We have had a delightful time at Guesthouse Oninosanpomichi, which began with the incredible welcome and hospitality that we enjoyed while staying here. Our hosts, a family comprised of the mom, dad and son, are born to work in the hospitality business; everything is done with a smile. She shared with us that this building has been receiving guests for 50 years with her mom initially at the helm. When the current owner took over, they renovated their living area plus the guest rooms (3 I think). Of course it didn’t hurt that we were served yummy homemade cheesecake and a beverage upon arrival.
The current owner and host ( aka cheesecake chef) loves to laugh and engage with her guests. I offered to let her try my trike…it was a good fit.
Each guest suite is designed for privacy and we had no idea that there were other guests. As we got ready to head out, we met these two couples from Spain who stayed here and are also touring Japan. We really connected and enjoyed meeting them. Our hosts are the husband and wife on the left.
Then the elderly neighbour came out to see what was happening and she tried my trike too. The son is in this photo as well and Barry is taking the photo.
Next thing we know, the neighbour has gone back to her house to bring out her Koi windsocks to show us. She had noticed that we had them on our trikes as well. We had a crazy fun time with this group.
A funny thing happened yesterday a few km back from the guesthouse. We met a fellow from Slovakia who lives in the area. He was concerned for our safety and wanted to escort us through the tunnel which culminates at our guesthouse. He said that the tunnel is very dangerous and doesn’t allow bikes. He offered to follow us with his hazard lights on. This confused us as we are on a cycle route and we have ridden through countless tunnels. However, we were grateful for his offer and agreed. As he said, the guesthouse is situated directly at the exit of the tunnel. We made a quick turn and we had arrived. To our surprise, when we went to park our trikes at the back of the house, there was a cyclists’ tunnel. Who knew?…
Right behind the guesthouse is the cyclist/pedestrian tunnel which takes you back to Kumano.. Yesterday we missed stopping at an attraction, so we will head back and then return here before getting on our way.
Shishiiwa is part of the World Heritage Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range. At 25 metres high and 210 metres in circumference, it is truly a work of art created by nature.
Seeing Shishiiwa, the rock shaped like a lion, roaring towards the Kumano Nada Sea inspires awe. It was formed by tectonic uplift and coastal erosion over a long period of time. Annually on August 17th, a fireworks festival takes place here transforming Shishiiwa into a prime photography location for avid photographers. Imagine the sight of Shishiiwa silhouetted against fireworks illuminating the night sky. It sounds to us like a reason to return one day.
The ride is starting with a mountain pass which we will be climbing for some time. We are greeted early in the ride with this waterfall. The high temperature and humidity today will make us suffer on this climb.
The more we ride in these hills, we recognize that when a second lane is added for slower traffic, a steeper section is coming. So, take a deep breath, gear down and get it done. And yes, we definitely belong in the slower lane..for obvious reasons.
When you are hot and sweaty and tired from the climb, Pocari Sweat is just what you need. We love that Japan has vending machines literally everywhere.
The hills and mountains feel like a jungle at times with such lush and dense growth. We could hear the monkeys in the forest when I suddenly heard Barry call out that there monkeys watching him from the trees. You can see two monkeys relaxing in the tree.
We are going through a logging area with large logging trucks on the road and sawmills. We understand the pros and cons of the industry as we come from a province that has a long history of logging
We like these signs along the route which show whether you are going up or down. Thrnumber of red symbols tell us the steepness of the descent, so we know that we will have a steep downhill coming up. Alternatively, the signs showing an ascent will have bubbles of sweat showing the steepness of the climb.
We have reached sea level and we look like drowned rats. We took refuge in the oversized handicapped bathroom at Family Mart and quickly changed into rain gear. We were so cold and wet…we had a hot coffee and a steamed pork bun. Feeling good and hopeful that the downpour will clear some of the humidity.
We are settled in to our hotel, an aging (like us!) building, but dry. Having sushi, sashimi and beer for dinner and then ready for a good sleep. We have seen beautiful scenery today….it has been challenging at times but what memories we take from this day.
We love hotels like this that have no delusions of grandeur. When we asked for a space inside for our trikes, the worker quickly made space and said, bring them in. 👍
