The Japan sea coastline

After a couple of days rest in Tottori waiting out a storm it was time to move on, the rain had lifted enough to be safe enough to ride and was due to clear  by mid day. I left in a cloud of drizzle thankful for the covered shopping streets of Tottori and for once pleased to see any tunnel or covered bridge to get out of the wet for a while.

The wind was blowing off the sea and my route following the winding coastal path seemed to lead me in and out of strong headwinds, thankfully the rain was easing off and soon I was riding through some of the most spectacular coastal scenery I have ever seen, bringing to life images only seen in woodblock prints with the odd kei truck thrown in to keep me from totally forgetting my circumstances.

Normally I don’t take many photos as I ride simply down to momentum, the bike weighs around 40kg so stopping and starting tends to take its toll on me, however with the views on the coast being so spectacular I stopped regularly, finally appreciating the strong wind as it drove the sea into huge waves crashing over the rocks and throwing a fine mist of spray and sand in over the land before it.

When the road wasn’t rolling along the shoreline it was climbing slightly inward up steep winding roads, short but with enough of a gradient to make me work for it to get over, then would come the all to short twisty descents. The roads were deserted to I could take advantage of the full width of the tarmac where I could see far ahead, carving around the bends finally appreciating the weight of my luggage pulling me down the hills.

I arrived in Shinonsen by about mid day after a short 20 miles, I wanted to keep the day fairly short after my time off the bike and because of the bad weather. I found a nice little campsite and after assuring the man running it I would be fine with the cold he gave me a map of the town, pointing out the local onsen and supermarket. After a good soak and a bite to eat I settled in for an early night in the tent with a good book and the noise of the waves crashing into the shore nearby.

The next day I was greeted with sunshine and a light breeze, the weather had moved on and it looked like a warm dry day was ahead of me. I had picked up some saddle sores in the rain the previous day so had booked a couple of nights in a cheap place in Kinosake Onsen about 30 miles away from my campsite. Like most stays on my trip it was picked on distance rather than any prior knowledge of the area.

My route took me back inland and I was soon repeating the slow climb and fast descent pattern from the day before, heading in and out from the coast as the road weaved its way around some of the more stubborn geography in the area.  Again, I had the roads pretty much to myself and could relax enough to just concentrate on the scenery and the cycling.

By mid day it was getting hot and I was starting to wilt, whatever I drank seemed to pour off me instantly and at one point I was struggling to read my satnav as the sweat from my head ran over the screen.  After one last effort I was over the final climb and had a lovely run down the hill into Kinoseki.

My first idea that the town was a little different came as a passed a temple with a large rock outside it, boiling hot spring water was bubbling out of the top of the rock, steaming even on this hot day. As I got closer to my hotel I was riding through crowds of people walking the narrow streets in Yukata, the sound of their wooden geta clicking on the paths as they made their way from one bath to another.

I crossed a small decorative bridge and arrived at my hotel. After a lovely warm welcome from the staff who even let me bring the bike inside I was checked in and given a free pass to use any of the seven of the onsen the town is famous for.  It seems that good luck had landed me in a rather nice little tourist spot and I spent the next day and a half enjoying the baths and taking in the wonderful postcard scenery of the town,  there was a lovely atmosphere as families walked through the streets looking through the various souvenir shops and food stalls, boiling eggs in the spring at the temple, or relaxing at a foot bath outside some of the larger onsen.

By the end of my first full day in the town I had visited six of the seven onsen (one was shut) and was feeling much better. Before I had to pack my bags and go to bed I went to my favourite onsen and sat in the outside bath in the dark, looking up at the sky as the lights lit up the new leaves on the maples overhanging the bath above me and the waterfall ahead of me gently crashed down through the hill.

The next day I set out pretty much healed from the saddle sores, aiming to head about 30 miles then a further 20 the next, taking me to the Maizuru ferry terminal and all being well, on the boat to Hokkaido.

It was a hot day already when I left at about half eight so I was a little nervous of the day ahead, I had checked the route and there looked to be some pretty sharp short climbs one after the other on the route and I hoped I had the stamina to make it through the day. After the first climb I was feeling good and by twenty miles I had had a quick bite to eat and felt surprisingly fresh, I only had ten miles left on the planned route of the day and I was ahead of the time schedule for the day so decided to go for broke and head for the ferry that day.

The ferry wasn’t due to leave until quarter to midnight so as long as I could get a ticket I had plenty of time to make it, it was a gamble as if I couldn’t get a ticket I would have to try and find somewhere to sleep but I figured it was worth the risk.

At around 30 miles I started to see more and more rally cars passing me in the opposite direction, I was climbing a narrow road up a steep climb as they all went past me. I reached the pass to find a small road leading off to the side with a closed section and the end of what was obviously a closed tarmac stage rally, stopping for a brief rest to watch the cars I pressed on into what became a little rally stage of my own.

I kept pressing on and was still feeling good all the way. The scenery on these back roads was stunning and I was amazed to find Pitcher Plants growing wild on the side of the road. Carnivorous plants were a childhood obsession and always seemed so exotic so finding ones in the wild was a bit of a thrill. Along with the plants I would occasionally see and hear lizards along the side of the road, warming themselves in the sun until my shadow fell over them starting them into running into the leaves at the side. It was a great days riding and the miles were hard fought but enjoyed all the way.

I rolled into Maizuru ferry terminal at around 4 with the reception opening at 4:30, again dumb luck had played its part and I got the cheapest ticket possible for the ferry, now all I had to do was wait until 10:45pm to board before waiting out the remaining 21 hours the crossing took.

I went for a quick walk around the harbour, watching the locals fishing as the sun went down casting reflections off the water onto the nearby Japanese Self Defence Force ships and creating silhouettes of the figures on the dock.

I spent the remaining five hours sitting on the steps outside the terminal with my bike, reading my book, watching people come and go as the sun went down, and chatting a little with a new friend I had made who was also boarding the ferry.

The ferry arrived at around 9 and was soon unloading the bikes, cars and trucks while doing a swift clean and turnaround before we would be allowed to board. I was going on as the same time as the motorbikes and quite looking forward to the ride onto the ferry up the big ramp. My new friend was a little sceptical of my chances of making it after feeling the weight of the bike so I was looking to proving my mettle as it were, sadly the people loading the boat felt otherwise and decided letting a mad welshman peddle onto the boat was asking for trouble so they made me and the only other cyclist push our bikes up the ramp despite my protests that I would be fine riding.

Once on board I headed to my ‘cabin’. As the crossing is so long you are obliged to have a cabin and the cheapest option was a small capsule type bed with a couple of shelves next to the bed. I had packed what I needed into one pannier so i popped the bag into one of the shelves and got my head down, I dozed off as I felt the ship move off at around 11:45.

At about 6am I woke the next day sore and sweaty, I hadn’t had a chance to have a proper wash the day before after my ride but had quickly scrubbed in the gents loo at the terminal before changing my clothes before boarding. I hung on till the last minute trying to sleep before giving up to head to the bath at around 10 am.

Having a bath on a boat is an odd experience, it was the usual Onsen routine (see the last blog post for that) but soaking in the water was a slightly unsettling experience, with the boat, water, and myself all moving independently of each other. My fear of getting seasick cut the bath short so I headed back into the steerage section with some drinks and snacks to hide for the duration. By 8pm I was feeling pretty rough but had held onto my dinner so far, the ferry was landing at 8:45 so I packed up and headed to the gate at about 8:30.

In Maizuru I had quickly booked a cheap hostel near the ferry terminal before boarding but, with no idea what time check in finished I rolled off the ferry at 9 pm like a Tour de France time trial start. I had two and a half miles to do so sprinted as best I could up the hill to my hostel, making the cut off with plenty of time to spare I grabbed a shower and went to sleep, happy not to be on a moving boat.

So whats next, I had planned to spend more time in Hokkaido but being realistic I just don’t have the time. The second month of my trip finishes now and I am on the countdown to make it back to Tokyo in time for my flight.

I aim to spend a day off in Sapporo then will head back south, following the coast through various prefectures including Fukushima. My first trip to Japan was a few weeks after the earthquake and tsunami in 2011 that made the name known through the world and I want to see for myself how the area is recovering. All in a future blog all being well.