Therefore as soon as we depart from Nara we search for alternatives to the main road. We have to rely on what we can extrapolate from what we see on Google map. We spot something that seems to go South like we want to, but it's not a main road, and we head in that direction. When we find its beginning we find a narrow path between two houses where even a Japanese micro car will have some problems going through: exactly what we want to stay away from the traffic!
The path first goes through old villas, where old people are either pruning trees or cleaning the floor next to the entrance. From there it enters a mixture of houses and rice fields, where farmers are busy with the harvest. Next to a rice field we even spot the troupe of a French television, filming an interview to some Japanese person with, on the background, the work of a farmer.
Then, after crossing a small clump of trees, we find ourselves at the entrance of a shrine. We step down from our bikes to visit it, and the place is so quite and still that it almost looks like the building has been forgotten into a fold of time. I have the clear impression that Murakami visits this kind of places to find inspiration for his books.
When we get back on our bikes we find ourselves again in the fields, surrounded by rice and orchards. In one of them we spot a small truck, and in the distance we notice a man harvesting persimmons. We stop and ask him permission for photographing his job, and if we can buy some fruits from him. He starts laughing and answer we can get them for free, not because of our broken Japanese, but because, like his face eloquently mimics, he is harvesting sour persimmons. We laugh back and refuse his offer, thanking him for the kindness.
After a while we find a small hill covered with a persimmon orchard, with the fruits shining in the sun. The place is labeled as a historical landmark, but we are not able to tell why, and have nobody in the surrounding whom we can ask for explanation.
After few kilometers among fields and some rare auto, we end up in the parking lot of a combini, where we stop to buy some food and drink. While we are at it, a father with his son, both on their bikes, come next to us. It is evident that the little boy is at the beginning of his experience, and when we give him a smiling がんばって he is visibly proud, and his father encourages him to continue cycling.
We stop for lunch in the town of Asuka, in the park at the bottom of the Amakashi-no-oka observatory. While we are eating our food, I cross-check my mail, the maps and the time. Back home we are attending since August a taiko school (Yamato Taiko School), and they arrive in Asuka right today, to co-play in the local matsuri with the member of Yamato, which is based here in Asuka. When we knew about their trip in late August we had already planned our bike vacation, so we tried to at least be in Asuka when they were there, too.
According to the schedule I have been given, they should be arriving in the Ishibutai park at about this time, so we decide to give it a try and go to that park, maybe we will meet them.
Call it luck, we arrive in the park right when the city major is giving his welcome speech to the school members, and we manage to greet our fellow players and the teachers. We have just the time to take a picture together, before they are caught back in the ceremony and we have to get back on the bike.
At this point we have two options: follow the main road, which means a straight route but traffic, or go in the countryside roughly along the train track, which means a more zig zagging route but less traffic. Of course we pick the second option, and while riding in the countryside we manage to meet a boar with its baby, which quickly run in the bushes when we get close to them.
Shortly after that we are forced to get back on the main road, which after a bridge with a magnific view on the Soga river allow us to ride on a cycle route that take us until Hashimoto, our destination for the day.
When we get in the parking lot out of the Wakayama Guest House Shido we see a large crowd gathered there. We get closer to understand what is happening, and we ask information to one of the bystanders. He doesn't speak English and apologize while going back in his group of friends, who welcome him with jokes and laughs for having been chosen by the two gaijin. However they send forth another person who can speak some English and gives us some explanation: apparently we have arrived right for the taiko exhibition of the local matsuri.
After the taiko exhibition we participate in the ceremony of the mochi launching: from up a truck 4 people throw mochis on the people on the ground, who then try to gather as many as possible. The locals seem happy that we are taking part in their ceremony, and we are also glad to see something we have only seen in anime.
We then move into the guest house where, after bathing, we first sit on the veranda eating some persimmons offered by the landlord and then consume our dinner in the restaurant attached to the place, where he is the owner and prepares the meals.
Together with us there are two German tourists, who are also heading to Koyasan, though with more convetional transportation than us. The dinner is simple but really tasty, and after that we take a walk to the closest combini to buy some ice cream.
When we are walking there a man is getting back to his car, and walks with us asking the purpose of our visit. We explain him that we are touring Kansai and that tomorrow we will climb to Koyasan with our bike, to which he let out an expression of surprise. The only problem is that when we say "by bike" he understands "bye bye" and moves away all of a sudden, with us going back to him to properly finish the conversation.
When we get back to our room we are satysfied for the amazing day we have had, and we look forward for tomorrow.
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