Solo-touring on the Route 140 from the FRUIT LINE to HIROSE Dam and CHIHIBU

The both side of the FRUIT LINE was full of young fruit

Someday, I rode for a solo touring from OKUTAMA to KOSHU and through the FRUIT LINE to CHICHIBU on the Route 140. It is said that the longest novel in Japan is ‘DAIBOSATSUTOGE’ and I found the sign says ‘DAIBOSATSUTOGE’ on the way from OKUTAMA to KOSHU. But I did not take the way and rode for the FRUIT LINE.

I took some photos in front of the fruit field beside the FRUIT LINE … I made a mistake of the setting of the camera. As the result, the photo is too bright. In this season, on the fruit fields beside the FRUIT LINE young grapes and peaches are growing.

The sight leafs and ivies of grapes grows into the sky remind me that it is early summer. A pleasure winding road continues from the FRUIT LINE to the Route 140. After riding the winding road, I found the dam body on my left hand side. I took a rest at the dam, HIROSE Dam. A multi purpose dam that YAMANASHI Pref. built and administrates.

The dam body of HIROSE Dam can be seen from the Route 140

HIROSE dam plays roles of the flood control, the irrigation, the waterworks and the power generation. The most important motivation of the dam is mainly the flood control. Down stream area of FUEFUKI Riv. is a basin and floods often killed people and damaged the area in the past. They started building the dam in 1970’s and completed in 1980’s. The dam was the first multi purpose dam at the time. Now KOTOKAWA Dam on the same FUEFUKI Riv. system is a multi purpose dam, too.

Mt. BUKO welcame me at CHICHIBU beyond KARISAKA Tunnel

There is the tall gate beyond HIROSE Dam. National route is usually free in Japan and I looked for the charge free route… but I could not found. The free route of the Route 140 is a mountain trail famous as ‘CHICHIBU OUKAN ( CHICHIBU in-outbound). Of course no cars and no motorcycles can pass the route.
On the toll way of the Route 140, KARISAKA Tunnel lays. The length of the tunnel is 6652m and the longest ground tunnel among the national route in Japan. I paid 590 jpy. and rode through the long tunnel to a basin area, CHICHIBU.

I could see the great Mt. BUKO. The mountain had been famous as the symbol of CHICHIBU until the early Meiji era. in Japan. From the middle Meiji era., the limestone mining was started and has been continued. As the result, the sight of the mountain became artificial as seen in the photo above. In KOCHI Pref., there is Mt. TORIGATA that has been curved as well. But I felt something stronger from Mt. BUKO, probably because Mt. BUKO can be seen easily from town area of CHICHIBU. ( Mt.TORIGATA can not be seen from town area. ) The mined limestone has been used as the ingredient of the concrete of buildings in the capital area.

I went home, after taking a rest at the Road Station ASHIGAKUBO and through CHICHIBU-OME line.