Ring ring road Sakura bike ride

The weather forecast is looking a little bit uncertain at the moment. I will send out a further update about the weather by Friday lunchtime. Please see the email below for full details of the bike ride.

Some people who will be travelling from North of Tsukuba Center would like to meet on the way. So we will leave Tsukuba Center at 09:30 as planned, and meet those people travelling from Northern Tsukuba at about 10:20 by the Oda Castle Ruins (https://maps.app.goo.gl/D9YAtLTQweqJrk9M7) Northern entrance.

Schedule
09:30 Tsukuba Center Bus Station Parking Area (the usual meeting point for TWMC events, https://maps.app.goo.gl/QY5twQPnD5Ce9Xk39 ), I will be standing next to a blue bike and wearing a yellow hi-vis cycling jacket).
10:20 (approximately) Oda Castle Ruins (https://maps.app.goo.gl/D9YAtLTQweqJrk9M7) Northern side.

Lunch: it may be a light picnic: please feel free to bring a light picnic style lunch if you wish, but please don't overburden yourself with picnic items.

The cherry blossoms had reached full bloom in Ibaraki and surrounding areas. However the weather had not been particularly kind, with many rainy days recently. Friday was the exception with sunny skies. We knew this was to be a brief respite from the rain though, as scattered rain was forecast to return on Saturday with heavier rain later in the day and Sunday not looking much better. Given the transient nature of the Sakura we decided to risk the rain and hold our Cherry Blossom cycle ride along the Ring Ring Road on Saturday morning as planned. For several reasons, not exclusively rain related, a few people were ultimately unable to join, leaving three cyclists to undertake this journey.

We departed from Tsukuba Center and cycled through the university, seeing a few nice Sakura viewing spots as we went (and passing through a few university events taking place that day). From the University we headed east through the Sakura shopping area, which strangely enough was one of the few areas where we did not see Sakura, until reaching the Ring Ring Road. Our first main stop was the Oda Castle Ruins, which mark the start of the prime viewing area for cherry blossoms (and a few other pulchritudinous plants). From there we headed North, cycling through many sections of the route where the trees grow over the road, merging with the opposite trees to give the effect of cycling though a tunnel of cherry blossoms, a definite highlight of the trip and highly recommended to those who have not experienced it before.

Rain arrived as we were approaching Tsukuba-san-guchi. While not particularly heavy, we decided to take a short break at the cycle station there. It did not take long to clear and we headed back along the route, stopping in Hōjō to stock up on lunch supplies, and then heading to the Hōjō ponds. Another shower started as we were approaching the ponds, but upon arrival we chanced upon a covered seating area where we could consume our lunch while enjoying the Sakura that encircle the ponds, their beauty undimmed by the inclement weather; indeed the sight off the clouds hugging the mountains could but only add to the majesty of the scene. This rain was, once again, a scattered shower; but knowing that heavier rain may be arriving later in the afternoon, we bade farewell to the Hōjō ponds, and headed back into central Tsukuba.

The Sakura remain just past full bloom, and there remain, perhaps, a few days to enjoy them this year, should you have the opportunity and weather to your liking. Though, as we found out, even if the weather is not perfect, the Sakura are still a sight to behold, and seeing them is definitely recommended. If not now, then we are already looking forward to next year.