October 6, 2024
Day 11: Lake Tazawa to Yurihonjo
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We expected a long and easy day today, and that's pretty much what we got. It presents a different sort of challenge, since there's no big thing to pursue. It can get monotonous at times, and towards the end, one inevitably gets tired and loopy. There was a bit of time pressure, as we like to get to our destination before nightfall, which, if I haven't emphasized it enough, is around 5:30pm, and only getting earlier each day.
Our departure was delayed due to lack of planning. No breakfast items, and no shops nearby. While the smell of our neighbor's toast wafted into our nostrils, we were cooking rice from the stash that Akina gifted us. That takes a while.
Once on the road, we discovered that lots of drivers are up and about this time of morning. It was fine, but less than ideal.
Eventually we veered off on to the side roads, where things are quieter and prettier.
I missed a turn, and in the course of correcting course, we spotted what looked like a nice break spot. Only problem was, we weren't sure whether or not it was public. My wife asked a passerby what the deal was, and a long and interesting chat ensued. It turns out that we were in the center of an "art town", with theaters and creative spaces all clustered together. Even our break spot was an art gallery of sorts:
Miki, the aforementioned passerby, is the gardener for this town. She was very curious about our story, but at the same time she had other people to greet. A bell somewhere on her person tinkled as she scurried about. Between that and her outfit, I was certain that she was heading off somewhere to go for a hike, but she kept returning to us, first to give us a poster and some snacks, and then again to give us her business card. What a wholesome encounter! All made possible due to my wife's intermediate-level command of Japanese. I'm very proud and in awe of her skills.
Much of our route was through countryside. They grow a lot of rice here, and it's harvest time, so everyone is working really hard, even on a Sunday.
We read a brochure yesterday about a "samurai street" nearby, and to be honest, it sounded pretty corny, with rickshaw rides and such. Little did we know that our route took us right to it, and it was actually pretty nice!
The only complaint I have about our routing today is how much work it was to keep up with the constant turns. It only tried to take us down a couple of dirt roads, which I quickly recognized and avoided.
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We picked a shady pagoda for a lunch spot. It was populated with wasps that didn't bug us and dragonflies that did. I'll take that particular combination. I also chose this time to finally lube and clean our chains.
Here is a variety of scenes from our afternoon ride. It was far from the most direct route to Yurihonjo, but it was worth the extra kilometrage to enjoy some of these little traffic-free roads and to fully soak up our surroundings.
As we approached Yurihonjo, we discovered that the earliest we could check in to the place we had reserved was 7pm! We cursed a lot, but we accepted our fate and devised a game plan. We would have dinner at a restaurant, then bum around the 7-11 until checkin. However, most restaurants were either izakaya (drinking places) or were closed altogether. Those that remained were unappealing. Tired and hungry, we went to the 7-11 earlier than planned. We were happy to see that they have a seating area! Problem solved! We could just have a prepared meal here. After slowly eating our soba and udon, the time had come. The owner of this establishment we're staying at was doing some restocking, so she let us and our bikes in.
We're not exactly sure what the deal with this place is. The ground floor feels like a work-share space, while the bedroom is upstairs. They must rent the space out for daytime use when there's no demand for overnight stays. The important thing is that we're temporarily safe from the impending rain. There's nowhere to camp around here anyway.
Tomorrow will be short and wet.
Today's ride: 100 km (62 miles)
Total: 751 km (466 miles)
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