The first stop on the ride was the Sakura Deai Visitor Centre, which is the confluence of three rivers at Yodogawa Riverside Park. It’s been open since 2017 and is super popular with cyclists – of all kinds. It was a Saturday morning and we saw many road (team and track) bikes.

The site features an observation tower, information centre, a visitor centre with shop and local vegetables… and some vending machines (it’s Japan). We enjoyed the view and an ice cream before getting back on the bikes.

The forecast for the day was 20 degrees and as you can see by the photos- a perfect blue sky. The route is perfect for cyclists, it’s generally separated from cars, and there are the occasional joggers and walkers on the path.

Kozuya Bridge, often referred to as Nagare-bashi (Nagare Bridge), or ’The Flowing bridge across the Kizu River. It’s also the longest wooden bridges in Japan. It’s unique because when there is a flood or typhoon the segments of the bridge will float away in segments separating it from the base and flow like rafts while attached and prevent collapsing. Amazing!

Alongside the cycleway there are also many tea plantations. We stopped again before lunch for a break and take in some water.

Next stop was lunch… and, this was one of the best meals I can recall enjoying.

From the outside it’s a really non descript place… but it was recommended by our fellow cyclists… and I’m not one to go against a local suggestion. I love egg rolls.. and everything about this meal was perfect. Here is the name of I’m ever back this way. だし巻き専門店 京こっこ

After here about 5-6km up the road there was a back tyre blow out, thankfully not ours. The tyre was changed in under 10 minutes- amazing – and Kym contributed to the efficiency with his electric pump (yeah for being useful).

Once the tyre was replaced and we were back on the road, we stopped off at the Nara Palace site. This was was one of the sites of the capitals of Japan, and from AD 710-784 where is then was relocated. The site itself was approximately 1km square, and previously featured a variety of buildings and compounds for different purposes. Many of the buildings are being recreated using traditional Japanese skills and craftsmanship, based on records and archeological excavations of the area since 1959. We had a look the the Imperial Audience Hall.

From here we winded our way through the area towards the centre of Nara.

We stopped to look in Todai-Ji Temple – which is the largest wooden structure in the world, and was last reconstructed after a fire in 1567 (third one since the original was built when it was the capital of Japan. here there was a lot of tourists – when cycling you tend to forget how these sites can be. If you’ve never been to Nara you are lucky to be aware of the deer that live here and like to be fed crackers, and will attack peoples bags if they can smell them. We cycled around the upper sections of the park.. before heading into the main tourist shopping strip, where we enjoyed a fresh mochi (rice cake) from the place which is super trendy on tic-tok, before heading to check in to our hotel.

By the time we uploaded the trip to Strava, I had apparently cycled over 66km. Yes indeed it was an epic ride!

KM’s cycled – 66.39

Hours on bike – 6.47

Steps in total day – 16,131