Day 12: Saijo to Oboke

We had a lovely meal and time with our new Japanese friend Toshi. he picked us up and proudly showed us his house he rents to visitors, his clubhouse, his restaurant, all part of his kingdom, that also includes an international school.

I loved this walkway between stands of massive bamboo. I have my two hands around one, and still a gap.

Toshi and Tony stand in part of the guest accomodation. There is a Japanese fire in front of them you can use.

Toshi the retired professorial pharmacology scientist is also a farmer who has around 4000 2m as a farm, using his produce in his restaurant. The man can cook up a feast and this was first course!

We were truly humbled to have met Toshi and blown away by his generosity and kindness, not to mention his wit and keen intellect.

All good things end, and we woke up this am ready to roll. It was a mixed day. The majority of the first 50 km was an extended conurbation with connected cities, busy arterial roads, mix of footpath quality, little road verge and at times ok verges

You needed to concentrate to keep yourself safe as it’s the last place to make a mistake inches from a heavy truck. Uneven surfaces, potholes, rubbish, sudden curb drops and barriers all pose risks.

We stopped numerous times, initially Tony wanting a very small headed screwdriver to remove the back from his heart monitor. Finally we found a Bunnings like hardware store.

I waited…..the mountains around were claggy.

Food and many other items seem cheap in Japan. Here is a very practical example. If you want one of these ‘thingies’ it will set you back $4 aud.

There were Australian native plants for sale. These large potted wattles are $10. You would pay $40 plus at home for a plant this size.

By now Tony emerged from the depths of the store, screwdriver having been obtained. He changed his battery and off we went.

We had a few gradual climbs on the busier roads, and the weather was getting warm and muggy.

We were relieved to reach Miyoshi city, indicating we needed to turn right towards Oboke. We were following the Yoshina River.

The Yoshina River is the largest river in Shikoku stretching for 194 km. It’s basin takes up almost 20 percent of the island of Shikoku.

The river is also regarded as the wildest river in Japan attracting rafters globally including hosting the World Championships in 2017 in both Oboke and Koboke,Gorges.

This is a bridge to nowhere. It just crossed the river, but that was it!

This bridge had a purpose. It’s a rail bridge. The rail line runs through the valley, with a station not far from Oboke.

After checking in, storing the bikes, showering and laundering, we went exploring. Up the road we sound a white water rafting centre alongside this monument.

We found a shrine.

We found a graveyard of motorbikes, some stacked side by side, others stacked laterally.

A cute sign, but not sure what the 74.2 means.

Tony was keen to get down to the water. We did find a series of very steep steps that appear to not be used very often. my knee did creak.

I’m lagging behind in the descent.

Returning back up the steps, we discovered this adventure playground for adrenaline junkies. There are some seriously freaky challenges here, and I said BUCKET! (Zwift friends will understand🙈🤣).

A pretty garden, not sure if it was a commercial business or home.

The bear and I.

Back to the accomodation. can you pick our room?

Dinner was 7 pm. A set 13 course menu to be eaten in order. There were a lot of bowls and dishes in front of us as we figured out what to tackle next. We had two hot pots cooking, and the rings indicate items to be brought from the kitchen.

We waddled to our room. We might need all that tucker as tomorrow is the Queens stage of this tour. For non cycling readers, this means the day with the most climbing, highest altitude.

That will be a true test for me, but we have all day and the weather looks good. There should, be some good photos tomorrow.

Tony is ready for bed….he is modelling the provided gowns. Many people wore these to dinner tonight.