By TAKESHI AOSE/ Staff Writer
September 14, 2022 at 09:00 JST
YABU, Hyogo Prefecture--A strenuous mountain bike course has opened near the disused Akenobe mine here with the aim of luring city folk into the depopulated area.
Yabu Mountain Bikers Support, a group headed by Kobe bicycle shop operator Chiharu Murayama, and other entities opened two routes on July 31.
“I want to make efforts to attract more visitors from outside areas and revitalize the community,” said Murayama, 45, who is a fan of nature-rich Yabu.
The area, which once flourished as a mining community, is now faced with an aging and declining population.
The Akenobe Holy Ride route is designed for intermediate- and advanced-level cyclists.
The 430-meter-long descending trail boasts a grade difference of around 100 meters from the grounds of Wadajinja shrine to a torii gate.
The Akenobe Pump Track is a 70-meter circuit track with wave-like undulations for children and other beginners.
It is targeted at families visiting a nearby campground and others who might be interested in mountain biking.
The two routes have been developed since spring with the help of customers of Murayama’s bicycle shop.
Among them is Ryo Shirai, a first-year high school student in Kobe.
“I think advanced-level riders can enjoy (the Holy Ride route) because it offers both types of fun to go at high speed in the first half and use brakes and techniques in the last half,” he said.
Murayama, a mountain bike enthusiast, said he is grateful to Yabu residents who helped him create the routes.
While riders need to bring their own mountain bikes, the operators are preparing to introduce a rent-a-cycle system.
A usage fee of 500 yen ($3.50) is required per person per day. Payments are only accepted via the PayPay QR-code based payment service.
An explanation signboard showing the QR code and other information is set up at the entrance to each route.
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A mountain bike rider races down the Holy Ride route along an approach to Wadajinja shrine in Yabu, Hyogo Prefecture, on July 31. (Takeshi Aose)
