Post by washi on Oct 20, 2016 11:02:53 GMT
In an effort to shed some weight this summer, I've taken to some longish bicycle rides most early mornings. My interest in exploring a land which even after 14 years still seems new and even a bit strange to me has taken me greater distances than I ever thought to attempt, but I always made it a point of returning home before 9 am, when the heat started to become dangerous. Often the places I chose to ride were related to my interest in Japanese history.
I've been waiting for the summer to pass so I could ride to more distant places. One such trip was to travel along the route of the ancient Take no Uchi Kaidō (竹内街道 - "Within the Bamboo" Highroad) first mentioned in the chronicles in the 7th century as an official route, and certainly important as a route of connecting imperial palace sites in Osaka and Asuka (the southeast corner of the Nara Basin).
I am still not convinced that I can get a bicycle safely over the Take no Uchi Pass, but last Sunday I only wanted to go from the point near Sakai City Hall to when the road crosses the Ishikawa river in the city of Habikino. I left home at 6 am because I can make much better time when the weekend traffic is light. By 7 am I was crossing the bridge over the Yamatogawa river, where I could see the city hall, and also the rare site of the huge Emperor Nintoku Kofun tomb.
(The above is repeated in the first placemark. The placemarks that follow contain photos and commentary. Two recorded tours of my bicycle route, one with music, are also available for download.)
Download File
