We haven’t camped for some time but I guess it must be like riding a bike…once you get back at it, it is like no time has elapsed. Locals love to come to Terushima Park to feed the cats, enjoy the nature, visit the shrine, go fishing….
We waited to set up our tent until dinner time, but those who passed by were unconcerned by our presence. We felt welcome. It still seems so hard to believe that we are welcome to wild camp. The cats were super curious about us, our trikes and of course the tent.
Had a great sleep. The ocean breezes meant that our long johns were needed, but what a joy it was….it also helped that a bathroom was a few feet away. Of course the cats were waiting for us when we got up, bright and early.
Barry, with his furry companion, getting water for our breakfast and ride today.
The tent is packed and we are ready to roll. But first a final visit to the shrine. Since we got up we have watched a steady stream of people getting set up for fishing at the breakwater or taking their boat out of the harbour.
Ready for another adventure…and the sun continues to shine. Barry has been researching and dreaming of going to Kyushu for its beautiful scenery, beaches and laid back vibe. A friend of ours on Saltspring has a son who was living/teaching here. His photos inspired us to visit this island, which surprisingly has few foreign visitors.
Vending machines are everywhere in Japan and one can buy just about anything from them. We like the cans of cold coffee - our choice is black coffee and it is really good. On mornings like this when we don’t want to take time to fire up our trangia stove, this cold coffee hits the spot.
These carp windsocks were on the roof of a small shop where we stopped to try to get a snack. We wanted to get a cold drink but settled on ice cream…a tough choice! This small shop is run by a daughter and her elderly mom. It was like a step back in time with an abacus as the sign of technology…plus a dog who was so old and tired, he would slowly look up and then kust as slowly drop his head in exhaustion. Could have watched him all day.
We have been seeing signs for the Satsuma Students Museum since we got to the coast and have been looking forward to going here. It tells the story of 19 young boys from the age of 13 to their early 20’s who sailed in 1865 to Britain to learn about western business and technology to modernize Japan’s industrial standards. Their voyage was tough and they spent years in Britain. This was done in secret as Japan had a National Seclusion policy. Each of these young men went on to lead lives that were very productive and were integral to Japan’s modernization.
The museum has been built at the exact spot where the boys set sail for Britain. It is hard to image the perils and difficulties they faced. A young woman who had just finished university and had studied English stayed with us and gave us a thorough understanding of what happened. She appreciated practicing her English and we enjoyed getting to know her. When I admitted that I had never heard of this historic event, she said that most Japanese people are also unaware of these boys, their sacrifices and achievements. It is the view that Japan’s standing in the world today is largely due to the work these boys did to modernize Japan in industry and technology.
We decided to have lunch at the museum. We both had curry…Barry had the seafood curry with salad and coffee for 1000 yen ($10)
These photos show the 19 young boys before they left. All of them returned to Japan except for the 13 year old who ended up in California and was instrumental in the development of California’s wine industry and he was known as The Grape King. He is in the left photo and is in front row on the right.
These people worked at the museum..the young woman who was so helpful, Nodoka is on the left, Masayo in the centre managed the museum and Ryoichi helped us park our trikes in a safe spot. They came out to thank us for coming and wished us a safe journey.
We left the Museum excited by what we had experienced as well as the incredible cycling we had ridden today. This quickly changed when se discovered that the road was closed and the only way forward was up. We cycled up and down hills and got lost trying to find a better route. We finally accepted that our route was going to be where we originally started. And poor Barry had no motor. We had about 20 Km to go before we could reach a community.
This lookout…Sunset Viewpoint, was at the top of our climbs. It is a beautiful view.
Barry took matters into his own hands when we saw a large building with expansive grounds. There were even bathrooms..it would be a perfect place to camp. Barry disappeared for some time to talk to a fellow. It turns out it is the Sendai Nuclear Plant. In our defense we could not read the Japanese sign and we now noticed security cameras everywhere. We moved on. We we love downhills, but we couldn’t go fast as our drum brakes were overheating.
We were thinking we would have to wild camp but luckily we found an accommodation emoji on Google Maps so we thought we would try to find it. The name was in Japanese and we rode along not knowing what we were looking for. Luckily it was a Minshuku and they had room for us. A lucky and auspicious end to an incredible day of sightseeing, learning more about Japan and meeting interesting people.
