Ibaraki: Passion for Tradition – CYCLE AROUND JAPAN Highlights
The best way to discover little known sites and make even familiar places feel brand new is to go exploring by bicycle. This time we cycle around Ibaraki. It’s late fall and the leaves have taken on idilic colors. We’ll meet people who’ve passed down local wisdom to the present day. We’ll discover pride and love for this region’s local culture. Big smiles and a strong way of life. A memorable journey from mountain to sea. Let’s get pedaling. This is Tsukuba, the second most populated city in Ibadaki. It’s a 45minute ride from Tokyo on highspeed rail. Here’s where our trip will begin. Hi everyone, I’m James and I’m ready to ride. Cycling today is James Hobbs from the UK. He came to Japan in 1991 and teaches English at a university here. He’s an experienced cyclist who competes in races. Okay, you ready to explore Ibaraki? Let’s go. Once James leaves the city, wide countryside appears before his eyes. All right, look at this. I mean, we really are only just outside the center of Scuba City. And already it’s feeling very quiet out in nature, out in the countryside. This cycling road was built at top an old unused rail line. An old rail track turned into a cycling track. Makes me feel like a train. All right, let’s get some speed up with James Express. James has reached an area called Yasato. Okay. And really into farming territory now. Lots of fields in this little plane here. Let’s go and have a word with him. Growing something. This is fifth generation farmer Iwas Naka. Mhm. This soft organic soil is perfect for carrots with their deep roots. Iwas shows James the most important thing when it comes to organic farming. Chicken manure from a local poultry farm and straw from rice patties are mixed together. Anyway, listeners, listen. I don’t need to tell you what that smells like. I think you can imagine. Not for the faint-hearted. This mixture is left to mature for over a year. Observing today is Takuchi Naoki who moved here from Tokyo 3 years ago. Yasato has a training program for newcomers who want to start organic farming. Trainees are lent farms and equipment and learn valuable skills and knowledge from experienced farmers. Fore! Foreign! Foreign! Next, James crosses the Kinugawa River and heads for a silk producing city in western Ibadaki. All right. Well, it was a very foggy start to the day, but the sun’s burned through the clouds nicely. Got clear blue skies up ahead. Looks like it’s going to be perfect cycling weather. He has entered the city of Yuki. Oh, quite an impressive looking saki brew sake brewery on the right here. Get quite a sense of history in here. This city flourished in the days of silkworm cultivation and silkweaving. Its 30 or so remaining storehouses are remnants of that era. James visits a longestablished textile workshop. This is Nomina Taeshi, a weaver of Yukiugi silk fabric. Yukitsumi is woven from single untwisted threads. The entire process is done by hand. It’s a high quality fabric with a soft texture. Wow. Wow. Yukitsumi is said to have originated 1,500 years ago. It’s made by hand with artisans dividing their labor. Nomura’s wife, Misako, handles spinning. The thread is extracted from silk made by boiling silkworm cocoons. It takes 10 kilometers of thread to make a single roll of cloth. Pulling that much thread takes about a month. James gives it a try. I was talking about making 10 kilometers of thread from this. That would probably take me a lifetime. Mama. This is Famo Yuko who works here as a weaver. Once employed at a company in Tokyo, she moved to Ibanaki 6 years ago to learn the art of yukitsumugi. Even now, because it is so complex, she’s still not satisfied with the quality of her work. What is An inspiring group of artisans aiming to preserve a beloved tradition. James rides north from Yuki on a mountain road. He’s headed for a temple near Ibanaki’s northern border, known for its autumn leaves. Okay, getting pretty high up already now. Can see the other mountains across the valley. You know, climbs, even when you’re going really slowly, it’s amazing how quickly you gain altitude. This is the border town of Daigo. It can get quite cold in the mornings and evenings, bringing about spectacular colors. Okay, have a look at the colors over here. This is what I wanted. Oh yes, some nice autumn colors. Look at that color up there. Absolutely gorgeous. That is beautiful. There we go. Have a look at those colors. Look at that. Just the right time to come. Aenji Temple founded in the 15th century. It’s known as a temple of autumn colors. Nice. Yes. Yes. Yes. Okay. James now heads south along the Pacific. Pacific coast. A lovely road right along the sea. Sun’s out. Sea’s a bit choppy with the wind, but that wind’s behind me. It’s quite easy to go nice and fast here. Whoa, there we go. Huge lake right in front of us. This is Lake Kasumi Gauda, Japan’s second largest lake. It’s ringed by a 130 km long cycling road. Oh, somebody doing something here. What’s happening here? Should look at this. picky cheese. Dried ice fish is a preserved food that has long supported the people here. Kaio Masadu is a fisher and fish processor. He says the rich flavor of traditional sundried ice fish is influenced by the winds that blow in this area. No, I don’t hold it. Tomorrow morning, James will get a tour of where Kaito fishes. Yeah. I saw this stuff. 10 minutes from shore, Kaio stops the boat. The process of fishing by pulling a net through the water is called trollling. Fishers rely on their years of experience to guess where to drop their nets each day. It’s time to pull up the net. Oh, much done. Wow. Kaiito is known here as a top ice fish expert. Once a truck driver, he took over the family fishing business when his father fell ill about 15 years ago. Yes. When things got tough, the memory of his father, Sadal, kept him going. Winter ice fish has the most fat, making this season’s fish the most delicious of all. mind. He’ll keep chasing the wind, looking to do his father proud. Back in the saddle, James races for his final goal, Kashima Jingu Grand Shrine. So, here we go with the last spot. It’s not far away. Just the last bit. So, let’s give it the beans. There we go. Look at that. Very imposing. Very impressive. In the past, people came ashore by boat from here to pray. Aha. And I can see another Tory gate up ahead. That must be the shrine. And here we go. The entrance of the shrine. Made it to the end of my trip. Said to have been founded in 660 BC. This is the legendary Kashima Jingu Grand Shrine. James pays homage, giving thanks for a successful journey. And there we go. That’s the end of a great trip with mountains, lakes, the sea, and some fabulous autumn colors. I really felt welcome here, and I certainly got a very warm welcome from all the people I met. people working the fields, uh, people preserving and developing traditional crafts. They have an infectious enthusiasm for the things that they’re passionate about and for giving other people the chance to experience them. And I think they’re rightly confident that their traditionals will will not just survive, but thrive. Thank you, Ibaraki, for a wonderful trip. Can’t wait to come riding here again. Ibodaki is full of passionate people passing down and innovating on their long storied traditions.
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In Ibaraki, roads weave through fertile farmland and rows of silk textile storehouses, leading up the mountains to temples framed by autumn colors and along lakes teeming with icefish.
AloJapan.com