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Originally Posted by Nyororin
Yes, Nagoya is talked about so infrequently that almost everyone mistakenly lumps it in with Nagano. 
It`s an incredibly common mistake, so I`ll forgive you for it.  |
Doh!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nyororin
It`s quite easy to get out into natural areas. I have found that there is a LOT less congestion in getting out of Nagoya than say, Tokyo or Osaka. Escaping either of those seems like a complete nightmare - particularly on holidays. Easier of course to head north or west than east though - the city sort of cuts off to the north/north-west, but suburbs go on forever to the east.
Also, I think that it needs to be kept in mind that there is a lot more nature and scenery than just the dark green high mountains that show up on Google Maps. Deep mountains are beautiful to drive through, but I can`t say I`d want to ride a bicycle through them... Expanses of rice fields with small groves, and scattered villages are just as fascinating. (In my opinion)
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Oh, but those dark green mountains sure look inviting! I do like getting out in nature occasionally (I really like hiking too). Looks like nice areas for that just to the west as well (across the river).
As far as cycling, sometimes it nice to be able to get out of the built-up areas where you have to always be on the lookout for traffic and pedestrians. It seems like in that part of Japan, you're either in a built-up area, or out in the mountains. Just from looking at Google, to use the area we're talking about as an example, it looks like the area between and around Seto, Inuyama, Tajimi and Toki would be great for riding - a mix of riding though/by fields, woods, temples, towns, etc. Or between Gifu and Seki. But I could be totally wrong, not being able to see it first-hand.
If that's not what you're referring to (eg: scattered villages), perhaps you can tell me how to find it in Google Earth (either near towns, or with GPS coords)?
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Originally Posted by Nyororin
Japan has an expansive public transportation system. There are few places that it would be impossible to reach via public transport and a bicycle.
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That's more or less what I figured. It's good to hear confirmation though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nyororin
Trees line most streets, which are wide and spacious to begin with. There are bicycle lanes, bridges over intersections for pedestrians and bicycles, etc. There are numerous small historical areas very nearby - (Iwakura, Inuyama, Narumi, Arimatsu, etc), and a ton of museums.
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That sounds pretty perfect to me.
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Originally Posted by Nyororin
I have a friend in Matsumoto - It seems to be a nice town, but they get a LOT of snow in the winter. She always gets depressed as they are in the shadow of mountains from mid-autumn to mid-spring... It gets cold very quickly and takes forever to thaw out. The summers are very mild, so we try to visit then... And usually need to take jackets even in mid-summer as it gets cold in the evenings.
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That sounds exactly where I DON'T want to live. But sounds like a good place to visit in the summer.
Thanks again for taking the time to share this all with me!
Greg