NEWS
2019/11/21

RIDE IS LIKE HAIKU vol.12

Text & Photo by Tomokuni Ohmura

I’ve been riding so many places, but still there is always a rare train station in the map that draws my attention. On Google map and Garmin, we all can see a train station but no road. I don’t see any roads but there is a train station.

I wondered, “Maybe, there should be some sort of hidden paths.” Well, this is kind of bike geek imagination, but can’t help thinking of the existence of the train station across a river.

The train station between the borderline of Nagano, Shizuoka and Aichi seems really famous as the secluded train station. Once I dig into information more deeply, driving a car to get there doesn’t seem like a right option. However, I can just walk up there, which means that I can ride up there for sure.

First of all, I started riding from Inabe. Up and down appeared one after another, and whatever I saw ahead was all mountains with a brilliant autumnal tints

Dancing ride on a uphill road made me sweat, and going on a long downhill right next moment. In order to make small air resistance, I needed to get my body close to the frame and turn right and left on curves. Once my body got cool off after the long downhill, I see long ass uphill right in front of me.

Autumn is the best season for sure. I would not get exhausted by the heat, and my finger can move perfectly because it’s not cold at all. The sky is high and mountains are so beautiful.

After passing so many ridges, then finally I got to the entrance toward the secluded train station.

My destination of that ride, called ‘OWADA STATION’.

It would take 43 minutes by walk to the station… Is this a usual thing to go to any secluded train station in Japan? Whatever it was, why people made this station for? So many questions came up in my mind and I stepped into the entrance to ride to the station.

I’m going to tell you the result first of all. Riding wasn’t a clever idea to the station.

The path was about to crumble.

A dangerous steep slope which I don’t recommend you to walk.

Inappropriate suspension bridge toward the long ass road to the station.

I finally saw something ahead after carrying and pushing my bike again and again.

There was a sign of ‘OWADA STATION’ in the back of a ruined factory.

Probably, there used to be people who used this station as their commuting method, but no-one else around here. Since it looks so mystery, or because there are some train station fans in this world visiting here, I saw a notebook for the visitors. How many freaks could come over here by carrying bicycle like me?

When I started heading back home, I suddenly heard a train was coming closer.

The train stopped at the station…

Of course, I didn’t see any people getting off…

The train left and only silence stayed there.

“I wish I could get on that train and going back home… at least one station ahead.” It seemed really far from there to my hometown.

“With the sound of steam whistle, a travel of loneliness begins.”