20-Jun-2018 -- Serendipitously I had the chance to have an extra holiday. I used my time for a trip to Japan and did a bicycle trip on the main island Honshu. While this I could manage to visit some confluence points. The fourth one was the CP 36°N 136°E.
After passing the Cape Echizen on the Highway 306, I reached the area of the confluence point 36°N 136°E. At first I missed the both possible junctions in the village Iakura / Iorakuro-machi to reach the CP up in the mountains. I realized it during a break at the harbour of Echizen Fukui, about 4 km north. I pedalled back to take the first possible road up to the CP. It was a very steep uphill. On that way I passed a bear trap. After around 3 km of sweating a lot, a further junction leads to a smaller track which was too overgrown to be used by bicycle. I knew that there was a second possibility to reach the CP. But unfortunately I had to go back, nearly down to sea level, and to take the next junction upwards!
Soon I found the correct way. In addition to this that way leads also to my planned accommodation for this night. As soon as I reached the junction to the confluence point I hid all my package in the dense brushwood of the forest and pedalled on with the pure bike. So It was much easier to overcome the 450 meters height to the CP! On my way up I found another bear trap. This one had a sign with dates on it: from 01.04.30 to 31.10.30. The thirty means in the 30th year of the regnant emperor. It was open and no bear was in it.
The nearest point to the CP I reached by bicycle was at a distance of 147 m beeline and around 70 m below. Now I started climbing upwards. After 15 m of height I found an logger path. But I chose to keep the direct way up, which became more and more difficult, because of the intensive overgrown ground. In the end I found the exact location of the confluence point 36°N 136°E directly on a quite new built logger path! I was surprised because I had the pictures of the former two visits in mind - without any paths on it. But the latest visit took place 12 years ago!
After doing the pictures I preferred to take the relaxing way down, by walking the logger path. An animal run away while I walked along. I just saw a pelty head, but I didn't recognised what it was. Maybe a small bear? I reached the tarred way around 100 m further upwards from my bicycle. After the downhill and packing my luggage I soon reached the "Garagarayama Spa & Camp". My tent was wet from the night before, so I rented a big tent, standing there. In the evening I relaxed in front of the reception house with a view up into the foggy confluence valley. Later a very friendly relative of the receptionist and also guests shared their food with me.
The visit of the confluence point 36°N 136°E shows how mankind changes its environment. In addition to this it was quite excitingly because of the bear warnings.