Turning around

Thanks to a spot of bad weather it looks like I have a bit of time to get this all up to date with my progress (or lack of it depending on your point of view).

In my last post I was staying in Hiroshima for a few days to rest and avoid some bad weather (I see a pattern forming here….), after a few nice days I was starting to get itchy feet and felt the need to go back riding. It’s odd but this trip seems to have a momentum of its own at times and regardless of how tired I get the urge to move on soon arrives and I look to the maps again to find the next place to aim for.

The place on this occasion was Gotsu on the opposite coast to Hiroshima, by following route 54 out of Hiroshima then route 261 I worked out that it should be a couple of days riding all being well. I’m sure that with a more experienced rider it would be possible in a day but after a long break and given the weight of the bike I didn’t see the need to push to hard.

I collected my bike from the bicycle park in the morning and loaded up my bags, within a mile something felt pretty seriously wrong. After a quick inspection I found that yet another spoke had broken on the rear wheel. I took the bags off, flipped the bike over and got to work fixing the spoke. Half an hour later I was back on the road with a slight weave in the wheel I just couldn’t seem to shake.

I pressed on regardless, there was a slight drizzle in the air but not wanting to put the waterproofs on I kept riding enjoying the cooler air brought with the rain. At about mile 12 the road started to climb and the work became much harder, my mind wasn’t really on the task at hand for various reasons and this day became a long, unpleasant slog to keep riding.

My initial aim for the day had been to get around forty miles done for the day, aiming for a campsite north of Kitahiroshima but by mile 20 I was exhausted and couldn’t go much further. Thankfully I had gone past the highest point on the ride that day so after a slight descent I was heading into Kitahiroshima,  aiming for a rest stop on the adjacent toll road as a possible wild camping site.

After arriving at the rest stop it was obvious that there was no chance of camping there, it was far too busy and the only flat piece of ground had been used as a small golf course so I was forced to rethink my plans.

After a quick check online I couldn’t find any accommodation nearby and was starting to worry a little. I looked at the map at the rest stop and it showed a ryokan not listed on google maps that was only a few miles away, it was a bit of a gamble and typically up a hill but I decided to head over to see if they had any rooms.  Thankfully my luck was in and I grabbed a room for the night, the restaurant was closed for the night but luckily I had some food in my bags and most importantly they had a very large Onsen to soak away my days misery in.

I was up early the next day feeling pretty sore but a little more cheerful, the weather forecast looked good and there was a slight mist in the hills making it look very dramatic. I popped to a conbini to grab some food for the day and finally noticed the cause of the previous days misery.

As the wheel was still a little warped it was causing the back brake to rub a little, not massively but just enough to reduce any momentum I was gaining in my riding. I decided to sort it once and for all and after a quick online lesson on the side of the road I managed to true the wheel enough so the problem was solved for now.

The road out of Kitahiroshima was a slight climb but thankfully most of the hard work had been done the previous day so after about 10 miles most of the days serious climbing had been done.  I was now descending through the mountains enjoying the scenery as farmers worked the freshly flooded fields and frogs in their hundreds croaked loudly away doing what they do every springtime.

About halfway into my day I rode through a small town called Onan which is possibly one of the friendliest places I have ever encountered in Japan. Within minutes of arriving a passing car pulled alongside shouting encouragements and giving thumbs up, and stopping at a conbini I was greeted by four separate people asking about my trip and wishing me well. Morale is a funny thing and meeting these people worked wonders for me so I left after my dinner refreshed and feeling good about life in general.

Once I reached Imbara the road levelled out and turned west towards Gotsu and the coast, following the river that grew larger and larger as it picked up more tributaries along the miles. I had attempted to book a Ryokan for the night but after some dramas with a cash machine not playing I was now aiming for a park that looked promising on google maps.

I reached the park just as the sun was falling and after chatting a little with some local teenagers using the basketball court and skate park I built my tent and settled down for the night.

I woke with the first light at 5 am and after a brief and very cold wash in the park toilets followed by breakfast at the local conbini I hit the road at about 7:30 am. I had been curious to see how riding on the coast would be as my original plan for the trip had been to follow it round Japan, I soon found that all though the elevation wouldn’t be that high the constant rise and fall of the road would mean I eventually climbed more than the average day riding in the hills.

Tired and with rain coming in I rolled into Izumo forty miles later, booking into a cheap business hotel for the night to shower and sleep properly.

The next day I woke early, ready to press on with the ride. I had booked a couple of nights at a cheap rest house at a place called Kaike Onsen about 40 miles away so needed to get some miles under my belt.

Throughout the trip I have been muttering to myself about hills, wondering if I should have perhaps visited Holland instead. Today those prayers were answered and I was greeted with 40 blissful flat miles pushed along by a light tailwind. making it all the better was the vast lakes along the route making my breaks very pleasant as I ate my dinner watching the shoals of tiny fish swim around excitedly below me.

Lake Shinji

The ride was very enjoyable and I soon was rolling through Yonago and into Kaike Onsen, the area was famous for is salt water onsen so once I had checked into the rest house I grabbed my towel and headed to one recommended by the staff.

About Onsen.

The whole Onsen experience was quite foreign to me initially but has now become a wonderfully relaxing routine so I thought I should talk a little about what it entails by describing my experience on this occasion.

On entering the Onsen you remove your shoes and place them in a locker, now padding around in your socks you head over to the ticket machine, thankfully the staff are pretty helpful so noticing I am looking a little lost head over to me and help me select the right ticket for the baths.

After handing over the ticket you head towards the baths, making sure to enter the correct changing room as each set of baths are separated by gender for reasons which will become obvious.

Once in the changing room you either grab a basket or in this case a locker,  then strip off until all you have with you is a small rectangular towel and any toiletries you may need.

Now the next step seems to differ spending on who you talk to, you enter the bath area and either rinse yourself down with some bath water, have a light soak then wash, or (and this is my preferred way) head straight to the washing area for a good scrub.

The washing area consists of a small stool, a bowl, a tap, a shower head and depending on the onsen some soap and shampoo.  You wash by sitting on the stool and giving yourself a scrub down with the soap, making sure to rinse yourself properly and making sure you don’t splash water over your neighbours.  This takes a bit of getting used to being British and a little shy about the whole nudity thing but after a few times you soon are past caring and just looking forward to the relaxing soak.

Once you are scrubbed clean its a case of heading to the baths, taking your small towel with you folded or rolled up, once you find the bath of your choice you either pop your towel on the side (some people say this isn’t done but I have seen it done by so many Japanese people I’m just not sure) or, pop the towel on your head and slowly dunk yourself into the water, making sure that your towel doesn’t touch the water and that you don’t submerge your head.

The baths themselves vary from large stone baths, to cedar barrels, and in the case, a large wooden bath outside overlooking the beach.  The water as well varies from place to place, some clear and piping hot, some naturally sparkling, some sulphurous and in Kaike Onsen, hot spring water with a high salt content is the local speciality.

I personally like the outdoor baths. With the fresh air above you, soaking in water that is usually around 41c and taking in the view that is usually provided, it becomes almost meditative and I will happily spend my time watching the world go by feeling the knots in my legs and back unwind as the water works its magic.

I spent my day and a half in Kaike Onsen walking along the water front, visiting several Onsen, and generally unwinding. This time of year can be quite difficult for me for personal reasons so the time to clear my head of the unnecessary thoughts was most welcome.

Soon enough though it was time to be moving on, so following the coastal path as best I could, headed along the coast towards a campsite shown on Google maps around 35 miles away.

Sure enough within about 4 miles another spoke let go and I was again straightening out the wheel before I could head on my way.

Once I was rolling properly again the riding was relatively straightforward, not a blissfully flat as the previous ride but with no horrible climbs and nothing too unpleasant to deal with other than some occasionally heavy traffic.

I was soon at the point where google maps shows a campsite but sadly it appears to be long closed, tired and not wanting to ride any further I headed down to the shore and setup my tent on a sheltered flat piece of ground to watch the sun set over the sea for the night.

The next day I was up at first light and after realising I didn’t have any food for breakfast found to my dismay that the nearest conbini was around ten miles ride away, packing up the tent I tightened my belt and started pedalling.

I had experienced some nasty sharp pains in my knees during the night so had a short day planned ahead, just 20 miles to Tottori and a capsule hotel to spend a few days in resting the legs and recovering.

The ride along the coast was hilly but beautiful, in the early morning I rode past people diving along the coast harvesting seaweed as the sun rose ahead of me. I was soon at the hotel and after dropping my bags off headed to the famous sand dunes at the shore to enjoy an Ice cream and watch people play in the dunes.

And that’s pretty much where I am now, the weather has come in around me so I am currently waiting out for the storm to pass before heading out to cross the hills and coastline towards Maizuru and a ferry to Hokkaido, before heading south on the last leg of my journey before heading home.

As always I will do my best to keep you all updated here.