By 8.30 we were all ready and on our bikes. Turns out Japan has a road rule that makes all cyclists do hook turns when they turn right. We had a quick explanation of that, but my Melbourne background meant I understood it.
Then we were off! And 5 km layer we stopped at a Shinto shrine. We were taught how to purify ourselves before ringing a bell and saying a prayer. We learned stuff about Shinto. Read some prayers people had requested. Then off again.
My bike is superb. I have a road bike with SPD pedals and it goes pretty fast. We rode along the sea coast before heading inland slightly, and uphill slightly. Saw some kites (bird of prey variety) circling high above. Like buzzards. Maybe I looked like potential roadkill.
Anyway, I got to a right hand turn to the lighthouse at Cape Notoro and pulled off to the left as instructed. Despite there being hardly any road traffic, there was one car behind me as I did this. And they confusingly stopped in the middle of the road and ushered me out of the gutter and into the right hand road. So I did. And they continued on. Weird. This is a new bike law, and I suspect confusion reigns.
But all the drivers were considerate. Respectful, just like they are in customer services too. We got to the lighthouse and had morning tea. I ate so much fruit. Mmmmm.
Back onto the main road and through a road tunnel on the footpath before riding around the edge of a lake. Had a yummy lunch of chicken and egg on rice. The name in Japanese translates to "parent and child on rice". Chicken and egg. That made me laugh.
Completely stuffed once more with food, we set off for the last 15 km back into town. Most of it was on a bike path. Great riding although the recent storms have left wee branches all over the path and my road bike was less tolerant than the hybrids others rode. Still, it was no bother.
Once back at the hotel, the guides offered to drive us to the Museum of Northern Peoples. So glad they did. It was hot, the clouds had burnt off and it was a steep climb. The museum was fantastic. Y550 to get in with free audio in English. I found it fascinating. Really worth seeing. It covered all northern people. Ainu from Hokkaido. Sami from Lapland. North American natives, including Inuit and the Pacific coast people. And from Sakhalin island. Yep, I loved it. Well set out.
I love a good museum.
Back to the hotel to check out the local fancy supermarket. I bought three different kinds of iced coffees. Back to Iona and Col's room to eat junk food before psyching ourselves up for an onsen visit.
I went back to my room to shower and thought I had 45 minutes to get my head into the right space for getting naked with strangers. But it turns out my watch was thirty minutes slow. Iona and Col knocked on my door way earlier than I thought. In hindsight, not having any time to dwell on what I was about to do was probably for the best.
We stepped into the onsen, prepared by our guides on the correct etiquette. Stripped off, grabbed the tiny modesty towel (It is misnamed - unless you use it to blindfold yourself and pretend if you can't see anything, they can't see you) and stepped into the onsen room. Trying to act nonchalant.
Anyway, we were the only ones in there and we enjoyed the hot pool with the windows looking out over Abashiri from the lofty heights of the ninth floor. Tried the outside pool. It was a bit hot. Tried the cold pool. It was a bit cold. Back to the hot pool and then two Japanese women joined us.
By this stage I was getting really hot. And not inclined to lounge around the outside of the pool cooling down with this mere wisp of a towel. Seriously, it was incapable of hiding anything I wanted to hide. More like a face cloth. Hence the blindfold observation...
But we've done it now. So perhaps other more traditional onsen along our cycle tour might be less challenging now.
Dinner was incredible. After eating like mad all day, I was intending to eat hardly anything. WRONG! It was a set menu and featured a lot of seafood. Mmmmm. Sushi. Prawns. Octopus. Pork. More sushi. Dessert. I'm so full.
That was the first proper cycling day. A wonderful mix of hot sweaty riding in 30C with humidity thrown in for good measure. Sunscreen was a necessity. It made all the road grime adhere to my legs really well. I probably should have drank more water during my ride. Made up for it at lunch and dinner though.
Tomorrow is 80 km with a 10 km climb in the middle. Woot! Bring it on.
Note: whole cycling trip is around 460km.
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