Day - 13 - Relaxing in Sapporo
Not much planned for today. So i tided up a few of my things and went for a short walk around town in the morning. Found a really cute coffee shop, Cafe Lanvin, which made a good coffee. It was also a nice place to relax for a while.
I continued my walk around town and took in the sights. For lunch I found an all you can eat Japanese buffet. So I filled myself there with numerous servings! In the evening I went to the livelier end of town. This area is called Susukino. A lot of the buildings had illuminated billboards on their sides. There was even a Ferris wheel on top of one of the buildings. It was a bit too busy for me, so I headed back to my hotel. I've enjoyed my lazy day in Sapporo. Tomorrow back on the bike and heading north. |
Day 14 - Sapporo to Rumoi - 120kms
I was riding by 6am this morning, as I wanted to get out of town before it got busy. It was a great decision. I followed the canal north until I joined highway 231. There was a pretty okay bike path you can follow for the first 20 or so kilometres. Once I was out of the town area, I was back in familiar territory. Leafy green hills, seaside towns and coastal views. Very pleasant.
There were a couple of short hills to go up and over. But mostly, as usual, I was going to go through numerous tunnels. Longest one now is over 4km. There was no seperate path you could take in these tunnels, but the traffic was very light. And as always the cars gave me plenty of space when overtaking. With the weather being pretty nice I ended up cycling further than planned. I finished at Rumoi, which is a sizeable coastal town. I am free camping down near the harbour. Exactly the same time as I arrived, a Japanese cyclist heading the opposite direction turned up. He is also camping here tonight. I had a walk up to the shops to grab some dinner. |
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Day 15 - Rumoi to Teshiosa - 115km
This morning I was riding by 5:30am. I noticed the wind had turned and I was going to have a headwind for the day. I was riding past a lot of pastoral land. Which meant it was, at times, quite exposed to the wind.
Throughout the day I met a number of Japanese cyclists. Appear a lot of them were cycling the length of Japan. Also, there were a few motorcycles heading north. A lot of them were giving me a wave. At one of the rest areas, I was talking to a retired Japanese man. He and his wife are driving around the country in a small campervan. Kinda like our grey nomads. As the day progressed I had a series of rolling hills. As you went down one you had to start climbing the next. This went on for a number of kilometres and with the headwind was, at times, a little tedious. I arrived at Teshiosa by 3pm. I'm camping at the campground near to the onsen. I had a little rest before going to the onsen, as dealing with the headwind had made me a tad tired. Once I did get to the onsen, it was so nice to be soaking in the hot water. It is on the second floor and has nice views out to sea. When I got back to my tent another cyclist had arrived. His names is Raphaël and he is from France. He is spending 12 months in Japan. Later on a guy from Australia also arrived. He his currently walking approximately 25 kilometres a day around Japan. It was a pleasant evening having a conversation with people about our experiences in Japan so far. Tomorrow I am heading north to Wakkanai, where I am planning on taking the ferry to Rishiri Island. |
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