Japan. Onsen Explorer. Day 4

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Onsen Explorer Day 4
Another great sunny day started off with a nice Japanese breakfast with rice, miso soup, tofu, fish, fish plus some fish.
We cycled together for most of the day and I mean together in a rather loose way but this helped the traffic pass us safely. As yesterday afternoon we saw a lot of Japanese knotweed along the roadside. We also entered serious rice production with vast expanses of planted crops but in the early stages of growth. Tractors were cultivating the submerged soil and others were planting mechanically. It is a shame we are a little early to see the small rice combine harvesters in action. The cicadas were out in force again, especially in the large forested areas we passed. Needless to say I have been photographing manhole covers (well who wouldn’t?) and must have got 6 different patterns today. Of interest also were the large posts alongside the road with what looked like shelving fastened to it. These were snow barriers which were lowered in winter to prevent snow drifts on the road. The Ryokan was reached at 2pm after riding 65km where we had the option of riding UP a hill for 22km to see a beech forest and a 400 yr old beech tree. Nine of us rode it but it should have been eight. At 4km from the top of the hill I was just about to bonk when luckily Ken came past and I took s banana and cereal bar to revive my legs. After arriving at the top I had a look at the 400 yr old tree and started my descent. What took 2hrs to go up took 50 minutes to come down, passing two workers cars on the way, which were getting in the way of a great run. The workers were seen on the way up carrying buckets of concrete up onto the loose rock face using ropes and abseiling. At the Ryokan the onsen beckoned and I sat up to my neck in very hot water soothing the muscles ready for another day in the saddle. The dinner was in a hotel just down the road so I walked down in my Yukata, too weary to change and almost falling asleep during tomorrow’s briefing. Jet lag catching up with me. zz zz zz.

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