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Japan Experience Furano to Shintoku
Here we are in Sapporro, on Hokkaido, 28 hours after leaving home. 11.30 pm and straight to our room and a shower and bed in this warm, windy, humid climate after getting lost on the way from the railway station. Am I glad I had wheels on my luggage. Our Japanese guide, Ken, was waiting for us at the airport and it took us an hour to get our bikes to his van having to go up and down lifts, across bridges and then pass our bagged bikes over an iron railing to him. Eventually we were off and onto the express train into the city. Japan, so far, has been a busy place and full of quiet, respectful people who are almost all quite short in stature compared to the westerners.
A good night’s sleep and up for a good traditional Japanese breakfast of rice and various fish and salads. Next job was to unload the bikes and rebuild before our guide Ken could take them in his van and trailer to Furano where we will start our cycling journey. We then walk to the bus station for our 3 hour journey to the hostel. A
final check on the bikes and then we have a rest until dinner. This fish and rice tastes good but I may be found wanting a change in two weeks time. Even though we have done no work yet tiredness is taking over and to bed at 8.45.
The weather had been warm, cloudy and humid so far at around 23 degrees followed this night by rain lashing down until about 5 o’ clock. Luckily by the time we were up it had stopped and the roads were dry. Fish and rice with noodles etc for breakfast and off we went heading East out of town along quiet roads. Ken is showing himself to be a good guide with quite a comprehensive map for us to follow and a talk on Japanese etiquette and how to wear the Kimono when we take the communal bath tonight. Further up the road Ken was waiting with coffee, tea, biscuits and bananas. After passing along Lake Kanayamako we stopped for lunch at a Pattiserie, which turned out to be quite cheap (for Japan). Following this we started climbing to the ski areas, which was not too steep and mostly 4%
getting to 7% at worst before a nice descent to Shintoku and our hostel for the night. On our way into town we saw a very interesting preserved steam locomotive under a shed. The bath was very interesting where we wore our kimonos and entered the Onsen, which is a thermal hot tub only just bearable due to the heat – phew. The rooms are also traditional Japanese with beds of thin mattresses on the floor and thin walls with paper type doors. Time will tell if these western pampered bodies will cope. The weather has been good to us today at around 23 degrees on the plains and 18 in the hills with quite bit of sun but rain is forecast tomorrow and we hope they are wrong.
Good meal again tonight made better by the group singing the American Star Spangled Banner since it is Independence Day - July 4.
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