Looking for my path; Mountainbiking in Minakami

Substituted sking for mountainbiking for a while

While the thought of staying in Japan began to grow in my mind, a worried state of mind evolved as well. How can I make it? What will I do? Where will I go? Why do I want to stay? Will I be lonely? Basic questions like these are important and it would take me a while to figure out answers. But I had time. I kind of bought myself some time through temporary jobs. This little mountainbike experience was part of my progression in the quest of finding answers to my questions about how to make a "sustainable" year in Japan. 

My departure from Shiga Kogen ski area took me directly to another mountain region; Minakami. I had mailed back and forth with the owner of a MTB-guide company, www.mtbjapan.com, and he had agreed to take me in for a trial period. I wanted to check out this opportunity before trying to do a "work-away" on Izu Peninsula, where I would be able to surf. Since mountainbiking is sport I really like to do in Denmark, I felt an itch in my legs for riding some bikes!

On his private property in Minakami he had recently build a little "hut" next to his house which now became my roof, walls and windows for the next 2 weeks. He seemed like a good guy and he had been recommended to me by my roommate, Bump, from Shiga Kogen. Bump was originally supposed to work for him last season but unfortunately never made it. 

There was a big dump of snow overnight the day before I left. It didn't fill me with joy and blood rush like before. I was done skiing for this season even though I have to admit that slush ice skiin can be pretty fun. Anyhow, now the warm spring breeze from the bottom of the mountains in Nagano embraced me instead, and I jumped on a Shinkansen (famous high speed train in Japan) to Minakami. The picture beneath shows the hut I got to spend around two weeks in and enjoying my first real feal of spring; around 20 degress celsius and slowly small leaves appeared on the trees around me.

"My hut"

Lake just next to the property

Speed, technique, stamina, balance, interval intensitety training by nature and adrenalin rushes... What's not to like? 

While I was a Nathan's I primarily just helped him prepare the business for the season. Shining up his workshop and preparing trails. I got to jog and bike a lot on my own. Nathan himself had made a "home trail", which we cleared up and prepared for daily biking. Nathan got back into a rythm of training and green smoothies in the morning to repair whatever damage an offseason in Australia had done to him. To see him get back the eager to be back out there on the bike was nice, and I could definitely recognize some characteristics from myself in him. The home trail was a nice short easy maybe 5 km run with some good cornering and speedy parts. Especially after cleaning it up it became great little workout and good training for me. 

In many ways mountainbiking has a lot in common with skiing. Perhaps that's why many riders from the snowy mountains like to spend the time on a mountainbike during the summer. The balance, the dynamic intensity, the nature, the adrenalin rushes and technical skills all makes one feel alive and strong. Ready for anything! 

Danish flag in Japan!

Cleaning up a trail

The bikes and the riding experience

These are the bikes that Nathan use for his guiding business. Specialized Fuze semi fatties! First time for me to try such style of biking. So is it any good? Yeah, it's brilliant. It's so easy! These tires really have a superior grip in the dirt and leaves. Not to mention just the bike it self as being great, but for me the tires were the biggest change and experience. Not a fullsuspension bike, but these tires compensate a lot for this being bouncy in a perfect way. All setup for downhill as we only did downhill and allmost  all the trails for guests are downhill. But nothing crazy. Mainly the courses are designed for beginners as 90% of the guests are beginners. This japanese mountainbiking is not like in the alpes where I have my impression of downhill mountainbiking from. Nathan has had this business for something like 20 years and he can survive through fully booked summerseasons with 90% beginners. This pattern is something that I will soon realize somehow seem to be a "japanese pattern". The fact that there are a lot of people who are beginners in sports. 

Everyone seemed to be biking with bells strapped on to their backpacks or saddle. First I questioned it and then I learned the "obvious" fact, that it "bear bells". Soon after I saw an update on facebook from my old manager in Shiga Kogen. He had filmed a bear on his way from the mountain to the valley! Oh yeah, so the woods are full of bears, beware! Nathan quikly set me up with bear bells and this should warn the bears to prevent confrontation. I never got to see any bears, and I'm thankful for that. Animalwise for my japantrip, I've now skied with "snowmonkeys" (macaque monkeys) in Shiga Kogen and then mountainbiked with black bears in Minakami? Very different from what wild life Denmark has to offer where the biggest news is a few wolfs' migration from Germany to Jylland (danish "peninsula).

This business Nathan has set up seem to really benefit from his own previous career in professional mountainbiking. This is why Specialized supports him with a line up of the fuze bikes. And isn't that just a great value for the business? I mean, it's pretty expensive to have to invest in bikes as the core cost of the business beside the cars, so having a sponsor giving you almost top-of-the-line bikes with newest trend "semifatties" eliminates a big investment. Luckily for Nathan he has teamed up with a great guy who helps him guiding the tours. This friend and coworker just so happen so be proffessional specialized mechanic as well! So bam! Maintenance is kept very well on the bikes with no need to hire an external company or something like that. I was given a lot of great information, tips and tricks as well from the mechanic. Hopefully I'll be able to remember some till I get home to my own worn out bike.

I definitely recommend trying out the trail around Minakami that Nathan can show you. And if you enver tried riding a semifat bike, you should go for it. It's a lot of fun!

Nathan gave me lots of great hints of my technique on the bike from hip position in steep downhill previous, arm position while wheeling or endo-turning. Thanks! And thanks for showing off you awesome skills. If anyone can do it it's definitely you. In addition to all this I would like to add a nice little thing that I really enjoyed. I came directly from our ski accomodation with the japanese ofuru (very hot tub), and I could continue this habit with Nathan, because we went to a local outdoor onsen in the evening before dinner every night. So relaxing after a long days work and bike riding. And so beautiful sitting outside next to the main river of the city in a natura hot spring. Down to earth...

Nathan Bennet bunny jumping with on a bike many years ago. Crazy guy!

Nathans downhill bike. Bad ass!

Nathans' daughter on her semifat bike

My introduction to bear balls. Bells!

Monkey caught in a wild boar trap. We released it.

Japanese bubble-economy in the 80's

When I first arrived in Minakami I was struck by the sight of all the abandonned giant buildings. Resorts and big hotels build 30-40 years ago stood there among local residents small japanese traditional houses. Dirty, trashed and very bad looking. Minakami was a mix of a beautiful scenery with an astonnishing river running through it, old school japanese architecture and living - and then all these crappy old concrete buildings. Nathan introduced me to the fact that Japan went through a big economy collapse build up through the 80's bursting out in the beginning of the 90's. An economy bubble that affected the real estate business and left it's mark around here with all these empty buildings. The most impressive was behind Nathan's own house. Just up the road was a giant area with an artificial big lake, walls to cut of the area, and property to rent. A whole resort area that was just left. Only build to be abandonned. Not a view I'm used to from Denmark where most old shitty buildings are removed from the surface.

Nathan's wife and kids

Recharged batteries ready for take off

My body and mind went through a recharge when I was at Nathan's. I had my own place, everything was new and changed, but it felt good to "be on my own" out of the ski accomodation. I think that to come out of the ski accommodation and into this position where I could focus more on the decision about trying to stay in Japan or not was good for me. Normally I would be pretty energetic and no problem getting up in the morning, but now I would sleep between 10-12 hours every night? I consider that a recharge for my mind. 

Reina, Nathan's wife, cooked tradional japanese style for us almost every night. Thank you! It was delicious and filled my body with nutrients and carbonhdyrates. I hope I'll be able to come by and visit before I leave and when you're all still in the country (the family lives in Australia during the japanese winter). Nathan's kids were very sweet and, and me as a foreigner around the house was good to initiate some english conversations, since Nathan really wanted them the kids to benefit from the potential of learning som english. We had good fun and I got to see Taiga's (the boy) yudo club and his sensei. 

Before I left Minakami I applied for a position in a company in Denmark. I even recommended them in my last post; snowminds. That ends this chapter and starts the next.

Great downhill track from the top of this mountain

This is the last snow I saw before I faced waves and surfing around Ohama Beach, Izu Peninsula