Hotel Wing International has once again been a good place for us to stay. Breakfast is included, the service is excellent and they provide every possible amenity, including a pants press. Won’t be needing that! The hotel is very good value.
As expected, there are many things to do before we can take our parcel to the Post Office for mailing. First we need to enrol and register online on the Post Office site and then fill out forms with individual entries for each item,its weight in grams and its value in US $ or Japanese Yen. With that completed, we walked over to the Post Office feeling prepared and confident. However, the process took about 90 minutes. The clerk was most apologetic about the length of time it was taking and then the manager got involved. Each item and its details were translated into Japanese and scrutinized. As a result, we had to reopen our boxes and show them the items of concern. Despite the length of time it took, we were treated kindly and with respect. We understand their concerns that something dangerous, such as lithium batteries could be inside. This process was a reminder that we are in a foreign country and local standards matter.
Parcels are ready to go. Our trikes will thank us for a lighter load…not to mention our knees in this mountainous country.
We knew the hotel offered parking and we were happy to see the large door leading to the parking. We noticed that the fellow seemed a bit alarmed that we hadn’t booked a spot for our trikes. When the garage door was opened, we could understand his reaction as there were only 2 parking spots. Luckily we got one of the spots.
Kobe, this earthquake prone city, has developed strategies to preserve their history while at the same time modernizing it. There are metal supports extending from inside the lower older building, which supports the new tower erected above it.
Along the way, we saw many areas like this with graduated steps built to allow for run off from the hills and a place for people to stroll and enjoy the rushing water.
Since we have been riding, we truly understand and value the important role these fellows play in keeping traffic, pedestrians and cyclists safe. We have seen situations where traffic is heavy and their command of the situation creates safe passage for us and pedestrians.
Many businesses and high rises have traffic wardens in their employ. As trucks come in or leave, these guys control the traffic and it works well. They make order out of chaos.
What an unusual ride we had today. About 45 Km separate Kobe and Osaka and a main road connects them. As is custom here, we rode mostly on the sidewalk which means that about every 100 m you have to stop for a streetlight.
One cannot get any momentum in this situation of continual stop and start. It took us hours to get to Osaka and it was dark by the time we checked in to our hotel. Nonetheless, it was worth it as this busy road has no room for bikes and we made the trip safely. Plus, we talked to so many locals, who also rode on the sidewalk sharing the space with the many pedestrians.
By this point we were pretty hot and tired. Our tongues weren’t hanging out, but we could relate to the joy they seemed to take from just plopping down on the pavement.
Our 50 Km ride took much of the day and we didn’t roll into our hotel until dusk. Hours of up and down curbs, stopping for red lights at the crosswalks took a toll.
The final indignity was going to the wrong hotel. My only excuse is that I was tired and put the wrong Osaka Castle hotel into Google maps. It was distressing to be told that they had no reservation for us and then embarrassment followed when we realized that it was “pilot error”.
Anyway, just a few more km to go and we have a bed for the night.
Today's ride: 60 km (37 miles) Total: 718 km (446 miles)
