Volcano active …

We leave the hotel at 7:30am enroute to the train station – a short 7 minute walk, the rain has gone and it’s bright and sunny, we walk through the covered mall; joined by students and business men all suited up – only a few cafes are open for a caffeine fix and bite to eat … Monday morning!

The ticket office is empty of customers so we get our tickets with no problem. A bakery at the station provides us with pastries … that’s breakfast – not good as I won’t be riding today 😦

We have a 2hr30min train ride and 45min bus to Aso.

Arriving at Aso all the walking tracks to the crater of Mt Nakadake are closed; the crater that can be accessed by tourists, however today it was banned, no access within 1km … all was not lost – back to the Volcano Information Centre from the viewing platforms of our surrounds, breathtaking views of other mountains, the Green Plain and the Aso Valley. It’s such a wide landscape here looking at the barren mountains … a lovely day.

Just up from our hotel is Funai Castle dating back to 1562 its been burnt down in the passed, now is just the moat wall and turrets and lovely garden areas.

Only in Japan … (with respect)

Toilets

Japan is a great place to visit as a tourist where public toilets are concerned. They are plentiful, you are not charged for an ‘act of nature’ and they are super clean … but it doesn’t stop there …

Around the town and public monuments you will aways see a toilet … on the road all the convenience stores (Lawsons, 7-11, Family Mart) all have them.

The best is the additional extras to the standard Aussie ‘loo’. The seat is heated, when you are finished you have a choice … shower or bidet (or both) bidet for #1’s – for us girls and shower for #2’s but it don’t stop there … you can change the water pressure as well.

There is also a 🎵 button – mainly in public toilets not hotels – this is for privacy – in my experience so far it is the sound of water flowing to deafen any sound that you may be making.

So a trip to the loo can be quite an involved, pleasurable experience.

Sit, pedal, enjoy …

Last night we ate at the hotel … very good choice – John had like a sukiyaki (as well as much more), great variety and very reasonable AUD$12 – we will be onto hotel dinners in future.

Breakfast was just as exciting – miso soup and other traditional dishes.

Today’s ride was amazing … perfect weather the shortest and longest 61km ride. We had a small steady climb for about an hour, nothing strenuous, busy soaking in the nature, then we seemed to be descending for the remainder of the way.

We were weaving through a valley, a river below and hills either side. Quite a few tunnels to go through the longest being 897m long. Beautiful scenery passing small villages then into built up areas as we approached Oita, the last 10km was fun trying to get to our accommodation.

We arrived in a light shower of rain – we were damp but not wet.

On the way in we accidentally came across a ‘real bakery’ how could we say no! A slice of pizza and small pastry … yum! “I bet people come for miles to buy from here?”, I said. John said, “I think you are on the money there!!”

The hotel is about 500m from the main shopping mall and 1km from the train station. Extremely helpful ladies in the Tourist Information office at station. We quickly booked another night here to allow tomorrow to train/bus to Mt Aso.

Meanwhile we are able to use the washing machine (¥200) and drier (¥100) in the hotel. Happy days!!

Just for something different we had Sri Lankan for dinner, lovely meal … thankful we ordered ‘normal’ not ‘hot’.

Only in Japan …

Tea fields – we have been mystified by some extremely manicured crops over the last week or so. Looking like an azalea hedge, in rows with very little space between the hedges. Strangely there are fans above them … research reveals they are tea plantations. More details click here.

PS – all pics are now uploaded for 11&12 April.

I hear the pitter patter of feet on the floor from other rooms this morning … we open the curtains at 6am – what a glorious day … surfs up, well for those that dare, and there are several surfers catching what waves there is.

We have a long 90km ride in hills – not too sure what to expect, we take off at 7:45am.

No accommodation booked at this stage for Saiki – we pass by a hotel chain and stop and ask if they can book us in their Saiki hotel … I love Google translate … a phone call and we are done … pressure off.

A good flat ride to start – nice coastal views more beaches with surfers enjoying the morning – before we know it we had covered 30km – a stop at 7-11 for coffee and refuel.

We cut into the hills and at awe at how pretty it is – a few roads that lead to expressways and then we almost have the road to ourselves. Tree covered hills around us and river below – some serene views – the river is so crystal clear we see some fish. The kms melt away – climbing is just steady so we enjoy the serenity. We go through too many tunnels to count, as we weave through the hills.

Finally a long descent and we are at the hotel in record time at 1:45pm.

Over the last 2 days (travelling by the coast) we have come across lots of signs for Tsunami evacuation locations.

Only in Japan …

The 5pm bell –

A few places we have been to have music playing from loudspeakers in the streets … sometimes at 12pm or 5pm … the music sounds familiar but I can’t place it … upon further research I found some information on this clink on the link to find more.

We’ve done it again … haha no wifi

This time John was conned looking for a seaview room. However it is a Friday and we are on the coast which is popular for surfers so accommodation was at a premium. We are at a guesthouse with traditional room with futons – I sort of like that style every now and then.

A bit of rain overnight; cloudy this morning – no rain … we’re lucky again.

A 66km ride through flat open agricultural areas – mainly rice paddies – I’m blown away by the rice paddies – I just love the Japanese rice, short grain it sticks together, perfect for chopsticks, but not gluggy.

We ventured near the coast on a nice, flat, quiet road we were directed by a surf beach sign the rice paddies are right by the beach the a small amount of bush so we couldn’t see the beach. Then out of the blue we were heralded by a man waving at us – we finally thought he was trying to get our attention so we stopped, he caught up and said,

‘Do you want to come to a party?’

We were flabbergasted, out of nowhere he’s wanting to party. It seems that they will finish planting the rice today and having a celebration afterwards and we were invited. Unfortunately are accommodation was about 10km away. His English was very good and said he’d been to Australia a few times.

Meanwhile at our guesthouse, we have the beach at our doorstep – the waves are rolling in as we sit on a rock, enjoy a beer and wait for our washing (in a washing machine) to finish – there is no question of getting the washing dry tonight.

We are 7km from Hyuga – just the guesthouse/restaurant and a convenience store across the road. We eat at the restaurant watching 2 lone surfers attempt to catch a wave. I ordered fried fish, sashima, miso soup, rice set. A feast for under AUD$15 – I’ve never tried sashimi before – it was nice; the fried fish delicious along with the miso and rice.

As a side note … Hotels

They come equipped with everything, apart from the standard soap, we have shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, hairbrush, shower cap, hairdryer and more at some. Why am I lugging 1kg+ of toiletries around … just in case …

Most with a yukata (cotton komono) which I love wearing!!

Fridge, kettle, tea (sometimes no coffee). Most hotels have microwave ovens and presses for guest’s use.

The beds are interesting of all sizes – small double; standard double; a queen and of course who knows what at a ‘Love Hotel’. We’ve had some very close nights in bed.

On arrival yesterday I was offered a freebie ‘Bright Essence Sheet Mask’ umm … I wonder; I am in my cycling gear checking into the hotel; ridden just shy of 70km and 59 years old … what are they telling me? Or was that a ‘no wifi’ softener? 🤦‍♀

I’m hoping to post pics when I get a good wifi connection.

What!! No wifi … oh dear 😥

I got conned, I booked the hotel after reading the great reviews about a large room and queen sized bed … woohoo – a rareity in Japan … I leapt at the chance but didn’t realise there was no wifi. But the room is good with a comfortable sofa. This is like the power and water being turned off … I will survive – there are convenience stores and shopping centres with wifi. Photos may be problematic though.

Back on track – a lovely day for ride – we backtracked 10km first thing without panniers to see a waterfall we missed yesterday a nice ride through the backroads and agricultural areas – I’m glad we went, lovely park area.

Further on we are heading east to the coast of Kyushu … we had a great ride through the hills, the agricultural areas are amazing with rich dark soil, widespread crops of a mixture. The hills were manageable and photogenic – varieties of colours amongst pines.

About 10km from our destination “Komoot what are you thinking” we are on a very old road fit for mountain bikes or as John puts it ‘a goat track’ we persevere through dense forest and finally come across rice paddies.

Back on the road – more agricultural areas heading into Miyazaki. Komoot guides us to the door of our hotel before crossing the Oyodo River. The river has paths on either side – recreational fishermen throw a line, bike and pedestrians pass by.

It looks like my wonderful pics will have to wait … watch this space until I get reliable wifi.

It wasn’t meant to be …

It rained steadily all night, quite heavy at times. We woke with a weather forecast of no rain … yay.

Agonizing over whether or not to go to Yakushima, we had a 7am decision to go. Booked 2 nights accommodation – ferry timetable in hand and off to the port for 8.30am ferry. That all sounds good doesn’t it!

Ferry is out of service for 2 weeks as of yesterday- fast ferry doesn’t take bicycles – slow ferry leaves at 6pm and arrives at 7am. … it wasn’t meant to be … cancelled the accommodation.

Leaving Kagoshima the azalea hedges along the road are nice and bright against the overcast skies today.

We are now headed east to Miyakonojo. We hug the coast literally amongst heavy traffic and trucks. Thankfully there is a cycle/pedestrian path for most of the way.

Although it is very overcast and misty the views of the coast are great.

We head through Kirishima then into the hills – a good continuous climb through hills then a plateau – we passed logged forests then stock piles of pine logs before a lovely descent to Miyakonojo.

I just love the yukatas (komono but a bit different) in the hotels!

A quick 15 minute ferry to Sakurajima an active volcano. A ferry leaves every 15 mins 24hr/day taking cars, buses and walk ons. No sooner had we boarded, we were moving and getting off. The volcano was spewing plumes of ash as we boarded the ferry.

There is a road that circles the volcano only 36km that sounds good to us.

Along the way there are viewing platforms and trails – the views of Kagoshima and the volcano are great.

Everything is covered in a fine grey powder; this is ash from the volcano – something the locals have to live with. I have a slight gritty feeling in my mouth and skin. We see locals constantly sweeping the ash from the paths by their houses – I wonder what they do with it all?

Back by the port we soak our feet in the natural hot spring water of the “Sakurajima” Yogan Nagisa Park Footbath a treat for visitors.

A steady rain has started and we head off to have a specialty meal from the area. Shubu shubu – we got it all wrong – it looked nothing like we had imagined it to look on the menu picture all raw meats and the waiter mentioned sashimi, so we ordered another dish which ended up as chicken and vegetable soup … very nice, still hungry when we left and got Tiramasu from a Family Mart next to the hotel and had in our room. Further research there was a pot of boiling water with which to cook the meat in … shame there was a language barrier.

The rain is forecast to continue throughout the night.

… another puncture?

A lovely day on the bike – clear skies and no haze. We leave the west coast and head east today, quite a different landscape through the hills on route 3 with no diversions. Passing through villages, my brain is working overtime thinking of the varieties of spring flowers as we pass gardens; also grown by my Dad in his day. Voilets growing wild in cracks and crevices on the pedestrian/cycle path – all a part of being a cyclist.

The hills were very tame as we weave through; the colours are stunning.

Before we know it we are descending and Kagoshima is in our sights. Oops John has a puncture … easily fixed.

As we are riding through the city we notice the abundance of parks and gardens; something to discover tomorrow – we have booked another night here – the forecast is for a lot of rain on Tuesday/Wednesday so we are mindful of where to next.

A relatively short ride today, 63km and not much climbing.

A great day for gardening

Our first hotel breakfast – Japanese style – a range of cold meats, cold veggies, miso soup, sardines and a soy bean mix
‘Natto’ that I’m sure is very good for you but I wasn’t a fan.

https://matcha-jp.com/en/3158

There was some bread with jams and yoghurt that I enjoyed.

Easy access out of Minamata and through some small local villages. A beautiful day on the bike – temperature around 16°C when we head off. A heavy hazy again which lifted at 11am. We diverted on local roads to escape the busy main road and shops that go main roads.

It’s a Sunday and the locals in the villages are busy in the garden and tending to their farms both big and small. Large open flat lots surrounded by canals filled with water and divided with mud low walls. Some are dry and others wet or filled with crops.

Meanwhile amongst houses … the sound of brush cutters can be heard. I’m taken back by the lovely spring flowers in front gardens – there must be some green thumbs around. We duck and dive off the main road which sometimes leads us ‘up the garden path’ literally and also up unwarranted climbs. My bad – I chose this route.

Although we are by the coast, we see very little as the road is too far away. Eventually we go closer to the coast and head towards the Izumi Crane ObservationObservation Centre unfortunately it is closed – we have just missed the migratory season by a few weeks there are a few cranes around but nothing like 10,000 between November and March. For more information http://www.izumi-navi.jp/en/feature/tsuru

The last straw as we walked up a 13% hill – (although we did come across a Japanese badger) – the direct route (3) all the way to Satsumasendai despite the traffic and one particular scary tunnel.

Where the hills meet the sea …

Getting out of the city was easy with the help of Komoot and Garmin – the first 20km was on the main road which never ended – hardware, garden outlets and all the other large shops that go with the outskirts of big towns.

We are now in a rural area and lots of greenhouses, rice paddies and grains plus green leafy vegetables. We are thankful that Komoot has lead us to quiet streets where we see the locals out and about on the land; ploughing, spraying and in their tractors as farmers do. The suburban houses are pretty with spring flowers in front gardens and the topiary trees, lots of tulips and annuals in pots.

It’s such a lovely spring day around 21°C, a few whipper snippers cleaning up long grass. The further south we go, the closer the hills become and envelope us as they reach the coastline.

Before we know we have the sea on our right. It’s very hazy today and visibly is limited across the bay towards Shimoshima Island, however the view is still spectacular. The road in parts leaves the coast so we are climbing and snaking around the hills. …and of course there was an abundance of Sakura (cherry blossoms) in the hills that I had to capture.

Every turn offers more specular views too much to capture in photos. There are lovely sandy beaches; black muddy inlets with small marinas for fishing boats; rocky outcrops, the water is still and very clear. The hills were very colourful – different shades of green; orange trees with ripe fruit and terraced crops.

It was a bit difficult trying to identify a restaurant tonight – we saw a sign ‘OPEN’ by a door and slid it – a traditional no chair affair – they made room for us as we sat cushions – we look like a couple of old geezers – can’t do the whole cross legged or kneeling posture … haha – nice yakitori and noodles.

We reach Minamata after 95km.