Matsuyama

  • Farewell To The Little Kiso, A Magnicent Blessing In My Life

    One of the finest people I have known in my life has passed. She lived a long and fruitful life, part of which involved me and my selfishness returning her immeasurable generosity and kindness with excruciatingly painful rudeness. Yet, she still responded with warmth and openness, right to the end. I can’t go into details of my friend–assuming friend is an acceptable term to use for someone who was more like a parent–nor reveal her name or much about her, because her family is a humble one, and would not appreciate it. But I was delighted that she lived to be a centenarian, which I would not have dreamed to…

  • Tour de Kagoshima-Kyoto Day 7: Matsuyama to Wakayama

    A moving day allowed the tour riders to freshen legs ahead of the trip’s biggest climb, but that didn’t mean it was an easy day. Riders had a free morning in Matsuyama before assembling around midday to catch a bus to Tokushima. Activities engaged in during the morning included watching a festival, visiting Dogo Onsen hot spring and climbing up to Matsuyama Castle to check out the views of the city. The bus trip to Tokushima was largely uneventful and after about two hours, participants marched on to the Nankai ferry for the journey to Wakayama, leaving Shikoku in their wake. The ferry trip lasted about two hours and the…

  • Tour de Kagoshima-Kyoto Day 6: Uchiko to Matsuyama

    Shikoku’s glorious mountains seemed less and less attractive at times while pounding the pedals to push on upward even higher, but a wonderful descent followed on the final day of riding on the smallest of Japan’s four main islands. Leaving Uchiko later than most starts, it was a steady climb upward for the remainder of the morning. The strenuous efforts of the climbs were rewarded by priceless views across seemingly endless mountain ranges, whose splendor was enhanced by the brilliant sunshine and cloudless skies. More climbing continued after lunch (the day would eventually top 1,100 meters of elevation). An exhilarating and lengthy descent followed, though, winding downward through mandarin patches…