Day 12: the hawks soaring on the Ocean

Yesterday we fell asleep listening to the practicing choir, and today we wake up with the city speakers diffusing something which we are not able to understand, but it sounds like a female voice singing some public service announcement.

While we enjoy our breakfast and savor some of the dishes prepared by the landlady (she is a really skilled cook), we try to plan our route, as usual. We have to options: we will start on the coast until Kushimoto, and then from there we can either continue on the coast until Susami on route 42, or go inland though the mountains and reach Susami through routes 371 and 38. The latter is about 20 km longer and has, necessarily, more climbs, but on the map it looks less subject to traffic. We have a preference for the coastal route, but we will take the final decision after Kushimoto.

We greet the landlady and start moving: there is no bike lane and we have to take our space between the concrete barrier on our left and a steady flow of trucks and cars on our right: from time to time, when the shoulder is broad enough to let us cycle there it's refreshing. However the sight on the Ocean is amazing: the sky is deep blue and the water reflects this color, together with the bright light of the sun. When we reach the Hashiguiiwa Rocks the view is astounding, and we are not the only ones to enjoy it: the parking lot is full of cars and bus, with people searching for a spot to take pictures.

From there we see the bridge taking to Kii Oshima, which we want to reach immediately afterwards. We reach the ramp leading to the bridge by crossing the harbor, and when we are on the bridge we are struck by the wind: until now we were protected by the orography of the place, but now, after the cape (and on this island protruding into the Ocean) we are just mercilessly exposed.

On top of that the road cuts across the island without too much attempts of mitigating the slopes, and so we have to take some dose of climbing to reach the Kushimoto Turkish memorial museum. According to the history, a Turkish vessel had a shipwreck on this coast at the end of XIX century, and the islanders helped the crew to reach safety. In memory of that a statue of Ataturk faces the Ocean, right next to the lighthouse, and some shops sell Turkish souvenirs, like carpets and water pipes.

When we are parking our bikes a group of students walks next to us, and one of their teacher asks me about our trip. I explain him that we are touring Kansai on our bikes, and he is really surprised when I tell him that we are using our entire 3 weeks vacation to do this trip: he thanks us for dedicating so much time to this region, and goes to his students to tell them what he has been told from us, and when they walk back to their bus, they all wave at our direction. We have become celebrities once again!

After this random meeting we climb on the lighthouse and enjoy the view on the Ocean: the waves continuously splash on the rocks at our feet, making the water white from the foam, while several hawks fly high in the sky, drifting in the strong wind that knows no obstacles here. In the distance several ships cross the sea, going somewhere under the bright sun. This place during a storm might be surely terrific!

We take some pictures and then get back on the road: we have to face again the climbs we have met coming here, and the sun has become hotter. We decide that we will take the coast route, preferring the shortest path, but we soon kind of regret it: until we reach Esumi, where the expressway starts, the traffic grows bigger, and the cycling lane, when present, has the unappealing feature of being on the right side of the road and, if that wasn't already enough, whoever designed it decide that it is fine to stop it in the middle of curve when the road is rising. For sure we don't want to bet our lives with such a crossing, and we keep our left side of the road.

We stop for lunch at a marine park, where we find some benches were we can sit. Having more time we could also visit the underwater tower, allowing to see the bay. After the expressway the traffic practically disappears, and we can enjoy the view and the head wind blowing on our faces. The views on the Ocean are, once again, stunning, and from the time to time we see boars or deer peeking through the bushes on the hills on our right.

We reach Susami in the afternoon, about one hour before sunset: Sunset Hotel is well equipped for cyclists (it has bike racks in the main all for those who want to park their bike overnight) and, being located on the harbor, offers a fantastic view on the setting sun, as its name suggests.

We run to the supermarket to buy some food for dinner and then stay in harbor to enjoy the falling night. Then we take a relaxing bath in the onsen and have dinner in our room. All in all we are glad we have taken the coastal route: we didn't have to rush to avoid the darkness, and the road was pleasant after the expressway. We are just left with the curiosity on how would the other path might have been.

Day 11: the shining blue of the ocean side

Part of our route today will be the same that we have done yesterday, therefore we are looking for alternatives. We have seen that there is another road on the other side of the river, and we ask to the owner of the hotel about it. He tells us that route 740 is not a nice road, being too narrow when compared to route 168, but that is music for our ears: it means that there will be less or no cars!

Finished our breakfast we greet the hotel owner and his family and we set in motion: the air is chilly and the road goes downhill, and as much as possible we want to be on the main road before the traffic of the morning. Indeed, apart some bus full of students going to school, we meet no annoyance on the road until the point we can cross the river and reach route 740.

Indeed it is really narrow: if we should meet a car, we would have to step down and stay on the side to let it pass, but there is no sign of people using it, and moreover it is also being serviced, so we are confident we will be alone for a while. For a good while the road moves across the trees, letting us see the river on our right just for few moments, but then it opens up and allow us to enjoy the mist covered valley where the river flows.

Often we see small waterfalls, either on our side or on the opposite side of the river, which give a fantastic vibe to the place. The frequent pauses to take pictures allow also the sun to rise and shine some more light into the valley, increasing our delight.

This narrow road is a true blessing, and cycling on it is really funny: aside from the gorgeous scenery given by the forest and the river, it has constant ups, downs and turns which keep the eyes and the body alert and active.

At a certain point the forest opens up and we notice a flat area on the left, with what looks like a wooden building and a parking area. When we get closer we are welcomed by the magnificent Hisetsuno fall, rumbling down from a cliff. The wooden building is a camping ground with shop and barbecue, which, considering the early time, is of course empty. But for us it is fantastic: we park our bikes and take some pictures, enjoying the sun warming our bodies and the sound of the waterfall in the distance.

After the break we cross a small village and after it we see the island where the matsuri was held the other day: we are in Shingu, and from there we quickly reach the coast, from where, on a known road, we reach Nachi. Along the way a fisherman we meet in Miwasaki seems quite amused by the sight of two foreign cyclists. The same impression seems to have an elementary school class, which we meet while withdrawing some cash from the post office.

We stop for lunch in the sunny bay of Ugui, where we find a nice beach with benches right in front of the sea. From there we continue until we reach Nachikatsuura and its fish market. The main market is closed, but the tuna we see on sale in a supermarket looks really tasty.

When we reach Koza we have still some time before sunset, so we decide to go inland to visit the pitted rocks of Kozagawa before reaching our lodging.

The place is called Yamasakiya and is run by an energy full old lady, with a strong passion for cooking. Despite not having requested the dinner, she offers us some samples of her skills. We are  delighted by the delicious food she prepares, but also regret not having the full dinner there.

The room upstairs is really big, and while we relax in it, we hear someone singing close-by. When we give a look outside, we see that in the building opposite from our room, an old school, a choir is practicing. Their voices are the only human sound which we hear in the otherwise sleepy town.