MTB Ibaraki

2008-06-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

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Gozenyama

2007-08-08T05:39:00.000-07:00

Gozenyama is a national park located at the Western edge of Ibaraki along the Naka river. Within the park, there are campsites, hiking trails and kayaking. This is one of the more famous places to ride cross country in Ibaraki. A few guide books mention the trails here for riding.

The most popular loop starts from the seven eleven next to the red bridge. This loop is about 8km. It follows a narrow road (beside the pink shop) up the valley. This road alternates between paved sections and gravel. Basically, you keep riding straight where ever there are places to turn off. The road will lead you up. Near the top there will be some old logging equipment. At the crest of the road is a hiking trail on your right. Take this trail up. This trail will lead you back towards the red bridge.

One or two turns along the trail might be easy to miss. There is one road crossing and stairs up the other side. Go up the stairs and the trail will start again. After that, its easy to follow the trail and the signs will tell you where to go.

The final section of the trail from the last lookout spot to the red bridge has a couple of tight switchbacks that can be a bit hairy for beginners. If you know about them ahead of time, its easy to ride check them out and ride at your own level.

How to get there:

If you have a car, follow route 123 from Mito to Shirosato town. The old town name is Katsura, and there is a camping and BBQ area next to the parking lot. If you miss the turn off, the next buildings you will see are a 7-11 and a red bridge. The trails start from there.

Getting there by bike:
It takes about an hour and a half to ride to Gozenyama from Mito station.
From Mito station, ride to the Naka river. You can follow the bike path along the left side of the river (going up river). This path will continue for about 10 km. There are a few places where you will need to improvise, but basically if you make your way along between the river and route 123 you will arrive at the Katsuta camping area. Thsi ride is passes through some scenic countryside along the way. You can see a lot of Osprey hunting for fish along the river.

Hitachi Area

2007-03-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

Hitachi is located next to the Ocean. Above the city is a range of mountains with a network of hiking trails. The highest mountain is Takasuzu san, 623 meters high. Hitachi is on the Joban train line, that goes from Ueno station to Sendai. You can also get there by car, using the Joban Express way, or Route Six.
Hitachi is probably most famous for being the headquarters for Hitachi company. It's also popular among surfers for the good surf breaks and beaches.

The easeist way to access the hiking trail is from Omika station. From Omika, cross over the train tracks and head up to route six. Turn left onto route six. Go along route six and turn right at the third set of lights. Climb up the hill and there is a sign for Fujin Park at the top.

Another variation is to enter the trail through Kamine Kohen. This area has some great scenery,including this waterfall, where we stpped for lunch.

After lunch we made our way up a long jeep road that has some great views of the Pacific Ocean. Finally we pushed ourselves up three mountains, resting each time and enjoying the view before racing down to the next valley and back towards our final destination, Fujin Kohen. We covered about 25-30km of single track taking about 4.5 hours.

Iwama

2007-03-08T01:15:00.000-08:00

Located just twenty minutes South of Mito, Iwama is quite an interestining place to ride. Culturally, it is best known as being a one of the main centers for aikido. A large number of aikido students come from around the world to practice aikido at the two dojo. It also has some beautiful scenery.

Trails:

Atago sun has a number of hiking trails. From the top parking lot, behind the cabins, there's a trail down the front of the mountain. the trail is about 2.5 km and comes out onto the main road up the mountain.
On the backside of Atago San, there are a number of hiking trails that go towards Nantai san and Kasama city. The main hiking trail has a lot of steep climbs and descents. Some of them have ropes for hikers. The jeep roads that go around the base of the mountain are better for cross country riding.

Iwase

2007-03-07T05:38:00.000-08:00

Right next to Iwase station is a 70 km biking road was built along an old train line. Rin Rin road, as it is called starts off from Iwase (now Sakuragawa city) and passes by both Kaba san and Tsukuba san. Along the way, there are also some old shrines as well as an excavation site of an ancient castle. Some of the old train stations have been converted into rest areas and the road has been painted red so it is easy to follow.

The road is especially beautiful in the springtime when the cherry blossoms come out. The white blossomed trees really stand out from the rest of the trees on mountain side. The fields also turn a lush green color after a winter of brown.

Along the road, one of the first mountains you will pass is Ama-Biki San. On the side of this mountain is Ama-biki Kannon (seen in picture), an old shrine that is a popular destination for young families.

You can check out more about the historical sites at this address. www.kanko.pref.ibaraki.jp/en/te.html

Kaba San

Rin Rin road also serves as an easy way to get from the train stations to some of the biking trails. While there are a few hiking trails that are rideable, some problems have developed in the area between hikers, mountainbikers and motor cross riders.

At this time, the trails on Kaba san are not legal. There are a few jeep roads that go all the way to the top. If you are riding in smaller groups (four people or less), most people won't mind you riding along the hiking trails, just remember to be extra courteous. Also watch out for motorbikes riding up the trails.

Haguro, Ibaraki (45 minutes)

2007-02-28T06:08:00.000-08:00

Takamine Mountain bike park is located on about 40 km west of Mito. It'll take about 45 minutes to get there by train. Take the Mito line to Oyama. Haguro Station is three stops after Kasama. From there it is about a 20 minute ride from the station.

Takamine is on the Ibaraki, Tochigi border. The mountain is about 560 meters and is often used for paragliding on clear winter days. A few years ago, the paragliding club owner started catering to downhill mountain bikers in the area. He has since build a number of trails with banked turns, ladders and jumps for more serious downhillers.

The park has been featured in a few magazines, catalogues and mtb videos with pro riders such as Andrew Shandro riding custom made stunts. Most of the trails are intermediate trails, although advanced riders will also enjoy taking them at higher speed. Takamine also has an all mountain trail that takes you on a long single track course that goes for about 6 km.

The park fee is \2000 for the day, plus \200 yen for insurance. Each ride up costs \500. Rental bikes are also available for between \3000 and \5000 yen, depending on the model. Helmets, armor and gloves are also available to rent for \1000 yen.

If you are planning a trip here, its best to call ahead or email Sudou san, the owner. If it gets busy, he likes to hire a second driver for the day.

The home page is www.takamineyama.com
There is an email link on the page.
Sudou San's phone number is 090-3226-2613