A bit of a tough night, the bed felt like a board and we used our camp pillows for comfort. Checked out and headed to the nearest 7-Eleven for a good cup of coffee. We realize this is hard to believe, but convenience stores in Japan…Lawson’s, Family Mart and 7-Eleven, offer excellent food and fresh ground coffee….plus the price is right.
The weather is beautiful and we are eager to get on the road as today we will get to the ocean..the South China Sea.
Our digs for the night. The plus…relatively new carpet in our room and privacy. The bad…bathroom and house very dirty, many things broken and lying around. A first in our many good experiences in Japan.
The place was a bit difficult to find as it was down a gravel lane by the river, but it didn’t give a sense that there was anything down there. Nice outlook of the river.
Lawson’s was our go to place this morning…nothing worked on our floor…the kettle nor the thermal hot water dispenser…so hot coffee at Lawson’s hit the spot. The woman had told us she didn’t offer food and we could see why. You couldn’t see the kitchen for the hoarding that dominated the space.
Leaving Hioki, we started with a long tunnel and a steep climb. As per usual, no motor for Barry. We turned off the main road and followed a beautiful route along the river.
Liking this route…few cars and nice breeze by the river.
And then, before we knew it we were at the ocean…south China Sea. Pulled over and this young man, Yuta came over to chat. He is a hip hop singer, very charming and funny. We shared many laughs with him.
As Shigeru was introducing us to his wife Yoko, Barry had trouble hearing and he made the connection to Yoko Ono. He said…. now I understand, it’s Michael Jackson and Yoko Ono. Yoko collapsed in giggles and we all had a good laugh. A lovely couple who, along with Yuta and Kovichi, made our day very special.
Shigeru had spent some wonderful years in New Zealand twenty years ago. It had a lasting impact on him and you can see this in the fern graphic on the sign as well as the name of the cafe…Ka Ora.
Carp windsocks are a common sight here and a good indication of the direction of the frequent winds. Black signifies dad, blue…mom and red the children. (I think I have it right?!)
Family Mart is one of the many convenience stores we frequent for food, supplies and coffee. We loved the Samurai image. Perhaps he likes their food too.
We were heading out of town and we chanced upon this amazing shrine, Terushima. As luck will have it, Barry noticed the large red Tori Gates and called to me to turn around so that we could explore a bit. In our ignorance we didn’t even know it existed and this place proved to be an important stop for us.
Terushima Shrine is located on Terushima Island and is a shrine to the fishermen and the God of the Sea. Ten very friendly cats live here and greet you with the high pitched soft meow we have come to associate with cats in Japan. There are three Tori Gates, one at the beginning which drew us here, the second was made of concrete and had seashells embedded in it. The third is at the entrance to the shrine. Everything was quite beautiful and lucky for us, all of the railings etc had been freshly painted earlier that day.
The stone steps leading to the shrine are lined with stone lanterns donated by Fishermen’s Cooperative Assoc. and nearby schools.
Another look at the inside of the shrine. You can see the gaily decorated horse, donated by the Fisherman’s Association. Every spring there are horse races along the beach here.
One of the ten resident cats. It’s funny, there is a sign telling you not to feed the cats as they are well cared for by locals. Someone forgot to tell the cats though. They were curious, affectionate and really wanted us to feed them.
After visiting this magical place we rode on. It was tempting to stay and wild camp here but we wanted to ride further. However, after riding out of town we both realized that there could not be a better place for us to sleep tonight, so we turned around and went back.
It was a magical place to camp, surrounded by the ocean, cats for company, a bathroom and so many fishermen going out to the breakwater or their boats to fish.
Our first night wild camping and we will not forget this place or experience. Magical…
Today has gone from beginning with a bit of a low point to having many extraordinary experiences. Travelling gives us the space to go with what the day brings….a day to remember.
Today's ride: 35 km (22 miles) Total: 265 km (165 miles)
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Scott AndersonThis really makes me want to return to Japan. We discussed returning many times, on an itinerary quite similar to yours starting in Kagoshima and heading up the west coast.
So frustrating about the motor failure. Hopefully you’ll get it resolved sooner than later. Reply to this comment 1 year ago
Barry BartlettGood to hear from you Scott. Despite our grumbling about the hills, we absolutely love everything about our time here. The people we meet, the drivers..patient and always respectful..our true exercise daily is waving to cars full of people all of who are hanging out window, including the driver! We have found a route across Kyushu to a port on the east side of Kyushu and will take a ferry to Kobe and once and for all deal with the motor. We are ok with that as we will be exploring a new region and not backtracking. Stay tuned. Reply to this comment 1 year ago
1 year ago