Last week a friend of mine posted a picture on Facebook from a ride to Hyakuhironotaki, a waterfall near Okutama that looked so appealing now that the full heat of summer has arrived in Tokyo.
The Half-Fast Cycling club in Tokyo announced a ride to Tomin no Mori for Saturday, August 3, with an option to return via Okutama near that waterfall. Unfortunately it left later than I would have liked. So I set out on my own, expecting to bump into them somewhere along the route, once they caught up with me.
The ride to Musashiitsukaichi, the traditional base for Tomin no Mori rides, was hot but uneventful. Again, it was already 30 C (86F) when I left home. At 09:30 I stopped there for some coffee and food at a convenience store with cafe corner. While eating my sandwich I watched the road for passing cyclists, but couldn't see my friends.
From there it was 28 km to Tomin no Mori at around 900 m elevation. The last part of the climb is the steepest. Unlike other weekends there were very few motorbikes or sports cars. There was no police speed trap in the forest near Hinohara and I didn't hear and ambulances, police cars or fire trucks rushing to attend some emergencies. Before this mountain always attracted a crowd of wanna-be racers, with numerous accidents, but this time it was very civilized. I can only guess that a recent police crackdown left an impression and they've gone elsewhere.
I made it to Tomin no Mori by 12:45, but no sign of my friends. My head start was too big. After some coffee and ice cream I headed on to Kazahari toge (Kazahari pass) 4 km up the road, missing my friends by about 20 minutes.
The descent to Okutamako (Lake Okutama) felt refreshing, but I realized my brake pads, both front and rear were overdue for replacement. I always like the views from a parking area on that descent.
I followed the lake shore and then the descent to the town of Okutama after the Okutama dam. Just before the station I turned left and headed up the Nippara valley.
About 4 km up the road I passed a locked gate next to a bus stop, with signs to the falls. I could pass the gate as pedestrian. Behind that road rose steeply for about 3 km. I saw quite a few people wearing wetsuits doing canyoning in the river. There were many boulders, small falls and pools to cross for them.
I parked my bike after I reached the end of the road. From here it was about another 2 km of hiking, which was only just doable in SPD (MTB) shoes. It took me about 45 minutes.
The scenery was great. There were very few people, partly because it was late in the day. Most of them were already descending from the falls.
And there it finally was:
I contemplated a swim in the pool at the base, but after wading into it up to my knees I decided the mountain water was far too chilly, even on a hot day like this. So I just had a good wash to cool myself and wash off the accumulated sweat.
The hike back was not too bad. I had started hiking after 110 km already, then 2 hours on foot until I got back to the bike, but I knew I could coast down to the gate on two wheels, unlike those other hikers. The road back to Okutama was also mostly downhill.
After Okutama it got dark. I arrived in Ome about an hour after sunset and had dinner there. When I got back to Tokyo it was almost 23:00. A very long (and beautiful) day to finish 7 years of "Century a Month"!
Total: 183 km with 1595 m of elevation gain (on Strava:
bike and
hike).