Papersky organized the latest edition of Tour de Nippon in the balmy springtime of early April, when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom around the mountain foothills and the beautiful streams of Saitama Prefecture. Starting in the towns of Ogawa and Tokigawa, and finishing in the Koma district of Hidaka City, we pedaled through an area renowned for organic farming relishing the delectable food, experiencing a budding new culture, admiring the cherry blossoms, and refreshing both our bodies and our minds.
Day one brought the perfect weather for an outdoor excursion, and our meeting point outside Tobu Railway’s Ogawamachi Station was busy with people going hiking and biking in the Chichibu mountains. This time we had quite an international group, with nearly half of the participants being non-Japanese. Those renting a bike were greeted by a selection of models lined up under the trees by the Tour de Nippon official bike partner KONA BICYCLES. For this event we welcomed as a cycling guide Mansaku Matsubara, the organizer of BIKELORE bike events. Also with support from the technical team Circles, we were ready to hit the road.
Our first stop was Sengenyama Miharashi-no-Oka Park. We parked our bikes and huffed and puffed our way up the mountain path on foot. From the observatory at the summit, we got a sweeping view of the town of Ogawa that we were about to explore. We also enjoyed the treat of a big roller slide—the favorite attraction of Editor in Chief Lucas B.B.
Back down the mountain, we hopped on our bikes again and headed for MOZART, a café in the nostalgic former Shimozato Annex of Ogawa Elementary School. Under the fluttering cherry blossom petals in the schoolyard, we enjoyed boxed lunches packed with locally grown seasonal vegetables paired with healthy, deeply energizing drinks. The soothing smile of the café’s helper and mascot girl, Kona-chan, and the beauty of the cherry blossoms brought our relaxing lunchtime to perfection.
With our stomachs full and our hearts happy, we sped down the slope in the middle of the fields and arrived at our next destination: the no-till, chemical-free, fertilizer-free SOU FARM. Daichi Yanagida’s approach to the soil left a deep impression on us: “If each of us paid closer attention to just a square meter of the ground beneath our feet, we would make the Earth a better place.” Here, we had the luxury of trying Jerusalem artichoke grown in this field and cooked in a pot made with the local clay. The fluffy texture and gently sweet flavor left us with all smiles.
Next we went to Musashi Winery for wine-grape gelato. The dairy-free dessert melted in our mouths and burst with the powerful, pure taste of grapes grown absolutely free of chemicals, without even so much as Bordeaux mixture. The winery proprietor, Yuzo Fukushima, gave us a vineyard tour and showed us the buds forming on the grapevines. The fragrant scent of spring gave us a boost of energy to continue our ride.
We pedaled through the Ogawa town center and made our way to Yokota Farm, where Gaku Yokota showed us his organic wheat field. The crop is used as an ingredient of beer. We pedaled single file into the lush green field, feeling safe even along the bumpy ridges thanks to our Kona Bicycles.
The time flew by as we listened to Mr. Yokota’s amazing stories, and it was twilight by the time we reached our goal of the day, Coworking Lobby NESTo. This was the venue of our after-party. We congratulated one another for a hard day’s work over plates of Ogawa town vegetables, grape juice and wine from Musashi Winery, and craft beer from Zakkoku Koubou Microbrewery made with cereals including Mr. Yokota’s wheat.
Planner and editor Takehiko Yanase, our collaborator in designing the route for this edition of Tour de Nippon, told us about the life in Ogawa town and shared his favorite delicious dining spots. After the party, the participants went out to explore and enjoy supper on their own. Some stayed at the Ogawa Machiyado inns Tsuki and Sanshimai, operated under the concept that the entire town of Ogawa is one big hotel. Everyone talked late into the night about coming back to Ogawa.
On day two, we woke up feeling rested and refreshed, and went to Mr. Yanase’s coffee shop, PEOPLE, for a breakfast of mild-flavored rice porridge.
The meal gave us a charge of energy for the long ride ahead on this day. We got on our Kona Bicycles and zipped along the road with a fabulous view of the slopes covered in tender greens and the pale pink of Japanese mountain cherry blossoms, stopping along the way at the Shimozato unmanned farmers’ market to buy organic vegetables, and at Tofu Kobo Watanabe to snack on soy milk ice cream and soy pulp donuts. Following the row of cherry trees along the Hachiko Line tracks out of the corner of our eyes, we pedaled on to the town of Tokigawa. Our destination here was Kobuta-no-Shippo, selling inhouse-made ham and bread, for the hotdogs that Lucas described as the best in the world. Sure enough, the crunchy, airy bun and the juicy sausage were a terrific combination!
Having quelled our hunger, we headed for the lifestyle and outdoor shop GRID, where the owner, Tatsuya Aoki, instructed us in the art of making a single-flower vase. Tokigawa boasts a strong industry in tategu—latticework partitions such as doors, screens, and shutters. The process of making those fittings produces wood waste of all shapes and sizes. We chose our favorite pieces of wood and began carving. Our tool of choice here was the MORAKNIV knife. We glided the blade along the grain to carve out the perfect shape, and then applied a coat of beeswax to bring our work to completion. What pieces of art did we create? Several participants picked some wild flowers growing in the grass by the road, made a flower arrangement, and admired their work. Some wanted to do even more carving, but alas, we were only halfway through the day’s ride.
After saying good-bye to Mr. Aoki, we pedaled on and spotted the stylish building of Teenage Brewing. The owner, Daichi Mori, gave us a brewery tour and showed us his lineup of over ten varieties of craft beer with artistic can labels, from which we selected our favorites and bought as souvenirs of the trip. It was a long ride from here. We mashed on the pedals of our Kona Bicycles going uphill, and before long, stopped to take a break for ume juice at the Ogose Plum Grove. Chill, have a good time, and enjoy the ride—that’s Tour de Nippon style.
After putting on a final spurt, we took the time to reward ourselves with organic sweets at Alishan Cafe. The owner, John Bayles, gave us a warm, friendly welcome and delectable cakes that blew our fatigue away. Just around the corner was our goal of Koma Station. We took a group photo, promised to meet again, and said our good-byes.
Over two days of calm and comfortable spring weather, Tour de Nippon in Saitama took us to discover the delicious food, the budding culture, and the moving stories of the locals. The next event is scheduled on December 14th and 15th this year in Unzen, Nagasaki. We look forward to seeing you soon!
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