled our own bike in front of the station.
Anyway, their Tern×10 bikes are really smart !
When I rode on the bike, I felt light about it.
I wanted to get it, too.
We go potterng around the city after getting tourist maps at the tourist
information office.
Our first destination is around Hachimanbori Canal.
We could see these statue and building in the street near the canal.
They are the statue of William Marrell Vories and the headquarters of Omi
Brotherhood Co.,Ltd.
The statue of W.M.Vories and the headquarters of Omi Brotherhood Co.,Ltd |
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W.M.Vories came to Japan as an English language teacher in Shiga Prefectural
commercial high school ( current Hachiman commercial high school ).
He was an architect and also an enterpreneur.
He promoted an ointment named Mentholatum as one of the founder of Vories
partnership corporation ( current Omi Brotherhood Co.,Ltd ).
He is well-known as an architect who designed many churches, schools and
etc
throughout Japan.
Here is Hachimanbori Canal.
The view of Hachimanbori Canal from the Meiji Bridge |
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In this time of the year, we are only sightseers in Hachimanmori Canal.
Whitewashed earthen-wall storehouses line on both sides of the canal.
Whenever I come, the canal is tastefully laid out.
Here is Hakuunkan.
This building was built as Haciman-Higashi school in the 10th year of
the Meiji era (1877).
This is really smart building in Western style.
We took a short break at the tourist information office on the first floor.
The street extending frontward from Hakuunkan is an aproach to Himure Hachimangu
Shrine.
When we cross the Hakuun Bridge over the canal, there are the precincts
of
the shrine.
Here is Himure Hachimangu Shrine.
The romon (tower gate) of Hachimanguu Shrine |
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We went through the romon and worshipped before the shrine.
I heard that Sagicho Festival and Hachiman Festival are the fire festivals
in every
spring, which are held in this shrine and old city area, and these areas are packed
with a noisy crowd at that time.
After that, we had a short tea break at Himure Village CLUB HARIE's cafe.
Pls click the picture to see a full-size version
Looking out at the garden, we had a cup of tea or coffee with slices of
freah-baked
baumkuchen.
This sweet-tasting and soft baumkuchen was delicious.
After that, we rode our bike along the canal connected with Nishinoko
Lake
in Omi-Hachiman City.
There stretches out dead reed beds in the wetland area (Suigo).
Pls click the picture to see a full-size version
The reed beds spreading to wetland area
and the trace of mowed reeds |
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A sightseeing boat pier
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The mowed reeds are used as blind in summer after being processed.
Suigo-megri has been in off-seson and so the sightseeing boat pier was
quite
deserted.
We head toward Hikone City.
For a while, we pedal through the rural zone in the Omi Plain.
We rode our bike against the cold north wind blowing down from Mt. Ibuki.
Anyway, I really felt cold with my face to the wind and my nose was running.
When we entered the Sazanami-kaido road along Lake Biwa, we had the cold
crosswind blowing down from the Hira Mountains.
As you can see in the picture, Lake Biwa got rough with whitecaps.
We can see a small island on the distant water.
It might be Chiikubushima Island.
After we entered Hikone City, we cycled very long.
When we saw the tower of Hikone Castle in the distance , I was truly relieved.
We got to a place close to the moat around the castle just after 2:30 pm.
We enter a restaurant to take a late lunch.
I relieved hunger with warm Tamago-Toji Tempura Udon.
We pedal along the moat to head for the domitory.
The view of the tower of Hikone Castle |
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We arrived at Hikone Guest House Muga near Yonbancho Square when we headed
along Yume Kyobashi Castle Road from Kyobashi intersection.
The guest house consists of an old private house built 90 years ago and
a new house
built as a dormitory.
I heard young couple opened it last year.
It's really reasonable accommodation for cyclists or cycling enthusiasts
like us.
Off course, it's the basis that you do it yourself.
Tamma-san who planned our cycling trip had sudden poor health and went
to bed
in dormitory.
We thought it must be due to his excessive drinking in Kyoto.
However, according to him, it is likely to be caused by cold stomach with
cold wind.
For a while, the three of us sat warm under the kotatsu in the recreation
room
of old private house and were lost in conversation about today's dinner and
tomorrow's schedule.
Not only in the weather page of today's morning newspaper but also in the
current
weather report on the smart phone, weather forecast says tomorrow will
be snowy
in the entire area of not only Shiga Prefecture but also Kinki district.
In addition, even in Nagoya and Tokyo, heavily snow is forecast.
And so, we decided to cancel to go for pottering to Nagahama.
We are compelled to cancel our plan to eat a Duck dishes for lunch.
At goodhiro-san's suggestion, we decided to do that here in Hikone.
Once it's decided, we are quick to act.
Involving young Okami-san, we tried very hard to see where restaurants
that serve
Duck dishes are in this neighborhood.
We had trouble in searching for a restaurant without tamma-san.
“Iseiku” is the Japanese-style restaurant that okami-san found.
Goofhiro-san reserved a full-course Duck dishes for three because tamma-san
was in
poor health.
Japanese-style restaurant Iseiku (in Hikone) |
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According to Maki-san who served, Iseiku has been in business for over
100 years
and this Japanese-style room was built in the Taisho period.
Maybe Goodhiro-san got a taste on the winter trip to Kyoto.
He ordered Hirezake here, too.
Hirezake means a hot sake with a grilled blowfish fin.
It suits for a kamonabe.
Kamonabe means a duck pot dish with other ingredients such as hakusai cabbage,
green onions, tofu and so on.
Anyway, we enjoyed a kamonabe in the quiet room while enjoying talking
with
Maki-san.
We really drank a lot !
So, you are Ok even if it will snow tomorrow ?
After returning to the guest house, we had a second party.
We invited master of the guest house to it.
I had a pleasant time with him and goodhoro-san over a glass of whisky
while
listening to his war stories before the opening of the gest house and others.
Around 11 pm, we broke up the party to go to bed because a bottle of whisky
got empty and we felt drunk.
I remember that it was still not snowing.
Now, here is today's cycling route.
Furthermore, data on my cycle computer are as below.
Travel distance = 32.7 Km, Elapsed Time = 2 hours and 34 minutes
Average speed = 12.7 Km/hour
To be continued Weekly Topics / No.213−Feb14, 2014 /
“The Rinkou for the first time ever in my bike life (2/2)”
[Note] rinkou ; bicycle (bike) bag travele 輪行，yachting buddy ; ヨット仲間
matching ; おそろいの，fold-up bicycle ; 折り畳み式自転車，pottering ; ポタリング
Duck dishes ; 鴨料理，Break-up ; 解散，public transportation ; 公共交通機関
destination ; 目的地，dissembled ; 分解した，folding bicycle ; 折り畳み式自転車
took off a wheel ; 車輪を外す，worry about ; 〜について心配(気に)する
Hachimanbori Canal ; 八幡堀，William Marrell Vories ; ウィリアム・メレル・ヴォ−リズ
Omi Brotherhood Co.,Ltd ; 近江兄弟社，Shiga Prefectural ; 滋賀県立
commercial high school ; 商業高校，enterpreneur ; 企業家，ointment ; 軟膏
promote ; の普及を促進する，Mentholatum ; メンソレタ−ム，sightseer ; 観光客
partnership corporation ; 合名会社，whitewashed ; 白(しっくいの)塗りの
earthen-wall storehouse ; 土蔵（earthen-wall ; 土壁の，storehouse ; 倉庫）
be tastefully laid out ; (主語は)風情がある，in the 10th year of the Meiji era ; 明治10年
in Western style ; 洋風の，frontward ; 正面へ，Himure Hachimangu Shrine ;日牟禮八幡
the precincts of a shrine ; 神社の境内，worship before a shrin ; 神前に参拝する
Sagicho Festival ; 左義長祭り，be packed with a noisy crowd ; 賑わいをみせる
looking out at 〜; 外の〜を見る，freah-baked ; 焼き立ての，sweet-tasting ; 甘味のある
There stretches out 〜;〜がひろがっている，reed bed ; ヨシ(葦)原，boat pier ;ボ−ト乗り場
Suigo-megri ; 水郷巡り，deserted ; 人気が無い，さびれた，rural zone ; 田園地帯
with one's face to the wind ; 向かい風で，my nose is running ; 鼻水が出る
crosswind ; 横風，whitecaps ; 白波, tower of Hikone Castle ; 彦根城天守閣
be relieved; ほっとする，moat ; 堀，relieved hunger ;空腹を和らげる
accommodation ; 宿泊施設，cycling enthusiast ; 自転車愛好家
have poor health ; 体調を崩す，be likely to be caused by 〜; 〜が原因である可能性が高い
sit warm under the kotatsu ; コタツに入って温まる，be lost in 〜; 〜に没頭(熱中)する
weather page ; お天気欄，be compelled to 〜; 〜せざるを得ない
at one's suggestion ; (人)の提案で, involve someone ; 人を巻き込む
have trouble in 〜; 〜するのに苦労する, reserve 〜 for three ; 〜 を3人分予約する
got a taste ; 味を覚える，Hirezake ; ひれ酒，blowfish fin ; ふぐのヒレ，kamonabe ; 鴨鍋
green onion ; ネギ, pot dish ; 鍋料理，war story ; 苦労話，苦しかったときの思い出
get empty ; 空になる，feel drunk ; 酔いがまわる
Japanese Diary / No.591−2014.02.13 / 「初めての輪行(1/2)」
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