Nara

Sep 30, 2015 - 1 min read

Tour of Nara Mahoroba

It's not a race, take your time and enjoy

By Bryan Baier

Community writer

Yoroi-Dake Mountain on the Soni-Mitsue Course

Events and festivities at the starting and staging area in Uda

Food stands at the starting/staging area

Bikers head out in waves from the start line

At the start line before the start signal

The historic district of old town Uda City is a hi-light of the tour

Looking down from near the top of the Benzaiten Pass, the first aid station and the longest hill on the Soni-Mitsue Course

The Benzaiten Aid Station (the first and fifth aid station on the route)

Three kinds of onigiri were served to riders

Different flavored sweet breads were also available

Looking down into Soni-mura from the east slope of the longest hill

A beautiful mountain home and its rice field

Yoroi-dake Mountain from the 2nd aid station

Between the second and third aid stations in Soni-mura

Looking back at Yoroi-dake from the climb to the Soni Kogen

Salted and spit roasted ayu fish (shioyaki) at the 3rd aid station and lunch stop at the Soni Kogen

Kakinohazushi (salt preserved and persimmon leaf wrapped sushi) was also available at the Soni Kogen Aid Station

Hot miso soup was especially welcome because the weather was very rainy

Scare crows, or "kakashi" in Japanese, made by the people of Mitsue-mura. They are part of a village contest

The maker of this scare crow is a mechanic and the owner of a garage. He was kind enough to tell me and my group about the scare crows and take the plastic bag off of this, his scare crow, so that I could photograph it

Even "No-face" from Spirited Away was present

The long downhill straight on the east side of the Benzaiten

Sumisaka Shrine less than 10km from the finish

The red bridge and the lanterns make for an atmospheric shot

And the shrine buildings can get you out of the rain for a little bit

Thinking of the words “bike tour” probably brings to mind the Tour de France and Lance Armstrong. The Tour of Nara Mahoroba Bike Tour in Uda City in rural eastern Nara is not the Tour de France. No competition, sponsorships or championships on the line here. It’s all about riding through the mountainous and beautiful countryside and enjoying the ride to the fullest!

The tour offers 3 courses (the 34.5km Uda Loop, the 73.1km Soni-Mitsue Course, and the 103.8km Higashi Yoshino-Yamazoe Course) to cater to all levels of riders. I rode in the 73.1km Soni-Mitsue Course, a spectacle shaped double loop through Uda City and Soni and Mitsue Villages in the easternmost part of Nara. Sites like the Matterhorn-like Yoroi-Dake Mountain, the historic district of Uda’s old town and the expansive grassy meadows of the Soni Kogen Highlands were all on the way and the nature of the tour allowed me time to take them all in. Racing my riding companions up and down the hills of the course was fun, but so was stopping and having the time to get the perfect shot.