From The HinoKino Hotel to Tomioka

From The HinoKino Hotel to Tomioka - Six Wheels Through Japan and South Korea Part 3 - CycleBlaze

From Six Wheels Through Japan and South Korea Part 3

By Barry Bartlett

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Our room at Hino Kino was really comfortable and the design was a different take on a Japanese futon room, but using mattresses on the floor instead. . It worked for us. We also had a seating area with a large TV that streamed Netflix.

This young woman who works at Hino Kino is a traveller herself. She speaks perfect English and she helped us secure our accomodation for a night later this week. The place we wanted is a privately owned Minshuku that can only be booked by phone. We stayed at this Minshuku last year and are keen to return.

If we are in the area again, we would definitely choose Hino Kino.

Liked the quirkiness of their parking sign. This hotel recently opened. It is charming and spotless.

We are at a 7-Eleven for a second coffee and one of their smoothies.

The smoothie is a recent addition to their line of drinks and it is excellent. They are stored in a freezer and this machine transforms it into a delicious fruit filled smoothie.

Liked these homes that are situated along the water…it is low tide.

Lovely trees laden with red berries growing together as one.

We are always excited to see a bamboo forest. They are quite lush and make a unique rustling sound in the wind.

We were riding along and had a serious sense of Deja vu. We know we have been here before, an d indeed, once we saw the small ferry, we remembered.

Last year, after visiting Nagasaki and riding to Kuchinostu, we took this small ferry to OniikePort on Kyushu and then continued south on the east coast of Kyushu.

Santa, in his sleigh, is here year round at the Oniike Ferry terminal. This also jogged our memory as last year we also took our picture with Santa. The only difference was, that last year, it was hot and we were wearing summer clothes, not down jackets.

This bamboo sign is new at the ferry terminal. Shohei Ohtani, the baseball phenom who now plays for the LA Dodgers, is beloved in Japan. They are very proud of his accomplishments.

These boats take people out everyday to see the dolphins up close.

Beautiful tropical blooms…loved the leaves of the rust coloured flower.

We went to the Michi-no-Eki and had lunch. Michi’s always serve regional food. I had udon noodles with pork. When they asked what we were doing, they couldn’t believe that we are from Canada and are cycling for 3 months in their country. One thing led to another with the kitchen crew loading up our orders with free extra food. I had lots of tempura added to my soup. Delicious.

Barry was more adventurous and had a set meal of sashimi, soup, a side of pickled veg, etc. Some of his sashimi meal was challenging, but he loved it.

What are those colourful dangly bits. Barry doesn’t know either, but he liked them!

An incredible tank of fish at the Michi.

This impressive print was done here to show the length and weight of this fish.

Dolphins are a big business here. This company has a fleet of boats that takes people out to see dolphins in their natural habitat.

The Torii gate in the water is an iconic sight on this route. We have seen it before, but it always makes us stop and take in the view.

Our destination is Reihoku. We will stay at Hotel Shikisaikan. This older hotel has a prime location on the Island peninsula of Tomioka and it has a commanding view. We look forward to visiting their onsen and staying in this beautiful spot

The view from our room. Spectacular view.

Today's ride: 42 km (26 miles)
Total: 1,338 km (831 miles)

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